STAR TREK: STRANGE NEW WORLDS
Season 4, Episode 9

Once La’An a Time

Series: Strange New Worlds - (2022 - present)
Season: 4
Episode #: 9
Production #: SNW-406
Original Airdate: 09/17/2026

Writer(s): Onitra Johnson
Director(s): Sydney Freeland

Special Guest Stars
Paul Wesley as Prince Dashing
Paul Wesley as Lt. Commander James T. Kirk

Special Guest Stars
Carol Kane as Commander Pelia

Co-Stars
Erniel Baez as Ensign Salazar
Christopher Cordell as a Crimson Guard
Jonathan Gould as a Footman

Uncredited Co-Stars
Tyler Hutchings as Ballroom dancer
Runa Ewok as Runa

Stardate: 2355.6

Synopsis

Aboard the USS Enterprise, the bridge crew discussed Lieutenant La’an Noonien-Singh's recent aggressive behavior following a diplomatic mission at a Benzite wedding. The crew recounted how La'An had unmasked an Orion spy by shoving the groom’s face into a cake and setting the bride’s dress on fire. Captain Pike was searching for a cure for her acute grumpiness when the ship encountered an unknown flat planet that defied scientific logic. A landing party consisting of Pike, Spock, and Pelia beamed down and discovered a fantasy world resembling a Renaissance fair complete with an imposing castle and fairies.

They were met by a sword-wielding Dr. M'Benga. He was acting as a character named Joseph and fiercely defending Princess Thalia, a royal doppelganger of La'An. The real M'Benga explained that the sentient Boltzmann Brain nebula was responsible for creating the environment. This was the same entity that had previously absorbed his daughter and transformed the crew into characters from a book called The Kingdom of Elysian. He speculated the nebula sensed La'An's emotional turmoil and manifested the storybook world to help her process those feelings.

La’an refused to play along with the fantasy or wear her doppelganger's sparkly dress. Pike, however, leaned into the medieval aesthetic and ordered his team to wear genre-appropriate outfits. Their exploration was cut short when Pike, cast as the cowardly Sir Rauth, Spock, cast as the evil wizard Pollux, and Pelia, introduced as the book's author Benny Russell, were captured by Queen Neve, a doppelganger of Uhura. The Queen and her witch, Lady Audrey played by Chapel, foresaw a prophecy regarding control of the Iron Dragon, which was actually the USS Enterprise. They magically transformed the real Pike and Spock into oil paintings. Pelia was left behind to write a new volume, but she focused on enjoying the scones baked by a chef named Max.

[ Complete Screencap Index ]

La'An escaped the Queen's guards with the help of Prince Dashing, a character who bore a striking resemblance to James T. Kirk. To rescue her captive friends, La'An invented a quest to retrieve stolen memories from the Queen's dungeon. This led them on a journey through the Swamp of Infinite Depth to find the Key of Consequence. Joined by Brave Sir Adya played by Ortegas, and Z'ymira the Huntress played by Una, the group retrieved the key from a spooky cabin. This happened right after Prince Dashing ran off to fend off a werewolf.

Using the key, the group infiltrated a royal masquerade ball. There, Prince Dashing counseled La'An to embrace both the light and the shadow within herself. The celebration stopped when Queen Neve conjured a full moon and revealed that Prince Dashing was the werewolf. The Queen turned him into a painting. Princess Thalia arrived just as Lady Audrey brewed a potion that stole the essence of the two La'Ans, transforming Queen Neve into a massive fire-breathing dragon. The dragon then flew into space to attack the Enterprise, which had been hijacked by the doppelgangers of Pike and Spock.

On the Enterprise bridge, the cowardly Sir Rauth ordered erratic evasive maneuvers and a cosmic blast from Pollux to fight the beast. Down in the throne room, La'An and Princess Thalia fought an evenly matched sword duel before realizing they needed to work together. Combining the Princess's love and La'An's anger, the two women drank from a cauldron. This act stripped the dragon of its power and reverted Queen Neve to her human form in the vacuum of space. Una quickly beamed the villain into the brig.

Princess Thalia was reunited with Prince Dashing, and he gifted his dog Runa to La'An due to his canine allergy. Pelia decided to stay behind on the strange world with Max to pilot the ship-like flat planet home. La'An returned to the Enterprise feeling content and at peace with her darker side. She put on her old angel necklace as a reminder of her father and let her hair down. She then shared drinks, the story of her adventure, and a dance with the real James T. Kirk to mark a fresh start.

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