For nearly three seasons, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds has carefully balanced the return of classic characters with the introduction of new ones. It’s no easy feat doing justice to The Original Series iconic legacy, especially when new faces must necessarily portray these timeless characters, but, on the whole, the series stellar casting has meant the show has done an admirable job in offering fresh takes on Spock, Uhura, Scotty and the like, giving us more of an insight in to the characters personal lives and early years.
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But more impressively, these old fan-favorites have been integrated pretty seamlessly with new standouts like La’an Noonien-Singh and Pelia. The series has even made use of lesser-known side characters, bringing some one-off stars of The Original Series into the limelight, such as Dr. M’Benga and, of course, Anson Mount’s fabulous take on Pike. But there’s one new crew member, despite her consistent presence on the bridge, who had, until now, been left somewhat waiting in the wings: Lt. Erica Ortegas.
The Enterprise’s sharp-tongued, fiercely loyal pilot quickly became a fan favorite, but much to the disappointment of many, Ortegas has often been relegated to witty quips directed at the captain or a handful of supporting beats. While her dry, sarcastic sense of humour is often a highlight of a given episode, since the start of Strange New Worlds, viewers have been clamouring for more — even prompting hashtags like #MoreOrtegas and #Mortegas. It’s no surprise that fans would want to see the talented Melissa Navia stretch her acting chops in a more character-focused episode, and with Season 3’s “Terrarium,” fans finally got the Ortega-centric story they’d been hoping for since day one. But did it live up to expectations?
Star Trek Finally Delivered The Ortegas Hour Fans Demanded
“Terrarium” certainly goes all in to give Navia the spotlight, stranding Enterprise’s wisecracking pilot alone on a hostile world, forcing her to draw on every ounce of her skill, wit, and resilience. Her survival also depends on an unlikely alliance — with a Gorn.
There’s no getting away from the fact that the story uses a pretty old-school, familiar sci-fi trope: enemies forced to work together to survive. Yet what could have been pretty cliché becomes something more poignant. Ortegas and her Gorn pilot counterpart don’t just work side by side to survive; they forge an authentic connection that challenges years of fear and hatred. It’s the kind of character spotlight fans have wanted since Season 1 — and it works because Navia brings a raw humanity to the role.
It’s a deeply personal story. Given Ortegas’ past experiences with the Gorn, she would have been forgiven for jumping to conclusions and initiating a fight with her enemy. She very nearly does, at first believing that the Gorn is going to feed her to the desolate moons’ natives (some hungry giant flesh-eating centipedes) – turns out the Gorn’s just using her as bait to lure out the tasty pit-monsters, which is marginally better… Being forced to rely on — and ultimately befriend — a Gorn pushes Ortegas to confront her prejudices. That journey toward compassion and understanding is pure Star Trek, and it feels entirely earned because we’ve been waiting so long to see her in the spotlight.
Melissa Navia rises to the occasion, delivering a performance that proves Ortegas isn’t just comic relief or a background presence. It’s even more impressive given that she’s left to carry almost the entire episode herself, acting opposite a ‘non-human’ co-star that can’t speak, and the dialogue of the episode is almost entirely one-sided monologues from Ortegas. Given that many of these speeches were necessarily but notably exposition-heavy, it’s a testament to Navia’s skill that she can turn these to her advantage, delivering some of the most emotionally resonant work of her run so far.
Star Trek Heart-Breakingly Reveals The Cost of Connection
What makes “Terrarium” so compelling is the final tragedy baked into its premise. Ortegas’ new bond with the Gorn is, perhaps inevitably, short-lived. When La’an (Christina Chong) beams down, she kills the creature before Ortegas can explain, leaving the pilot to deal with the devastating loss of her newfound friend. Navia’s screams as she realises too late that La’an is going to shoot the Gorn are truly gut-wrenching.
Even though the Metrons (the godlike aliens introduced way back in The Original Series episode “Arena,” who reveal themselves to be the architects of her entire ordeal), erase Ortegas’ memory of their involvement, they allow her to remember her friendship with the Gorn. That choice is both a gift and a curse. Ortegas carries the hope of what could have been — but also the grief of watching it ripped away.
Strange New Worlds aims big here. “Terrarium” doesn’t just echo Arena (which saw the Metrons force Captain Kirk to fight a Gorn captain), it reframes it, becoming a sort of unofficial prequel. By showing a human and a Gorn finding common ground only to have that hope snatched away, the episode sets up why the Metron will later test humanity again, and it positions Ortegas as a vital piece of this connective tissue between 21st-century Trek storytelling and its 1960s roots.
This represents a huge turning point for a character that has long been the comic relief pilot with the sharp quips and the cool under pressure demeanour. “Terrarium” proves beyond a doubt that Ortegas isn’t just a background presence; she’s the beating heart of the Enterprise. It’s incredibly refreshing to see Navia finally step into the spotlight with a poignant story about empathy, loss, and survival.
Why “Terrarium” Matters
Arguably, by killing the Gorn, the episode slightly undercuts its own message that understanding and compassion can bring peace. By framing the Gorn as capable of compassion and then immediately taking the possibility of building a bigger, newfound alliance off the table, it reinforces the distrust and animosity at the heart of the Federation’s relationship with the Gorn. Sure, the Gorn haven’t exactly extended the olive branch before now, and La’an’s decision makes sense in the moment, but it also feels like the franchise is shutting an interesting door that it had just cracked open. It’s unlikely the events of “Terrarium would have heralded in a new era of peace between the Federation and the Gorn Hegemony, but it might have been interesting to see where this unlikely friendship could have gone.
Was the Metron return twist a little predictable if you knew what to look for? Maybe. Did the show miss an opportunity to push harder on the potential consequences of La’an’s choice to kill the Gorn, given the bloodshed that took place in “Arena”? Definitely. But even with its flaws, “Terrarium” stands as one of SNW’s most ambitious and emotionally charged hours. It gave Ortegas’ fans the moment they’d been waiting for.
For long-time fans, “Terrarium” is more than just another Strange New Worlds adventure. It’s a bridge between Ortegas’ long-awaited showcase, the looming Dominion of the Gorn in modern Trek canon, and one of The Original Series’ most enduring episodes. When Kirk faces his own trial in “Arena,” we’ll now be hard pressed not to see it in a new light, remembering that Ortegas once walked a similar path and nearly proved peace possible.
Star Trek Delivers The Payoff Fans Have Been Waiting For
“Terrarium” feels like a reward for fans who’ve been vocal about wanting more Ortegas. Her friendship with the Gorn pilot doesn’t just expand Trek lore — it redefines Ortegas as one of the franchise’s most compelling new characters. She isn’t just the wisecracking pilot; she’s a survivor, a leader, and someone who embodies the Federation’s highest ideals even in impossible circumstances.
It’s also a reminder of how crucial these character-focused episodes can be. The stakes of the Dominion War made Deep Space Nine soar. The ensemble bonding in The Next Generation made it timeless and is something that SNW has done well to replicate. But to reach that same level achieved by TNG, it needs to give every member of the crew their moment.
For that very reason, Strange New Worlds has been generous with spotlight episodes — La’an’s time-travel romance, Spock’s comedy detours, Uhura’s coming-of-age arcs. But Ortegas? She was still waiting. “Terrarium” proves just how overdue that focus was. It not only succeeded, it was perhaps one of the season’s strongest hours because of it. Melissa Navia shines in the kind of story that deepens not just her character, but the entire emotional fabric of the show.
What sets her apart is her relatability. Pike, Spock, and Uhura all carry decades of legacy behind them, and La’an comes with a famous Trek surname. Ortegas is different. She’s not destined to appear in The Original Series. Her future isn’t set in stone. That makes her stories feel unpredictable and her struggles all the more human.
Final Thoughts
For too long, Strange New Worlds seemed to ignore the fact that it had one of the most compelling new characters in its cast. “Terrarium” corrected that mistake. By finally giving Ortegas her long-awaited spotlight, the series delivered not just a great episode, but a promise of how much richer Strange New Worlds can be when it leans into every corner of its ensemble.
With the Season 3 finale now just around the corner, the stakes for the Enterprise crew have never been higher. And for Ortegas — and fans who’ve been waiting for her turn in the spotlight — “Terrarium” will likely go down as the episode that finally cemented her place among Star Trek’s greats.
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