‘Star Trek: Lower Decks’ Recap – ‘Terminal Provocations’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode 106 of 'Star Trek: Lower Decks'. 
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When we last settled in to discuss the wondrous new Star Trek Universe series, Star Trek: Lower Decks, we talked at length about the show’s ability to be quite versatile in its storytelling. For ‘Cupid’s Errant Arrow’ was an episode that was devoid of any major analysis of prior STU storylines and concepts, leaving one to wonder what type of tale the next episode of this series was going to send our way. For now, the possibilities storytelling wise, were endless and as it turns out, the next episode in this fascinating and hilarious new series, decided the best course of action was to return to basics and once again explore and satirize classic concepts that have permeated the fabric of this long and storied franchise.
 
But rather than go grandiose and feature multiple settings and ships as the last pair of episodes opted to do, ‘Terminal Provocations’ went a more intimate route and set this week’s story solely aboard the Cerritos. Which allowed for our intrepid ensigns to once again be left to their own devices while everyone on the ship waited to see what was coming next in regard to a stand-off with rogue scavengers that the bridge crew was currently dealing with, and that allowed for the series to revisit and parody a common problem aboard Starfleet ships; errant technology. Because time and time again we’ve seen Hologram programs go rogue, or seen sentient computers terrorize the crews of various vessels and both of those issues popped up in this particular tale and that offered up some incredibly hilarious results. 

Take the Holodeck storyline for instance. Because it is safe to say that no one expected a holographic variation of both the Starfleet Delta and Microsoft’s Clippy (named Badgey) to become a bloodthirsty serial killer, but hey, that happened here. Because a freak out in the Holodeck once things got chippy with the scavengers, lowered the safety protocols and turned Badgey’s murder protocols to eleven and this resulted in one wild sequence. One where dear Badgey chased Rutherford and Tendi through all kinds of hostile environments in the hopes of wearing their skin (his words, not mine) and it took some serious creativity on Rutherford’s part to finally stop his digital son’s rampage and well, this really ended up being the most hilarious sequence in this tale. Because Badgey had all the best one-liners and his unfettered and unrestricted actions simply took you off guard and the show deserves some serious credit for properly exploring how bad things could actually get inside the Holodeck if its characters were allowed to truly run free. 

As for Boimler and Mariner, well their buddy, Ensign Fletcher, made quite the stupid decision while this dynamic duo went to enjoy the Chu Chu concert. In that, Fletch felt the need to pair his mind with a computer core in the hopes of getting smarter so he could finish his work faster and well, you can guess how that turned out. Because instead of getting smarter, dear Fletcher instead gave the computer core in question sentient life, the kind that needed to feast upon knowledge and that forced Mariner and Boimler to do everything within their power to subdue this nightmare and… get Fletcher kicked off the Cerritos. Because the poor guy just wasn’t cut out for Starfleet life since he wanted to get everyone else in trouble over this, rather than take responsibility for his mistake. And thanks to Boimler and Mariner’s quick thinking and ability to deflect, they were able to use the computer core to save the day and make it seem as though Fletch was the mastermind behind that plan. All so that he would be promoted and transferred to the U.S.S. Titan. Where he was promptly fired because you know damn well Captain William T. Riker doesn't put up with the kind of crap that Fletcher brings to the table. 

In the end however, this really was quite the wonderful satire of the crazy computers and wild Holodeck programs that we’ve encountered throughout our many years of watching STU shows. Because it really did a great job of expressing how preventable some of these problems are with a little common sense and care and it’s a good thing those things weren’t present in this tale, since a lack of forward thinking brought about the laughs in question. Plus, this story also gets a thumbs up for exploring how bad things would have been aboard the Enterprise­-D if Lieutenant Barclay was an idiot, since Fletcher was basically the personification of that notion. But what matters most, is that this episode was a lot of fun and a real treat to watch. Simply because you didn’t have a clue what was going to happen next, and truly, the show’s ability to surprise us with independent stories or a wonderful analysis of what’s come before it, leaves one eager to continue this wacky journey. Since this show continues to offer up a fresh and original take on the Star Trek Universe and everything good and goofy that it has to offer. Until next time.

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