Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3 continues its exploration of complex ethical dilemmas, ambitious storytelling, and the consequences of Starfleet's missions. One of the most emotionally charged narratives of the season gets introduced in episode 7, titled What Is Starfleet?.Amid Beto's documentary, a mysterious and tragic story unfolds around a bioluminescent creature known as the Jikaru. This space creature becomes the focal point of a classified Starfleet mission that directs the crew to transport it to Lutani VII, where it is intended to aid in the war against their sister planet, Kasar.The Jikaru is first seen as a weapon of war, but as the crew learns that the creature is actually conscious, their moral dilemmas become entangled with the ship's fate.The Jikaru may be seen as a mindless weapon in this episode. However, the creature goes through its own physical and mental pain. The crew of the Enterprise learns of its sad end, making this one of the most moving plots in season 3 of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.Who is the Jikaru in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3?A still from Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3 (Image via Paramount+)The Jikaru is a bioluminescent space creature featured in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3 episode 7, What Is Starfleet?. The creature is first shown as a possible weapon, but it ends up being the focus of a moral dilemma for the crew of the USS Enterprise.In the beginning, the Jikaru is shown as part of a mission to help the Lutani fight, where it is to be given to them as a destructive tool. The crew quickly learns, though, that the creature is a living thing that can think, feel, and, in the end, suffer.Lieutenant Spock and Nurse Christine Chapel are among the people on the Enterprise who put their lives at risk in an attempt to talk to the Jikaru. They learn from these interactions that the Lutani changed the creature's brain chemistry to make it more destructive and violent.The manipulation of the Jikaru caused it a lot of pain, and it no longer wants to be used as a weapon. When the creature decides to end its own life by flying into a star, it brings to light the painful truth of its existence and forces the crew to think about their part in this tragic mission.The Jikaru story is a powerful commentary on the unintended results of Starfleet's actions, which are often done with good intentions but are sometimes wrong. This raises the question of whether, in its efforts to keep the peace and order, Starfleet sometimes takes part in other people's pain.What happens to the Jikaru?A still from Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3 (Image via Paramount+)Jikaru finally decides its own fate in a terrible turn of events. After the crew tries several times to understand and talk to the creature, it plans to end its own life rather than being used as a weapon anymore. The Jikaru dies a terrible death when it flies right into the sun. In a powerful way, this act of defiance and independence shows the bad side of Starfleet's work.Captain Pike and his crew are still trying to figure out how the creature's choice made them feel. Even though the crew knows the Jikaru is conscious and in pain, their efforts to save it fail in the end. Pike and the others are forced to think again about what it means to be a Starfleet officer and what it means to blindly follow orders, even if those orders mean killing a creature.Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3 is available to stream on Paramount+.