The excitement is building as the final season of Star Trek: Lower Decks approaches! It won’t be long before our favorite animated crew again warps into hilarious trouble. And who do we expect to lead from the front of this comical set of affairs? The tenacious and loyal Beckett Mariner (Tawny Newsome) of course! So, get your Raktajino ready and join me as I celebrate the greatest moments of Mariner’s journey to season five!
Warning – spoilers ahead for seasons 1 through 4 of Star Trek: Lower Decks.
From Zero to Hero
Get the sarcastic Vulcan salutes ready – Ensign Beckett Mariner is aboard! She beams onto our screens in season one’s ‘Second Contact’, interrupting best friend Brad Boimler’s (Jack Quaid) pretend Captain’s Log. She is hyper, fuelled by Romulan Whiskey and a need to share her joy and wind up her pal. Mariner waves a heavy bat’leth, exuding a childish flare for life as she tries to encourage Boimler to partake. Then the blade slices deep into Boimler’s leg, halting the laughter and sobering the two into a state of shock. They scream in shock and horror, and the show’s tone is set with the first great moment of Mariner’s journey to season five!
But Mariner is not just all fun and no substance. One of her greatest moments in season one is in episode ten’s ‘No Small Parts’. Answering a distress call, the Cerritos warps into the debris field of one of her sister ships, the Solvang. Bearing down on her is a completely unexpected enemy (in true Lower Decks style) – the Pakleds. They easily disable the Cerritos and boarding parties start beaming aboard, very slowly!
Mariner rallies the unarmed crew together, revealing contraband she had hidden behind bulkheads and ceilings in their corridor. Outfall Bat’leth’s, mace’s, and even a sword which Boimler picks up. This takes us back to an earlier reference where Mariner insists he should be the “sword guy”. The crew stands proud and together, weapons primed before Mariner leads them into battle. Mariner shows she is more than the carefree, rebellious ensign we see through season one. She is Starfleet, her way.
A Friend in Me
Season two starts with a frustrated Mariner, struggling to reconcile her feelings towards Boimler. At the end of season one he secures a promotion and transfers to the Titan, leaving his friends behind. Mariner spends the first two episodes annoyed at Boimler and unwilling to bond with Ensign Jet Manhaver (Marcus Henderson). He is assigned Boimler’s shift duties, resulting in him and Mariner clashing during an away mission. They eventually find their niche and empower Tendi (Noël Wells) and Rutherford (Eugene Cordero) to save the day. Unfortunately for Manhaver, Boimler returns shortly after, much to Mariner’s relief.
We can see Mariner keeping the bond between the core group strong in future episodes. Another great moment of Mariner’s journey to season five is during the downtime of season two’s ‘Wej Duj’, when everyone is spending time with a “bridge buddy”, apart from Boimler. At the end of the episode Mariner decrees that, next time, the four best friends should all do something together. She understands the importance of friendship, and seeing the four friends united is heartwarming. It does make one feel even more sorry for the shunned Manhaver though!
The Power of Perception
One of the greatest moments of Mariner’s journey to season five has to be in season three’s ‘Grounded’. In the season two finale, we see Captain Freeman (Dawnn Lewis) framed for the destruction of Pakled Planet. In ‘Grounded’ Mariner travels the earth, recruiting her best friends to help exonerate her mother. Eventually, she decides to steal the Cerritos and attempts to send her friends home so they can’t be implicated. Of course, Boimler and the gang are not going to let Mariner go down alone and rally around her friend. And then the penny drops – Freeman’s trial was a ruse to confirm the true culprits, the Pakleds themselves!
This display of love and loyalty shows how far Mariner’s character has evolved since the start of season one. However, this evolution makes the events of season three’s ‘Trusted Sources’ hit hard. A reporter visits the Cerritos to create a documentary about life on the ship. Mariner spends the episode trying and failing to get time with the reporter, due to her mother’s worry about how she’ll portray the crew. She finally manages to pin the reporter down, but Freeman is furious and transfers her daughter off the ship. This terrible mistake results in an expose called “Starfleet’s Shame”.
With Mariner’s heartfelt words honoring the Cerritos and her crew, all is righted, and she returns for season four. Barley an episode in, another great moment in Mariner’s journey to season five happens as she is promoted with her comrades to Lieutenant Junior Grade. She reacts the way we expect, insisting it must be a mistake and feeling uncomfortable about the change. But this time the promotion sticks, and we see Mariner coming to terms with the recognition and responsibilities that follow.
Season Five Incoming
There are so many great moments from Mariner’s journey to season five that I cannot fit half of them into this article. The few I have selected display her growth from a carefree reckless Ensign to a devoted and loyal friend. However, there is more development to come, and I expect many great moments from Mariner throughout the upcoming fifth Season!
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