'Star Trek: Lower Decks' Episode 2: Is Beckett Mariner's past just a running gag or something more intriguing?
Spoilers for 'Star Trek: Lower Decks' Season 1 Episode 2 - 'Envoys'
Ensign Beckett Mariner (Tandy Newsome) has one of the richest, most interesting backstories of any other member of the 'Lower Decks' cast, and the audience is privy to almost none of it. Two episodes in, and she has already hinted at some serious adventures (or perhaps more accurately, misadventures) in the years before she was assigned to her mother's ship on the USS Cerritos -- all at a relatively young age for a Starfleet member. While her past has only been teased, it's still worth asking the question: are the constant teases simply a running joke, or is there a genuinely interesting story to be looked into here?
The increasingly-complicated-backstory trope was perhaps best executed by 'Schitt's Creek' with the character of Alexis Rose (Annie Murphy). Alexis would, every episode or so, make an off-hand comment about her past that in normal circumstances should have stopped the episode in its tracks as those around her demanded an explanation. Throughout the series, it was implied that she had been kidnapped, held for ransom, ran away with an Emperor, and more, and the less any of it was explained, the funnier it kept getting.
The show seems to be employing a similar track with Mariner. This episode alone, a few words uttered during sleep implied that at some point Mariner was marooned, and buried alive for what she believed would be an eternity. She hints at gray-ops operations she was a part of "back in the day," which, of course, frustrates Brad Boimler (Jack Quaid) to no end given that they're the same age. Her off-hand comment, "Don't knock it till you've tried it" in response to Boimler's worries about a court-martial, might have even been the reason for her lower decks assignment despite her colorful history.
It's clear that Mariner has been through a lot. But we wonder whether it's all meant to be an increasingly complex joke, or whether the show is building up to bigger reveals down the line. While the gag is funny, so far nothing mentioned is a lot more outlandish than the events that already have happened during the course of the episode. What's more, the series appears to be taking the lives of its characters to heart, making their journey something of significance. On 'Star Trek', a rich backstory is only foreshadowing for bigger story arcs in the future, and despite its lighthearted nature, 'Lower Decks' is still very much a 'Star Trek' show.
It might be too early to tell whether or not the jokes about Mariner's past are anything more than just comedy. Meanwhile, it's worth keeping a close eye on Mariner and her off-hand comments, something that should be no trouble at all, as the show seems quite happy to keep Ensign Mariner front and center in its storytelling.
The next episode of 'Star Trek: Lower Decks' airs August 20, on CBS All Access.