It is easy to assume that everyone on a starship knows what is going on at all times, but if you think about it, how would that even be possible? That is the subject of the latest episode of Lower Decks and boy does it do it well.
The Episode:
Ensign’s Personal Log Stardate, heck I’m not sure but there are a ton of flashbacks so…
Mariner, Boimler, Tendi and Rutherford are called to testify about their senior staff in what appears to be a court hearing that will determine the bridge crew’s fate. However, not all it what is appears to be.
Is it a ‘Good’ Episode?
We have all seen the classic ‘Courtroom’ star trek films, from Q’s Humanity on Trial in STNG to Undiscovered Country’s Klingon hearing, the courtroom trope is one that is tried and true. So it is no surprise when Lower Decks takes it’s own angle on this trope and does so in a way only it can.
In Veritas, The Ensigns find themselves being forced testify about the actions of their senior staff but the problem is, they only have small parts of the larger story that involves the theft of an antique Romulan Bird of Prey, a fan dance, a standoff with an alien bug race, A Gorn wedding and even Tendi being mistaken for an assassin called ‘The Cleaner’. This all comes together, but I wont spoil exactly how because you have to see it to really appreciate the humor.
What makes this episode really work is that the fact that there is little to no transparency aboard a starship is once again addressed, having been the subject of this series namesake in the STNG episode Lower Decks. You see, the Ensigns on board only get a chance to see a very small part of the larger picture and, even with the most dutiful of Captain’s, it is probably for the best. I mean, if every Ensign on the ship were aware of every single moment that the ship is in danger of being eaten by a Space Parasite or some such, you would have ship-wide mental breakdowns on a regular basis. Hmmmm, maybe that explains why there was a councilor aboard the Enterprise D….
Overall, Veritas is a tremendous episode that nails it’s subject perfectly and even has a rather fun cameo to boot. I am going to miss this series when this season ends.
Gleanings, Questions and cool bits: (slight spoilers here)
- We get yet another amazing Cameo from the past but this time with Q himself voiced by John de Lancie!
- Apparently Tendi replicates a lot of ice.
- Curtwood Smith lends his voice to Clar, the alien conducting the ‘trial’.
- It appears that Tendi is a bit of a badass who may or may not be a martial arts expert.
- We are introduced to the Tweerk, a bug alien race.
- The original Animated Series is once again canonized by a reference to the ‘Giant Spock on Phylos’ from the episode The Infinite Vulcan.
- Yes, we actually see a Gorn Wedding and it is everything you hoped it would be.
- Plus we even get a glimpse into an alternate universe and it was amazing.
As usual, some sneak peeks of next weeks episode below…
Until then.
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 2/3/2019
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