Star Trek: Strange New Worlds - The RANDY Awards: Category XI, Season Two

 And now for the finale.  The moment you've all been waiting for...  Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, category XI: The Bronze, Silver and GOLD medalist of the BEST Shows of Season 2.

The BRONZE Medal goes to "Hegemony, part 1" the final episode of the season.  It was written by Henry Alonso Myers and Onitra Johnson.  It first aired on August 17, 2023.

The SILVER Medal goes to "Charades."  It was written by Kathryn Lyn and Henry Alonso Myers.  It first aired on July 13, 2023.

And the GOLD Medal for Best Episode of Season Two goes to "Those Old Scientists".  It was written by Kathryn Lyn and Bill Wolkoff.  It first aired on July 22, 2023.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds - The RANDY Awards: Category X, Season Two

 As the Awards Ceremony is approaching its second round apex, one more RANDY stands between now and the announcing of the Best Episodes: Bronze, Silver and Gold.  The X category is that of the Most Ambitious Episode.  Among the things that make Star Trek: Strange New Worlds a singular success among the franchises is its willingness to step outside of the "box."  Hell, toss the box and make a bubble!

In the first season the Most Ambitious Episode went to "Spock Amok" with its overlapping themes and well woven plot twists that came together on multiple levels.  It was a brilliantly conceived and exquisitely executed use of characters and story arcs.  Season Two's winner is really nothing like season one's!  

Ambition and success are not the same critter.  It seems likely that the episode I chose was the most controversial of the season.  The creators swung for the bleachers and depending on who you ask the result was somewhere between a bases loaded homer to an infield fly catch!  Personally, it definitely got to third base, and drove in at least one runner.  The winner is "Subspace Rhapsody."   Written by Dana Horgan and Bill Wolkoff, it first aired on August 3, 2023.

Epilogue:
The music was composed by Kay Hanley and her longtime collaborator, Tom Polce.  Kay performed with Letters from Cloe.  The two have a lot of talent, what they didn't have was what every real musical has...a out of town tryout, or two, or three...  Had they I would like to think that the following edits would have been made.  The Gilbert and Sullivan homage piece would have been turned over to someone who understanding Gilbert and Sullivan MUCH BETTER.  Two other numbers needed some serious reconsideration, as well.  Both involved sub-plots involving La'an and Number One.  I question the focus on their premise when other possibilities were available like a spirited duet between Sam and James Kirk.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds - The RANDY Awards: Category IX, Season Two

Category 9 of the Randy Awards is another trifercated award in the Olympics style of Bronze, Silver and Gold.  The recipients are the actors who are not recurring cast members, but who are Featured with in a particular episode.  The second season of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds included more guest actors who's contributions qualified them for consideration.  In the end, the top two selections were absolute "No Brainers" in my view.  The Bronze winner required more consideration between the 5 candidates that met the criterion.  In the end, I chose Reed Birney for his portrayal of Luq, the gentle helper in the episode "Among the Lotus Eaters".  It was written by Kristen Byer and Davy Perez, and first aired on July 6, 2023.

The Silver Award winner could have been Gold, if it weren't for the Gold winner!  Now, that's a problem easy on the heart.  Jack Quaid had for several years been Ensign Bradwin Boimler's iconic voice on the animated sister series Star Trek: Below Decks.  The genius of this crossover episode where animation becomes live action and the future legacy of the Enterprise crew gets spilled out in dribs and drabs by this comedic Everyman is nothing short of brilliant.  Jack Quaid, Silver Award winner for "Those Old Scientists" written by Kathryn Lyn and Bill Wolkoff.  The episode first aired on July 22, 2023.

This leaves us with the Gold.  Yetide Badaki's portrayal of the Illyrian Lawyer, Neera Ketoul revolutionized the long running cliche of a Star Trek Character in trouble with the law and in need of an unorthodox legal counsel to save the day though with and cleverness.  There hasn't been a franchise save "Discovery" that hasn't built at least one episode around some version of this, and most revisited it more than once.  The writers of this episode must have wanted to accomplish two things: 1) to pay homage to the meme, and 2) to put it to bed once and for all with an episode that stunned the viewer for both its' clarity and cleverness.  And to accomplish this goal, Badaki's command of the role hit a home run completely out of the park.  No better performance to receive the GOLD.  "Ad Astra Per Aspera" was written by Dana Horgan and Onitra Johnson.  It aired for the first time on June 22, 2023.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds - The RANDY Awards: Category VIII, Season Two

 Alas, much like the last award for Make-up Design, Category VIII's Costume Design proved to be a quandary for me.  There really wasn't an episode where costume design was a standout element to the production design.  Instead, every episode came well packaged with whatever nuances the script required.  Like the previous category, in the end I found myself watching and re-watching a small collection of episodes hoping for something to dazzle me.  The conclusion I came to was that the Strange New World Costume Department is full of amazing designers and makers.

The episode I settled on is "Under The Cloak Of War".  No doubt the Klingon version of the too often appropriated "In The Fog Of War," for it carries the same meaning.  Among the costumes of note were the defector Klingon General Dak'Rah's understated, yet intricately created garb.  Also, the war uniforms of the Federation soldiers were another subtle, but detailed adaptation that held the familiar markers of the standard issue uniforms, but were also clearly designed for combat.

In the interest of full disclosure, I didn't really like this episode--I tend not to enjoy those full of violence; however, there were a couple of wonderful aspects.  First up was the cameo by Clint Howard as Commander Buck Martinez.  Howard first appeared on the original series at the age of 6 as an alien in "The Corbomite Maneuver".  Then he continued to pop-up!  Next, on Deep Space 9, then Enterprise, Discovery, and now, Strange New Worlds--which given their alternate mission of being one giant homage to the original series seems like an inevitability, now fulfilled. 

The delight was to encounter again the actor, Robert Wisdom in the role of the disgraced Klingon Ambassador, former General Dak-Rah.  I don't know how the producers were able to snag his services for the role, but I am grateful they did.  I mention this, because it's possible these biases ultimately led me to choosing this episode for this award--it was unlikely to be recognized in any other way.

The Second Round of RANDY AWARDS for Costume Design goes to "Under The Cloak Of War" written by Davy Perez and Onitra Johnson.  It was the 8th episode of the second season and first aired on August 3, 2023.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds - The RANDY Awards: Category VII, Season Two

 Category VII this year is Outstanding Make-Up Design.  It was a hard, if not the hardest decision to make out of the season.  I wanted one episode to standout, but instead I had three that just kept dancing around one another.  In the end I chose the season opener "The Broken Circle."  

The episode comes with lots of horseshoe crab-foreheaded Klingons which is no small feat if no longer uncommon.  Fight sequences gave "wound" make-up opportunities, and then being frozen--if only temporarily--in outer space turned both Dr. M'Benga and Nurse Chapel into very believable popsicles.

"The Broken Circle" was written by Henry Alonso Myers and Akiva Goldsman.  It first aired on June 15, 2023.

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Star Trek: Strange New Worlds - The RANDY Awards: Category VI

 Category VI has been inserted into the Randy Awards for the first time in the second season.  It is meant for a category of recurring actors between seasons--in other words, actors who reprise the same character from a previous season, which necessarily negates the possibility on an award offered in the inaugural season.  Throughout the history of all Star Trek franchises, actors have help recurring roles outside of the credited main cast.  They have provided a sense of continuity that has contributed to the essential nature of a show about a crew of individuals.  From Lt. Kyle (John Winston)'s 11 appearances as the Transporter Chief across all three seasons of the Original series to Lt Mitchell (Rong Fu)'s 12 appearances as Helmsman on Star Trek: Strange New Worlds across the first three seasons--recurring supporting characters are the bedrock of creating a larger reality on any series.

Like other Randy awards, this one is tiered.  There are Gold, Silver and Bronze level winners.  The inaugural Gold Award goes to Paul Wesley as Captain James T. Kirk in the episode "Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow" written by David Reed and Onitra Johnson.  It first aired on Jun 29, 2023. 

The Silver Award is also for the performance of Carol Kane as Pelia in the same episode.  The genius of her portrayal of Pelia the Lanthenite is that she feels spontaneous in her dialogue and actions.  

The Bronze award goes to Gia Sandhu's T'Pring from the episode Charades.  Written by Kathryn Lyn and Henry Alonso Myers, it first aired on July 13, 2023.  Sandhu's interpretation of this one episode character from the original series has been a revelation over the first two seasons of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.  In the first round of Randy Awards, she walked away with the Gold Award for Best Featured Actor making this her second trip to the podium in as many seasons.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds - The RANDY Awards: Category V, season two

 We celebrate the world of Special Effects with category V.  Season one gave the nod to "The Ghosts Of Illyria" with it's amazing plasma storms, non-coporeal Illyrian ghosts, glowing immune systems and chunks of planetary core beamed aboard the Enterprise!  It felt like an easy choice.

Season two's winner was not.  In fact, several of the traditional categories felt difficult to award via a degree of superiority over other episodes.  Having said that, I chose "Charades" with a critical consideration to the expressions of the Kerkov culture.  

Charades was written by Kathryn Lyn and Henry Alonso Myers.  It first aired on July 13, 2023.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds - The RANDY Awards: Category IV, season two

 Category IV is for the Best Combination of Design and Set Elements.  In the past this would have acknowledged production aspects like "Set Design," "Sound," "Lighting," even "Props."  With the rapid and ever expanding integration of Computer Generated Imagery, coupled with Artificial Intelligence and the untapped potential as this technology erupts, a combination of these previous award categories into a single more encompassing one made sense.  

Season One's recipient was "Spock Amok," an episode with wonderful sets, amazing design details, unusual special effects and delightful structural elements.  The second annual Randy Award in this category goes to "The Broken Circle," season two's inaugural episode.  Like its predecessor, "The Broken Circle" covers a wide range of varied and diverse production elements.  Sets on a star base, on two star ships, and on a very interesting planet.  Special effects with models and space detritus and pyrotechnics. A plethora of props and set pieces that create a reality full of diverse inevitability.  En toto, it's a rich tapestry; deep and wide, the perfect canvas for wonderful storytelling.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds - The RANDY Awards: Category III, season two

 All right, we've arrived at the first of now four categories with 3 award degrees: Gold, Silver, and Bronze.  Category III is designed to honor the work of actors who are not members of the main cast, nor are they members of the recurring cast. (unlike in season one, when they might have been).  These actors have played a part of lessor width than a Featured Guest actor; however, their performance has stood out and contributed some very special and memorable to the episode.

In season one I honored actors who portrayed a Romulan Captain, a Majalin father trying to save his son from becoming a human sacrifice, and an Orian Pirate whose competence proved assailable.  This season, supportive roles performed by women and Vulcans stood out.  

My Bronze award goes to Graeme Somerville for his portrayal of the overly stoic, Vice Admiral Pasalk.  Somerville has had a long and rich career in the Professional Theatre Community of Ontario and Quebec.  The fact that this series is filmed in Canada provides those of us who live in the United States the chance to experience many fresh yet seasoned actors.  You may not know, but in the original cast both William Shatner and James Doohan were born in Canada.  Somerville's role was part of the second season's second episode "Ad Astra Per Aspera" written by Kathryn Lyn and Henry Alonso Myers.  It first aired on July 13, 2023.

The Silver Award in this category goes to another Canadian Actor, Ellora Patnaik, who portrayed T'Prill, T'Pring's exacting and judgmental mother.  Patnaik was born and raised in Toronto to Indian immigrants and has a resume that includes nearly 60 films and CBC TV series.

Keeping it all Canada all the time, the Gold Award goes to Mia Kirshner who portays Amanda Grayson, Spock's mother.  A role that she initiated on Star Trek: Discovery.  Kirshner is also a very successful actor in the Canadian film and TV industry.  Both the Silver and Gold winners roles come out of the episode "Charades" written by Dana Horgan & Onitra Johnson.  I aired on June 22, 2023.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds - The RANDY Awards: Category II, Season Two

From the best "Stand Alone" episode to the best "Ensemble" episode.  When you have episodic TV with a relatively large cast, you often have episodes that focus of the arc or the backstory of a single character, OR a pivotal experience between a limited number of characters.  Sometimes the result is so powerful and so memorable that it gets dubbed "Spock's Episode" or "Worf's Episode".  One need only consider the offerings from Strange New Worlds season 3 to recall "Ortegas' Episode."

The ensemble award is to acknowledge the polar opposite.  It is the episode in which everyone had a role to play and weight to carry to the good of the whole.  And with that in mind, there is only one possible winner from season 2.  "Space Rhapsody" was so far outside of the box that it engendered a response from fans which left few if any sitting on the fence.   

When you look at sites that rate such things with a broad range of participants, the "singing" episode does not fare particularly well.  I acknowledge it's short comings.  Chief among which was the uneven quality of the original score.  I absolutely adore the opening number.  Cole Porter never wrote more intricate lyrics and the driving melody just wells up with anticipation.  Likewise, the finale, though a bit cheesy when combined with all the high school grade choreography was a good song.  All the others in the middle needed the proverbial out of town notices on their way to Broadway.  

While some members of the cast have great voices, Celia Rose Gooding (Uhuru) won a Grammy in 2021 for her work on the Broadway Cast recording of "Jagged Little Pill".  Christina Chong (La'an) release an extended play collection of songs in 2021 entitled "Since 2021", and since 2021 a series of 5 singles, one of which features Jonathan Peck (Spock).  Others, like Babs Olusonmokun (Dr. M'Benga) gave thanks for the marvels of auto-tune.  Which, in a way, made his participation in the project even more endearing.  

Like it, Love it, or Hate it--Any which way you cut it--"Space Rhapsody" is clearly Strange New Worlds season two Best Ensemble show!  Written by Dana Horgan and Bill Willkolf, the episode first aired on August 10, 2023.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds - The RANDY Awards: Category I - Season Two

 Once again the order of presentation will be the same, and so we begin with "Best Stand Alone Episode." 

The point of this award is to acknowledge the initial renown of this iteration of the Star Trek franchise as a return to single episode story telling.  And while this true, it's only true to a certain point.  Of the episodes that qualified, this one was chosen in large part for the uniqueness of its story-line, as well.  Another nice aspect is the way in which it featured alpha shift helmsman, Lt. Erica Ortegas.  

"Among The Lotus Eaters" was the 4th episode of season two.  It was written by Kirsten Beyer and Davy Perez, and was first aired on July 6, 2023.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds - The RANDY Awards - SEASON 2

 After a few weeks to let the dust settle from they amazingly popular Season One Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Randy Awards, I'm ready to take on Season Two.  As with season one the award categories are the same--well, mostly the same.  Along with the original ten categories and 16 honorees, I have added one additional multi-tiered category in keeping up with the way in which the second season morphed from the first.

The second season relied more on recurring characters who were not a part of the formal cast, than did the first.  So here is a list with descriptions of all the possible Randy Awards for season two:

1) Best Stand Alone Episode: GOLD

2) Best Ensemble Episode: GOLD

3) Best Guest Actor in a Supporting Roll: GOLD, SILVER & BRONZE (this is an actor with multiple scenes, but no pivotal role in the story line.  It's a judgment call, and I am the judge)

4) Best Design and Set Elements: GOLD

5) Best Special Effects Design: GOLD

6) NEW Best Recurring Actor in a Featured OR Supportive Role: GOLD, SILVER, BRONZE

7) Best Make-up Design: GOLD

8) Best Costumes Design: GOLD

9) Best Actor in a Featured Role: GOLD, SILVER & BRONZE

10) Most Ambitious Concept in an Episode: GOLD  (It's like pornography--you know it when you see it!)

11) Best Episodes: GOLD, SILVER & BRONZE

Here is a list of the 10 episodes that comprise Season Two.

 The first Randy Awards ends with the announcement of the Bronze, Silver and Gold winning Episodes.  Each of these achieved something exceptional in the cannon of the first season.

The BRONZE winner is "A Quality of Mercy."  Written by Henry Alonso Myers and Akiva Goldsman.  It is the final episode of the first season, airing on July 7, 2022.  It is the first to profoundly embrace a premise from The Original Series with essential fidelity of design toward a new outcome.  A plot twist that encompasses elements from not only Star Trek: TOS, but also Star Trek: Discovery to great effect.  The introduction of Capt. James T. Kirk is also done in a unique and exciting way.

The SILVER winner is "Momento Mori."  Written by Davy Perez and Beau DeMayo.  The fourth episode of the first season, it first aired on May 26, 2022.  The major accomplishment of this episode is to introduce to Star Trek: SNW's nemesis.  TOS had the Klingons and Romulans; Next Gen had the Borg, Voyager had many from the Kazon and Vidiians to the Borg...  Etc.  Star Trek has always presented a universe filled is US verses THEM.  And the Gorn are the new THEM in ST:SNW.  This episode established their vicious nature, and the Humanities clever superiority.  Great special effects, some pivotal character development and real suspense.  

The GOLD winner comes as NO surprise.  Spock Amok wins as often does the comedic episodes ever since "The Trouble With Tribbles".  Drawing from another one of ST:TOS's finest episodes "Amok Time," this takes the Vulcan courtship ritual to a new delight, while weaving into it three other sub-plots in a seam less, aesthetic masterpiece.  Written by Henry Alonso Myers and Robin Wasserman, it first aired on June 2, 2022.  As the mid-season episode of the first season, it also firmly established this iteration of Star Trek as something truly special.

And with that I turn my attentions toward Season Two...

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds - The RANDY Awards: Category IX

 In conceptualizing the Randy Awards, I wanted to create something that was both familiar and unique.  In other words like the series, itself.  The ninth award falls fully under the heading of unique.  It is not "The Best Episode" GOLD award, though winning it doesn't exclude you from also striking Gold there.  I am calling it the Most Ambitious Concept Episode Award.  It weaves together other awards I'm not giving like "best writing"; but a well written episode is not the same as an ambitious one.  It most certainly includes multiple plot lines, often interwoven, inter-connected, and/or interdependent.  It can but doesn't have to reference previous episodes and or foreshadow ones yet to come.  There ought to be a combined sense of challenge for multiple other disciplines like props, make-up, costume, special effects...  It also ought to drive multiple character profiles forward by exposing past actions that explain (at least partially allude to) current character norms while offering up critical character interactions that deepen relationships; perhaps even introduce character interactions that become the basis for future conflict or growth.

Simply put, this is the episode that I walked away from feeling the most "Wow" factor, the one I have watched again the most, or the one that every time I watch it--I see something new.

For season one this honor goes to "Spock Amok," written by Henry Alonso Myers and Robin Wasserman.  It aired for the first time on June 2, 2022.  This is the 4th Randy Award of the night for this episode.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds - The RANDY Awards: Category VIII

 The first season of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds was particularly insular when it comes to featured guest actors.  So many episodes focused on the main cast and building relationships within the core, that even those stories that didn't feature everyone, only used supporting actors.  In contemplating what it takes to qualify for this category, I only identified 5 actors for consideration.  This doesn't mean that the awards aren't deserving; however, I would say this--recipients in future seasons will have had much more to work with as actors on their road to qualifying.  

One of the other absolutely wonderful aspects of Strange New Worlds comes from the fact that it was filmed in Canada.  This gives us an opportunity to discover some truly wonderful actors who are Canadian, and who otherwise don't get much U.S. air time.  Here's a fun fact for you, as well.  Did you know that both William Shatner (Capt. James T. Kirk) and James Doohan (Chief Engineer Montgomery Scott) were both born in Canada?

And a final thought.  I've included actors in this category who had recurring roles in this season or subsequent seasons.  I'm giving serious consideration to breaking them out into a category of their own for future seasons.  

Like Best Supporting Actor, this category also comes with a Gold, Silver and Bronze recipient in descending order.

BRONZE goes to Actor Jesse James Keitel for their portrayal of Dr. Aspen, the duplicitous Pirate Captain in the episode "Serene Squall".  This is the second Randy Award for this episode.

SILVER goes to Actor Bruce Horak for his portrayal of Chief Engineer Hemmer in the episode "All Those Who Wander."  Hemmer was a recurring role in season one.

GOLD goes to Actor Gia Sandhu for her portrayal of T'Pring in the episode "Spock Amok".  This is the third Randy Award for "Spock Amok." T'Pring is a recurring role in multiple seasons.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds - The RANDY Awards: Category VII

 We have made our way through the evening's celebrations and it is time to announce the winner of the seventh category: Best Costume Design.  A tried and true area of artistic excellence, season one of Strange New Worlds provided a range of possible candidates with one episode standing out for the sheer extravagance of the fare.  However, I did not select "The Elysian Kingdom" with its capes and gowns, pantaloons and crowns.  

In fact, of all the awards I am bestowing, this one was the easiest.  It has two very different and distinct designs.  One was the new EV-suites which in this case debuted on the bodies of Spock, La'an Noonien-Singh, Lt. George Samuel Kirk, and Cadet Nyota Uhura on her first away mission.  They are elegant and action oriented with a slightly understated sex appeal.  They are a far cry for those flimsy, "bird cage" helmeted space suites worn by the original Capt. Kirk and others in "The Tholean Web" over half a century ago.

But the costume I completely fell in love with were the cloaks worn by the Deleb.  These folks wear such sophisticated clothing that there's got to be a wonderful anthropological explanation.  Just me having this sort of idea about a costume, speaks profoundly to its unique qualities.  The Children of the Comet was written by Henry Alonso Myers and Sarah Tarkoff.  It first aired on May 22, 2022.   This is the second award for Children of the Comet.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds - The RANDY Awards: Category VI

 The next two awards move even further into the realm of standard fare.  Award VI of the "Randy's" is for Make-Up Design.  Even with other amazing SciFi programs, none have explored in such depth the creation of the "Alien" race.  Or, perhaps, more to the point: Created MORE Alien races!  From the very first pilot where we met our very first Vulcan, the idea that there are other humanoid species in the universe feels imminently more like thanks to Mr. Spock.  

Another keystone of Star Trek through the years is that as our ability to create more complex and functional prosthetics has evolved, so have the appearance of particular Alien races.  One needs only to review the cavalcade of Klingons to establish this premise! But Aliens are more than fake foreheads, cheeks and chins!

In considering this award I went with the episode Spock Amok, it's second win of the evening, and in so doing acknowledge the Rongovians.  Portrayed by Ron Kennell (Vasso) and Carlyle J. Williams (Brax), I do not doubt that the process of recreating their "zebra" stripes was no less an arduous and long-suffering endeavor.  Unlike synthetic molds that can be replicated over and over and over again.  These designs had to be reapplied each day.  It is clear from the variation in the patterns from scene to scene, that while the make-up crew had a pattern to follow, getting it the same was not a thing.  In spite of this, I recognize their efforts.  It's clearly not as easy as one might imagine.

Best Make-Up to Spock Amok, written by Henry Alonso Myers and Rabin Wasserman.  It first aired on June 2, 2022.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds - The RANDY Awards: Category V

 Category V of my "Randy" awards for Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is Special Effects.  This has always been an important aspect of Star Trek episodes and since the iconic USS Enterprise first "zoomed" through the stars, to the CGI revolution that is currently the State-of-the-Art go to.  In considering the special effects from season one of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds I wanted to acknowledge the episode that featured the most interesting and atypical use of special effects.  In other words, exploding ships and stars and asteroids...old hat.  I also wanted to look beyond the straight up creation of CGI aliens.  Certainly this iteration of the franchise does it better than any of its predecessors, but it isn't really anything new.

In selecting the "Ghosts of Illyria" I was most impressed by the use of light, distortion and finally, but to a lesser extent, the grand imagery (the Illyrian science lab, the crazy plasma storms on Hetemit IX.  The "Ghosts of Illyria" written by Akela Cooper and Bill Wolkoff, first aired on May 19, 2022.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds - The RANDY Awards: Category IV

 I'm calling the 4th category Best Design and Set Elements.  It's really a combination of best writing meets best settings and props.  It's sort of the Golden Globe of the awards.  You know the winner here is definitely in line for one of the top three Best Episode awards!  And while it's a little hard to define, it's really not that difficult either.  I'll use as my example that seminal quote from U.S. Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart in the case Jacobellis v. Ohio dealing with the definition of pornography.  "I know it when I see it."  And the same is true here.

The winner is "Spock Amok" written by Henry Alonso Myers and Robin Wasserman.  It first aired on June 2, 2022.  

Humor plays an important role in this episode, but so does empathy.  In fact, empathy is actually another character throughout the entire hour.  Multiple sub-plots are woven together filled with hi-jinx and wonder.  Scenes on the Vulcan home world, images of the Rongovian sailing space ship, competitions from "Enterprise Bingo," and inside jokes aplenty conspire to create something entirely cohesive and beautiful.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds - The RANDY Awards: Category III

 The third category of the Randy Awards that I will reveal tonight is that of Best Supporting Actor.  This is meant to highlight the work of a smaller roll given to a guest actor.  The character can appear more than once, but they are not featured in the plot of the episode as leading or causing the action at the heart of the episode.  So, for example, our BRONZE winner plays an important and memorable part in "The Serene Squall" relative to a sub-plot.  Where as the actor, Jesse James Keitel in the role of Dr. Aspen holds a featured spot in the focused actions of the main plot.  This qualifies her for consideration in the category Best Performance by a Featured Actor.  Actors are also eligible if their performance is part of the main plot but in time and/or scope not significant enough to be considered Featured in comparison to the rest of the cast for that episode.  This distinction applies to our Best Supporting Actor GOLD winner.

As always I include the synopsis page from the 10 episodes of the season as a reference.

Without further ado, in ascending order, here of the winners of the Best Supporting Actor Randy Award for season one of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.