As the countdown to season five continues, so does our celebration of Star Trek: Lower Decks! We’ve had Beckett Mariner (Tawny Newsome), Friends & Foes, and Brad Boimler (Jack Quaid) with much more to come. But now is the time to celebrate the self-sealing stem bolts that hold the show together. Here are the greatest moments of our other deckers’ journey to season five!
Warning – spoilers ahead for seasons 1 through 4 of Star Trek: Lower Decks.
A Vulcan Like No Other
Get those emotions in check – T’Lyn (Gabrielle Ruiz) has joined the crew! First appearing in season two’s ‘Wej Duj’, T’Lyn begins her journey to season five a little rebelliously aboard the Vulcan cruiser Sh’Vhal. Well, if you can call implementing personal algorithms to extend the range of the ship’s sensors rebellious! During her first scene, she also shares with her crewmates that the situation “feels off” which is met with disapproval. T’Lyn leaves to inform the captain of the anomaly she’s encountered, hoping to receive a more encouraging response.
However, T’Lyn is left disappointed. Her captain adjusts the ship’s heading to investigate the anomaly. But directly after, he chastises T’Lyn for letting her emotions dictate her actions and orders her to spend the next two days meditating. She calmly protests, which her captain considers an outburst, and chastises her again. What we see on the Sh’Vhal is a Vulcan officer struggling to separate her emotions from her work.
Friendship Trumping Logic
Although this is amusing to watch, once T’Lyn transfers to the Cerritos we see the composure of a typical Vulcan. Or do we? On closer inspection, T’Lyn does not initially change how she behaves – instead, what’s changed is the culture around her. With species attuned to their emotions working with her daily, the juxtaposition from her time on the Sh’Vhal is apparent. Then consider her new colleagues as the emotion-driven foursome we love so dearly. You know it’s only a matter of time until T’Lyn starts to soften.
One of T’Lyn’s greatest moments is when she prioritizes friendship over logic. During season four’s ‘Something Borrowed, Something Green’, Tendi agrees to Mariner and T’Lyn joining her on a trip to Orion. T’Lyn spends the trip documenting everything, much to Tendi’s embarrassment, because very little is known of Orion customs. However, when it matters most, T’Lyn chooses her friendship over the Vulcan High Council and throws her PADD away. T’Lyn has become an integral part of the Cerritos’ lower decks – and has her friends’ backs when it counts!
From Andoria With Love
Another significant character aboard the Cerritos is Ensign Jennifer Sh’reyan (Lauren Lapkus). Jen is an Andorian science officer who begins her journey to season five during season one’s ‘Envoys’. She makes several appearances throughout the first season, but it’s not until season two that we see more of her. In ‘Strange Energies’ she interrupts Mariner burning off her frustrations in the holodeck. They clearly dislike each other, throwing insults at every opportunity during the brief encounter. It’s not the foundation for a romantic relationship, one would think.
However, we are proved wrong! We see a direct glimpse of Mariner’s affection for Jen in season three’s ‘Mining the Mind’s Mines’. An illusion of the Andorian appears before her in a bikini, giving off large hints that they are an item. Mariner denies this to Boimler and Rutherford (Eugene Cordero), but the seed has been planted. This seed blossoms and by ‘Hear All, Trust Nothing’ they are officially dating.
One of Jen’s greatest moments can be witnessed in this same episode. Jen is eager for Mariner to get to know her friends and convinces her to come to a salon. It doesn’t go to plan, with power through the Cerritos cutting out and Jen’s friends freaking about losing oxygen. Jen asks Mariner why she’s being so polite, insisting she “go destroy them” to save the day. Mariner happily obliges, ending the salon by stunning everyone to sleep to conserve oxygen till power is restored. And while Mariner is chasing Jen’s friends around the room, her partner is cheering her on in the background.
The Puppet at Tanagra
Darmok and Jalad, it’s Lieutenant Kayshon (Karl Tart), Starfleet’s first Tamarian officer! We first meet him as Shaxs’ (Fred Tatasciore) successor as Head of Security. After Shaxs returns following a mysterious resurrection, Kayshon decides to stay as a security officer.
Perhaps unusually, one of Kayshon’s greatest moments is one of his first. During his first episode ‘Kayshon, His Eyes Open’, the Head of Security leads a team to a former collector’s ship. A trap is sprung, and he is transformed – into a puppet!
Unfortunately, he spends most of the episode being dragged around the collector’s ship as the remaining team tries to escape. That said, it is a funny and rather cute introduction to a great member of the Cerritos crew. At the end of the episode, we find puppet Kayshon lying in sickbay. Dr. Migleemo (Paul Tompkins) starts playing with him, commenting on how useful he would be in therapy. Dr. T’Ana (Gillian Vigman) quickly comes to Kayshon’s rescue, snapping at Migleemo to read the sign. It’s a light-hearted and fun way to round off a brilliant start to Kayshon’s journey to season five.
Boimler’s Replacement
Keeping with season two’s ‘Kayshon, His Eyes Open’ we get our first proper introduction to Lieutenant Jet (Marcus Henderson). He appears at the sonic showers as Mariner, Rutherford and Tendi (Noël Wells) are about to enter. He confirms he has been reassigned due to Boimler’s promotion to the Titan. Mariner quickly sees him as a threat to her unofficial position as group leader. As the episode unfolds, it’s clear there’s a rivalry forming between the two. This starts with an endurance battle in the sonic showers (not as dirty as it sounds!) and continues from there.
Jet and Mariner’s bickering continues into their away mission with Kayshon. This puts them, their team, and the mission in jeopardy. It’s not until they are trapped with no way out that they realize they have different approaches to situations. The pair bond over mocking Ransom (Jerry O’Connell), then it strikes them. They put their differences aside and ask Rutherford and Tendi what they think should be done. Next thing we know, the team is safely escaping the station, and all is relatively well again.
That Didn’t Last Long
Alas, all good things must come to an end. Jet’s eventual acceptance into the Lower Decks inner circle is extremely short-lived. As the new foursome dig into some well-earned corn on the cob, Mariner begins an acceptance speech to Jet.
She is halfway through when her best friend, Brad Boimler, emerges from the background. Boimler is instantly forgiven for abandoning Mariner to the Titan and it’s bye-bye to poor Jet, who slinks away awkwardly. The fact he could take this rejection and carry on shows true resilience. This successfully kicks off his journey to season five.
The Countdown to Season 5 Continues
We’re now four articles down with three to go, taking us to the double-episode premiere of season five! Be sure to check out our previous articles if you haven’t already done so. These cover the journeys of Beckett Mariner, Brad Boimler, and the Friends & Foes of the Cerritos.
Season 5 premieres on Paramount+ in the US, UK, Canada, Latin America, Australia, Italy, France, the Caribbean, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Ireland and South Korea. You can also catch it on Bell Media’s CTV Scifi Channel in Canada. The final, on-screen adventure warps in with a double episode debut on Thursday, October 24 (2024).
More from Trek Central
- 🚨 Star Trek: Lower Decks – Mariner’s Journey to Season 5
- 🔥 Star Trek: Lower Decks – Friends & Foes Journey to Season 5
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