With Freeman and a select group of senior ranking bridge officers on a Spec Ops mission away from the ship, Mariner reconnects with an old friend from her days at the academy who has climbed the Starfleet chain of command to become a Captain.
In an experiment gone awry, Boimler is stuck mid beam thanks to a miscalculation by Rutherford and Tendi has genetically created a dog that can dog a myriad of things a dog cannot do.
1. “The Dog” is not a dog
The genetically engineered pseudo-dog confusingly named “The Dog” is as funny as it is terrifying. The Dog is proof of the uncanny valley theory, where things are at their most creepy when something is nearly but noticeably off kilter.
It is also proof that Tendi has no conceivable idea what a normal dog can and cannot do. At first Boimler and Rutherford think that the Dog is acting normal whenever she is around but later on it becomes clear that Tendi, who isn’t a human is only going off the DNA she’s collected and has no idea what a dog can or can’t do.
2. Mariner’s BFF is a Captain
Mariner is dreading the thought of a new captain trying to exert their authority with no knowledge of how the ship normally functions. This feeling quickly fades away when she recognises the captain as her friend from Starfleet academy: Amina Ramsey is the captain in question.
Although we, the audience, and Captain Ramsey know first hand what a capable cadet she is, Ramsey’s bridge crew is suspicious of the esteem their captain has towards Mariner, considering she is still a lowly Ensign. The obvious implication of Ramsey’s promotion to Captain is that if Mariner simply played the game, then she would likely be a captain too.
3. Self Sabotage
As Ramsey and Mariner catch up, Mariner is offered a spot on the bridge as Ramsey’s number two. Mariner is surprisingly willing to take her up on it, despite her misgivings about senior ranking members of Starfleet but can’t seem to rise to the occasion, making mistake after mistake and making Ramsey second guess her decision.
The audience is under the impression that Mariner is just under a bit of pressure and simply isn’t used to being in this position of authority. Later on in the episode we learn along with Ramsey that Mariner has deliberately been doing a bad job as an act of self sabotage. What is interesting is that when the stakes become life or death Mariner immediately brings her A-game much to Captain Ramsey’s frustration.
4. Boilmer
Speaking of self sabotage, Boimler finds himself in a situation that similarly puts him at odds against everything he stands for. After a transporter accident leaves Boimler stuck mid beam, Boimler is put on a spooky ship with other deformed patients.
When his fellow patients raise their doubts about whether or not they’ll actually end up on “The Farm” and be given adequate medical treatment, there is talk of a mutiny. Boimler plays along, and almost immediately tattles on his crew members in the hopes to avoid the mutiny.
Surprisingly, his motivations aren’t entirely selfish but come from a desire to have the captain better communicate with the crew in order to placate their discontent. This nuance is somewhat lost on them when the captain reveals that Boimler informed him of their plan.
5. A Deeper Dive Into Mariner’s Ethos
The best part about this episode is that Mariner is forced to make her case about remaining in the lower decks to somebody she respects and admires. As a Captain, Ramsey tells Mariner about the pride she feels when she commands a crew that put their faith in her and how everyone at the academy was certain Mariner would undoubtedly be first in their class to make captain.
Mariner maintains her commitment to shirking the Federation politics and bureaucracy but there’s now a seed planted in the audience’s head. Maybe there’s a hint of regression, of shirking responsibility, or a fear of becoming like her parents. Maybe just because she’s more in the right than Boimler often is doesn’t necessarily mean that she’s right entirely.
