Scifi TV Review: Star Trek Lower Decks SSN One Episode Seven: Much Ado About Boimler

As this series begins to come to a close, with only three episodes remaining, I am starting to get a little sad.  I have really come to enjoy this fun take on Star Trek and this episode really makes it even more of a drag that the season is nearly complete. 

The Episode:

Ensign’s Log Stardate sometime after the last one: Much Ado About Boimler

Boimler and Tendi face a secret group known as Section 14 due to some science mishaps while Mariner’s old friend temporarily joins the crew as a visiting Captain, only to find that their lives have changed since they last saw one another. 

Is it a ‘Good’ Episode?

While this series has been mostly semi-serious events filled with humorous moments, Much Ado About Boimler takes the series to a much more serious place but does so in a fun way.  With two great stories one involving Boimler and the other with Mariner, we get a chance to see them both in adventures that really showcase who they are as characters without all the pratfalls.

Let’s start with Boimler’s story shall we?

You know how there are so many freak events aboard starships?  Things like people being phased out of time, people being stuck in hulls, others being turned into other creatures or even being lost in transport beams?  You know, those crazy things that happen to people who seem to vanish soon after never to be seen again?  Yeah, there is a reason for that and we finally learn what that is.  It seems they are taken to a place known as Section 14 or The Farm. What is the Farm?  well….that would be telling. Boimler and Tendi find themselves on a ship heading to The Farm after Boimler is stuck in a transporter phase and Tendi…build a dog that isn’t quite right.  They soon discover the existence of other freaks who are determined to escape The Farm and, of course, all heck breaks loose. 

This segment does a wonderful job giving us the fan service part of the show by providing some background and closure for those affected by terrible events on star ships.    In fact, we even see another Warp 10 amphibian…seriously….or is it one of their kids… 

Now, the meat of the story comes from Mariner’s segment where she comes face to face with an old Academy friend who has arrived as a substitute Captain while the Cerritos’ senior staff is away on a secret mission.  The Captain winds up being one of Mariner’s best friends who soon discovers that Mariner has been purposefully sabotaging her career in order to never get promoted. Faced with a dangerous mission, Mariner must come clean with her friend although she is reluctant to face this truth. 

What I love about this segment is that we really get a sense of who Mariner is, solidifying that she is, in fact a very solid officer who just doesn’t want the responsibility of command.  She loves being in Star Fleet, despite the pressure her parents put on her, but she has no interest in moving up and being responsible for others.  Now, whether this is because she knows the kind of life Star Fleet parents give to their children or that she would have to sacrifice everything she loves for rank, well that is only hinted at, but it provides some seriously fantastic character growth for Mariner.

Overall, this episode is a turning point for the series.  If it keeps up with this kind of story telling and drama coupled with the light hearted nature of the show, it could end up being one of the most beloved series in the franchise.  It’s good despite itself and I look forward to more. 

Gleanings, Questions and cool bits: (slight spoilers here)

• We meet an Edosian for the first time since the Original Animated Series.  This further canonizes the original Animated Series making it so that Arex, who served on the Enterprise, may have a chance to return some day.  
• Mariner name drops Captain Jellico from STNG as an example of a babysitter Captain.  Seems his reputation procees him,
• We find out that those black beep chairs that Pike was confined to in the Original Series still exist but those people go to a good place.
• It seems that Tendi is a little confused as to what a DOG actually is…

And of course some fun images of next weeks episode below!

Thanks for reading the SciFi TV Review  I look forward to discussing the rest of the series with you!

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Late To The Game 9/20/2020