Space, the final frontier. While the Cerritos and other California class ships do the follow-up work of “second contact,” it certainly doesn’t seem like Starfleet is too interested in promoting these adventures. But to an ambitious captain like Carol Freeman, finding ways to make their missions a top priority helps her career and the galaxy at large. The problem is that if you put Freeman under a microscope, she’s likely to get a little tense. So grab your holo-imager, brush up for the camera, and join us as we give you five thoughts on season three, episode nine, “Trusted Sources.”
1. A baffling reframing of the central premise.
The U.S.S. Cerritos is a second contact ship. That’s information that we’ve known since the very first episode. It’s a fun idea for a Star Trek show and allows the writers to poke fun at the largely episodic nature of The Original Series and The Next Generation by allowing us to see just how Starfleet has impacted different planets in the universe. However, the thing that makes “Trusted Sources” baffling is that they seem to want and reframe this central premise. The episode begins with Freeman explaining the concept of “Project Swing By,” which honestly sounds like second contact. They never explain what makes these missions different.
Maybe there’s some nuance I’m missing. Perhaps “Project Swing By” explores Federation planets that have been in the fold for a while. Still, it honestly doesn’t sound like it’s more complicated than second-contact missions. The fact that “Trusted Sources” never explains further how this new program is supposed to advance Freeman feels like a misstep.
2. Higher scrutiny means fewer antics
While Project Swing By doesn’t feel all that unique it’s important enough that the admiralty wants to document the new program using the Federation News Network. Much of the humor of “Trusted Sources” comes from Freeman trying to squash her normally lively crew’s antics. From canceling pie-eating contests to changing the ships’ bar into an officer’s only lounge, the episode tries its best to put the raucous beta-shift ensigns on the sideline. While Freeman tries putting her best crew forward, Mariner and the gang just try to have fun.
It also doesn’t help that the Project Swing By mission isn’t as impressive as everyone hoped. The crew goes to Ornara from the Next Generation episode “Symbiosis,” expecting to find citizens desperate for the drug they were reliant on for so long. Instead, the Ornarans are happy, healthy, and thriving, undercutting the program’s premise. Again, most of the humor from “Trusted Sources” comes from Freeman trying to tamp down the humor, but the stuff on Ornara is also legitimately very funny. From haunting murals to intense fitness programs, the Cerritos is at a loss trying to help those who don’t need it, which just makes Freeman more on edge.
3. The straw that breaks the captain’s back
While Freeman gets increasingly more upset at their lackluster mission, the reporter pushes her to the limit when the Cerritos’ laundry list embarrassing missions, making Freeman look inept on a universal scale. Of course, there is only one culprit, her daughter Mariner, who Freeman was desperate to hide from the press. While Mariner has been a thorn in her side, “Trusted Sources” was the straw that broke the camel’s back, and Freeman reassigns her daughter to the ultimate insult, Starbase 80.
While Mariner is upset, the more disturbing thing about the episode is that the crew leaves Beckett truly alone. Everyone, not just the captain, sees her as public enemy number one, even her girlfriend. For an episode light on antics, “Trusted Sources” amps up the drama as Mariner finally accepts her fate and transfers to Starbase 80. The only people who come to her defense are her friends, but it seems too little too late. While Mariner has done worse, it doesn’t seem like she’s returning from this one.
4. Is Starfleet tanking the Cerritos’ success?
After Ornara proves to be a bust, the crew decides to go to Brekka to see if destabilizing the drug trade puts the civilization in need of some further intervention. While this might seem odd, Freeman is desperate for a win and is willing to exploit any angle she can, so they land only to find the planet deserted. While “Trusted Sources” is light on antics, they amp up the stakes by introducing a Breen invasion. The action in the episode is incredibly tense. The animation of the space fights in this season of Lower Decks has been good, but this episode takes the cake.
Continued belowWhen all seems lost, a literal Deux ex-Machina arrives to save the day as Starfleet’s new completely autonomous Starship intervenes. While the episode isn’t necessarily explicit, there is certainly some implication that Admiral Buenamiga’s support of Project Swing By was an elaborate attempt to get a report in the right place at the right time to premiere their declassified project. This is probably one of the biggest problems of “Trusted Sources,” there are many implications but no real answers, which ultimately makes the episode feel a bit muddy.
5. The balance of episodic fun and long-term storytelling
In the great debate between Star Trek being episodic vs. long-form TV, everyone seems to forget the show that struck the right balance of the two, Deep Space Nine. While the show was episodic, we still saw long terms stories happening in the background. You didn’t have to watch every episode to understand what was happening, but weekly viewers got payoffs to earlier seasons and episodes. “Trusted Sources” also does this, revealing that Beckett left Starfleet to fly off with Petra Aberdeen from the Independent Archeologists Guild. As the season continued to push Beckett, Beckett decided to go.
The great irony is the final reveal that Mariner wasn’t the leak of embarrassing stories in “Trusted Sources,” instead it was the sources that Freeman trusted. Mariner only had kind things to say about her mother, crew, and family, but because people were ready to assume the worst, they might have lost her forever. This is the kind of payoff you get from having fun week-to-week episodes while setting up larger conflicts in the wings, and as we move into the finale, you can only imagine some of the other payoffs the writers’ team has in store.
So there you have it, Mariner has a new job, Starfleet has a new toy, and the Cerritos doesn’t get the recognition it deserves. What did you think of the episode? Sound off below, and see you next week among the stars!
