Space: the final frontier. After a thrilling finale and an arrested captain, things aren’t looking good for the California Class crew. Still, you know that Mariner isn’t going to let this injustice occur without getting involved at least a little bit! That’s right! Our favorite group of ensigns is back, and they are ready to do whatever it takes to clear their captain’s name! (No matter how silly the situation becomes.) So set your phasers to fun, and join us as we give you five thoughts on season 3, episode 1, “Grounded.”
1. Life without Starfleet
Like most good forays into the final frontier, Lower Decks is starting their season with the noblest of pursuits after a cliffhanger, seeing the crew of the Cerritos off duty. Now, while perhaps not quite as traumatic as recently fighting off a Borg assimilation or as sweet as visiting your father in New Orleans, “Grounded” allows us to see what our favorite ensigns get up to when they’re not exploring the far reaches of space. The result, as should be expected, is a real mixed bag.
The off-duty vignettes feel appropriate for the characters, showing many of their fun little personality quirks. From Tendi and Rutherford’s Earth adventures to Mariner’s desire to be the badass space hero and clear her mother’s name, they’re friendly little reminders about who these characters are and what makes them tick. But, then, there’s Boimler. Of all the off-duty details, our trip to Chateau Boimler, the raisin farm, is the best. It’s a perfect parody of our favorite bald captain’s Earth life while letting Boimler just be Boimler. From his strict adherence to the rules to his inability to pick up the cues of his coworkers, Boimler wins the prize for the best off-duty story. In just a few short scenes, “Grounded” reconnects us with our friends and prepares us for an adventure.
2. Daring escapes with plenty of deflation.
There’s always something exciting about watching our band of intrepid heroes disobeying orders to go on a space adventure. This is probably best represented in The Search For Spock of all things, but it’s the best example of a grounded crew using their wits and skills to defy orders and do what’s right. While “Grounded” gives us the set-up for a daring mission of subterfuge, as always Lower Decks find the perfect way to deflate the situation and make the whole situation very silly.
Of the secondary cast, the standout this week is Denny, the kind-hearted monitor of the secret transporter base to let the Ensigns make it back to the Cerritos. While we’re used to (corny) combat or clever subterfuge to knock a Starfleet stooge down a peg or two, “Grounded” makes Denny just so freakin likable that it immediately makes Mariner and company fold like a house of cards. It’s the perfect combination of Trek action and clever commentary that makes Lower Decks shine.
3. A trip to Starfleet past
After the subterfuge fails, the team falls back onto the next logical step, hijacking a kid’s ride at the site of Zefram Cochrane’s mission that caused first contact. (The episode even has a cameo from James Cromwell!) Now, here’s the thing, all of the visuals of this “historic site” turned theme park was great. “Grounded” had lots of fun little details, from the Vulcan ship turned into a super slide to the Mickey Mouse-esq Cochrane hats Tendi and Rutherford rock as they walk around the park. Visually, it’s all amusing, but there’s something about it that just feels off.
Don’t get me wrong, no one loves a good theme park joke more than I do, but there’s something about the Disneyland of it all that feels very Futurama. While that kind of joke works for the 21st-century parody of capitalism that Matt Groening created, it feels wrong on Lower Decks. It’s not even that “Grounded” makes a mockery of Starfleet’s history. Again, it’s all very funny; it just feels wrong. Maybe it would have worked better in a living history museum (akin to Colonial Williamsburg) than a Disney Presents America. Still, as it stands, it’s the only element that felt out of place.
4. They’re more than friends, they’re family (lower decks style)
Continued belowThe continued emphasis on found family makes Star Trek special. While it might vary depending on the show, each franchise iteration has some relationships that elevate beyond co-workers. “Grounded” really puts the focus on our four protagonists and their relationships with one another. While they’ve always been close, this adventure shows the lengths they would go for one another, with Boimler, Tendi, and Rutherford risking potentially getting kicked out of Starfleet to help their friend, and damn if it doesn’t work.
“Grounded” is a hilarious episode. It’s chocked full of jokes, playful ribbing, and visual gags, but there’s just something about watching Mariner breaking down and her friends coming to her aid that tugs on the heartstrings. Credit is due to the voice cast of the episode for really knowing when to turn up the drama and make you care for these characters. For all of their rivalries, petty squabbling, and banter, they have truly become a family over these past two seasons. Much like the first act quickly reestablishing each character, the episode does a masterful job of reminding us why we also care about these characters.
5. Return to status Qu- OH NO!
Outside of the season finales, most Star Trek shows love a return to the status quo, a chance to reset the stage and prepare us for the next adventure. Part of you knew that Captain Freeman would be back by the end of the episode (even if we didn’t spend that much time on the trial), and “Grounded” didn’t disappoint. Through some quick exposition (and exquisite stills), we are given the shorthand of what is sure to have been a top-shelf episode of Trek (akin to “Drumhead.”) Then, the other shoe drops.
While we have our crew back, our pieces reset, and our subsequent adventure brewing in the cosmos, “Grounded” finds a way to shake it up by putting Mariner at the mercy of Ransom. Who knows, maybe by the end of next week, she’ll still be answering her mom again. Perhaps she’ll be a corrupting force to a Starfleet golden boy, but one thing is for sure, they’re finding a way to keep it fresh.
I am incredibly excited to review this season of Lower Decks , the show that reignited my love of Trek! I hope you join me on the season-long mission as we boldly go where we’ve probably gone before. Sound off in the comments, and see you next week!
