WARNING: Contains SPOILERS for Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 2, episode 9, "Subspace Rhapsody".The ending of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' musical episode, "Subspace Rhapsody" has teased another future tragedy for Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount) before his accident in Star Trek: The Original Series. It was already established in Star Trek: Discovery season 2 that Pike has foreknowledge about the sacrifice he will later make. Strange New Worlds' crossover episode also hinted to Pike that he's a bit of a legend in the 24th Century, when Ensign Brad Boimler (Jack Quaid) admitted to dressing up as him for a Halloween party. However, these two things are practically all that Pike knows about his future.

For example, Pike doesn't know that Commander Spock (Leonard Nimoy) will later risk his career to transport his former commanding officer to Talos IV, where he will live out a happy, illusory existence. Pike also doesn't know how his relationship with Captain Marie Batel (Melanie Scrofano) will play out. Pike and Batel's relationship has been through a few rocky patches in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 2. The musical episode was the latest bump in the road, as Pike struggled to be honest with Batel about her planned couple's vacation. Although they get through this minor crisis, Strange New Worlds' musical episode teases a potentially fatal Priority One mission for Captain Pike's girlfriend in the season 2 finale.

Strange New Worlds Sets Up A Bad Ending For Captain Batel

In a clip from Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' season 2 finale, featured on The Ready Room (via Trek Movie), Captain Pike and the crew of the USS Enterprise discover the wreckage of Batel's starship, the USS Caguya. Unable to make contact with the planet's surface, Pike assembles the command crew to weigh up options for a rescue mission. The Strange New Worlds season 2 trailer had previously teased that Batel would be horrified by the arrival of a formidable looking starship, and it's now clear that it belongs to the Gorn.

Star Trek's canon-breaking Gorn war was first teased in the season 2 premiere, and the situation has been further developing in the background. The site of the deuterium refinery in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 2, episode 6, "Lost in Translation" was located on the fringes of Gorn space. Now it appears that Batel and her crew may be the first casualties of a war with the Gorn Hegemony. It's hoped that Pike and the crew of the Enterprise will be able to rescue them from a horrific fate at the hands of the brutal Gorn, but Star Trek canon suggests things may not end happily for Batel.

Star Trek TOS Already Established Captain Pike And Batel Don’t Last

Star Trek: The Original Series' Fleet Captain Pike (Sean Kenney) was clearly single by the time of "The Menagerie". When Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) and Lt. Commander Spock arrive at Starbase 11, it's implied that Pike resides there alone. This means that Pike and Batel will separate at some point in the time between Strange New Worlds and Pike's accident and subsequent transfer to Starbase 11. It could be that things for the couple don't work out, with Pike pushing Batel away because he can't bear to put her through the pain of his tragedy.

Alternatively, Batel could fall to the Gorn in the Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 2 finale, proving to Pike that he ultimately has no idea about his future. Hopefully there's a happier ending in sight for Batel and her crew, and perhaps Pike knowing his own future could inspire some out-of-the-box thinking. If he knows for certain that his tragic accident is a fixed point in history, then he may think nothing of risking his life to save Captain Batel from the Gorn.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' season 2 finale streams Thursday, August 10th, on Paramount+.