This week’s episode has the DNA of two different types of episodes. In fact, both halves of “The Serene Squall” deal with stories of deception. One half is played for laughs while the other is dealing with very serious circumstances. A semi-comical, lighter side is in the tradition of “I, Mudd” or “A Piece of the Action.” We watch Captain Pike and the captured Enterprise crew members incite a mutiny among the pirates. The more layered, side of the episode is similar to “Day of the Dove” or “Space Seed” when following the events of Spock aboard the Enterprise. The writers take a big risk with shifting the tone back and forth between the two plots, but in spite of the danger of such a challenging take, the execution is well-handled.