Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' fourth season, episode three, "Human Best Friend," ventures into comedic territory, a space the franchise has navigated successfully before. However, this particular outing struggles to land its jokes, finding humor to be a difficult concept to truly master. The episode shines a spotlight on Ortegas and Scotty, whose established friction takes center stage as they navigate a resort planet with a peculiar atmospheric effect that induces inebriation.
The premise sees Captain Pike and First Officer Una Chin-Riley granting Alpha Shift a vacation to a planet where a unique atmosphere causes a form of intoxication. The intention is to provide a break from recent operational stresses and prepare the crew for impending peace negotiations. While Star Trek has a history of successful comedic episodes, "Human Best Friend" frequently skirts the line between lighthearted fun and undermining the established character logic, a delicate balance the episode does not always maintain.
Subtle moments, like Spock's meticulous chess adjustment while under the influence, offer glimpses of effective humor. In contrast, Captain Pike's exaggerated, inebriated state during a tattoo session is cited as an instance where the show's universe feels strained, with some viewers finding such a portrayal detrimental to the captain's gravitas. The episode assigns individual comedic beats to other crew members: Uhura becomes an extreme relaxer, Una performs Klingon karaoke, Dr. M'Benga channels "Cocktail," La'an adopts commando mode, and Chapel engages in high-stakes Bingo. While some of these moments are described as cute, others veer into eye-rolling territory, with few leaving a significant impact.
The episode's success, however limited, is largely attributed to the performances of Melissa Navia as Ortegas and Martin Quinn as Scotty. Their characters' developing chemistry and forced collaboration, whether delivering a letter or locating a missing shuttle, provide a more compelling narrative thread. Their realization that their constant clashing stems from underlying similarities is a sweetly played development that offers some substance to the episode.
Despite these character-driven moments, the episode's narrative logic faces criticism. The crew's attempt to conduct sensitive peace negotiations involving a civil war while still under the influence of the atmospheric effect is questioned, with the suggestion that Beta Shift should have been called in for both the negotiations and, perhaps, the episode itself. The inclusion of guest star Dave Foley as an alien salesman yields a few chuckles, but his role is largely considered underdeveloped. Minor details, such as the mention of duty shifts and a callback to an animated sequence from "The Original Series," offer small nods to Star Trek lore but do little to elevate the episode's overall impact.