by Nick Ferro, Contributing Writer
Hey there, cadet. Throw a leg over the back of your chair in a commanding way, and let me tell you about Star Trek: Lower Decks Season Three. For those of you who have been watching till now, this may be the best season of the show yet! If you have frequented SiftPop in the last year, you may have seen a few Star Trek reviews by yours truly, so I won’t reiterate the extent of which my love for this franchise reaches. Lower Decks continues to deliver consistent and hilarious episodes of quality that are deserving of the praise I am about to bestow upon it. This season sees the return of many Star Trek alumni from previous shows and movies like James Cromwell, J.G. Hertzler, Susan Gibney, and one big name that you will have to discover for yourself. There are also some hilarious callbacks to Trek lore both in and out of the show. In episode two, there is a Dungeons & Dragons-type game the crew is playing that has a video screen in which the Klingon Chancellor Martok is talking to the players. This is a direct reference to the old ‘90s Star Trek Klingon game for PC, as well as the ancient VHS board game. It’s little details like these that just send me to cloud nine, and I know other Trek fans will appreciate them as well.
Since the show began, a large draw was the writers relishing in poking fun at previous iterations of Star Trek, whether it be referencing old plots or characters, paying homage to iconic moments in the series, the style, structure, and cinematography of the movies, or even just simply calling out inconsistencies that have occurred over the years. Nothing in Star Trek’s past is considered too sacred to joke about, but they decided to be bold this season, and not just by introducing “Bold Boimler.” This season, with 20 episodes under their belt, the writers decided to start referencing their own show in their jokes. As I was rewatching the season, I started to notice more and more nods to Seasons One and Two, and I felt instantly rewarded for having rewatched those as well. One of my concerns for the show, early on, was whether it could sustain itself by referencing older Star Trek shows as a large portion of the comedy. For the most part, with 800-plus episodes to choose from, the answer is, yes, they’ll be just fine. But with this new revelation of being able to call back on itself as a substitute for calling back older Trek shows, it not only works, but enhances the sustainability of the show overall. I now want to watch all three seasons again and again to learn them backwards and forwards the same way I had TNG or the movies. Personally, I think this genius move is a great way to help solidify Lower Decks as not only one of the most original Star Trek shows, but also one of the best.
Season Three, in its 10 short episodes also does some serious heavy lifting in terms of character development. There are eight solid episodes dedicated to developing, growing, or resolving some aspect of our four main characters’ lives. They even take the time to give us more with the captain in the last two episodes of the season, as well as set up a potential villain for Season Four. Beckett Mariner (Tawny Newsome) started her journey as a rebellious, bratty loner and has evolved into a character who fully realizes her love for Starfleet. I can’t stress how much I love watching this character grow, and I am excited to see where she goes from here. The finale gives us a definitive answer that she is ready to explore her purpose with Starfleet, and is no longer the loner looking to break the rules. She has always believed in what Starfleet stood for, but it is only now that she is surrounded by true friends and family, and she can really embrace that. In episode nine Mariner tells a reporter, “There’s the family you’re born into and the one you choose, and on the Cerritos, I have both.” This statement is the proof that Mariner has embraced Starfleet with the understanding that she has a place to belong.
Brad Boimler (Jack Quaid) has grown considerably as well, although, with two seasons putting him at the forefront of many of the stories, he has taken more of a back seat this season to allow for others to have the spotlight. He started as a green, timid try-hard. Being on the Cerritos has introduced him to a plethora of foreign situations, giving him a crash course in maturing as a character. This season inspired him to be “Bold Boimler,” as he realizes that playing it safe is not the way to advance in any work environment (a nice nod to Captain Picard in the TNG episode “Tapestry”). He goes from a character who doesn’t know what to do, to one willing to tell a senior office to shut up and listen when he knows the correct answer to save the day. This level of confidence, while still being able to scream in the face of fear (while being voluntarily hunted for sport), is why watching Boimler grow is one of the joys of Lower Decks.
This season, D’Vana Tendi (Noël Wells) has fully realized what her Starfleet goals are as well: command. In previous seasons, she has been more of a background player, with her friendship with the other characters being the main focus. This season sees her giving advice to her friends, but also taking advice from her superior officers and discovering that the command path is the one for her. This season ends with her being given a new cadet trainee to take under her wing to further grow her leadership skills. I have a strong feeling next season is going to set Tendi as the main character that the overarching story will rely on, which I will be excited to see.
At the end of Season Two, we are given a brief glimpse of this season’s main story arc. While this show is more episodic and doesn’t have one long full season story, it does still have a through line that guides the season. Season Two ends with Samanthan Rutherford (Eugene Cordero) having a flash of a repressed memory which is explored this season. Rutherford’s arc is one of self-discovery and healing, and I love how the writers are able to manage this and only had to dedicate one full episode to putting it on full display. In previous seasons, Rutherford is a background player used mainly for comic relief or solving an engineering problem. This season, we get to learn about his past, how he got his prosthetic, and what he was like before the accident that led to him “needing” it. His character may not be given a true arc which denotes change; however, he is given a chance to grow as a character and accept who he was, which allows him to become more confident in accepting who he is now. Even though his character was never really haunted, his episodes have made him feel more fully realized.
It is clear the changes our lead characters have gone through this season are leading toward a significant evolution for the show. One that will eventually see these characters leave the lower decks behind to become senior officers in their own rights. This is a bittersweet realization for me, as this show only gives us 10 episodes a season, and to lose these characters as our main protagonists will be heartbreaking. But as TNG taught us, all good things… My hope is that eventually our characters become the bridge crew of a ship where we are introduced to new lower decks characters to follow. That way we can still see our favorites continue their career while getting to know new characters as well.
There are a few particular episodes that deserve a shoutout, the first being “Hear All, Trust Nothing,” which gives us the return to Deep Space Nine. This episode is so incredibly hilarious and special for several reasons. The first being the returning performances of Nana Visitor as Col. Kira Nerys and Armin Shimerman as Quark. They slide back into their roles beautifully, and getting to see them on screen again (even as just animated characters) is enough to get the tears flowing. I had only just re-watched DS9 start to finish about a year ago, yet visiting the space station again was like going back to my childhood. The episode also stands out because they not only use the DS9 score, but also because the episodes is “filmed” like an episode of DS9. There are a bunch of shot compositions that anyone familiar with DS9 should recognize as establishing shots used throughout the show’s seven-year run. To see them in animated form, once again, shows how dedicated the writers, directors, and animation crew are to getting this show right for the fans. They even end the episode in Quark’s bar with a “slide whistle” type of silly ending for Quark’s story arc, as an homage to many DS9 episode endings.
The next episode that stands out to me was “Crisis Point 2: Paradoxus.” My favorite episode of season one is “Crisis Point,” an episode in which Mariner creates a holodeck “movie” that the characters can play in like a video game. The episode is a love letter to all the best moments in the Star Trek movies in a satirical way that winks at the audience constantly. It is the episode that made me fall in love with the show officially, so a sequel episode had me excited. I was not disappointed. However, while “Crisis Point” may give us all the best Trek movie moments, “Crisis Point 2” gives us the worst Trek movie moments, and I had a blast picking them apart. The episode does have a reference to every Star Trek movie — the story progression of Boimler’s program really focuses on the odd numbered Trek movies. They even poke fun at how William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy had disagreements on the direction the movies should take between the Nimoy-directed Voyage Home, and the Shatner-directed Final Frontier. The moment that really hits home, though, is when Mariner says to Boimler, regarding his movie, “It’s an uneven slog that totally ignores the successes of the original. But it’s also a Starfleet movie, which means its worth doing!” This is exactly the sentiment that loving Star Trek should bring out in every fan. Sure, some of the franchise is dumb, overly dramatized, dated, and at times, wildly inconsistent. But you should embrace the bad as well as the good, because even the “bad” still expands this universe that we all love.
Now for the obligatory section in which I creatively make strengths of the show seem like opportunities… as is tradition. It is true that I love this show, but even I can be an “old man yelling at cloud” from time to time. The one element that consistently takes me out of the universe is the misuse of profanity. They always bleep it out, even though the show lives on a streamer behind a paywall, but the consistent use of profanity for humor rather than out of necessity irks me. There are several times throughout the entirety of all three seasons where a character will use an obscenity in an inappropriate situation. The captain or any member of the senior staff should never curse in mixed company. Even if we want to use the excuse that, “This is not your daddy’s Star Trek,” there should still be some decorum on the bridge or in a meeting with delegates from a foreign planet. It doesn’t always bother me when they do it, but specific scenes do, and I know that this annoyance comes from 30 years of Star Trek not using profanity. I find this one particular element to just be very “un-Trek” like. I can appreciate that the Star Trek Industrial Complex has firmly planted its flag on “Star Trek uses profanity now” mountain, but it’s so very jarring. Cartoons cursing really should not be such a shock anymore, as we have so many that do, but I feel that American culture has clung so painstakingly to the idea that cartoons are for kids that Hollywood just can’t help but use the short cut of profanity in animation for a quick laugh.
This leads into my other concern, which is how unprofessional the senior staff of the Cerritos are portrayed overall. Don’t get me wrong, captain Freeman losing it in a staff meeting and yelling at everyone to hurry up and get the ship cleaned up and in tip top shape is incredibly funny. But that example should be the rare exception to an otherwise put together senior staff. I am all for people getting to be themselves in their personal time, but I just can’t get behind the senior staff of a starship in the Federation being so unprofessional while on duty. And yes, this is a comedy show, and I have said before, you don’t hire this incredible cast of funny and talented actors and comedians to not have them perform to the fullest. But I think the senior staff should play more of the “straight man” role to our main character’s “wise guy” antics. I think these two particular gripes touch on the core reason why older Trek fans would either not be interested in this show, or write it off. So when I say I hope they can tone it down, it’s not because I think its bad for the show, but I do think its erecting a wall for people that doesn’t need to be there.
Overall, Star Trek: Lower Decks Season Three is another home run of a season of exceptional television. I really can’t stress enough how much of a crime it is that we only get 10 episodes a season. Season 3 does such a phenomenal job of playing with its own concept by making so many references to previous seasons of Lower Decks. I think this really does prove that the show is able to stand as its own entity and be an entry point for new fans of Star Trek. I cannot wait to see what it holds in store for us in the future for these amazing characters — there are so many possibilities! Will we get to see our lower deck crew get promoted and move on, making way for a new class of lower deckers to take on the role of main characters? What will the Strange New Worlds crossover episode look like? What cameos and classic Trek stories will we get to revisit? What new adventures will the crew of the Cerritos find themselves? Whatever the answers, I will be there to watch the continuing adventures of Star Trek: Lower Decks.
Score: 10/10
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