‘Star Trek: Lower Decks’ Recap – ‘We’ll Always Have Tom Paris’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode 203 of ‘Star Trek: Lower Decks’.
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One thing that Star Trek fans everywhere can agree upon, is that Star Trek: Lower Decks, is a fine celebration of everything that makes the franchise so great. For its weekly and wild and downright hilarious adventures spotlights the elements that allowed for us to fall in love with this saga in the first place and that’s allowed for fans to enjoy a genuine sense of wondrous nostalgia while they partake in new missions with the intrepid and slightly incompetent crew of the U.S.S. Cerritos. And since this week’s entry in this new series just so happened to be the 800th overall episode in the Star Trek Universe, it only seems fitting that it took the time to celebrate a more low-key aspect of the franchise that we don’t talk about enough.
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Specifically, how great a job the STU does in building its characters and helping them to grow and become family and ‘We’ll Always Have Tom Paris’, accomplished this particular feat by mostly splitting the team up so they could learn a little more about themselves and one another. In fact, let’s talk about that latter aspect, first, since it led to some incredibly important moments between Tendi and Mariner. Because Tendi thought now would be the perfect time to go on a Girls Trip with Mariner since the good Doctor asked Tendi to swing by a remote world to retrieve a family heirloom. And as we all know, a road/space trip is always the best way to really get to know your friends and well… her decision to do so really did pay off in spades.

Because Mariner and Tendi really did get to bond and lower their guards for a change and that in turn allowed for the audience to learn that they both are somewhat ashamed of their pasts and fearful of letting others in because they come and go and it was quite wonderful to see both of these characters be so open and vulnerable and watch them bond in real time, and of course… it is equally as awesome that Mariner openly admitted that she’s pansexual in this tale, since that reminds us of the inclusive nature of this franchise. But while that makes it seem as though this entire segment was more dramatic and subdued in nature, that simply wasn’t the case. Because come on, they were asked to retrieve a sex doll for the ship’s doctor, and they had to kick some Orion butt and that definitely led to some hilarious moments for certain. 

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However, while it was great to see Mariner and Tendi bond and strengthen their friendship, there was mention of some more intimate journeys in this tale and Rutherford was the one to handle that. Since he came to learn that Shaxs was alive and well aboard the ship and that motivated him to learn exactly how he came back from the dead. Not because the scientific side of his mind needed to know, but because he needed closure and peace from that incident. For he genuinely blamed himself for the Lieutenant’s passing and the only way he was going to reconcile that was through confrontation and thankfully… he got his closure and more than he bargained for. Since Shaxs explained the sheer horror that comes about for characters that return from the void. 

But while all of those wonderful and beautiful storylines could have carried this episode no problem, what would an episode of Lower Decks be without some over the top shenanigans and Easter Eggs? And it just so happens that Bradward Boimler handled that part of the story, since he struggled to get the ship to recognize him at a crucial time aboard the ship. For Lieutenant Tom Paris from Star Trek: Voyager was coming aboard the ship in this tale and one way or another, Boilmer was going to get his commemorative Tom Paris plate signed by the Lieutenant from Voy. But alas, nothing went right in this quest. In fact, it actually led to Boims getting his butt kicked by the legendary helmsman since Brad’s messy journey through the bowels of the ship triggered a little Kazon related PTSD for Tom. But hey, at least Bradward got drinks from Mister Paris as penance. 

In the end however, this is a story that really celebrated the true core of what makes Star Trek so great: the characters. Because without their depth and quest to be more… this franchise simply wouldn’t work. Which is why every single moment here worked like a charm and it was simply wonderful to see everyone grow right before our eyes since Mariner and Tendi learned it is okay to trust, and Rutherford figured out that healing involves facing what hurt us in the first place and Boims… well he learned to just bite the bullet and have your damn codes and ID re-uploaded to the ship’s computer. Either way, this really was the perfect way to celebrate the franchise’s 800th episode and this writer has no doubt that we are in store for 800 more, since this is a saga that really does celebrate the best parts of who we are and that is something that will never become stale. Until next time.  

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