Warning: SPOILERS For Star Trek: Unusual New Worlds Season 3, Episode 7 – “What Is Starfleet?”Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3, episode 7 has an Easter egg that is an emotional tribute to Melissa Navia. Directed by Sharon Lewis and written by Kathryn Lyn and Alan B. McElroy, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3, episode 7, “What’s Starfleet?” takes on an excellent documentary format that probes the lives and asks exhausting questions concerning the crew of the USS Enterprise.
“What’s Starfleet?” is a movie by Umberto “Beto” Ortegas (Mynor Luken), the youthful brother of Lieutenant Erica Ortegas (Melissa Navia). Beto was granted particular entry by Starfleet to movie his documentary aboard the Starship Enterprise. Mr. Ortegas’ drone cameras went in all places, from Enterprise’s bridge, to sickbay, to Captain Christopher Pike’s (Anson Mount) prepared room.
Beto started his movie with an agenda: to uncover the darker aspect of Starfleet and equate the United Federation of Planets as “colonizers.” In reality, Beto was indignant about his sister becoming a member of Starfleet, and Erica practically being killed by the Gorn in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3’s premiere. Beto’s cameras get intimate in “What’s Starfleet?” and caught a particular Easter egg in Erica’s quarters.
Star Trek: Unusual New Worlds Season 3’s Tribute To Melissa Navia’s Late Accomplice Defined
Famend Star Trek skilled Jörg Hillebrand, who was a researcher for Star Trek: Picard season 3, noticed the hidden Easter egg in Lt. Erica Ortegas’ quarters in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3, episode 7. On Erica’s shelf is a vinyl album of “Irish Cowboy Nation Blues” by Sean Fhéile. This was a band Brian Bannon, Melissa Navia’s late associate, belonged to. Take a look at Jörg’s Bluesky put up beneath.
The riddle has already been solved: the vinyl album in Erica Ortegas’ quarters in #StarTrekSNW’s “What’s Starfleet?” is “Irish Cowboy Nation Blues” by Sean Fhéile. Melissa Navia’s late husband Brian Bannon performed on this album. That is such a candy tribute!
— Jörg Hillebrand (@gaghyogi49.bsky.social) 2025-08-24T17:32:46.534Z
Brian Bannon tragically handed away in December 2021, not lengthy earlier than filming of Star Trek: Unusual New Worlds season 2 began. Melissa has been open about her grief and has shared her experiences to assist others on her social media. For Navia, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds‘ cast and crew turned an necessary assist group.
Though Lt. Erica Ortegas is a fictional character, the “Irish Cowboy Nation Blues” by Sean Fhéile vinyl album in Erica’s quarters on the Starship Enterprise is a touching fusion of the real-life actor and her iconic Star Trek heroine. It is a non secular reminder for Melissa Navia that lends itself to the grief Lt. Ortegas copes with in her Starfleet profession.
Star Trek: Unusual New Worlds’ Previous Tribute To Melissa Navia’s Accomplice Brian Bannon
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 2, episode 6. “Misplaced in Translation,” paid a refined however touching tribute to the late Brian Bannon. The USS Enterprise and USS Farragut have been assigned to Bannon’s Nebula, named for Melissa Navia’s late associate. The starships below the command of Fleet Captain Pike have been to supervise a deuterium refinery that the Federation constructed contained in the nebula.
Bannon’s Nebula turned out to be the house of extradimensional lifeforms, which have been bonded to the atoms of deuterium. The Federation’s refinery was inadvertently killing the lifeforms, and so they struck again, haunting Ensign Nyota Uhura (Celia Rose Gooding). With the assistance of Lt. James T. Kirk (Paul Wesley), Uhura saved the aliens inside Bannon’s Nebula.
Though facets of Star Trek: Unusual New Worlds season 2, episode 6 touched upon the horror style, the episode was additionally about Uhura coping together with her grief over the lack of her mentor and buddy, Lieutenant Hemmer (Bruce Horak). Uhura righted the fallacious Starfleet unknowingly inflicted on the denizens of Bannon’s Nebula, and he or she was capable of honor Hemmer’s reminiscence.
Ortegas’ Star Trek: Unusual New Worlds Season 3 Story Additionally Offers With Grief
“What’s Starfleet?” touches on the grief that Lt. Erica Ortegas has coped with all through Star Trek: Unusual New Worlds season 3. Erica confessed to her brother Beto’s cameras that she joined Starfleet to flee as a result of she could not address their dying mom. Aboard the Enterprise, Erica has a function she embraces wholeheartedly: being the best pilot in Starfleet.
Lt. Ortegas’ want to go away the USS Enterprise and go on a touchdown celebration mission resulted in her being kidnapped by the Gorn, together with her hand burned off. As she and her crewmates escaped, Erica was gravely injured by the alien reptiles. Ortegas survived, and her physique healed, however Erica’s thoughts, coronary heart, and soul carry the unseen scars from the Gorn.
Whereas completely different from Melissa Navia’s real-life grief, Lt. Erica Ortegas’ emotional torment is a robust throughline for her in Star Trek: Unusual New Worlds season 3. Ortegas’ concern and emotions of powerlessness echoes what Melissa Navia heroically faces daily. The revelation about Erica’s mom in “What’s Starfleet?” deepens what we all know concerning the Starship Enterprise’s snarky pilot.
Lieutenant Erica Ortegas has but to completely cope together with her ordeal and put her Gorn demons to relaxation. Maybe this denouement continues to be to come back in Star Trek: Unusual New Worlds season 3. Due to “What’s Starfleet?”, nonetheless, we now know that Erica typically privately unwinds listening to “Irish Cowboy Nation Blues” by Sean Fhéile, and it is a pretty technique to hyperlink to the real-life love between Melissa Navia and Brian Bannon.
