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| Image Credit: Paramount+ |
Season 5 of Star Trek: Lower Decks opens with two episodes packed with action, quotes, and deep moments of personal growth for the protagonists, confirming its unique style and ability to blend comedy and introspection. Available for streaming on Paramount+ starting October 24, 2024, they offer a magical combination of fun, depth, and Star Trek tradition.
Star Trek – Lower Decks: Season 5 opens with two bomb episodes
Twovix, the pilot episode, is a tribute and a satire of the episodes of Star Trek: Voyager in which themes such as identity and ethics are explored. The USS Cerritos finds itself dealing with the aftermath of an experiment gone wrong that results in a series of fusions among its crew, including Tendi and Rutherford, who become “T’ender,” and Mariner and Boimler, who merge into “Marmier.” This episode uses the classic dilemma of merging and returning to separation, a nod to the iconic Voyager episode, “Tuvix.” Captain Freeman (Dawnn Lewis) is forced to make difficult decisions and consider the ethics of her actions, leading to moments of reflection on the themes of identity and individuality.
The second episode, titled Shades of Green, shifts the tone, exploring Tendi’s (Noël Wells) cultural origins and her relationship with her Orion identity. Tendi returns home to help her family, House Tendi, defend themselves from the Blue Orions of House Azure. This storyline allows the series to delve deeper into the world of the Orions, with a thrilling solar sailboat race that harks back to Deep Space Nine’s Explorers. Tendi comes to terms with the responsibility of the title of Mistress of the Winter Constellations, eventually passing it on to her granddaughter. The episode highlights her journey of self-acceptance, allowing her to balance her heritage with her identity as a Starfleet officer.
In both episodes, Boimler (Jack Quaid) and Mariner (Tawny Newsome) continue their journeys of growth. In Twovix, Boimler begins to take inspiration from his alternate self, even starting to grow a beard in a desperate attempt to reinvent himself. In Shades of Green, Boimler experiments with his role and tries to model himself on different standards, while Rutherford (Eugene Cordero) explores the value of friendship through collaborative work with T’Lyn (Gabrielle Ruiz), who dismantles and reassembles the shuttle Sequoia to prolong moments of sharing.
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| Image Credit: Paramount+ |
Star Trek – Lower Decks, between social issues and utopian satire
Another interesting storyline in Shades of Green sees Cerritos help Targallus IX in the transition to a post-scarcity society, mocking the utopian concept of replicators and the abandonment of money. The comedy also comes with the introduction of “capitalist terrorists” who oppose the change, but everything is quickly resolved to leave room for the main themes. This part of the episode offers a satirical cut that touches on deep topics, without ever losing the humorous tone of the series.
These first episodes of Star Trek: Lower Decks combine comedy, references to the Trek universe, and a remarkable narrative depth, highlighting how the protagonists while dealing with apparently banal missions, face moral and personal dilemmas that lead them to grow both as individuals and as members of the Cerritos crew.
Star Trek – Lower Decks: evaluation and conclusion
Star Trek – Lower Decks offers an interesting, fun, and emotionally rich new beginning. The ability to blend adventure, depth, play, and broad reflections on personal, moral, and ethical dramas makes the work one of the most successful and valuable products of the current streaming panorama.
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