Star Trek: Lower Decks Season 1 Finale recap: No Small Parts

The Star Trek: Lower Decks Season 1 Finale subverts almost every trope to give us an Easter Egg-filled nostalgia trip, packed with action and emotion.

After 10 short episodes, we have arrived at the Star Trek: Lower Decks Season 1 Finale. It’s hard to believe that we’re already at the end, but the first season of the newest Star Trek show is concise enough to leave us wanting more, without needing more.

If you’ve been following these recaps, you’ll know that I have found the second half of Star Trek: Lower Decks wanting in many aspects – character development being high on the list. This left me concerned about the season’s swan song. There’s nothing like a bad finale to ruin an entire experience.

But I needn’t have feared. The Star Trek: Lower Decks Season 1 Finale is everything you could have asked for. There are Easter Eggs galore, plenty of throwbacks, but at its core, the episode remembers that there are characters we must remember to love and a story we need to be invested in.

So, when the Cerritos is faced with perhaps her deadliest encounter, it’s up to her fearless crew to rise to the occasion.

Star Trek: Lower Decks Season 1 Finale – Shut Up, Boimler!

In the penultimate episode of the season, Boimler accidentally discovered that Mariner was Captain Freeman’s daughter. This knowledge comes back to haunt him and Mariner in the Star Trek: Lower Decks Season 1 Finale.

While Captain Freeman and Commander Ransom attempt to re-liberate the Betans of Beta III from the evil computer Landru (holy throwbacks, Captain Kirk!), Mariner is busy distributing Starfleet tech without the Captain’s authorization.

Boimler joins in, breaking the rules because now he knows Mariner’s secret. Except, as he confronts Mariner about the truth, his comm badge is on and everyone on the Bridge hears it. I hate Boimler.

What I like is that no one really calls the Captain out for not only hiring her daughter but for giving her a lot of leeway with her behavior. Instead, everyone tries to suck up to Mariner in an effort to get the Captain to notice them.

It gets so bad that even Boimler tries to use Mariner’s connection to get a promotion to the Sacramento. This gives Mariner the idea to apply as well. Start with a blank slate. If only things were that simple.

Star Trek: Lower Decks Season 1 Finale – Tendi’s Rival

Tendi and Rutherford are two of the most unflappable characters in Star Trek, but that’s only if you don’t mess with them. When Rutherford accidentally damages his implants, he tries to cycle through his personality algorithms to reach his normal state.

This couldn’t happen at a worst time. Tendi is assisting a new exocomp (another Easter Egg), named Peanut Hamper, to join the medical team. Except, the exocomp isn’t dexterous. Just as Tendi begins to worry that Peanut is going to be ripped to pieces by Dr. T’Ana, Peanut turns out to be extremely clever and useful.

So much so that Tendi gets pushed to the sidelines. But somehow Tendi turns this into a positive. She’s been working with Peanut so her assistant fitting in and doing the job is a win in Tendi’s book.

Star Trek: Lower Decks Season 1 Finale – Attack of the Pakleds

The drama on the Cerritos is soon interrupted by a distress signal by the Solvang. This ship is ripped to pieces by the Pakleds, a group of lowly spacefarers who were, heretofore, thought of as jokes in Starfleet.

The Pakleds have Frankenstein-ed ships and technology from multiple species to create mega-ships. As soon as the Cerritos confronts one of the Pakled ships, she’s harpooned, and a nacelle is ripped off.

With the Cerritos in tatters, Captain Freeman turns to the one person who can save the ship – Mariner. Mariner’s brief foray as a straight-laced Starfleet officer is quickly abandoned.

Mariner’s plan is to introduce a virus into the Pakled ship that’ll cause a cascade effect to disable their ships. And to execute this plan, Mariner needs a machine.

Star Trek: Lower Decks Season 1 Finale – A Sacrifice

Tendi and the senior crew turn to Peanut for help. She’s small enough to sneak aboard the enemy ship and introduce the virus. But guess what, Peanut sucks! She declines the mission and literally nopes out of there! What a turncoat.

Rutherford has another plan for injecting the virus – using his murderous AI ‘son’ Badgey. Badgey promises to help, but his plan requires someone to physically land on the Pakled ship. Rutherford, having cycled back to his normal personality accepts the mission without batting an eye.

Despite Tendi’s pleas, Rutherford is whisked away by Shaxs. The rest of the crew fight the intruding Pakleds with Mariner’s assorted contraband weapons. Facing imminent death, Boimler confesses that he wasn’t interested in the Sac promotion, but he didn’t want Mariner to take it either because he’d miss his friend.

Shaxs is able to get Rutherford on the enemy vessel. He fights off the oncoming goons while Rutherford uploads the virus. But guess what, evil Badgey slows it down so that he can take Rutherford down with him. This thing is worse than Hal.

Shaxs rips off Rutherford’s implant, disconnecting him from the ship. He gets Rutherford on to the shuttle and shoves the vessel out just in time for Rutherford to escape. But it’s too late for Shaxs. I was genuinely sad to see this sacrifice. I don’t think I cared much for Shaxs, but Star Trek: Lower Decks Season 1 Finale knows how to get you in the feels.

Star Trek: Lower Decks Season 1 Finale – The End?

Shaxs’ demise isn’t enough. More Pakled ships arrive and soon the Cerritos is surrounded and trapped.

Captain Freeman is badly injured but she’s not willing to let her ship go. Mariner orders the escape pods are prepared. Just as all hope is lost, another Starfleet ship arrives. It’s the Titan. Yes, the Titan, captained by William T. Riker. And right by his side is Deanna Troi.

The Cerritos is saved! Will makes fast work of those evil Pakleds and has time to tease Captain Freeman and grab a drink with Mariner. Deanna, on the other hand, takes Ransom down a peg or 2000.

Captain Freeman orders the Cerritos to be restored to her former glory and sits her daughter down for a heart-to-heart. Starfleet is unaware of the true nature of the universe and they’re letting systems and people down.

If Starfleet kept a closer eye on things, then the Betans wouldn’t have fallen prey to Landru again and lives wouldn’t have been lost to the ‘jokes’ that are the Pakleds.

Captain Freeman’s hands are tied by protocol, but Mariner can work in the grey areas. Finally, mother and daughter agree that only by working together can they make things better.

While Captain Freeman bids Shaxs a touching farewell, Rutherford has to cope with amnesia from having his implants removed. Tendi is initially upset by this but then sees this as a new opportunity to become friends with Rutherford again. Love her positive outlook.

Boimler takes a transfer to Titan, pretending to be as cool as Mariner. The transfer doesn’t sit well with Mariner who harangues him with calls and messages. Talk about attachment issues.

Star Trek: Lower Decks Season 1 Finale – Final Thoughts

Trekkies of this world who review and recap Star Trek, stop ignoring the awesomeness that is Marina Sirtis’ Deanna Troi! She is amazing as this character. She’s a showstopping scene-stealer, which is a tough ask considering her frequent on-screen partner is Jonathan Frakes’ Will Riker.

I loved that these two got to cameo on Star Trek: Picard and reprise their roles again in this finale. They’re hilarious, and their banter is perfect. Who among us didn’t tear up at the Star Trek: The Next Generation theme?

I was unsure of what this finale had in store for viewers, but they subverted my expectations at almost every turn. I want to see these characters again, but I wonder if we need any more Boimler.

Throughout the first season, Boimler was a bland character who was written more as a foil for the gregarious Mariner. I’m far more intrigued by how Captain Freeman and Mariner’s new dynamic will play out. Who needs boring Boimler when these two incredible women are stealing the show? Now let’s hope the showrunners remember that for Season 2.

Now that the Star Trek: Lower Decks Season 1 Finale has aired, what are your feelings about the show? Let us know in the comments below.

Catch Star Trek: Lower Decks Season 1 on CBS All Access.