STAR TREK: LOWER DECKS
SEASON 4, EPISODE 10
SEASON 4, EPISODE 10
Old Friends, New Planets
Series: Star Trek: Lower Decks - (2020 - 2024)Season: 4
Episode #: 10
Original Airdate: November 2nd, 2023
Writer(s): May Darmon
Director(s): Bob Suarez
Special Guest Stars
Robert Duncan McNeill as Nick Locarno
Shannon Fill as Cadet Sito Jaxa
Wil Wheaton as Cadet Wesley Crusher
Guest Stars
Gabrielle Ruiz as Ltjg. T'Lyn
Eric Bauza as Cadet Joshua Albert
Phil LaMarr as Admiral Alonzo Freeman
Jessica McKenna as Ensign Barnes
Nolan North as Ensign Livik
Paul Scheer as Lt. Commander Andy Billups
Carl Tart as Ltjg. Kayshon
Paul F. Tompkins as Dr. Migleemo
Kari Wahlgren
Ariel Winter as D'Erika Tendi
Fred Tatasciore as Admiral Vassery
Stardate: Unknown
Synopsis
At Starfleet Academy, thirteen years ago, the Nova Squadron gang listens to Nick Locarno pitch a risky maneuver for the upcoming commencement ceremony. Josh, Sito Jaxa, and Wesley Crusher still need convincing, but Nick sells them on becoming Academy legends. A frazzled freshman Mariner arrives, nerding over xeno-history and fangirling over Sito, who supports the young Beckett’s enthusiasm. Snapping out of this memory, and back in the present, Mariner learns that Nick is excited for her to join him on Nova One, the flagship of his new Nova Fleet. He relishes a Starfleet admiral’s daughter joining his cause. A confused Beckett plays along as he broadcasts his manifesto to the Alpha Quadrant for anyone who feels unappreciated by “soulless bureaucratic captains” to come to the Detrion System and join his unaligned fleet of mutineers… and there are no worries because they are protected by his indestructible “Trynar Shield.” He also has a black market Ferengi Genesis Device for added insurance. Locarno introduces his latest recruit from Starfleet, however Mariner quickly grabs the Genesis Device while warning the galactic audience, including her proud mother, that Locarno is just in it for himself, before she runs off.
Mariner makes her way through Nova Fleet’s base to find an old Starfleet ship, where she buckles in the Genesis Device and escapes. Locarno orders pursuit, which leads to the first hint of resistance from the “independent” crews. Mariner soon finds out the Trynar shield works both ways as she scrapes the inside wall during her outrageous maneuvering, all the while keeping up witty banter with Locarno. Unable to warp out, she finds a ring of space crystals to use as cover from pursuing Ferengi, who rebuff her use of the Rules of Acquisition to argue Locarno is bad for profit. She shakes them off by venting coolant in their path, but with life support failing and no crew, she decides to head to Detrion 9 to set off the Genesis Device and ensure Locarno never gets his hands on it.
Her plan is waylaid by sneaky Romulans, who don’t seem swayed by her arguments that Locarno is more interested in bossing than aiding their scheming. Surrounded, she heads into a lethal ion storm. Locarno’s control over his fleet starts to waver when they refuse to follow, so he goes in alone with the Nova One to get his precious genesis bomb back. Nick and Mariner maneuver stealthily inside the storm while continuing to trade barbs. She strikes a raw nerve with him at trying to make up for his failure at Starfleet Academy and misunderstanding her disdain for authority for a lack of belief in Starfleet’s mission… a mission Sito died for. She puts in the final nail, pointing out he is just doing the same thing that got Josh killed, putting his new fleet in danger.
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The U.S.S. Cerritos doesn’t sit idle as all this is happening. The crew rallies behind Captain Freeman, who defies Starfleet’s orders to not engage with Locarno’s fleet, concerned about the politics of attacking all those aliens. Tendi suggests they parlay with her sister, so they warp to Orion. D’Erika isn’t keen to help but accepts Tendi’s “barter by combat” challenge. The Orion crime lord picks a huge champion Boimler notes is a “Shaxs and a half,” and Tendi shocks everyone by choosing Dr. Migleemo. The fight starts as expected, with the Starfleet bird man getting thrown around the arena like a chew toy, but a confident Tendi turns things around when she beckons the counselor to fluff his down. After Migleemo puffs up like a plushie, the very allergic B’eth starts sneezing, giving him the surprise upper hand… until the giant Orion woman collapses on him in an anaphylactic coma, which technically means the Orions have won the challenge, as well as the Cerritos.
Before Freeman makes good on the deal, Tendi offers herself instead, knowing the family has always wanted her back on the crime payroll. D’Erika agrees, and the Feds have themselves the Orion destroyer Retribution, which turns out to be a giant hunk of junk. Billups and the engineering team get to work, but soon enough, Rutherford and the dastardly Livik almost come to blows over how to get the old ship back to the Detrion system. T’Lyn has an idea. A mind meld? No. The clashing engineers find common ground in the holodeck as convivial Twains.
Soon enough, the Cerritos is back at the Detrion system under the command of acting captain Bradward Boimler! Ignoring Admiral Vassery’s exasperated call to stand down, the steely Lt. JG uses the towed Orion ship to ram a hole in Locarno’s “impenetrable shield” as Freeman and the other senior officers run through the gap in the captain’s yacht. Nick’s coalition of mutinous aliens are perturbed as his plan is falling apart and abandon him; even his own crew of Bynars beam away. Alone, he declares he doesn’t need any of them, and he soon finds Mariner’s ship and disables it. Out of options, Mariner activates the Genesis Device, which she is delighted to learn comes with a friendly Ferengi UI. Nick beams in wielding a rifle and all his entitled overconfidence that he can easily disarm the bomb. She tries once more to reach him, pointing out that so far he hasn’t killed anyone, but he has made the villain mustache twirl and is ready for some murdering. He fires his phaser. Mariner is beamed out at the last moment by the Cerritos, but she continues to try to save Nick until he seals his fate by putting up shields. Locarno successfully stops the countdown but is foiled by the UI’s paywall, which demands two bars of latinum. Detonation occurs moments later.
Later, back on the Cerritos, Captain Freeman is spared for defying orders since she also successfully opened up diplomacy with the Orions. As for the Detrion system, the Genesis explosion created a stable M-Class planet the Federation has decided to name after Locarno, so he did get remembered. The lower deckers reunite for some hugs and character resolutions as Mariner apologizes for being a handful, promising to stop all her self-sabotaging, maybe. But for now, she is more focused on some classic drinking and “Lower Decks! Lower Decks!” chanting in the bar with her friends. This includes T’Lyn, who is also ready to move on from her past, rejecting a call from her old Vulcan captain and committing to stay on the Cerritos to become “science besties” with Tendi.
With Boimler basking on the adulation of his “captaining” and Rutherford back to his feud with Livik, all is well again… until Captain Freeman drops the other boot: An Orion ship has arrived to take Tendi home. The tears start flowing in the transporter room as D’Vana beams away. The remaining four rally with hopes that she will be back soon enough, but it still hits hard, especially for poor Sam. As for Tendi, she watches the Cerritos fade away as the Orion ship warps home, and with a determined look, the Mistress of the Winter Constellations readies herself for what’s next…-TrekMovie
Trailer
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