‘Star Trek: Lower Decks’ Recap: ‘Twovix’ & ‘I Have No Bones Yet I Must Flee’

9/8/2023

Written by John Edward Betancourt

(L-R) Carl Tart, Jerry O’Connell, Jack Quaid and Andy Richter as Lieutenant Kayshon, Commander Jack Ransom, Ensign Bradward Boimler, and Beljo Tweekle in Episode 401 of ‘Star Trek: Lower Decks’ – ‘Twovix’. (Photo Courtesy of Paramount+.)

Caution: This article contains spoilers for the Season Four Premiere of ‘Star Trek: Lower Decks’. To revisit the Season Three Finale, click here. Also, this piece was written during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Without the labor of the writers and actors currently on strike, the series being covered here wouldn’t exist.

One particular aspect of the Star Trek Universe that makes it so compelling for audiences around the world… is its characters. For not only are every single one of them, well-written and fully fleshed out people, but they are supremely relatable. Courtesy of desires, hopes, dreams and flaws that each one of us harbor, allowing for us to latch onto them and declare them our favorite by series. But our love of the characters and this franchise goes deeper than that. Because what truly makes them so special and so magnificent, is that they grow before our very eyes. They make mistakes, and they learn from them, and they have people surrounding that support them and encourage them and guide them, and that we latch onto because… it gives us great hope. Hope that we can be better on a personal level, and hope for a better tomorrow where this is commonplace and growth is top of mind today, because it was featured heavily in the season four premiere of Star Trek: Lower Decks on Paramount+.

For ‘Twovix’ and ‘I Have No Bones Yet I Must Flee’ saw quite the turning point come into play in the careers of our beloved and relatable Lower Deckers. In that, they were each up for promotion. A surprise that more or less made it clear that the universe doesn’t allow for stagnancy and eventually we must leave our starting point and become more, and it was fascinating to see how some of the Lower Deckers dealt with that reality and grew from it. For instance, Boimler found himself struggling with how his last promotion went. For he really felt that his time on the U.S.S. Titan, as a Lieutenant Junior Grade, was a disaster, and that accepting the promotion here would also equate to disaster because he didn’t think he was ready, or confident enough to hold that rank. But thanks to Mariner’s kind words… he eventually came to understand… he was ready… and it was time.

But he wasn’t the only one struggling with the perils of rank. Since Tendi received her second pip ahead of Rutherford and she was worried that it would keep her from being around one of her closest friends, only to learn that it wouldn’t. For friendship was something outside of rank and could be maintained easily. It was more of a greater concern on her part that they come up together in rank as their careers progressed and eventually… that happened, since Ruthy earned his pip as well. And of course, Lieutenant Junior Grade Beckett Mariner harbored nothing but fear over snagging her second pip for the umpteenth time. For she thought it meant she would soon be sent down or sent away as was often the case. Only for her to learn that Commander Ransom decided she needed a fair shot and that he was going to give it to her, rain, or shine, and that she needed to let go of that fear and embrace her potential. All of which allowed for incredible growth to take place here, alongside commentary on Imposter Syndrome and the worries that follow us as we pursue our dream. Which made for a very human set of stories. The kind that of course… kept things fun.

Moopsy and Lieutenant Beckett Mariner in Episode 402 of ‘Star Trek: Lower Decks’ – ‘I Have No Bones Yet I Must Flee’. (Photo courtesy of Paramount+.)

Because this is Lower Decks we are talking about here. And this is a show that is also a love letter to the franchise and boy did we get one heck of a love letter here. Since ‘Twovix’ straight up celebrated the wonder of Star Trek: Voyager. By having the crew board, the iconic ship to help bring it to Earth for a museum-esque tour and man… the deep dives and deep cuts here were amazing. Because that episode pretty much celebrated everything about the show over the course of twenty minutes and that’s no easy task. But showrunner/episode writer Mike McMahan was up to the task and managed to not only put a new spin on the whole Tuvix madness, but even managed to throw a shout out to the infamous Warp Ten incident and Chaotica and everything in between. Including the bio-neural packs, the Neelix cheese, and it was just glorious and fun and speaking of fun… let’s talk about the comedy in these two stories.

Because the jokes were simply top notch from beginning to end. From the gags that took place on Voyager as Chaotica (pun intended) ensued and well… the second episode really leaned heavy into the jokes and produced some real gems. Because the whole running gag with Boimler trying to find quarters that don’t drive him insane was just… Chef Neelix’s Kiss. Not to mention, we have to talk about the Menage and dear, sweet, terrifying Moopsy. Because that whole ordeal was just flawless comedy through and through. Courtesy of Moopsy’s hunger for bones, and the solution to capture that cute little nightmare was brilliant really, and well, the jokes here were simply top notch, and truly… they served as a fine reminder that this is that rare Star Trek story that knows how to balance comedy and story… and danger perfectly.

Danger of course is mentioned, simply because this two-episode premiere took the time to set up… something ominous for certain. For we came to learn in these stories, that a terrifying ship is traversing the galaxy, and targeting alien vessels full of the Lower Deckers we met last season… and eliminating them in cold blood. Leaving all of us to wonder if everyone aboard the Cerritos is in danger since T’Lyn is now aboard the ship alongside our heroes. Not to mention… we are also wondering who is behind this attack, and well… time will tell course, and while we wait to uncover that truth, we can celebrate one amazing premiere. For this block of episodes celebrated everything we loved about this series and the franchise as a whole, and it made us laugh and well… it doesn’t get any better than that, and it will be just lovely… to settle in for the next few weeks and enjoy more of the brilliant humor, and tributes to the franchise, that this series has to offer. Until next time.

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