[8.0/10] Overload! 1990s Trek reference overload! (In a good way!) Normally, Lower Decks just sprinkles in references to classic bits of Star Trek ephemera as throwaway lines or background easter eggs. But here they are all front and center.
Major homages to the episode where Data gets inveigled by a collector! To the episode where Picard gets trapped with an alien captain who only speaks in metaphor and homage! To the episode where Riker gets an accidental transporter double! Hell, one of the major set pieces is based around the frickin’ giant Spock who appeared in “The Infinite Vulcan” from The Animated Series! And that’s before the smaller bits like the collector having one of the headsets from TNG’s “The Game” or our first live look at sonic showers in action! Hell, we even got a comical in-universe explanation for why various characters appear with the wrong pips sometimes! (I’m looking at you, O’Brien.)
In short, if you’re a longtime Star Trek nerd like yours truly, this was just a treasure trove of call outs to things you love and things that make you laugh and things you’re just excited to get another glimpse of. I’m not going to pretend that I can rate this one objectively, but suffice it to say, it was a treat.
Still, I think it stands on its own merits! I like the central concept here, where Jet is the new lower decker, which causes friction between him and Mariner on an away mission. Both view themselves as the leader types and jockey for the role. Jet is more “textbook”, which irks Mariner. And he views Mariner as someone who just wants to be a renegade hero type. The whole conflict is heightened by the fact that Mariner is still smarting from Boimler’s absence and bristles whenever Jet deviates from the sunny shores of Boimlerhood.
But eventually, as always happens in Trek, the two realize that they’re more alike than they think and reach a detente, even friendship. The escape through a collector’s ship is a good canvas for both of their antics. And I particularly like the resolution here, where not only do Mariner and Jet realize that they simply have two different approaches to a common goal, but they also realize that getting out of the way and letting Tendi and Rutherford lead the path to finding a solution is...well...the best solution. It’s a nice tribute to finding common ground among officers and knowing when to let others take the wheel.
We also get a minor C-story with Captain Freeman, whose Starfleet evaluation critiques her for micromanaging. We don’t really get a major resolution to it, but that’s okay for a tertiary story. It’s funny to watch her squirm while trying to be a more “hand off” captain only to resolve never to do it again when she sees her new security officer has been turned into a puppet on the away mission.
(As an aside, I just love that we finally see more interactions between Starfleet and the Tamaranians from “Darmok”! The various gags about the new officer still getting the hand of Starfleet basic instead of his metaphorical language are a delight.)
That said, the crown jewel of this episode is Boimler’s story. It’s enjoyable not just because the whole thing turns into an homage to Thomas Riker’s appearance, but because it’s a tribute to the glory of of old school Trek (or at least mid-school Trek) and the value it has even in the shadow of modern Trek.
It’s easy to poke fun at string quartets and science-y nonsense and lower stakes exploration missions. (Lord knows Lower Decks has done plenty of it.) And yet, here the show makes clear that those jabs come from a place of love. As exciting as it is to be on the Titan -- which apparently has the sort of serialized and twisty adventures more common on Discovery or movie Trek -- Boimler longs to back to the quieter, frankly nerdier adventures he had on the Cerritos. He aspires to enjoy stories like the ones Riker got to have on the Enterprise-D, and in a show so plainly rooted in that era of the franchise, it’s downright heartening to hear Lower Decks speak so lovingly about the comparatively staid, but no less endearing stories told in The Next Generation.
Overall, forget what Brannon Braga told you -- “Kayshon, His Eyes Open” is a real “valentine to the fans” of Star Trek, and a welcome one at that.
Cute way to bring Boimler back and Mariner's reaction made me laugh out loud. Much as she protests she cares about her friend.
This was great. Best episode yet!
Shout by Why Not Zoidberg?BlockedParent2021-08-22T02:48:06Z
That was a pretty clever way to bring Boimler back in. Kayshon was a nice touch though I wish there was more of him. Hopefully we'll see him again. Lots of fun, deep references to classic Trek.