Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 2 Episode 3 Recap – why is La’an sent back in time?

By Adam Lock
Published: June 29, 2023 (Last updated: 5 weeks ago)
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Paramount+ series Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 2 Episode 3 Recap
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Summary

Time travel can be a tricky sub-genre to tackle, but the latest installment manages to avoid the usual pitfalls admirably. It may be a little corny in places, but this installment includes a solid romance and re-introduces one of the show’s most infamous villains.

We recap the Paramount+ series Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 2 Episode 3, “Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow,” which contains spoilers.

There are more time-traveling shenanigans in “Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow.” La’an (Christina Chong) finds herself transported to an alternate timeline with James T. Kirk (Paul Wesley), where they’re tasked with saving humanity before a deadly terrorist attack.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 2 Episode 3 Recap

This installment focuses specifically on the Enterprise’s chief of security La’an, so we naturally start with her. She’s finding work to be rather tiresome on the starship, and she cannot shake her complex feelings toward Una, who has now returned to the crew.

After an intense spa with M’Benga, La’an finds a stranger wandering the corridors of the Enterprise. He’s wearing an old-fashioned suit and appears to have been shot in the chest. The stranger tells La’an that there’s been an attack in the past, and La’an needs to stop it from ever happening. He passes her a device and then vanishes from existence.

La’an takes the device to Pike but finds a different Captain in his place. James T. Kirk is in the captain’s seat. La’an explains to James that she’s from an alternate timeline, which she fears has now disappeared.

READ: Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 2 Review

La’an shows James the device she was handed. He snatches it and inadvertently sends them both to another timeline altogether.

Where are La’an and James transported to?

James and La’an find themselves in Toronto in the middle of the 21st century. Their device doesn’t work, and they have no idea what attack they are supposed to be preventing from occurring. They steal some clothes, and James wins them some money by playing chess.

The next day, La’an brainstorms ideas for tracking down any possible changes in the timeline. James worries that if they solve this problem, then his timeline will cease to exist. La’an promises James that he is also in her timeline as well, and along with his brother Sam, he will be safe.

As they chat, a large bridge explodes. Following this major clue, they head to the wreckage. La’an notices that futuristic technology was used to blow up the bridge. James hijacks a car, and they pursue a van containing evidence from the wreckage.

During the chase, James gets a little too into the whole driving experience and is arrested for speeding. A journalist, who was spotted at the wreckage site, helps them escape arrest.

She introduces herself as Sarah, a conspiracist who has been closely following these terrorist attacks.

James suddenly remembers what happened in this part of history. A few days from now, the Romulans would destroy the city using a cold fusion reactor. They agree that they need to stop this from happening by tracking down the reactor’s location.

They use a cleverly engineered watch from Pelia to detect the reactor’s location.

The couple bonded further while walking the city streets. La’an ponders if they can save James’ timeline as well. She discusses her troubled heritage, and then the couple kisses each other.

The watch glows, and they enter a building, which happens to be the Noonien-Singh Institute. La’an was brought here for a reason.

Who is Sarah?

Her handprint unlocks a secure room. They are about to enter when Sarah, the journalist, arrives, pointing a gun at them both. It is revealed that she is actually a Romulan, who needs access to this specific part of the building. James refuses to cooperate, and Sarah shoots him in the chest. James dies on the spot.

Why is La’an sent back in time?

La’an is forced to enter the room. Inside, Sarah shoots the attacking security guards. She directs La’an to a room marked ‘Khan.’ It would appear that a child version of Khan is locked within this building, and Sarah, the Romulan, wants to assassinate him before he grows up to become a mass murderer. La’an has been sent back in time because of her connection to Khan; she is a descendant of his.

Even though La’an knows all the ungodly acts Khan will later commit, she cannot allow Sarah to kill him. His legacy of genocide and torture also led to her existence. She fights Sarah and shoots the Romulan dead. La’an spends a fleeting moment with the young Khan before returning to her own timeline.

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Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 2 Episode 3 Ending Explained

The episode ends with La’an returning to the Enterprise. Everything is back to normal. La’an is visited by Agent Ymalay from the Temporal Investigations Department. She thanks La’an for completing the mission and protecting the timeline. La’an hands over the device but keeps the watch for safekeeping.

This mission ended with La’an falling in love, but she is heartbroken that the James she encountered is now dead. To appease her broken heart, La’an contacts James from her timeline. She makes excuses to speak with him and then breaks down in tears.

What did you think of the Paramount+ series Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 2 Episode 3? Comment below.

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