12 Streaming Era Star Trek Episodes We're Adding To 'The Classics'
10. Crisis Point
The first of two episodes set in Beckett Mariner's 'Crisis Point' holoprogram, Crisis Point is a rip-roaring action adventure that blends homage to Star Trek with some seriously deep psychological examination. It also has a gun-toting Leonardo Da Vinci, as all good holoprograms should.
When Boimler attempts to curry favour with Captain Freeman by preparing a program based on the personal logs of every member of the Cerritos's crew, his efforts are hijacked by Mariner. She is struggling with her relationship with Freeman, as well as her position on the ship. Rather than engage in therapy, she decides to play a villain named Vindicta, one who is bent on wiping out the crew of the Cerritos.
As Dr Miglemo would say - it's very pineapple behaviour.
The episode walks the line between serving as a love letter to the Star Trek films, most notably The Wrath Of Khan, and tipping the hat towards stereotypes in Starfleet. Tendi takes issue with 'Vindicta's' insistence that she act like an Orion pirate, while Shempo barely survives the second act.
The episode is a perfect example of the comedy that Lower Decks brought to Trek and is both a ridiculous farce in the show's first season while also helping to move certain secrets along. Boimler makes a crucial discovery about Freeman and Mariner's familial relationship on the holodeck, causing a patented Boimler spin-out almost immediately afterwards.
Classic Boimler.