'Star Trek: Lower Decks' Episode 5: How Data and USS Enterprise are gossiped about by other Starfleet ships
Spoilers for 'Star Trek: Lower Decks' Episode 5 'Cupid's Errant Arrow'
The crew of the USS Enterprise on 'Star Trek: The Next Generation' got into a number of crazy adventures of galaxy-changing significance on a weekly basis and while that makes for great entertainment, it's far from the standard operating procedure for a Starfleet ship. The Federation is meant to bring order to the universe and in a flashback during 'Star Trek: Lower Decks,' we're treated to some insight into what kind of reputation the Enterprise has garnered amongst other Federation ships.
While revealing a haunting incident that happened in her past, Ensign Beckett Mariner (Tawny Newsome) is shown at the bar of her ship, the USS Kido, sharing a drink with her fellow officers. This is the first we've seen of Mariner's past on the show, and definitely the first we've seen of her wildly different hairstyle, but that's another story. Notable is that Mariner and her colleagues are gossiping about the USS Enterprise, talking about Data's (Brent Spiner) twin brother, Lore (also Brent Spinter), who had defected to the Borg.
Data's darker twin brother Lore famously took leadership of a contingent of the Borg, one of the more sinister races in the 'Star Trek' universe. Under his leadership, the Borg made several attacks on the Federation, and Data was eventually forced to kill his own brother. Lore - or at least, the remains of Lore - was last seen in 'Star Trek: Picard,' which focused largely on both the Borg and synthetic life forms like Data and Lore.
Mariner's colleagues joke about how many adventures the Enterprise gets into, on a weekly basis - a joke on how the show aired a new adventure every week when it first aired. "Leave some unknown for the rest of us," jokes one of Mariner's friends, as they make fun of just how much trouble the Enterprise gets into. It's a fair criticism - while the Enterprise did a lot of good, it's fair to say that it got into a lot more trouble than any standard starship exploring the galaxy ought to. It's a fun and realistic look at how the Enterprise must seem to ships that aren't featured on a weekly TV serial in the 'Star Trek' universe.
The next episode of 'Star Trek: Lower Decks' airs on September 10 on CBS All Access.
