Short Treks have given the Star Trek franchise an experimental latitude previously seen only in some of its written works. “The Trouble with Edward” takes its experimental prerogative and runs with it, and while I appreciate the episode’s daring, it is an ultimately unsuccessful episode of Star Trek.

Seen off by a blink-and-you’ll-miss-him Captain Pike (Anson Mount), Lynne Lucero (Rosa Salazar) is a newly minted captain, transferring from a science post aboard the Enterprise to her first command assignment on the Magee-class USS Cabot. The Cabot‘s mission is to bring planet Pragine 63, which is located uncomfortably close to Klingon space, back from the brink of famine.

During a crew briefing, we learn that the Cabot is ready to entertain any possible solution to this crisis. During this briefing we also meet biologist and “protein specialist” Edward Larkin (played by Arby’s spokesman and Archer and Bob’s Burgers voice actor H. Jon Benjamin).

Larkin, who is unprepared, awkward, and rather eccentric immediately brings another famously awkward Starfleet officer to mind: The Next Generation’s Lt. Reginald Barclay. However, Captain Lucero’s reaction to Larkin could not be further from that of Captain Picard’s.

While Larkin runs on about the delicious meatiness of tribbles — they’re like scallops under all that fur, notes the odd scientist — and insists that with a genetic boost to their reproduction rate they could be a solution to all of Pragine 63’s problems, the crew expresses their various concerns.

They’re too cute, they might be intelligent (Larkin helpfully offers to genetically induce brain damage), and no one except Larkin wants to eat them. Larkin’s obsession with eating tribbles gives him quite a few funny lines, but after a while it starts to feel like the writing is more focused on giving the Arby’s guy a chance to talk about meat than it is on developing the character.

Captain Lucero finally puts an end to Larkin’s presentation by announcing that he is no longer to pursue his tribble research. In fact, he’s no longer to pursue anything resembling his research as Lucero unilaterally transfers Larkin from biology to climate science.

I can’t imagine any scientist taking well the compulsory transfer to a completely different discipline, but Larkin especially does not. He sends an angry communique to Starfleet command, complaining that Captain Lucero is, among other things, “dumb,” and continues with his tribble research anyway. Understandably displeased with Larkin’s actions, Lucero announces that he will be transferred off the Cabot two days hence and is completely unwilling to discuss the decision with a visibly upset Larkin.

Again, Larkin doesn’t take this well. Larkin often doesn’t take things well. But neither, I think, does Captain Lucero. At one point during the uncomfortable back-and-forth, she wonders aloud just how Larkin managed to make it so far in his career with Starfleet — and I have to say, I found myself wondering the same about Lucero and the command program. Even considering her inexperience, Captain Lucero seems to have zero understanding of or interest in conflict resolution.

Finally, Larkin gives up and heads to his quarters. In the meantime the tribbles, on which Larkin has of course continued to experiment, have begun exhibiting their characteristic fertility and are on their way to overrunning the ship.

A musical montage set improbably to Bing Crosby’s ballad “Johnny Appleseed” shows the crew’s futile attempts to contain the tribble outbreak (as well as a sheepish Edward Larkin in his underwear for some reason). Despite their efforts, including the development and construction of a wearable tribble vacuum — cosplayers, there’s an idea for you! — the crew is eventually forced to abandon ship, but not before Edward Larkin is killed by a tsunami of tribbles.

Captain Lucero finds herself before the admiralty board being grilled about the events aboard the Cabot. In a nice bit of foreshadowing for the “Great Tribble Hunt” Worf mentions in Deep Space Nine‘s “Trials and Tribble-ations,” the admirals are also concerned about the potential fallout from a few hyper-fertile tribbles making it down to the surface of Pragine 63 alive, and so close to the Klingon border at that. More than anything though, the admirals want to know what happened with Larkin.

Captain Lucero responds simply “He was an idiot,” the episode cuts to black, and we’re left wondering just what kind of Starfleet captain calls an officer who died under her command an idiot.

“The Trouble with Edward” might be the first episode of Star Trek in which none of the Starfleet characters overcome their interpersonal challenges or even try to learn how to work together. Larkin sinks deeper and deeper into a mental breakdown, the crew continues to loathe and resent him, and Captain Lucero continues to think exercising her command means belittling Larkin instead of leading him away from the precipice.

Imagine if The Next Generation’s “Hollow Pursuits” had abruptly ended after Geordi LaForge announced that he can barely tolerate being in the same room as Barclay. Geordi would come across as impatient, Barclay as annoying, and both as unlikable, and neither of the characters would have learned anything about themselves or each other. What’s the purpose of an episode like that?

While Larkin wasn’t particularly likable, this was clearly deliberate on the part of the writers; I’m not so sure that Lucero was supposed to come across as even less likable but she did. An episode like “Hollow Pursuits” — shoot, basically all of Star Trek — demonstrates the value of looking beyond initial impressions and learning to appreciate that everyone has value.

“The Trouble with Edward” shows that if you set up an interpersonal conflict but don’t bother with its resolution, you end up with a story about a captain who unapologetically punches down. While Benjamin and Salazar put in solid performances here, I wouldn’t jump at the chance to work alongside Edward Larkin… but I would actively avoid serving under Captain Lucero’s command.

Maybe writer Graham Wagner wanted us to root for the tribbles this time around.

• The television commercial for Edward’s Tribbles breakfast cereal is, I believe, the first post-credits sequence in Star Trek’s history. This unusual sketch is an even shorter Short Trek, if you will. Does it take place in Larkin’s head (in 1993, if the VHS tracking lines are any indication)? Is this commercial canon now, and how does that work? Do I really have to think about little girls gleefully eating something called an “Edward™ Macronutrient”? I have so many, um, questions.
   
• The science uniforms seen aboard the USS Cabot are a bit different than those we’ve seen on other ships. Taking heavy cues from the Enterprise’s uniforms but doing away with the fussy black fold-over collar, the subtle difference gives the Cabot’s uniforms a sleek feel.
   
• The taxonomical name for tribbles is given here as Tribleustes ventricosus — native to planet Iota Geminorum IV — but a chart on tribbles hanging in Keiko O’Brien’s classroom aboard Deep Space 9 lists polygeminus grex. Perhaps the introduction of human DNA warranted a taxonomy change
   
• Sarah (Lisa Michelle Cornelius), one of the scientists aboard the Cabot, is a Trill, making her the chronologically earliest Trill we’ve see in Starfleet.
   
• This episode officially introduces tighty-whities to the Star Trek.  So much for the Starfleet-issue blue boxer briefs of Archer’s time…

Star Trek: Short Treks return in November, with the Captain Pike-focused tale “Ask Not” scheduled to debut on November 14 on CBS All Access in the United States, and CTV SciFi / Crave TV in Canada.