9 Ups & NO Downs From Star Trek: Lower Decks 5.7 — Fully Dilated

10. UP — Violets Are Neutral-Grey-Blue

What an opener! Not just 'the fat one,' but the 'purple one,' too. Sadly, the Cerritos missed the alternate Enterprise-D, probably back to battling those evil clones of Tasha Yar… or something. We did get a nice look at the otherly shaded 'D' on Captain Freeman's PADD as it returned through the "fizsh". Presumably that version didn't crash on Veridian III!

In the 'Prime' Universe, Starfleet ships like the Enterprise are, "No colour. Just neutral grey," Freeman told a certain talking head towards the end of the episode. In fact, the original Galaxy-class six-foot studio model was painted in two shades of blue — duck egg and sky blue — as designer Andrew Probert noted in Star Trek: The Magazine, volume 1, issue 16. When filmed under studio lights, however, the model appeared grey.

There is a lot more to the paint-work story than that, including the oddest of accusations by Probert that the grey look of the 'D' was somehow done on purpose. Whatever the case may be, Lower Decks remains just as proficient at picking up on the most minute detail, only to amplify it to a plot point.