Space, the final frontier. There’s nothing quite like a holodeck adventure. From detective serials to Austen-esq romance novels, these episodes give us a chance to see our favorite Starfleet officers with their hair down. Sure, things tend to go awry, and you have the occasional program gain sentience or have an alien entity get caught in the machine, but that’s a small price to pay for action-packed therapy, right? At least that’s what Lower Decks seems to think! So join us as we give you five thoughts on season three, episode eight, “Crisis Point 2: Paradoxus.”
1. Who’s ready for a sequel?!?
“Crisis Point” might be one of the best episodes of the first season of Lower Decks. It’s an episode that finds the perfect balance of poking fun at the various Star Trek movies while also finding ways to explore the depth and relationship of Mariner and her mom. This episode has a tall task, finding a way to live up to the original. “Crisis Point 2: Paradoxus” mostly succeeds in this regard, delivering an episode that is equal points action-packed and poignant while still providing the laughs.
While this episode feels more indebted to a smaller number of different movies than its predecessor, “Crisis Point 2: Paradoxus” still finds a way to poke fun at the concept of Trek movies in general. Probably one of the episode’s best jokes involves a time warp that creates a new timeline and replaces the crew with younger, hotter versions of themselves, but they are still solid across the board. While sequels sometimes struggle to live up to the original, Trek fans know that the even numbers deliver.
2. Searching for meaning on the holodeck.
While the first “Crisis Point” primarily acts as a way to explore Mariner’s relationship with her mother, “Crisis Point 2: Paradoxus” gives Boimler a chance to get some of that free hard light character growth. While the episode doesn’t begin as a therapy session, after a quick visit to Ransom’s office, Boimler feels different. His heart isn’t in his adventure to show off to his friends. So while Tendi and Rutherford go on the action-packed Kelvin esq time paradox adventure, Boimler begins to follow the random prophets that the holodeck generated.
While Mariner isn’t thrilled to go on the slower-paced adventure, Boimler seems insistent that this is more important, that perhaps the holodeck holds the secret to life. In a later episode twist, we learn that Boimler found out his transporter clone, William, died on the Titan. To say the revelation impacted Boimler is an understatement. While “Crisis Point 2: Paradoxus” doesn’t necessarily give Boimler holodeck closure, it reminds Mariner about the importance of being there for your friend, even if he’s following a less-than-stellar adventure. While the holodeck might not hold the answers to life, the universe, and everything, it certainly can aid in the journey.
3. Tendi finds her true calling
While Boimler and Mariner search for the meaning of the universe, Tendi and Rutherford go on a thrilling adventure, a time travel chase to save the Federation. “Crisis Point 2: Paradoxus” gives most of the action to Tendi and Rutherford, but their exciting adventure causes friction. While Tendi takes her job as acting captain seriously, Rutherford treats the whole thing as a light adventure, which Tendi takes personally.
While Rutherford might see this as another fun holodeck adventure, Tendi worries that no one takes her seriously. If Rutherford can’t respect her as a captain, how will anyone take her seriously? “Crisis Point 2: Paradoxus” ends up being just as much of a therapy session for Tendi as it is for Boimler, with Tendi realizing that maybe she wants to be a captain. It’s impressive to see how well the show balances the humor and heart of these episodes, and the Tendi storyline is the prime example.
4. An episode that works but might not be that accessible
This is anecdotal, but I have watched Lower Decks with a few people who had never seen Star Trek before, and they enjoyed what they saw. One of the miracles of the show is that it is full of nods and references to the audience, but it is, at its core, an excellent workplace comedy. Knowing about the franchise elevates your enjoyment but doesn’t diminish the experience. Perhaps the one problem of “Crisis Point 2: Paradoxus” comes from the fact that there are significant moments that rely on knowing about movies not well regarded by the fanbase. But, again, it doesn’t ruin the episode; there is plenty to enjoy, but it feels like you’re on the outside looking in for the first time.
Continued below“Crisis Point 2: Paradoxus” pays homage to The Final Frontier, The Voyage Home, and Generations. The Voyage Home is arguably the most popular of the three, and its always fun to see Starfleet officers deal with 80s punks, but even then, there is an implied knowledge of the iconography of the film. The original “Crisis Point” paid homage without assuming you’ve seen all of the films. This one feels like you might have trouble following some of the humor.
5. Raising the stakes for the Cerritos
If the past few weeks have shown us anything, the Lower Decks is cooking up something big. From Peanut Hamper joining with evil computers to Mariner considering other job options, the Cerritos is gaining a lot of high-profile interest. While the major crux of “Crisis Point 2: Paradoxus” involved Bradward coming to terms with the death of his transporter clone, the episode hits you with a dark twist right at the end. Not only is William alive, he’s working for Section 31, Starfleet’s covert agent unit.
Now I’m willing to give the show the benefit of the doubt, but this revelation doesn’t have me too excited. Section 31 is a well that Star Trek has gone to a little too frequently lately. While Mike McMahan and his crew might have plans to do something interesting with the spy unit, it will take a lot of work to make it blend with the otherwise fun and optimistic show. While “Crisis Point 2: Paradoxus” had a happy ending, the Cerritos might be getting ready for some dark days ahead.
What did you think of the episode? Sound off below, and see you among the stars!
