Star Trek is no stranger to horror episodes, or at least horror-adjacent ones. The franchise has often been reluctant to make installments too scary or unnerving, even when it seems like it would enhance the narrative in a big way. There are, however, a few standout Star Trek horror efforts that push the envelope. They become something that very arguably violates the space opera's family-friendly formula. Strange New Worlds season 4's "The Griffin Incident" is one such episode.
While certainly not the scariest thing I've ever seen, "The Griffin Incident" is masterfully directed and written to keep viewers right on the edge of their seats. It becomes clear very quickly that the adventure set aboard the mysterious USS Griffin is strongly inspired by 1997 sci-fi cult classic Event Horizon. Still, the episode does exist as its own thing, without ever venturing too far into glaring tribute territory. Star Trek has included an Event Horizon Easter egg long before now, though, and it came loaded with some interesting canonical possibilities.
Star Trek: Voyager's "Random Thoughts" includes actual footage from Event Horizon
Premiering just a few months after Event Horizon, "Random Thoughts" was set on a planet where a telepathic race called the Mari had outlawed violent thoughts, believing them to be just as harmful as violent actions. Not being aware of this tenet of the society, the Voyager crew end up in hot water when B'Elanna Torres (Roxann Dawson) is incarcerated for thinking about harming someone, even though she quickly overcame her fiery Klingon temper and didn't act on the impulse.
As the episode progresses, it's revealed that outlawing violent thoughts hasn't had the impact that the Mari leadership expected. Instead, an underground, black market trade has emerged on the planet that exchanges memories that are deemed compellingly aggressive and dark. In a scene where Tuvok (Tim Russ) agrees to offer up some of his most violent recollections as part of a plan to free B'Elanna, the montage that's played features macabre and/or unnerving clips from across the Star Trek franchise.
Perhaps most interestingly, the montage includes footage from key moments of Event Horizon. Because the movie is owned by Paramount, which also owns Star Trek, there were no legal obstacles to traverse for this meta crossover to happen. Considering Event Horizon is an R-rated movie, it's somewhat surprising that Paramount pulled this off, regardless of holding the rights to both properties.
What's shown is borderline inappropriate for a show like Voyager. It is cool, though. Still, what I find most interesting is that Tuvok knows about the events of Event Horizon, perhaps because they happened in the Star Trek universe. I don't think it's likely, though; it was probably just a promotional Easter egg. Either that, or Tuvok has just seen the movie. I find the latter strangely funny to think about.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is streaming now on Paramount+. So are Event Horizon and Star Trek: Voyager.
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