Star Trek Sets Up Its Own X-Files Spinoff As Strange New Worlds Goes Full Horror

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds just pivoted to full horror in an episode that totally sets up an X-Files style spin-off. Space is beautiful and terrifying, and the crew of the USS Enterprise often find themselves facing threats and dangers nobody could have expected. Over the years, we’ve learned a lot about some of them; cosmic beings with godlike power are a dime a dozen (not least because of beings from the Q Continuum), and Kirk alone had so many time travel stories that the Department of Temporal Investigations considered him a menace.

“The Griffin Incident” introduces something totally different, though, a full-scale ghost story that sets up Star Trek‘s own version of The X-Files. It’s clearly inspired by the legend of the Mary Celeste (often misspelled “Marie Celeste”), which was discovered deserted and adrift in the Atlantic Ocean in 1872. That ship’s true fate was never explained, and “The Griffin Incident” ends with the same note of mystery and intrigue.

“The Griffin Incident” Is a Full-Scale Horror Story

When we first saw Strange New Worlds‘ episode titles, we assumed “The Griffin Incident” would riff on a classic story called “The Enterprise Incident.” That turned out to be smart misdirection, because the USS Griffin is basically a full-on ghost ship. Spock, La’an, and Kirk experience a series of visions that tear them apart, exposing their deepest desires and character flaws. Spock sees his ex T’Pring, who tortures him over his half-human, half-Vulcan heritage; La’an is twisted and broken over her Noonien Singh heritage; and Kirk is faced with the ghostly cries of his son David. It doesn’t take long for the hallucinations to escalate.

I’m not going to spoil the plot here, but suffice to say “The Griffin Incident” becomes one of the most brutal Star Trek stories I’ve ever seen. The horror is mostly psychological, but it does take on a visceral physicality through the visions. All the more disturbing, though, are the hints there is a physical manifestation too; a shuttle is destroyed, preventing the three crew members escaping the Griffin, and we never get a sense for how that was done. The best ghost stories are inexplicable, and this is one of them.

Star Trek Officially Introduces “Division 12” For Its Own X-Files Stories

Naturally, the crew of the Enterprise all make it off the USS Griffin – not exactly unscathed, but their bodies at least can be healed, even if the psychological scarring is intense. Captain Pike sends out a request to Division 12, described as “Starfleet analysts who explore unexplained phenomena.” According to Pike, this is the seventh incident he’s had to refer to Division 12; four were resolved with scientific or alien explanations, but the other two remain a mystery. It’s a delightful confirmation that even Starfleet don’t know everything.

Naturally, Division 12 will draw attention as basically being Star Trek‘s version of The X-Files. The name is probably a reference to The X-Files‘ Majestic 12, a top secret agency founded after the Roswell Incident who operated from Area 51. Notice the parallels here; historians, conspiracy theorists, and newspapers routinely refer to the “Roswell Incident,” and now we have Star Trek‘s “Griffin Incident.” There feels like a straight narrative line between The X-Files‘ Majestic 12 and Star Trek‘s Division 12, a delightful touch.

Will we ever see more of Division 12? This isn’t the first time they’ve been mentioned; Erica Ortegas name-dropped them in the Strange New Worlds episode “Terrarium.” But I do like to imagine “The Griffin Incident” as a proof of concept that Star Trek can embrace full horror, and frankly the idea is much more interesting than the controversial Section 31. The future of Star Trek is in limbo right now, but this episode really does feel like a reminder of how diverse the show can truly be.

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