"The Griffin Incident" is one of the best Star Trek episodes I've seen in years, and really capitalizes on Strange New Worlds' talent for switching between various genres on a week-by-week basis. The instant horror classic never resolves its central mystery on screen, adding some terrifying food for thought for the mind to chew on long after the credits roll.
However, the episode's director, Axelle Carolyn, has finally weighed in on what was really going on with the USS Griffin. There have been endless debates in the short time since the episode aired regarding whether Star Trek was canonizing supernatural elements like ghosts, or if there was a scientific explanation that Division 12 might eventually identify. If Carolyn's statement is to be taken as gospel, then we appear to have an answer. I'm not sure how I feel about it.
FULL SPOILERS for Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 4, Episode 2, "The Griffin Incident."
The mystery of the USS Griffin has a scientific explanation
Speaking with TrekMovie about the divisive decision to leave "The Griffin Incident" unresolved, Axelle Carolyn put some minds at rest by confirming that there was something strange going on aboard the Griffin, but nothing supernatural. Her sentiment boils down to the fact that while Star Trek stories almost always reveal the underlying science of something that may seem otherworldly, that's largely something that became the case at later points in the franchise timeline. In the 23rd century, a few scared crewmembers were unlikely to figure out what was going on. Check out what she had to say below:
"I understand that one of the tenets of Star Trek is we can explore the universe, and science would always bring us home and help us understand what’s going on. But I don’t think that it’s saying that by the 23rd century, two humans and a half Vulcan will be able to solve every mystery within the space of 50 minutes, and I really like that there are things that are still mysterious...Of course, it’s going to have a scientific explanation. They’re just saying, within the scope of our investigation right now, we can’t solve it."
Well, there we have it. If Carolyn's explanation is accepted as canonical Star Trek fact, the Griffin isn't the haunted ghost ship that it appears to be. At least, not in the traditional sense. There's certainly something going on that's unnerving and enigmatic enough to make everyone believe that Star Trek's going full-on supernatural in "The Griffin Incident," but it seems to be little more than complex sci-fi window dressing. That being said, Carolyn's statement doesn't clear up the mystery of what was really causing all that trauma to be dragged to the surface and paraded around in front of the characters. As such, the episode still warrants a rewatch.
I would rather have never known the truth about "The Griffin Incident"
I'm a firm believer that art is subjective. It can, and often does, mean something different to everyone. "The Griffin Incident" is no different in this respect, and although Carolyn's confirmation that there was something scientific going on beneath all the phantasmagoria keeps Star Trek's core sci-fi values intact, I preferred it when the alternative was still a tantalizingly viable option. I could, of course, insist that the Griffin is some otherworldly threat to whoever steps aboard, but it feels a little moot to make that argument now, in the face of a key figure openly confirming the opposite.
Thankfully, Axelle Carolyn didn't go into too much detail about the incredible episode she helmed. Therefore, even though we know that the Griffin is still governed by pseudo-scientific principles, the fact that the knowledge we have stops there means the fear factor remains firmly intact. So what if La'An (Christina Chong), Spock (Ethan Peck) and Kirk (Paul Wesley) hallucinated most of what went on?
Even if the explanation is something as simple as a telepathic alien race capable of pulling all that off, is that still not something to massively fear? And how did said race elude detection the entire time? Why is the Griffin only just now being found after a decade of being lost? I don't know any of these answers, and those are the ones I want Star Trek to leave unresolved forever.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 4 is streaming now on Paramount+. Catch a new episode very Thursday.
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