I HATED THE FIRST episode of the second season of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, but I enjoyed the next one.
Where the first episode of season two didn't seem at all like classic Trek, the second one featured a trial of Number One that took a long-time fan back to a couple of Original Series episodes (The Menagerie and Court Martial) where Spock and Kirk, respectively, were on trial.
It also reminded one of The Drumhead and Measure of a Man on The Next Generation where Picard and Data, respectively, were on trial.
I have to admit the second episode had no action and no secondary story; it was all talking. But I came away satisfied that it was real Trek and we had a solid resolution.
The writing was terrific, and the actress who played Number One's lawyer (Yetide Badaki) was wonderful.
The second episode of season two is Trek at its best. Or at least it's a world or two better than the first episode.