8 Ups & NO Downs From Star Trek: Lower Decks 5.2 - Shades Of Green

I must admit that when the Orion pirate queen announced the sail ship challenge, I was ready to give it a DOWN. I realise it's a little beside the point to criticise Lower Decks for reusing a concept, but in this case, it is one that has been done to exhaustion — both in Star Trek and elsewhere in sci-fi. Plus, let's just say that I'm more RuPaul's… than 'drag race' full stop.

Nonetheless, this particular pirate ship race came as a pleasant surprise. It wasn't overwrought with unnecessary tension, nor overladen with countless 'surprise reversals' — just a main one that worked. D'Vana was protecting her sister, when all the while her sister was protecting her. "You're pirating for two now." The "cute-iny" was also just that… cute!

It's equally tough not to appreciate the bluntest of juxtapositions, and Lower Decks is their master. D'Vana's "it's a tie," everybody wins, was met immediately with the harsh reality of the pirate queen's "everyone loses". In terms of plot, that was an exceedingly well-crafted counterpoint to post-scarcity on Targalus IX. Some have everything, whilst others have everything taken away. Not for long, however, as Targalus IX was also the solution to the Tendi family's sudden decrease in wealth.