‘Star Trek: Lower Decks’ Recap: ‘No Small Parts’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains spoilers for the season one finale of ‘Star Trek: Lower Decks’.
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Sometimes in life, discovering the truth can be quite problematic. Especially when the truth in question could bring about all kinds of chaos and trouble for people that are important to us and after last week’s episode of Star Trek: Lower Decks, it really seemed as though the issues that could come about from uncovering an unexpected truth was going to the be focus of the season one finale of this magnificent series. For Ensign Bradward Boimler was struggling mightily at the end of ‘Crisis Point’ with the knowledge that Mariner and Captain Freeman were in fact, mother and daughter and we all knew it wouldn’t be long before Brad brought this up.
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Which is why it is safe to say, that none of us were surprised when Brad took the time to reveal his newfound knowledge in the opening moments of ‘No Small Parts’, because that’s how Brad do. No instead, what made this grand reveal worth our while, is the sheer fact that his combadge was on an open frequency when he spilled the beans. Which allowed for the entire bridge crew to learn the truth as well and that led to some special treatment for Mariner. Because word spread like wildfire, and now everyone saw her as a conduit to the captain, and they also took every opportunity to kiss up to her to stay in Freeman’s good graces and for a time it seemed as though this particular tale was going to be nothing more than a hilarious analysis on whether or not friendships can survive mistakes akin to the one that Boimler made in this tale, since his big mouth made life hell for Mariner. 

But as it turns out, this particular finale had all kinds of incredible surprises in store for us. For while Mariner dealt with being everyone’s favorite aboard the ship, dark things were happening in the galaxy. For while the crew of the Rubidoux were breaking in their new vessel, the U.S.S. Solvang, they ran into a massive ship that was armed to the teeth with incredible weapons and was supremely unfriendly to Federation starships, and that led to the loss of the Solvang with all hands. Which was shocking to see here since Lower Decks is often all about the lighthearted fun and well, the surprises didn’t end there. Because the blip of a distress call that Captain Dayton was able to get out was received by the Cerritos, and upon arriving at the Solvang’s last known location, they came to discover the true identity of the aggressors.

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As it turns out, these bad dudes were a blast from the past. For the Pakleds from The Next Generation episode ‘Samaritan Snare’, decided that the best way to never be burned by the Federation (or ships named Enterprise) again, was to stock up on weapons and build a Scimitar-style vessel that would dominate their enemies and well… that plan worked. For the Cerritos was no match for this enhanced starship and it wasn’t long before the crew was fighting for their lives from corridor to corridor with no end in sight. Which motivated Captain Freeman to try something wild in order to survive this encounter, and she tasked her daughter to come up with some wild card moves to save the crew and the ship and well, what Mariner put forth was incredibly daring and her orders led to the most shocking moment in this tale. Because the plan to infect the Pakled ship with a powerful virus, required the vessel to be boarded, so the virus could be properly uploaded.
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Which meant that Lieutenant Shaxs and Ensign Rutherford were the right personnel to make all of this happen and thanks to a surprise and explosive twist involving the always bloodthirsty Badgey, Shaxs sacrificed his life to save Rutherford’s. Something that none of us expected to see happen in the slightest since leads rarely die on Star Trek shows. But it happened here, and it was downright heartbreaking for certain, and the only thing that softened the blow, was the finale of this particular tale. For more Pakled super ships were arriving and just when it seemed as though the crew of the Cerritos wasn’t going to make it, a big-time hero saved the day. For Captain William T. Riker warped in at just the right moment and used the advanced weaponry of the U.S.S. Titan to give the Pakleds the business and this was just… an absolute delight to watch since it was downright epic and it allowed for Jonathan Frakes and Marina Sirtis to return to their iconic roles once again.

But while it was wonderful to enjoy that perfect moment and get some serious laughs from Riker and Troi since their characters played into the comedy here, the ending of this tale implies that next season of this show is going to be supremely different in design. For Shaxs is gone, Rutherford’s memory is shattered and Boimler is aboard the Titan as a Lieutenant and well, that’s a brave way to end season one. Because those are the kind of game-changing decisions storytelling wise, that you can’t just fix with a Search for Spock twist. But in there here and the now, what matters most, is that season one of this series turned out to be one incredible addition to the Star Trek Universe. Because this show perfectly blended together everything we love about the STU, all while finding a way to forge its own path as a delightful comedy and that is going to make the wait for season two of this series, a difficult one. Because at this point, we are all hooked and eager to enjoy more of what this magnificent show has to offer. Until next year. 

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