LOWER DECKS Season One Recap, Episodes 6- 10
LOWER DECKS
Season One Recap, Episodes 6- 10
By Katherine Schwanitz
Previously on Season One's Recap…. (link to last week’s recap)
Episode Six-Terminal Provocations
Rutherford introduces Tendi to his training program with Badgey, a virtual tutor. She starts working with the program. Meanwhile, Captain Freeman is dealing with the Drookmani who want to salvage an old Starfleet vessel. When they are told no, they start attacking which causes internal vessel malfunctions. These malfunctions cause Badgey to start attacking other holodeck creations and then Tendi and Rutherford.
Meanwhile, the awkward but amusing Ensign Fletcher is set up after Mariner and Boimler go-ahead to the Chu Chu dance leaving him alone near the warp core. He is assaulted and knocked unconscious to frame him. Mariner and Boimler say they will find out who is behind the assault and framing.
Later they discover that Fletcher wasn’t framed but covering for his ineptness. He felt he wasn’t smart enough to fix the core, so he hooked it up to his brain, which damaged it. He then hid it. The two tell Fletcher that they can reformat the core and fix everything. Fletcher is relieved that they will help him. Mariner notes that Starfleet is all about learning from your mistakes. As she says this, the core comes online, using nearby materials to form a body. They realize that Fletcher’s brain waves have corrupted the core. They manage to lure the core to an airlock. They blow it out but realize that it’s going towards the Drookmani ship that has taken down the shields. It rips apart the ship, saving the Cerritos.
The power is restored in Engineering which resets the attacking Badgey program. Rutherford and Tendi leave the restored Badgey and the Holodeck.
Mariner tells an altered version of what happened, covering for Fletcher. This impresses the Senior Staff so much that they promote him to the USS Titan. Boimler doesn’t understand why and Mariner explains that keeping enemies far away helps them. Fletcher six days later contacts them, wanting back on the Cerritos after being caught feeding trash to the core. He is sent back to Earth.
Episode Seven-Much Ado About Boimler
Captain Freeman, Shaxs, and Ransom are transferred on temporary assignment meaning a temporary visiting Captain is coming aboard. Mariner hates this idea.
In the repair bay, Rutherford is working on a transporter experiment using two one-person transporter platform units, with the hope of making the process go slightly faster. Boimler walks in and gets interested in Rutherford's experiment. Mariner turned down helping him test his transporter, wanting him to iron out the issues first. Rutherford retorts that without any tests, he won't know what issues to iron out. Boimler volunteers as he can then tell the visiting captain that he enjoys improving efficiency in his spare time. Rutherford successfully transports him to the other transporter pad. The process ends up being a half-second faster. Beaming Boimler back does not go to plan. He appears transparent, glowing, and emitting the loud sound of the beaming process itself. Rutherford is disappointed as he believed he worked out that particular side effect. Boimler is worried he might die. Rutherford assures him that he is merely about one millicochrane out of phase and the result is cosmetic.
The new visiting Captain comes aboard and Mariner is surprised it is her friend from the Academy, Amina Ramsey. They embrace happy to see each other. Ramsey reports that for boots-on-the-ground planetary action, Mariner is one of the best officers to be in action with. Durga, a Vulcan traveling with Ramsey can't help but wonder why Mariner is still an ensign with such a reputation.
Boimler, Tendi, and her created “Dog” board the USS Osler to get Boimler his treatment back to normal. The officers aboard the ship are nervous about “The Farm”. They try to stage a mutiny but Boimler snitches and they try to blow him out an airlock, it’s then that the phasing he was suffering from wears off. He rolls out onto the grassy fields of “The Farm”. It is a resort that heals or makes a permanent relaxing home for those who can’t be cured. Tendi’s “Dog” wants to stay and unlike other dogs can speak and tells her that he likes the room and the ability to pee on so many more things. Boimler now cured, as well as Tendi, are tossed back into a shuttle. They start to make their way back to the Cerritos.
The Cerritos arriving at the rendezvous with the USS Rubidoux which they find drifting without power. A space entity that feeds on the power of the ship is ripping it apart. The crew, Ramsey figures are hiding. Mariner and Ramsey find the crew behind manually sealed doors. They proceed to the bridge to be beamed out. Durga, not aware, turns on artificial gravity which causes other systems to turn on. The entity now fueled, starts to rip the bulkheads apart. Rutherford’s experiment saves the crew when the traditional transporter had failed.
Before leaving, Ransom attempts to put the moves on Ramsey. She’s having none of it when he grabs her wrist. He ends up on a table, contemplating his mistakes.
Episode Eight – Veritas
On K'Tuevon Prime, Mariner, Boimler, Tendi, and Rutherford are all thrown into a prison cell, though none of them have any clue why they are there. Boimler panics that he will miss his pottery class. As Boimler asks what's going on, Tendi wonders if it was her replication of ice that was responsible for them being there. Boimler tells them that he saw the senior staff taken into another room. Mariner does her best to assure them that their current cell is much better than a Klingon prison cell. She assures the group that whatever is going on, it will be fine. As she says this, however, they begin to lift into another room.
They hear drums as they rise and it is filled with Primes, a tusked humanoid species indigenous to the planet. Rutherford catches sight of the senior staff suspended in a beam of light. Mariner deduces that this is a trial. Clar, one of the Primes, interrupts them talking by banging a gavel. They announced to the room that Mariner, Boimler, Tendi, and Rutherford have been brought in as witnesses to offer testimonials about the senior staff. The Ensigns all ask what it is they will be testifying about. Clar answers and tells them that they are only allowed to speak into the Horn of Candor. That one can only speak the truth into the horn. Mariner is called to testify. She is asked about an incident with the Clicket ship Tweerk. She testifies that Boimler and she were late to be on the bridge and were not around for what happened before their arrival. Mariner interpreted the order to "send them a message" as a warning shot. Which started a firefight. Clar is incredulous that Mariner wouldn't know what was going on. Clar demands to be told about the map. Mariner didn't know there was a map at all. Clar declares that Mariner is in contempt and she is held in a beam over a tank of eels. Boimler speaks up and confirms Mariner's story. Convinced that Mariner was confused by what was going on, Clar calls Rutherford to the stand.
Clar asks him about a specific stardate, 57791.1.
Rutherford is rotating the EPS capacitors so they don't overheat when he is approached by Lieutenant Commander Andy Billups and Lieutenant Shaxs. Shaxs asks if his implant has Romulan flight manuals and repair information. Rutherford says that it would after an update. Billups orders him to update the implant immediately. Rutherford protests saying that he preferred to update when he sleeps. Still, he complies and initiates the update. They begin to fill him in on the plan when he blacks out. When he comes to he is in front of two unconscious and nearly naked Vulcans. Shaxs applauds his efforts and technique for knocking them out with the Vulcan neck pinch. Rutherford realized his implant had taken over his motor functions as he did not know how to do the pinch. Rutherford continues to weave in and out of consciousness during the mission waking up to one odd situation after another, including being on top of a cloaked Bird of Prey and then finding himself crashing (literally) a Gorn wedding with many angry Gorns attacking him.
Clar demands more details surrounding the Bird-of-Prey, but Rutherford can't remember. Boimler wonders why they were stealing a Bird-of-Prey in the first place. Clar has Rutherford held over the Tank of Contempt. Tendi defends Rutherford. Clar suspects Tendi can tell them more than the others are telling him.
Boimler explains that since they work in the lower decks, they rarely ever know what is going on with the bridge crew. Clar doesn't believe any of this. him, stating that they're all in Starfleet, everyone on the ship must be briefed of their missions. Boimler disagrees. Clar accuses him of lying. He assures Clar that they mess up all the time and he has a log of it. Clar is upset by this testimonial and says that he needs Boimler to tell him that his leaders are infallible heroes. Boimler says that they aren't, and that's okay. Not everyone will know about everything going on in or outside of the ship. Boimler accuses Clar of making this a drumhead trial.
Clar is confused. This is NOT a trial but a weird party. The lights come on to reveal a decorated party room. This was a celebration of freeing Clar from his kidnapping by the Romulans.
Then an employee comes in and tells Clar his time using the party silo is over. Disappointed he releases everyone. Freeman confronts the Ensigns saying that their testimony could have killed people. That said, she admires that they stood up for the ideals of Starfleet. She says she will do better to have them more informed going forward.
Mariner and Boimler continue to talk and Q appears. He challenges them to a duel, but the ensigns are not in the mood for his antics. Mariner tells him to go bother Picard. Q just follows them, saying Picard is no fun with his constant quoting of William Shakespeare and wine-making.
Episode Nine –Crisis Point
Mariner watches as a statue of an alien rat by a group of alien lizards. She proudly proclaims they will no longer be subject to rat oppression. The lizard leader, in handcuffs, protests saying they aren't oppressed but food. She speaks for her Captain by saying she will back Mariner's actions.
Which she doesn't, scolding Mariner and saying that if she wasn't her daughter she would have been booted already. Mariner retorts that because she's the daughter of the Captain she gets treated like a "bitch".
Infuriated, Freeman tells her to report back to the ship. Mariner assumes to the brig. No, therapy. Mariner is shocked and angry denying she needs therapy. The therapy is exactly as Mariner expects and decides she needs her own brand of therapy. She takes Boimler's interview training holodeck program with seven years of the crew's personal logs and edits it into a movie.
The program begins with the title sequence, "Crisis Point: The Rise of Vindicta". The opening credits dazzle Rutherford and Tendi, who immediately get excited about Mariner's idea. Boimler continues to protest. He doesn't want to do the movie but is outvoted as Mariner, Tendi, and Rutherford walk off to get in costume.
Mariner revels in being the villain as she uses a recorded message to sneak upon the Cerritos from her ship. She gleefully goes around killing the crew that refuses to bring her Captain Freeman. Tendi, upset at the stereotype character Mariner has her playing along with her concern that this scenario isn't healthy, walks out of the Holodeck.
Mariner enters the bridge, killing the remaining bridge crew. She confronts Freeman. Freeman says that she won't take her ship. Mariner replies that she doesn't want the Cerritos. She wants Freeman to stop treating her like the bad guy (even though she is playing the bad guy). Mariner asks why Freeman never sides with her, to which Freeman says that she doesn't even know Mariner. Freeman calls her crazy, only for Mariner to blow up her own ship in response. The explosion knocks the Cerritos out of orbit. It plummets into the atmosphere of Idlocana VI and crashes into the surface of the planet.
Vindicta and Freeman continue to battle it out, with Mariner angrily confronting a confused Freeman with everything she's been bottling up. Finally, she is about to kill her Mother when the Holo program Mariner arrives and beams Freeman away. They fight. The Holo Mariner expresses surprise that their moves are so similar.
Mariner continues to vent more frustration out. She tells the hologram that she knows that the hologram used to dress up as Toby Targ every Halloween. That she secretly loves the warp core. Mariner accuses the hologram that she only breaks rules because she knows that is what the crew expects her to do. If she really were a badass, that she'd do the hard thing and be a good officer, saying that she has only herself to blame for the crew seeing her as a villain.
The fight ends with Holo Mariner declaring that Mariner let her win, as she does love the crew, her mother, and let them all escape. The ship explodes and the three leave the holodeck.
Mariner realizes that therapy does work. As they walk, Mariner spots her mother and offers her a sincere apology for her behavior. She thanks Freeman for looking out for her. This shocks Freeman to the point of going to Migleemo's office to ask him what she said to him, as she thinks that Mariner is up to something. Migleemo however reminds her that he can't reveal anything as sessions are confidential. Freeman expresses her frustration at him refusing to tell her and kicks over Migleemo's table.
Boimler returns to the Holodeck and the program to learn how he can do his best to impress his leaders. He watches the Holo Freeman eulogize Mariner. She talks about her daughter, which the relationship is unknown to the crew. She said that she would have had the person who discovered this secret thrown out of Starfleet. Boimler heading to his interview is completely disconcerted by what he has discovered. He can't answer anything except to blurt out Mariner's name and leave.
The movie is still going on the Holodeck. Vindicta comes back to life but is shot dead by Leonardo da Vinci, who winks to the audience.
The closing credits roll with the signatures of Rutherford, Tendi, Mariner, and Boimler being written onscreen.
Episode Ten –No Small Parts
On Beta III, a planet Captain Kirk and the Enterprise once visited where the people worshipped Landru, which was revealed to be a computer, the people are now worshipping it again.
Captain Freeman is on the planet now, scolding the natives for worshipping Landru as a god again. The Betans reply that he's very persuasive. Landru attempts to convince them to kill Commander Jack Ransom and Freeman, but relents and apologizes when Freeman threatened to destroy him with a paradox. Freeman urges the Betans to put down in writing what Kirk had told their predecessors before she and Ransom are beamed back to the USS Cerritos.
Mariner and Boimler are distributing free art supplies to the children of the planet. She is surprised when he starts helping, instead of expecting a lecture about protocol. Boimler responds that he doesn't just want to stick to the rules all the time anymore. As they talk, Ransom hails Boimler on his combadge which is on his uniform, but Boimler had taken it off. He doesn't hear the hail, and worse does not realize that the entire conversation between him and Mariner is being overheard on the Cerritos bridge. Mariner asks what helped motivate Boimler to come to this new realization. He responds that he knows the truth about Mariner and Freeman, that they are daughter and mother.
She immediately denies it, but Boimler goes on to say that he's found out that her dad is an admiral as well, adding that he finds it cool. Mariner angrily tells him to shut up. Boimler continues that this is a good thing since they'll both be able to do a little rule-breaking and all she has to do is keep them out of trouble with Freeman. Boimler also can't help but wonder why the relationship was kept a secret, and Mariner tells him angrily that she doesn't want people to know. Boimler finally agrees that he won't tell anyone, and teasingly asks if her mother gives her "sweet little captain kisses", as Freeman, who has overheard the entire conversation, beams them directly to the bridge, much to Boimler's horror.
In the Kalla system, the USS Solvang comes under attack by a mysterious ship. As they try to jump away a grappling arm rips off the port warp nacelle and the ship is destroyed.
Meanwhile, on the Cerritos' hangar, Tendi is excited that she has been appointed to be an orientation liaison to a new crewmember. The shuttle lands and a group of officers disembark from the shuttle, the last being an exocomp painted in sciences division colors who expresses excitement at the sight of the hangar. Tendi runs over and the two introduce themselves to one another, the exocomp being named Peanut Hamper.
Freeman and Mariner discuss in the Captain's Ready Room how to deal with the revelation that the ship's most insubordinate crew member is the Captain's daughter. Ransom enters and treats Mariner with flattery. She leaves deeply displeased. Crew members are already treating her differently. From selfies to using her to gain influence, to the Doctor asking if Freeman would mind her and Shaxs starting a relationship.
On the bridge, Freeman is notified of a partial distress call in the Kalla system. Freeman jokes about Dayton getting used to his ship. Still, she agrees to take on the call, anticipating Dayton's reaction that they came running because someone leaned on a button.
The crew continued to treat Mariner well to gain her favor. This included Boimler, much to her chagrin. He says he needs an edge.
Tendi and the excomp assist T'Ana with a serious operation, which the excomp performs flawlessly, making Tendi look good as a liaison.
The Cerritos drops out of warp, arriving where the USS Solvang is now floating in pieces. The mysterious ship attacks and is revealed to be a Pakled ship. Since their encounter with the Enterprise (whom they thought the Cerritos was), they've beefed up their ships to become a greater threat than before. The ship is crippled. Freeman asks Mariner to do what she does best to give her a "half-baked solution that breaks Starfleet codes and totally pisses her off."
Mariner asks Boimler what computer systems the Pakleds use, and he tells her that with the wide array of technology from other cultures, their computer systems would need to be universal. Mariner then calls Rutherford to make a virus to disable the Pakled ship. Ransom wonders who onboard could be a morally bankrupt genius to code one so quickly.
Rutherford goes to the Holodeck and brings up Badgey. He says he can't do what Rutherford wants unless he takes down the safety protocols.
He does and the evil Badgey surprises him with 3 viruses ready to go. He is always monitoring comm channels. The viruses however need to be manually inserted aboard the Pakled ship.
The Pakleds start to beam onto the Cerritos's bridge. The bridge crew evacuates and head to the armory, only to be cut off by more Pakled beam ins. Mariner pulls open some nearby bulkhead access panels, revealing her hidden contraband cache in the form of multiple alien melee weapons. Surprising Freeman greatly. They arm themselves and begin to fight off the Pakled boarders. In the middle of the fight, Boimler confesses to Mariner that he wasn't angry at her for stealing his chances of being promoted to the Sacramento. He notes that he had applied multiple times with no success. He was angry now because he knew that Mariner would have gotten the promotion. That he'd miss her and calls her his best friend. Mariner acts annoyed, telling him to shut up, but hides a smile.
One of the Pakleds seriously wounds Freeman and is about to kill her, when Mariner wipes the floor with them. She rushes over to the barely conscious Freeman, distressed that her mother is bleeding profusely enough to easily cover Mariner's hand with blood. Shaxs picks Freeman up, and they rush her to sickbay while Ransom and Billups cover them.
T’Ana stabilizes Freeman while Rutherford and Shaxs take the virus to the Pakled ship. It does not go well as Shaxs fights off the Pakleds. Badgey pulls a doublecross, stopping the virus upload. Telling Shaxs to kill Rutherford as revenge for what Rutherford did to him on the Holodeck. Badgey initiates a self-destruct sequence. Seeing no other choice, Shaxs rips out Rutherford’s implant to continue the virus upload and puts an unconscious Rutherford in the shuttle back to the Cerritos. Badgey explodes the ship, killing the Pakleds and Shaxs. The ship cleared of Pakleds, is ready to limp back home when three more modified Pakled ships appear and grapple the ship. The Cerritos are being pulled apart when the USS Titan, captained by William Riker, appears and destroys the ships.
Riker hails the Cerritos and he tells Mariner that this makes them even. Boimler is shocked that she knows Riker. She explains that Riker helped hook her up with all the contraband. Riker quickly cuts the transmission as Mariner begins to go into detail. Deanna Troi starts to question Riker as he tries to play it off. Troi tells him that they will talk about the contraband later.
At a Starbase, the Cerritos is being repaired. Freeman orders that the ship look exactly as it did before it was attacked. Rutherford awakens in the infirmary. With his implant gone, his long-term memory has been deleted and he doesn’t remember Tendi. She accepts this, looking forward to becoming best friends all over again.
The crew gathers for Shaxs funeral in which Mariner says that wherever Shaxs is in the next life he’s likely full-throat screaming at someone and ejecting a warp core.
Freeman then begins to reprimand Mariner for all her acts, her contraband, and insubordination. Mariner responds that without all that she did, they would not be here. Freeman agrees.
In a surprise move, Riker hands a PADD to Boimler, informing him the Ransom had told him Boimler was one of the best officers on the Cerritos. Boimler accepts the transfer to the Titan, which prompts a barrage of messages, that he ignores, from Mariner.