Star Trek: Lower Decks’ third season has struggled to discover a level for itself, regressing its ensign heroes and counting on the charms of its pastiche somewhat than the expansion of its characters to search out one thing to say—a appeal that was starting to rapidly run out. Thankfully, on the season’s midway mark it determined to remind us simply why we love this present within the first place.

In reality, if something, all I may probably complain about in “Reflections” is that each its A and B-plots have been so fascinating and properly executed I virtually want that each received their very own episodes to be targeted on—however after 4 weeks of unsure doubt concerning the present, I’ll gladly take “there is literally too much of a good thing going on” as a priority.

This is as a result of “Reflections” delivers on three key fronts which have been severely missing from Lower Decks’ third season, plagued because it has been by going forwards and backwards on simply precisely it needs to do with its ensign protagonists, awkwardly shunting their prior progress as characters round to tread water. Firstly, there’s the supply of a brutally humorous, scathing, and but loving indictment of simply what the hell Starfleet is within the A-plot, which sees Boimler and Mariner assigned with Starfleet recruitment sales space obligation on a close-by planet, solely to have their advertising and marketing pitches skewered by a dashing impartial archaeologist named Petra Aberdeen (visitor star Georgia King)—Star Trek does love itself a saucy archaeologist once in a while, in fact. Then within the B-plot, there’s the long-awaited exploration of Rutherford’s previous and his implant, when an try to repair a string of sleepless nights results in his physique being taken over by a rebellious vestige of his psyche from his pre-Starfleet youth. Lastly, there’s the truth that each of those plots truly culminate with the promise of precise progress for 2 of our primary characters. Look at that! That’s an episode of tv proper there, and it solely took half the season to get there.

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Let’s dive into the A-plot a bit extra. Mariner is consigned to the recruitment sales space by Ransom as a part of his ongoing administration of her efficiency, and the important thing battle right here is that she has to stability doing her job—pitching Starfleet to the locals as an thrilling journey—whereas the close by Petra, from her personal archaeologist guild sales space, expertly skewers all these guarantees. It’s the form of deeply nerdy humor that Lower Decks is at its greatest with: not essentially loving pastiche of Star Trek, however the questions all of us always take into consideration its world. In this case, it’s primarily if whether or not or not Starfleet is the exploratory scientific group it pitches itself to folks as, or if it’s actually the quasi-military that… properly, that it truly is. Can Starfleet actually be about discovering the undiscovered nation, as Mariner is pressured to bleat, if more often than not it’s truly about making an attempt to not be assimilated by the Borg, or getting in disputes with the Klingons, or the Romulans, or the Cardassians (a potent reminder that Lower Decks is just not *that* far faraway from the aftermath of the Dominion War!)? Can a profession in Starfleet actually promise security, freedom, and scientific curioisity if it acts and attire like a navy? And simply why do they alter these rattling issues each few years?

Hilariously, it’s not Mariner who breaks below this needling, however Boimler, who loses his total shit when a passing outpost scientist mocks his rank pip and removes it from his uniform. Just as nerdily fan-based as Petra and passers-bys’ needling of Starfleet as a recruitment drive are, Boimler’s livid defense of why Starfleet issues despite all this is equally plucked proper out of fan debates. Instead of simply nudging at us if we all know which Star Trek the present is referencing, that is the primary little bit of pastiche this season that actually seems like Lower Decks at its greatest: treating its characters as Star Trek followers who simply occur to exist in Star Trek.

It’s not the one twist on that concept “Reflections” has although. The B-plot reveals simply what has made an edgier persona overtake Rutherford’s physique: a pre-implant model of his youthful self, an Academy skiver who used his engineering prowess to not put together for a profession in area, however construct and race unlawful ships. In some ways, as Rutherford’s inside selves bicker with one another over who will get to manage their physique—his implants and broken mind imply there’s solely room for one—there’s parallels to the needling between Petra and Mariner within the A-plot. What occurred to himself, the youthful Rutherford wonders, that he went from an indignant, rebellious man to the conformity of a nerdy Starfleet grunt who’d somewhat say “oopsie doodle” than “shit?” How did he go from utilizing his talents as an engineer to comply with his personal passions, to somebody keen to spend their life fixing another person’s issues? What may probably be price residing that life to his indignant, passionate younger self?

The reply, because the Rutherford’s metaphysical race to manage their singular physique reveals, is in the end the friendships Samanthan has made amongst his fellow Lower Deckers. He’s not indignant as he as soon as was, at both the world round him or himself, and he’s not alone—he’s channelling his passions healthily as a substitute of into one thing that would’ve received him killed. “I have friends who care for me” could be the lovey-dovey conclusion to lastly attending to discover Rutherford’s previous, simply as Mariner not falling for Petra’s jibes—ultimately, we be taught she was making an attempt to impress a scene so she may purloin an artireality (none aside from the rod of the Ferengi Grand Nagus—how on Ferenginar did Rom lose that!?)—is within the A-plot that may let Lower Decks comfortably swoop this progress below the mattress as an remoted story arc. Thankfully, “Reflections” excels in letting these revelations linger. Mariner sees Petra, after years of being instructed by her mom and her superiors that they don’t consider she will mould herself into Starfleet, as a possible escape to a life higher fitted to her—even when it means leaving her associates behind. Rutherford in the meantime, dislodges the reminiscence of him receiving his implant, revealing that it’s the results of an accident on a secret Starfleet undertaking, and was designed to masks his involvement in it.

These are precise, tangible plot threads for Lower Decks’ third season to proceed to mine, and crucially, they in the end mirror a stage of progress in our characters past one-off adventures. That’s one thing that, up till now, the third season was distinctly struggling to articulate, because it went again on forth on simply what these characters ought to be at this level. We can solely hope it will probably maintain this power up for the remainder of the season.

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