Editor's note: The following article contains Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Episode 7 spoilers.Star Trek: Strange New Worlds has had a successful run so far. Seven episodes in, there is not much to complain about. While some episodes explore timely ideas with new aliens and scenarios, "The Serene Squall" takes a twist that leads the narrative to the past, specifically Star Trek V: The Final Frontier. Spock's (Ethan Peck) episode-ending declaration isn't the first — the episode is full of them.
When the Enterprise helps Dr. Aspen (Jesse James Keitel) on a dangerous humanitarian mission at the edge of Federation space, they soon find out that the doctor is actually the Captain of the infamous pirate ship Serene Squall. Falling into a trap laid specifically for Spock, and by extension, T'Pring (Gia Sandhu). Forcing the Vulcan into a prisoner exchange, Spock taps into his human side to trick the pirate captain with a throw of passion with Nurse Christine Chapel (Jess Bush). At the same time, Captain Pike (Anson Mount) is able to start a mutiny and take control of the pirate ship. Once Spock and T'Pring rebond, the biggest bomb of all is dropped — Spock reveals the prisoner that Aspen wanted to exchange for is his older half-brother, Sybok. Yes, another half-sibling.
Only appearing in The Final Frontier, Sybok was born to Spock's father, Sarek, and an unnamed Vulcan princess. Sybok was intelligent, but instead of becoming a great scholar, he rejected Surak's teachings, believing embracing emotions was the key to enlightenment. Eventually, he was banished from Vulcan. However, he was not alone. Using his Vulcan abilities, Sybok would perform mind melds to heal others from their psychological trauma, eventually amassing a following due to his abilities.
Sybok eventually started receiving visions from an entity he believed to be God. These visions led him to pursue traveling to the center of the galaxy to a planet from Vulcan mythology, Sha'Ka'Ree. According to myth, this planet was the place where all life originated. These visions led Sybok to create a situation that would bring the Enterprise to him by kidnapping Vulcan, Klingon, and Romulan ambassadors. His trap works, and Sybok hijacks the ship and takes it to the center of the galaxy.
Sybok and the Enterprise make it through the galactic barrier, a feat that seemed impossible, and happen upon a planet. Sybok, Spock, McCoy, and Kirk take a shuttlecraft down to the surface and discover that the galactic barrier wasn't meant to keep things out, but to keep the alien that claimed they were "God" in. Finding out that he was fooled gave Sybok great pain, something that he experiences fully. To make up for his mistakes, he confronts the entity while the others escaped to the Enterprise and away from the planet. While Sybok sacrifices his life to save the others, he is able to say goodbye to his once estranged brother.
While the 1989 movie explains Sybok's final journey, Strange New Worlds can give context to the events that led Sybok to be prayed upon by the God-like entity while still further elaborating on Spock's character through the relationships with his fiancée and his half-brother. Strange New Worlds mostly exists in the episodic format, Sybok is way too big of a namedrop to simply leave behind. But when will Spock encounter his brother once more, and will the meeting touch on any of his experiences from being a brother as shown previously by Star Trek: Discovery? At least we know Strange New Worlds has been renewed for a Season 2, giving the character ample time to figure it out.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is streaming now on Paramount+.