9 Ups & 1 Down From Star Trek: Discovery 5.8 — Labyrinths

Just need you to place your finger on the centre of the metallic doodad in this book, please. There we go. Welcome! I'm a program TrekCulture created, and this is the most important place in both our lives: the marvellous mindscape of Cetacean Observations! If your subconscious really has generated me, I suggest you consult your physician!

So, what did we have in the ol' sand bucket this week? Badlands, Betazoid, a nucleonic beam (which also featured in Star Trek: Voyager's The Cloud), the Dominion War, and the maybe-Efrosian, amongst others, but let's focus on something Commander Reno said mid-Stamets/Adira technobabble in engineering (adding a little of her own):

There was a stint where [as one of her 'odd jobs'] I fixed comms relays near Hysperia. Hysperians really know how to party by the way, but another story.

If you can't quite recall the planet, then have no fear! As Reno would also say, "I live to serve!"

Hysperia was (is) the world from whence Lt. Commander Billups of the Cerritos hailed, which makes this a Star Trek: Lower Decks reference. That's really an UP in and of itself! Aside from being chief engineer, Billups was also a virgin prince (abdicated) who once had a pet dragon called Fiddlesticks, a ferret named Lancelot, and grew up in a castle. You can probably see why Reno had such a good time! We can only assume she visited Hysperia in the 23rd century (before Billups' time, although we don't technically know when he was born), but we are still waiting on the complete copy of her CV to arrive. Now, chief blacksmith, check the levels of the dragonsblood flame, would you?