Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' latest Season 4 episode, "The Griffin Incident," introduces "Division 12," a Starfleet unit dedicated to investigating unexplained phenomena, in a twist that critics see as a compelling new direction for the franchise. The episode, which finds the Enterprise rescuing crew members from a derelict, haunted starship, leans further into horror than the show has before, and its closing reveal of this shadowy division opens the door to exploring corners of the Star Trek universe rarely touched on screen.

Captain Pike describes Division 12 as a group of Starfleet analysts who study unexplained phenomena, and hints suggest this is not his first contact with them. Commentators have suggested a spinoff built around the division could revisit long-standing mysteries such as Q and the Q Continuum or the Guardian of Forever, while also drawing comparisons to The X-Files, whose fictional "Majestic 12" unit investigated paranormal cases from Area 51 following the Roswell incident.