10 Greatest Star Trek Bottle Episodes

Lower Decks is an episode that has such a strong legacy that it can sometimes be easy to forget it was a bottle show. The Next Generation's seventh season is dotted with gems, if perhaps the year overall meandered here and there. Lower Decks is a particular highlight, and Shannon Fill's (almost) final turn as Sito Jaxa stands above all else.

Though the action rarely leaves the Enterprise in this episode, switching the focus to these junior officers allowed audiences a fresh glance at the inner workings of the flagship. We were already familiar with Nurse Ogawa, and of course, Sito, but all five (let's not forget Ben!) of these people stand out.

The episode is of course most famous for its crushing finale, but stands as a perfect example of how to handle a cost-saving exercise and still deliver on the promise of exploration and inter-personal relationships. 

Though the mean folk over on Star Trek: Lower Decks seem to have confirmed Sito's death, we still cling to no body = no death here, so for now, Sito still lives, perhaps having adventures in the shuttle with her new Cardassian friend. One can but dream.