1. Freeman Agrees With Mariner
For the first time in the entire season, we see Captain Carol Freeman acknowledge the faults of the Prime Directive and how it prevents Starfleet from helping planets before they get into trouble. This is shown at the beginning of the episode when Ransom and Freeman visit a planet seen in T.O.S. (The Original Series) which has regressed back to worshipping a computer called Landru.
At the end of the episode, after Mariner saves the day by being her rebellious self, Freeman and Mariner have the most thoughtful and productive conversation about the limitations of Starfleet. Mariner’s arc for the season is satisfyingly resolved with Freeman asking her daughter to do what she’s already been doing: transforming her adolescent rebellion against her mom into a covert effort with her.
2. D’Vana and Sam are Kind of Different (I Guess)
The only fault in the show thus far is that, at times, Tendi and Rutherford are too similar to one another. This is due to their mutual kindness, passion for their work, and often being on the same page when confronting a problem together.
There are of course differences between the two. Their jobs in medical and engineering make them passionate about different things on occasion. Tendi has recently graduated from Starfleet Academy and Rutherford has recently undergone a cybernetic enhancement. If these two characteristics were the only thing relevant to every subplot the two ensigns were in each episode, they wouldn’t be very interesting.
It was interesting then to see Sam’s cybernetics and Tendi’s status as a newbie being so heavily featured in the season finale, with Tendi acting as a liaison for a new recruit and Rutherford trying to readjust his implant’s attitude sector. This was appreciated because although their similarities make it easy to put them in subplots together, they were able to have their own individual closure for the season.
3. Boimler’s Best Friend
After Boimler outs Mariner as the daughter of Captain Freeman, Mariner tries to act like the perfect cadet so she can get promoted and transferred off the Cerritos. Boimler is annoyed about this, seemingly because he’s going for that same promotion and knows Mariner could easily get it if she actually tried.
But this isn’t episode one Boimler. What is actually making him so upset is the idea of losing his best friend on the Cerritos. Boimler is almost never affectionate to Mariner and constantly frustrated with her gleeful disdain for the rules. So watching him finally acknowledge that he likes her and he’d miss her is a very touching moment.
4. This Episode Really Feels Like a Series Finale
Comedy shows that don’t really focus on character drama don’t always pull out all the stops with the series finale. But Every character’s storyline really tied up what their arc was at the beginning of the season. On top of that, the Cerritos’s battle against the Pakleds was one of the most dramatic of the season . . . especially when they killed Lieutenant Shax, the head of security.
More than that though, all four of the Ensigns feel like they’re in a different place now than they were at the beginning of the season. With Sam’s memory wiped, D’vana is now helping him find his footing, a very sweet change on how they were at the beginning of the season. Mariner has a healthier relationship with Captain Freeman and is more aware of her personal issue with authority and rank. And then there’s Boimler.
5. Character Regression
Despite Boimler vowing to not be obsessed with rank anymore, and confessing to Mariner that he’d really miss her, and all the amazing growth that he has made during his time with Mariner; he still takes a promotion to work on the Titan.
This is frustrating to watch, as it undermines all the lessons he has learned in this episode and this season at large, but it’s also kind of realistic. People don’t alway grow into better people in one straight line upwards and just because you’re aware of your faults doesn’t mean you can fix them instantly.
What makes it all the more heartbreaking is watching Boimler impressing his crewmates with his knowledge of an area he visited with Mariner, showing us that she was a mentor to him this whole time and the experiences they shared made him a better Federation Officer. This step backwards made me all the keener to watch the next season of this phenomenally well made show.
