Star Trek: Strange New Worlds returned to the Kingdom of Elysian in its ninth episode of Season 4, «Once La'an A Time,» a title that signals the show's continued affection for wordplay and its willingness to revisit past adventures. The episode finds the Enterprise encountering a fully actualized version of the fantasy realm first seen in Season 1's «The Elysian Kingdom,» this time appearing as an improbably flat planet propelling itself through space.
The original Elysian encounter involved an alien consciousness that transformed the ship into a world drawn from the Benny Russell book «The Kingdom of Elysian.» Dr. M'Benga's daughter, Rukiya, bonded with that consciousness, naming it Debra after her mother. Debra offered to sustain Rukiya's consciousness in a painless, eternal life of adventure, and M'Benga ultimately chose to let his daughter go. Everyone's memory of the five-hour encounter was erased except for M'Benga's, leaving him to explain the impossible when the fantasy returns.
This time, the narrative centers on La'an Noonien-Singh, whose compulsive need for conflict caused an incident at a diplomatic wedding just before the encounter. M'Benga suggests the Elysian experience might help address her current struggles. La'an is soon mistaken for her Elysian counterpart, the loving and lovable Princess Thalia, by her romantic partner, Prince Dashing, a doppelganger for Jim Kirk. The episode uses this setup to explore La'an's long-running arc about accepting her softer, more emotional side.
La'an's fear of her own abilities and natural instincts has driven her to become more closed off from her friends. In her opening log entry, she refers to the need to protect her friends from her shadow self, saying there is a side of her some are afraid of. The episode frames her attraction to Spock as partly an attraction to Vulcan detachment, and her journey here involves accepting that Thalia's emotionality and genuine affection have a place in her own personality.
Meanwhile, a comedic B plot unfolds as Sir Roth and the wizard Pollux find themselves transported to the Enterprise and impersonate Pike and Spock, respectively, in hopes of taking control of the ship and using it to rule Elysian. Anson Mount leans into the comedic opportunities as the cowardly, corrupt Sir Roth, oozing dishonesty and selfishness while being easily distracted. The episode's message is that the pairs are two sides of the same coin, like Prime and Mirrorverse versions, with the shadow self always being the other.
The climax involves the Enterprise, the foretold Iron Dragon of prophecy, and Uhura's Crimson Dragon doing battle in the skies above Elysian. But it is La'an's inner dragons fighting for balance that make the difference. Her acceptance of Thalia's emotionality marks a significant breakthrough for the character, who has spent much of the series wrestling with her heritage and her capacity for violence.
The episode also continues the show's tradition of referencing broader Star Trek lore. Benny Russell, the 1950s science fiction writer whose book inspired the Elysian Kingdom, was also the Emissary, Captain Benjamin Sisko, who used the Russell identity in «Star Trek: Deep Space Nine» Season 6 Episode 13, «Far Beyond the Stars.» The Princess Bride references throughout the episode add a layer of affectionate homage to the fantasy adventure genre.
With its mix of character-driven drama and comedic doppelganger antics, «Once La'an A Time» represents the balance Strange New Worlds has struck in its fourth season. The episode uses a fantastical premise to examine the internal conflicts of its characters, particularly La'an, while also delivering the kind of lighthearted adventure that has become a hallmark of the series. The return to Elysian may not have been on anyone's bingo card, but the episode makes a strong case for why the concept deserved another visit.