Assumptions About the Characters<\/strong><\/p>\n As the show begins, the characters treat each other as one-note caricatures\u2014assuming each can be pegged into a simple slot. But as the show goes on, it becomes clear that the characters are actually multi-layered and complex\u2014and often more than a bit damaged.<\/p>\n Mariner is not a totally irresponsible loose cannon\u2014she\u2019s a young woman living in the shadow of her famous parents who both loves what Starfleet stands for and hates the bureaucratic mess of rules that prevents her from doing the moral thing. Biomler, on the other hand, is not a model up-and-coming officer\u2014he\u2019s a person of all knowledge and no personal experience who is prone to learning how the real world works in the most painful ways possible.<\/p>\n Even the gung-ho kiss ass Commander Ransom is more than he appears. He is not Zapp Brannigan\u2014he\u2019s a man who believes in the enlightened philosophy of the Federation and truly cares for and feels responsible for those under his command (even those he personally dislikes).<\/p>\n As the season goes on, it becomes clear that while the crew of the Cerritos aren\u2019t the best of the best, they are competent, normal people doing the best they can with the material they have.<\/p>\n Assumptions About Happy Endings<\/strong><\/p>\n Classic Star Trek<\/em>, in general, has followed a simple formula. Each week, there is a problem. By the end of the episode, the problem has been resolved and our heroes fly off toward their next adventure. There\u2019s almost always a set conclusion\u2014often a happy one.<\/p>\n But, that\u2019s hardly realistic. In the real world, there are always a mess of loose ends. That\u2019s the heart of Star Trek: Lower Decks<\/em>\u2014the story of what happens after the Enterprise flies off to the next final frontier.<\/p>\n In Lower Decks<\/em>, we see how hard it is to pick up where the A-team left off. Each further step is full of similar pitfalls but contains none of the glory. But worse yet, we even learn that sometimes when the Enterprise moves on, there is no B-team sent in\u2014no one checks in on what happened.<\/p>\n Until Lower Decks<\/em>, Star Trek<\/em> has been all about the novel: first encounters, newly discovered worlds, and pushing the very boundaries of existence. And it seems this is what Starfleet is mostly concerned with as well. There simply aren\u2019t enough ships or people to make sure everything works out. Sometimes, without any further guidance from the Federation, people fall back into bad ways\u2014or continue on unsupervised and become larger threats than anyone could have possibly imagined.<\/p>\n This is why Mariner can\u2019t just follow orders in lockstep. She knows that true help is far more than simply showing up, dropping some gear off at a centralized location and trusting that everything gets to the people who need it. And honestly, it\u2019s clear that her mother, Captain Freeman understands this too. The difference is that Freeman is in the place where she can do the most good but can\u2019t break any rules while Mariner can do only the smallest amount of good but can break rules with near impunity. Together, they have a chance to obtain the best of both worlds\u2014if they can change how they feel about each other, anyway.<\/p>\n Assumptions About Growing and Changing<\/strong><\/p>\n By the end of the first season, many of the main characters have grown from what they began as\u2014or have changed drastically in some other way. Mariner has come to understand who she is and is ready for the next stage in her life. Tendi has realized that her need to be liked is a problem that haunts both her career and friendships. Rutherford has lost all memories since he got his implant\u2014leaving him to rediscover his friendships. And then there is Boimler.<\/p>\n Boimler\u2019s arc is a bit more complex. He has come to realize that book smarts aren\u2019t the same as experience and that the rules should be broken at times for the greater good. But more than that, he has come to terms with being on the Cerritos\u2014that it\u2019s okay for him to be there because he can still learn from those aboard her.<\/p>\n And then comes the twist ending: Riker offers him his dream job serving on the Titan. Boimler doesn\u2019t even hesitate.<\/p>\n Mariner clearly reacts to this as a betrayal. After all, he had learned to be happy onboard the Cerritos\u2014he had grown and changed. But just because you have grown and changed, that doesn\u2019t mean you can\u2019t backslide when offered something you\u2019ve longed for. Change is not a one-way street\u2014no matter how often fiction likes to pretend that it is.<\/p>\n But more subtly, there is no indication that Boimler is backsliding. Just because he was happy on the Cerritos, that didn\u2019t mean he forgot his goal of becoming a captain one day\u2014with the Titan a much better path to that goal. And on the Titan, he finds himself in Mariner\u2019s role. He is now the one with experiences the others lack and the willingness to break more minor rules. It seems that Boimler has indeed grown and changed\u2014just not exactly as Mariner had hoped. Now, all that\u2019s left is to see if she will follow his example and finally start down the path of becoming the officer she was born to be.<\/p>\n Star Trek: Lower Decks<\/em> can be seen on CBS All Access<\/a>.<\/p>\n I just wanted to give out a big thanks to Joshua Ott for sponsoring this review with his\u00a0Patreon<\/a>\u00a0donation. (At the $60 a month tier, you are allowed to pick anything up to an including a 13ish episode series to be reviewed\u2013which is released in addition to the one article a week I normally put out here on BiggestinJapan.com.) So thanks again!<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Top image source: Star Trek<\/a> on Twitter.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pbs.twimg.com\/media\/EABt1dSUwAAgIhU.jpg?w=700&ssl=1\")
Image source: Star Trek<\/a> on Twitter.<\/em><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pbs.twimg.com\/media\/Ej6ZxIsU8AEwJzA.jpg?w=700&ssl=1\")
Image source: Star Trek<\/a> on Twitter.<\/em><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pbs.twimg.com\/media\/EehmRBbXkAEZYRT.jpg?w=700&ssl=1\")
Image source: Star Trek<\/a> on Twitter.<\/em><\/p>\n
\n