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Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3 has shown just how far the Enterprise crew will go to protect the people they care about. The finale drove that home more than ever.
The season wrapped up with big answers, including the fate of Marie Batel and a glimpse at what’s ahead for the crew as they prepare to explore even more strange and mysterious worlds.
The good news is the journey isn’t over. Two more seasons are on the way, and season 4 has already finished filming. For now, though, here’s a look at how Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3 came to an end.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3 ending explained
Marie Batel’s story took a wild and emotional turn in the Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3 finale. Earlier in the season, she was saved with new medicine after being infected with Gorn eggs. But in the final episode, she transformed into the Beholder statue on Vadia IX, which left fans both stunned and puzzled.
The mystery of the Beholder had been teased back in episode 5, when the crew first found the strange statue on Vadia IX. It turned out to be a prison for the Vezda, with an inscription calling it the “sentry of eternal bridges.” The statue wasn’t stable on a quantum level, existing both there and not there. Around the same time, Ensign Dana Gamble was killed by the Vezda, who took over his body. Though Scotty managed to trap it in an orb, the danger of the Vezda freeing their imprisoned kind was clear.
Fast-forward to episode 10. Batel is preparing to leave the Enterprise for a new role, and Captain Pike throws her a party. But things unravel when Scotty realizes Gamble’s DNA was rebuilt and he slipped off the ship undetected, most likely heading to Skygowan. That planet holds a gateway similar to the one on Vadia IX, and the crew begins to suspect it connects directly to the Vezda prison.
A landing party follows the trail, only to uncover even stranger connections. Spock, Pelia, and Scotty confirm that Skygowan and Vadia IX are linked by an inter-dimensional pathway. Meanwhile, M’Benga is shaken to find his own life story written in Swahili on the gateway, believing destiny has tied him to the Vezda’s fate.
Things escalate when the Vezda inhabiting Gamble drags M’Benga through the gateway. Inside, Gamble attacks the Beholder statue, and every strike visibly injures Batel. Tests reveal the shocking truth: Batel and the Beholder are one and the same.
Batel explains that after her infection and survival, she absorbed traits from countless races that had once battled evil. Those traits turned her into a universal protector, destined to keep the Vezda locked away. Spock reminds Pike that in inter-dimensional events, cause and effect don’t always follow normal rules — Batel could have been the Beholder all along.
In the end, Batel accepts her role. She cannot leave Vadia IX and must remain there as the Beholder, guarding against the return of evil. Pike is left heartbroken, realizing he has to say goodbye to the woman he loves forever.
What happened to the Vezda?
Afterward, Batel steps up to face Gamble. The crew struggles to open the portal until Spock mind melds with Kirk, letting both starships fire at the temple together. The blast is strong enough to force it open.
Pike begs Batel to keep fighting, but she tells him that as both herself and the Beholder, the light inside her will always outshine Gamble’s darkness.
She defeats him with ease, trapping the rest of the Vezda in their prison. Then Batel vanishes into pure light, completing her transformation into the Beholder once and for all. She takes her place as eternal guardian, standing watch to make sure evil never escapes into the universe again.
What happened to the rest of the crew?
After Batel defeats Gamble, the season closes out quickly.
Korby decides to stay behind on Skygowan and shares an emotional farewell with Chapel. Kirk and Spock come out of their mind meld closer than ever, their friendship clearly strengthened. Pike is left grieving the loss of Batel, but Number One is by his side to support him.
The finale ends with a hopeful note. Korby’s research uncovers countless uncharted planets, setting the stage for a full five-year mission. Pike gives the order, and Ortegas takes the Enterprise into the stars once again.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is streaming now on Paramount+.