Star Trek: Lower Decks is back with Season 3’s penultimate episode this week, and today we’ve got new images from “Trusted Sources” for your review!
In this new episode, the USS Cerritos and her crew get a visit from a Federation News Network reporter, eager to shine a spotlight on the California-class starship — driving Captain Freeman (Dawnn Lewis) to demand perfection from her crew during an important mission.
Here are three images from this week’s new episode:
TRUSTED SOURCES — A visiting reporter on the Cerritos puts Captain Freeman on edge.
Written by Ben M. Waller. Directed by Fill Marc Sagadraca.
Star Trek: Lower Decks returns with “Trusted Sources” on Thursday, October 20 on Paramount+ in the United States, Australia, Latin America, and the Nordics, as well as on CTV Sci Fi Channel in Canada and on Prime Video in many other regions.
We’ve finally caught our breath after last weekend’s New York Comic Con marathon, and today it’s time to bring you the first of several new interviews with the cast and crew of Star Trek: Prodigy from straight from the convention floor.
Along with a few other outlets, TrekCore had the chance to sit down with series lead Brett Gray (Dal) to talk about his experience with the Star Trek world since joining the animated series, lending his voice to the brand new Prodigy video game, and if he’d climb into Dal’s untied boots — for real.
Brett Gray on stage at New York Comic Con 2022. (Paramount+)
TREKCORE: What’s been the most surprising thing that you’ve experienced since joining the Star Trek world?
BRETT GRAY: I didn’t have any Star Trek knowledge before I was cast in Prodigy, so everything, to be honest! I’ve been to two Star Trek Day events and two Comic Cons at this point, and I’m learning slowly that this is a big train that you never get off.
It’s really cool, because it feels like for the rest of my life I’ll be invited to the party — because I’m in Star Trek. That’s been the biggest thing for me; there’s so much lore around the show, there are multiple events a year, and things like that. I’ve gotten to meet other Trek cast members that have become friends of mine, and I’ve had other friends that have also become part of things.
My friend Celia Rose Gooding is on Strange New Worlds, actually; we met years ago, acting, and now we’re both in the Star Trek universe. It’s so cool that there’s, like, this family, and I feel like I learned a language, you know? I can speak it with the people who know it, but whoever doesn’t, it’s just kind of something they don’t know.
QUESTION: Where is Dal at, emotionally, when we return to the series?
GRAY: He’s really wrapped up in everything that happened in “A Moral Star.” I mean, he’s really concerned about Gwyn — and about the state of their crew, and about their journey towards Starfleet — and I think that for the first time, the pressure and responsibility of leadership is more serious for him than ever.
The stakes are the highest they’ve ever been, but at the same time, he still doesn’t even know where he comes from or what his purpose is — so there’s lots for him to think about and lots for him to learn. Self-discovery has been something that he’s been struggling with since the beginning of the series, and he’s come so far. I’m very proud of him, even though he’s a fictional character!
He’s come a very long way and he’s learned a lot about other people and how to connect to them. Now it’s about trying to learn how to connect to himself. Yeah.
QUESTION: Can you talk a little bit about how the relationship between Dal and Gwyn evolves this season?
GRAY: I imagine that they had a personal relationship for a very long time back on Tars Lamora, because she was the only person who could speak his language. So to me it’s awesome. It’s like those would-be childhood lovers who, like, they have that rivalry because they’re sort of like star-crossed in two different worlds.
But at the end of the day, they relate to each other so much in terms of not knowing fully who they are or where they come from, and the sort of imposter syndrome around each other’s origin in purpose and the universe. Gwyn’s learned that everything she knew was a lie, you know, and Dal is also learning that same lesson.
I love their little banter, and I think they need each other, you know? Him to calm her down, and to remind her that she’s still 17 and should have some fun — and her to show him how to be a leader.
TREKCORE: How is work going on Season 2? That’s another 20 episodes, coming after the next 10 air, right?
GRAY: Yes — and I’m actually still recording. I actually recorded the first season in my bathroom because of the pandemic, so I had to re-record it in studio first. Now I think I’m finally caught up to where the other cast members are at in Season 2.
Gray at the 2021 ‘Star Trek: Prodigy’ premiere event. (TrekCore.com)
QUESTION: As a young actor, how does it feel to know that some young viewers are getting their first connection to Star Trek through your work on Prodigy?
GRAY: I’m so excited that I’m on this show in particular, because I think Prodigy is gorgeous. I think the writing is smart. I think the story is both fun and engaging and entertaining, but also complex and heavy and emotional.
It’s cool! For me, I grew up on Nickelodeon watching shows like Avatar: The Last Airbender, and some kids told me the other day, “You’re like my Aang!” I was like, “Oh, done. I can go now!” [laughs]
QUESTION: Was Dal’s character design shared with you before you began recording for the series?
GRAY: Yeah, and I actually got to see it for the first time at my audition. They showed us what the characters all looked like, and a little bit of the world and the terrains and the colors before we even started our auditions.
In terms of the character, though, they let us create a lot. I mean, the Hagemans have been super open to collaboration and, if there are lines where I feel like, “Oh, what if I tried it like this?,” they let me give them 10 different options to fit the scene the best.
We take lots of time to like really make sure the moments are landing, and it’s really awesome to be led by them and guided by them and Brook Chalmers, our voice director — because it’s my first time acting only with sound. So experimenting with the nuances and the intentionality around sound is something new that I’m learning about.
TREKCORE: Did you ever think one of your characters would become an action figure?
GRAY: Never! I actually got to see the Dal action figure, and premiere it at a Paramount+ licensing expo, and then they ripped it from me, and I never saw it again! I was like, “I want one so bad!”
GRAY: Oh yeah! That was actually really quick, and it was over before I knew it. I think it was only like three or four sessions — I was filming something in New Orleans at the time, so I was doing both at the same time. I’d never done a video game before!
But again, Dal and Gwyn are sort of like back at it in the video game, and their relationship develops even deeper — it’s almost like the game is a continuation of the show, set between the first and second half of the season.
GRAY: Oh my God, paint me purple! Let’s go! Hand me the prosthetics, I’m ready! [laughs]
I think that’d be so fun. I can only imagine, when I’m already getting so emotionally attached to Dal and the show watching it in animation… sitting on a Protostar set with Ella next to me? What would that do to me? It would be a dream!
This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.
Star Trek: Prodigy will return with “Asylum” on Thursday, October 27 on Paramount+ in the United States, and on October 28 in Latin America, Australia, Italy and the U.K. The series is said to air “later in the year” in South Korea, Germany, France, Austria, and Switzerland.
Two seasons after what is arguably one of Star Trek: Lower Decks’ best episodes, “Crisis Point,” the Lower Decks team returns to the concept of a loving takedown of the best and worst of Star Trek movies to help our characters grow and advance by repeating the trick in “Crisis Point II: Paradoxus.”
It’s a direct sequel to the original “Crisis Point” in more than just name; where the first season episode chose to use Mariner as its vehicle for Star Trek movie shenanigans, this time the subject of the episode is Boimler.
After Ensign Brad Boimler (Jack Quaid) receives word that his transporter clone William has met a sudden, untimely, and senseless end, Boimler turns to the latest chapter of the Vindicta Cinematic Universe — Crisis Point II: Paradoxus — for meaning. As Tendi and Rutherford play out the holodeck program the way it was designed, Boimler sets off on his own path to find some kind of meaning in the death of his transporter clone.
It’s a lot, and serves up an extremely thoughtful — if not quite as funny — sequel to the original “Crisis Point.”
Where the original “Crisis Point” felt like it leaned a little harder into the Star Trek movie send up than the character development, “Crisis Point II: Paradoxus” shifts the balance in the other direction. This is a character episode through and through, and actually quite a poignant one, particularly for Boimler and Tendi.
“Crisis Point II: Paradoxus” throws us a large number of Star Trek movie tropes — mostly from the bad ones — as a way of sending up the idea that “Crisis Point II: Paradoxus” is a sequel to the original “Crisis Point” and might not be as good. But the most important movie trope it deals with is pulled directly from Star Trek: Generations.
Boimler finds himself dealing with the senseless death of a family member just like Picard in that movie, and seemingly learns an important lesson that will hopefully help the character continue to grow in confidence: you’ll never find joy if you worry about a meaningless death.
Meanwhile, as Ensign Tendi (Noel Wells) is left as “acting captain” in the holoprogram while Boimler sets off on his own quest, she discovers that she has a taste for command. When Rutherford doesn’t take the program seriously, Tendi worries that means that she wouldn’t be respected as a captain, something that she has just realized that she wants for herself.
It’s a fun to see Tendi come to this realization, and set that kind of big career goal for herself. It also says a lot about her relationship with Ensign Rutherford (Eugene Cordero), who is just messing around in the program most of the time, that when he discovers how much it means to Tendi he immediately takes it completely seriously and supports her entirely. It’s another wonderful facet of their relationship, which is one of Star Trek’s best even if it never results in a romantic relationship.
While I don’t know that a third “Crisis Point” would work in the same way as one and two, the second version of this episode is particularly successful at upping the stakes and throwing visuals and ideas at us that would never fit in a regular episode of Lower Decks. Want to see Boimler in the captain’s chair of a Sovereign class ship? You can in “Crisis Point II,” though in this case as “Captain Bosephus Dagger” of the USS Wayfarer.
I like the way that leaning on the holoprogram allows Lower Decks to just let its hair down and have some Star Trek fun. 21st century punks? Sure. Romulan warbirds commanded by evil triplets? Okay! Sign me up!
But the movie tropes wouldn’t work without a strong emotional core to the episode, and seeing both Boimler go through something, and the way that Ensign Mariner (Tawny Newsome) supports him, and then seeing Tendi make a realization about herself, and the way Rutherford supports her — gives the episode a really strong throughline that both lets you enjoy the Star Trek movie tropes, and get a good character episode of Lower Decks in.
And you didn’t think I’d end this part of the review without mentioning that Lower Decks got one of the biggest legacy cameos of all? It really was great to see George Takei lending his voice talents to the show, returning as a version of Hikaru Sulu for the first time since his 1996 appearance on Star Trek: Voyager.
Goodness, this show is a good time for longtime Star Trek fans!
TREK TROPE TRIBUTES
The fictional villains of “Crisis Point II: Paradoxus” are the Melponar triplets, whose familial relationship (and impressive boob windows on their uniforms) is clearly meant to spoof Lursaand B’Etor, the Duras sisters from Star Trek: The Next Generation and the villains of Star Trek: Generations.
The story of “Crisis Point II: Paradoxus” is built around a suitable macguffin that doesn’t make a ton of sense — in this case, the Chronogami — which gives us serious “red matter” vibes.
Mariner comments incredulously on how “Crisis Point II: Paradoxus” can be a sequel to “Crisis Point” given there are hardly any of the same characters — pointing out that the Star Trek movies often have very little in common with each other, despite all being sequels to Star Trek: The Motion Picture!
Starfleet characters traveling through time and mixing it up with punks is an old classic.
“Yeah it’s an uneven story that totally ignores the successes of the original. But it’s also a Starfleet movie. Which means it’s worth doing.” That pretty much describes every bad Star Trek outing.
The rock god on the third moon of Shatnari (har har) comes alive in a similar fashion to the stone temple to “God” in Star Trek V: The Final Frontier. There are then a suitable number of references to how there’s always a twist with god-based episodes.
The mythical KTYHA that Boimler is seeking is actually Kitty Hawk, in a send up of V’Gerfrom Star Trek: The Motion Picture.
I loooooove how William Boimler points out the absurdity of the Section 31 badge. “Isn’t Section 31 supposed to be a big secret? Why would we wear special combadges that advertise who we are?” Such a great joke that makes humor out of something the fans have been wondering about for years.
“Does it make an alternative cinematic timeline that runs concurrent to our own but with like different people playing younger versions of us?” Mariner asks about the Chronogami, exactly describing the Kelvin Timeline.
The Federation outpost where the Chronogami was invented is purposefully made to look like Regula I. The top secret video to introduce the project is a send up of the Genesis introductory video from The Wrath of Khan, and Doctor Helena Gibson is a take on Carol Marcus.
One of the holodeck characters calls out to “let Minookiguide you!” referring back to the D’Arsay god from earlier this season. One of the other characters calls out “the koala smiles on us all!” extending the long-running koala joke from “Moist Vessel.”
The Starfleet characters at the Aquatic Research Center are all wearing the monster maroon style of Starfleet uniform.
Neurocine gas, which supposedly killed William Boimler, was previously referenced in “Civil Defense” for its toxic properties.
The freighter Boimler and Mariner are aboard is the same design as the Batrisfrom “Heart of Glory.”
The exterior of the Founding of the Federation scene is the matte painting of the Federation Council building from Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home. The interior of the sequence comes directly from “These Are The Voyages.”
The Romulan’s bomb design is the same as the thalaron bomb from Star Trek: Nemesis.
Section 31 enters Lower Decks, complete with a Defiant-class ship equipped with a cloaking device!
OTHER OBSERVATIONS
The Wayfarer uniforms — which may or may not be fictional creations of the mind of Bradward Boimler — are interesting variations on the Star Trek: Nemesis style, with a white stripe separating the grey yoke from the black uniform.
Boimler sits with the Riker lean when he’s inhabiting the character of Bucephalus Dagger.
Mariner calls the two Crisis Point tales “the Vindictaverse,” referring to the name of her villainous character from the first episode.
Boimler is “Bucephalus Dagger,” Rutherford plays “Sylvo Toussant”, Tendi is “Meena Vesper” and Mariner is “Rebecca Doodle” in “Crisis Point II: Paradoxus.”
The opening credits and the font used for the location names are drawn from Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.
Mariner, who is not terribly impressed with Boimler’s acting, says that “someone took a Winger Bingston class” referring back to the theatrical Starfleet officer seen previously in “Moist Vessel.”
One of the planets visited in this episode is Tatasciore IX, named after Shaxs voice actor Fred Tatasciore.
This episode poses some interesting questions about how the holodeck works — and how smart it is — through testing the limits of its adaptive programming.
I wonder if the Great Soolian Algae Crisis was a real event in Federation history, or just something that Boimler made up for the program? Neither Tendi nor Rutherford say enough about it to make it clear if it’s something they are remembering from history or if it’s just part of the in-holodeck backstory.
We get a snippet of the Chu Chu song, the infamous song from the Zebulon Sisters references in “Terminal Provocations.” Rutherford’s version does not seem to be the one that adds the third Chu.
Jim Kirk’s Generations cabin has a hot tub. Appropriately.
While the season may have gotten off to a slow start, the run of episodes from “Reflections” through today easily rival the strongest runs of the first two seasons. With the end of last week’s episode teasing a team up of Peanut Hamper and AGIMUS, and this episode putting William Boimler in Section 31, I feel like there are a lot of great parts of Lower Decks’ history and own story that have been set up for some very fun future stories.
Star Trek: Lower Decks returns with the penultimate episode of Season 3 on Thursday, October 20 on Paramount+ in the United States, Australia, Latin America, and the Nordics, as well as on CTV Sci Fi Channel in Canada and on Prime Video in many other regions.
Star Trek: Lower Decks is back for the eighth episode of the new season this week, and today we’ve got new images from “Crisis Point 2: Paradoxus” for your review!
First announced back on Star Trek Day, this week’s episode is a sequel to Season 1’s “Crisis Point” Trek movie-themed adventure — but this time, it’s Brad Boimler (Jack Quaid) writing the holodeck storyline, starring as fictional Captain Bospherous Dagger of the USS Wayfairer.
Here are four images from this week’s new episode:
CRISIS POINT 2: PARADOXUS — Boimler’s holodeck movie sequel tries to live up to the original.
Written by Ben Rodgers. Directed by Michael Mullen.
Star Trek: Lower Decks returns with “Crisis Point 2: Paradoxus” on Thursday, October 13 on Paramount+ in the United States, Australia, Latin America, and the Nordics, as well as on CTV Sci Fi Channel in Canada and on Prime Video in many other regions.
The Star Trek Universe panel at New York Comic Con came to a close today with the debut of the newest trailer for Star Trek: Picard‘s third and final season, introducing us to the upcoming year’s villain — and surprising fans with an unexpected character return.
Tony Award-winning actor Amanda Plummer will serve as Season 3’s big threat, joining the show in a recurring role as Vadic, who serves as “the mysterious alien captain of the Shrike, a warship that has set its sights on Jean-Luc Picard and his old crewmates from his days on the Enterprise.”
Amanda Plummer (center) as Vadic. (Paramount+)
In addition, casting for the two daughters of Geordi La Forge was announced: LeVar Burton’s real-life daughter Mica Burton will play Ensign Alandra La Forge, who serves in Starfleet with her father; Ashlei Sharpe Chestnut will portray Ensign Sidney La Forge, helmsman of the USS Titan.
(Along with “Brett,” both “Alandra” and “Sidney” were named as La Forge’s children in the “All Good Things…” alternate future!)
Mica Burton and Ashlei Sharpe Chestnut.Ashlei Sharpe Chestnut as Ensign Sidney La Forge. (Paramount+)
Also revealed was returning Next Gen star Brent Spiner’s role, revealed during today’s panel that he’ll be playing some version of Lore, the twin android brother of departed Lieutenant Commander Data. It’s all “very complicated,” said Spiner during the NYCC panel.
Brent Spiner returns as a character “named Lore.” (Paramount+)
Two other big surprises beamed down during the new Picard trailer today, to cap off everything else: the reveal of the USS Enterprise-F starship design, making the leap from Star Trek Online to live-action for the first time, and the return of actor Daniel Davis as the nefarious and brilliant self-aware hologram, Professor James Moriarty!
Daniel Davis returns as hologram Professor James Moriarty. (Paramount+)
While the dangerous hologram has been referenced a few time since his last appearance in “Ship in a Bottle” — and of course, Moriarty was a great influence on Badgey from Star Trek: Lower Decks — this is the first time Davis has actually portrayed that character since the episode aired in January 1993.
There have been many hints that more legacy Star Trek characters will be returning for the final Star Trek: Picard run — but it’s probably fair to say this was not the face many expected to see today.
The USS Enterprise-F, which comes from STAR TREK ONLINE. (Paramount+)
There’s still plenty more to learn about when it comes to Star Trek: Picard Season 3 — so as we get closer to the February debut, we’ll bring you all the announcements as they come.
Star Trek: Picard is currently in post-production on its third and final season, set to debut in February 2023 on Paramount+ the United States, and on CTV Sci Fi Channel and Crave in Canada. Outside of North America, the series is available on Amazon’s Prime Video service in most international locations.
Today at the big Star Trek Universe panel held during New York Comic Con, the first extended look at the returning Star Trek: Prodigy season beamed down — offering fans their first real look at the adventures to come, and a few surprises!
Along with this look at the next run of episodes — which includes characters dressed in Starfleet-inspired clothing, underwater adventures, an encounter between the Prototstar crew and a blue-shirted Starfleet officer, and a visit to a Borg cube — Paramount+ today announced that one-time Enterprise-D captain Edward Jellico is returning!
Promoted since his appearance in the “Chain of Command” two-part episode, actor Ronny Cox voice four-pip Admiral Jellico in a recurring capacity throughout the next ten Star Trek: Prodigy episodes, seemingly a superior officer to our three-pip Admiral Janeway (Kate Mulgrew).
A fan-favorite “nemesis” to Commander Riker and the Enterprise-D crew, Jellico served as interim captain while Captain Jean-Luc Picard ventured undercover into Cardassian territory in “Chain of Command,” as Federation and Cardassian forces tiptoed up to the brink of war after bogus weaponry intelligence lured Picard into a trap.
While Jellico has appeared in Star Trek novels since that two-part episode (most prominently in the New Frontier series), this will be the first time Jellico has been seen on-screen since “Chain of Command, Part II.”
Here are a few other images from the upcoming Star Trek: Prodigy adventures!
Star Trek: Prodigy will return on Thursday, October 27 to Paramount+ in the United States and on October 28 in Latin America, Australia, Italy and the U.K; the series is said to air “later in the year” in South Korea, Germany, France, Austria, and Switzerland.
Today at New York Comic Con, Star Trek: Discovery lifted the lid on their secretive plans for the show’s upcoming fifth season with a new teaser trailer, casting announcements, and more!
Anthony Rapp (Stamets) and Wilson Cruz (Culber) and executive producers Michelle Paradise and Alex Kurtzman came to NYCC to discuss Season 5 — in production now in Toronto, where series lead Sonequa Martin-Green (Burnham) briefly appeared on video to introduce the teaser.
Along with the first look into the new season, which includes familiar recurring faces like President Rillak (Chelah Horsdal), President T’Rina (Tara Rosling), and Admiral Vance (Oded Fehr), three new cast members were announced:
Callum Keith Rennie (Battlestar Galactica and The Umbrella Academy) will be joining the regular cast as Captain Rayner, described as “a gruff, smart Starfleet Captain who holds a clear line between commander and crew – he leads, they follow. Rayner’s all about the mission, whatever it may be, and he doesn’t do niceties along the way; his feeling is, you get the job done and apologize later. He has a storied track record of wartime success, but in times of peace he struggles. Collaboration is not his strong suit. That said, if it serves the greater good he’s willing to learn … but it won’t be easy.”
Callum Keith Rennie as new regular character, Captain Rayner. (Paramount+)
Along with Rennie, actor Eve Harlow (The 100 and Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.) will portray Moll, “a former courier turned outlaw, who is highly intelligent and dangerous, with an impressive strategic mind and a sharp wit. She goes into every situation with a clear plan and stays focused and clear-headed on her goal, even when things go awry. She’s not intimidated by Captain Burnham or the crew of the USS Discovery, and will face down anyone who stands in her way in order to get what she wants.”
Finally, Elias Toufexis (Shadowhunters) beams aboard as L’ak, who is “a former courier turned outlaw, who is tough, impulsive and fiercely protective of his beloved partner, Moll. So long as he knows she’s safe, he doesn’t care about collateral damage or its consequences – a perspective that makes him very dangerous at times and will put him on the opposite side of Captain Burnham and the crew of the USS Discovery when they come into conflict.”
Elias Toufexis as L’ak, and Eve Harlow as Moll. (Paramount+)
A third preview image from the season was released on Star Trek Day,where we first learned the premise for Discovery‘s fifth season:
Captain Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) goes on another adventure in DISCOVERY Season 5. (Paramount+)
In STAR TREK: DISCOVERY Season 5, Captain Burnham and the crew of the U.S.S. Discovery uncover a mystery that sends them on an epic adventure across the galaxy to find an ancient power whose very existence has been deliberately hidden for centuries.
But there are others on the hunt as well… dangerous foes who are desperate to claim the prize for themselves and will stop at nothing to get it.
Along with the new arrivals, Star Trek: Discovery’s Season 5 cast members include Sonequa Martin-Green (Captain Michael Burnham), Doug Jones (Saru), Anthony Rapp (Paul Stamets), Mary Wiseman (Sylvia Tilly), Wilson Cruz (Dr. Hugh Culber), David Ajala (Cleveland “Book” Booker) and Blu del Barrio (Adira).
Star Trek: Discovery’s fifth season will return sometime in 2023 on Paramount+ in the United States, and on CTV Sci Fi Channel and Crave in Canada.
Outside of North America, the series is available on Paramount+ in Australia, Latin America, the UK, and South Korea, with expansions to Italy, France, Germany, Switzerland and Austria expected “later this year.”
STAR TREK: PICARD Season 2’s special Steelbook packaging joins its Season 1 predecessor.
Across its three-disc collection are all ten episodes of Picard Season 2, a number of deleted scenes, a fun gag reel, and over 90 minutes of behind-the-scenes featurettes which explore various areas of production.
A divisive season of Trek to be sure, with opinions ranging from love to loathing, the season began with a three-episode trip across realities (and across time) as Next Generation foe Q (John de Lancie) tossed Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart), Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan), and the rest of the cast into a world where the Federation never formed — forcing the La Sirena gang to head back to modern-day Los Angeles to correct history.
After the major setting change got the season going (a sci-fi turn shepherded by new co-showrunner Terry Matalas), the Earthbound tale then morphed into a psychological examination of Jean-Luc Picard’s family history.
Jean-Luc Picard hides beneath his family’s chateau — in 2024. (Paramount)
In a twist from incumbent co-showrunner Akiva Goldsman, we learned that in fact Yvette Picard sadly committed suicide after battling mental illness — a repressed memory found at the end Picard’s journey along Q’s path.
Returning Picard, Seven, and Raffi Musiker (Michelle Hurd) to the 25th century thanks to a last-breath finger-snap from Q, Star Trek: Picardsaid farewell to much of its cast — with Cris Rios (Santiago Cabrera) left behind in 2024, Kore Soong (Isa Briones) joining the Travelers, Agnes Jurati (Alison Pill) forming a new “voluntary” Borg collective, and Elnor (Evan Evagora) returning to his Starfleet Academy training.
Seven of Nine finds herself serving as president of the Confederation of Earth. (Paramount)
The Steelbook edition continues to be our favorite way to bring Star Trek television home, as the metal packaging features the stark black-and-white Season 2 key art (featuring Patrick Stewart haunted by John de Lancie) and the Blu-ray discs are well-protected by the Steelbook’s disc spindles.
The standard Blu-ray and DVDreleases sport rather disappointing cover artwork, featuring individual photos of the cast — minus Brent Spiner, for some reason — Photoshopped onto a glowing blue background; the Blu-ray set stacks the three discs across just two spindles inside the plastic casing.
(Not a great way to keep those discs from getting scratched!)
La Sirena flees a group of Confederation starships on the race to alter history. (Paramount)
Even with high-bandwidth home internet connections, the video quality of Blu-ray discs are always going to be a nice improvement from the streaming presentation on Paramount+, and Picard Season 2 is no exception.
From the violent space anomaly which kicks off events in “The Star Gazer,” to the race towards Earth’s sun in “Assimilation,” to the dark battle scenes beneath Chateau Picard, the show looks its best here — without any blocking or smearing from streaming compression — and helps make the location filming in sunny Los Angeles look even better, especially compared to the dark future where the Confederation of Earth is in charge.
The score from composer Jeff Russo sounds wonderful on Blu-ray as well, presented in 5.1 DTS-HD audio; unfortunately there are no audio commentary tracks included with any of Season 2’s episodes.
Dr. Ramirez and Cris Rios find a connection in modern-day Los Angeles. (Paramount)
Picard‘s Season 2 Blu-ray set contains six main behind-the-scenes features, covering everything from the complicated makeup effects used to turn Annie Wersching into the new Borg Queen, to the design of the Sagan-class USS Stargazer, to the various props and set decoration seen throughout the year’s adventure.
Picard Passages (24:58) — The primary overview the year, featuring cast interviews and writer-producer discussions around the Picard backstory, time-travel, Q, and Borg Queen elements which make up Season 2’s storytelling.
Picard Props (12:05) — As you might imagine, this feature focuses on prop master Jeff Lombardi’s work for Season 2, touching on the various weapons and costume pieces built for the dark Confederation future, along with the tech of Adam Soong and Tallinn found in 2024.
Lombardi offers a great look at some concept art and production-made pieces from Season 2, including the design thoughts behind the sharp Confederation combadge, Romulan tricorder, and Guinan’s El-Aurian bottle.
Rebuilding the Borg Queen (11:10) — Lead creature designer Neville Page (along with other artists in the Picard team) describes the challenge of bringing back the intimidating Borg Queen with the makeup and prosthetic technology now available to Trek creatives, along with actor Annie Wersching’s experience becoming the cybernetic villain.
Concept art for the USS Stargazer’s bridge set. (Paramount)
The USS Stargazer (18:28) — The feature explores the genesis of the new Stargazer starship, all the way from early Zoom design calls between Terry Matalas, Doug Drexler, John Eaves, Dave Blass, and Star Trek Online‘s Thomas Marrone — all the way through the interior sets on the production stages with input from Mike Okuda, and the designers of the various LCARS user interfaces seen on the ship.
There’s a fantastic amount of insight in this feature, from concept designs and blueprints to the wildly-complicated set construction efforts used to bring the Stargazer bridge to life.
The Chateau (15:23) — Production designer Dave Blass and prop master Jeff Lombardi guide viewers through the design and contents of the Chateau Picard set (a new build for Season 2), used in both the 2401 and 2024 time periods. Neville Page also lays out the design philosophy behind ‘Borgslayer’ Picard’s alien skull collection, in a deep exploration of those artifact.
The Trial is Over (12:03) — John de Lancie, Patrick Stewart, Alex Kurtzman and Akiva Goldsman discuss Q’s return, and the character’s impact on Jean-Luc Picard in both past and present encounters. There’s also a great look at de Lancie’s final day on set with Patrick Stewart, as the actor recounts how his Next Generation journey began all the way back during preparation for “Encounter at Farpoint.”
Q takes a moment to explore one more facet of humanity in a cut scene from “Fly Me to the Moon.” (Paramount)
There are four selections of Season 2 deleted scenes as part of this season’s package, totaling just over 9 minutes in length.
“Assimilation” (203) — An excised moment from Elnor’s death scene; a calm moment between Dr. Ramirez and her son at the clinic before Rios arrives; Seven and Raffi scanning Los Angeles for signs of The Watcher.
“Fly Me to the Moon” (205) — Q pestering a Los Angeles waitress about her thoughts on life’s purpose; Tallinn (Orla Brady) stunning a group of partygoers so Jurati can steal their identity bracelets; Adam Soong (Brent Spiner) monologues about genetic perfection as the gang crashes the Europa Mission party and Jurati speaks to the Borg Queen (Annie Wersching).
“Monsters” (207) — Tallinn experiences more of young Picard’s memories while inside his mind; a short moment from Raffi and Seven chasing down ‘Queen Agnes’ in Los Angeles.
“Farewell” (210) — Seven takes charge while the La Sirena gang considers their place in history, much to Raffi’s delight; Seven reports that she, Raffi, and Rios will not be able to help at the Europa Mission launch facility.
The bonus features are rounded out by a four-minute gag reel, letting the sometimes-all-to-serious characters fall away as the fun Star Trek: Picard cast get to have a few laughs while trying to film on noisy Los Angeles city streets — or just having trouble remembering the right Trek talk as they work to deliver complicated line readings.
Michelle Hurd and Jeri Ryan crack up while filming a car chase sequence in “Watcher.” (Paramount)
Overall, this is a great deal of behind-the-scenes material for the 10-episode season — though whether you choose to invest in a purchase for your collection is going to need to depend on your thoughts on Season 2 as a whole.
For the completist, it’s a no-brainer; for folks not too hot on the Season 2 story, it’s still something we’d recommend to keep the Star Trek physical media wheels turning for future releases — though for sure, this season was not everyone’s cup of Earl Grey tea.
Star Trek: Picard is currently in post-production on its third and final season, set to debut in February 2023 on Paramount+ the United States, and on CTV Sci Fi Channel and Crave in Canada. Outside of North America, the series is available on Amazon’s Prime Video service in most international locations.
“A Mathematically Perfect Redemption” is the most experimental episode of Star Trek: Lower Decks to date, going even further than last season’s “wej Duj” in de-emphasizing the Cerritos crew to focus on exploring Lower Deckers of all stripes. But where “wej Duj” focused on heroic Lower Deckers on other ships, this episode focuses on one particular Lower Decker that we’ve had the unfortunate privilege to meet before — Peanut Hamper.
Yes, this week is literally an all-Peanut Hamper episode, following the narcissistic ensign’s adventures after the Exocomp abandoned the Cerritos to their fate at the hands of the Pakleds in “No Small Parts,” left behind after the Titan saved the day in the Season 1 finale.
Engineering her escape from the Pakled debris field and crash landing on the planet Areolus, Peanut Hamper (Kether Donohue) finds herself among a pre-warp civilization of avian people, where she tries to fit in and plan her future.
I enjoyed “A Mathematically Perfect Redemption” a lot, because I enjoy experimental episodes of Star Trek. After nearly 900 episodes, I think it’s okay — and even encouraged — for Star Trek to take risks and try something different, and this episode certainly does that. But I think it is likely to be a bit divisive among fans: I think you’re either going to love this one, or you’re going to hate it. And given what a departure it is from the normal flow and tenor of an episode of Lower Decks, you can’t necessarily fault either reaction.
But for me, I really enjoyed this side trip away from the Cerritos. Peanut Hamper really is an irredeemable narcissist, and Kether Donohue turns in a delicious performance that reflects the many different shades of the Exocomp’s self-serving personality. Donohue, and the script from writer Ann Kim, were also good enough to make me genuinely believe that Peanut Hamper had turned over a new leaf… until it was revealed that she had not.
Areolus and the bird-like people who populate it, the Areore, are faintly ridiculous, but most importantly for an episode like this, they’re also a lot of fun. For example, it’s funny that all the animals on the planet have wings. And the culture and tradition of the Areore are amusing in the sense that there are a lot of bird jokes in this episode.
But most importantly, they end up being a little more interesting than they appear on the surface — and when it is revealed that the Areore used to have starships but chose to abandon technology for a simpler life, they do become a genuinely interesting culture.
“A Mathematically Perfect Redemption” also keeps up the recent streak of Lower Decks revisiting its own characters and concepts and deepening them further. There’s Peanut Hamper of course, but but the reappearance of J.G. Hertzler’s Drookmani captain and Jeffrey Combs’s egomaniacal AGIMUS computer are also welcome returns.
And where the episode ends — with Peanut Hamper confined to the Self-Aware Meglamoanical Computer Storage facility at the Daystrom Institute — portends the possibility of future appearances, and more Jeffrey Combs.
And combined with last week’s “Hear All, Trust Nothing,” I can only state in awe that the animation for this show continues to impress so much. From the gorgeous opening title sequence of the Pakled debris field to the starship battle at the end of the episode, the Lower Decks animators are turning in absolutely spectacular and gorgeous work.
TREK TROPE TRIBUTES
The episode opens with a classic Previously on Star Trek: Lower Decks… in a clear homage to the Berman era of Star Trek and to the dearly departed Majel Barrett Roddenberry.
CANON CONNECTIONS
We see Peanut Hamper use her mini-replicator built into her nose a number of times, which allows her to replicate different appendages to complete tasks, including various tools and a hypospray.
Rawda tells Peanut Hamper that his ancestors could “travel great distances by making the stars fold upon themselves,” which Peanut Hamper quickly points out is describing warp travel. We rarely hear on Star Trek the physics of warp travel explained.
Peanut Hamper pulls out the famous Spock line from Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan in explaining that “the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few” as she volunteers to try and sabotage the Drookmani ship.
For the first time, the series skips the traditional opening title sequence – instead presenting the credits over a solemn montage of Peanut Hamper floating through the debris field.
It’s cool to get some alternative views of the ending of “No Small Parts,” from Peanut Hamper’s perspective, including the Titan locking its tractor beam onto the Cerritos.
Peanut Hamper’s inanimate companion Sophia is clearly an homage to Wilson from the Tom Hanks movie Cast Away. But where Hanks’ character mourns Wilson’s loss, Peanut Hamper immediately jettisons Sophia when it’s in her interests — perhaps a clue of things to come!
The Areore present an interesting Prime Directive case about which that the episode only scratches: a race whose ancestors had warp technology, but chose to abandon, such that the current descendants are unaware of the existence of aliens or advanced technology. It feels like they are not breaking the Prime Directive on a technicality!
Overall, “A Mathematically Perfect Redemption” was a fun and experimental episode of Lower Decks that featured some great performances and some very funny moments. Peanut Hamper is an out and out villain, and so just to choose to focus an episode directly on one of the show’s villains was a bold choice.
I expect this won’t be as well loved as the near-perfect “wej Duj,” and that there may even be some people who don’t like this episode at all, but Lower Decks likes to take a big swing each season, and “A Mathematically Perfect Redemption” is the biggest swing of all.
Keep swinging, Lower Decks!
Star Trek: Lower Decks returns with “Crisis Point 2: Paradoxus” on Thursday, October 13 on Paramount+ in the United States, Australia, Latin America, and the Nordics, as well as on CTV Sci Fi Channel in Canada and on Prime Video in many other regions.
In addition, stick around to hear Thad’s theory for what the future of the next Star Trek movie might be (after the latest Star Trek 4 setback), and a listener theory about what Brent Spiner’s role might be in the third and final season of Star Trek: Picard.
WeeklyTrek is available to subscribe and download each week on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, YouTube, and Spotify— and we’ll be sharing the details of each new episode right here on TrekCore each week if you’re simply just looking to listen in from the web.
Do you have a wish or theory you’d like to share on the show? Tweet to Alex at @WeeklyTrek, or email us with your thoughts about wishes, theories, or anything else about the latest in Star Trek news!
