The crew of the USS Enterprise won’t know what hit them. Literally. As a special treat for the Star Trek fans at San Diego Comic-Con, the Lower Decks and Strange New Worlds crossover was screened to the audience while the episode dropped worldwide to Paramount +. When Ensign Bradward “Brad” Biomler is suddenly sucked into the past, he suddenly realises it’s not what it has cracked up to be, especially when he’s not supposed to talk about it. The situation almost becomes a disaster when his best friend, Beckett Mariner, arrives to “rescue” him.
What makes the episode unique is the start and end of the episode pull both Lower Decks and Strange New Worlds together by having an animated scene with the Strange New Worlds crew. In contrast, the beginning has the Lower Decks crew set up how Mariner and Biomler end up in the present.
Never Put Mariner In Charge… Ever…
Things go sour when First Officer Jack Ransom assigns Mariner to lead a mission to a portal that only Biomler seems to know. Rutherford and Tendi are on board for the task and begin geeking out over the science. It is also revealed that Beckett idolises Uhura.
Walking to the portal, Tendi and Biomler argue over who found it. Was it her great-grandmother and the Orion science crew she was with or Captain Pike and the Enterprise crew?
Rutherford takes a photo of Biomler striking a Spock pose with the Vulcan salute. Only the portal activates, pulling the fanboy through to the other side.
The Enterprise Has A New Problem; How To Get Biomler Home
Biomler awakens in the Enterprise’s sickbay to Pike, Una, La’an and M’Benga standing over him. He becomes excited when he sees Pike but panics when he sees Una. La’an then gets him up-to-date on what he can’t do while on the ship. She even gives him personal advice; don’t get too attached. This refers to her getting thrown into an alternate reality and becoming romantically involved with the alternate James Kirk.
Later, Biomler starts panicking when Spock starts smiling, laughing, and being human. Nurse Chapel tells him Spock has been acting more human for a while. It has nothing to do with his arrival. The situation becomes awkward as Biomler reveals too much about the half-Vulcan’s future, which doesn’t include Christine.
One of the best parts of the episode is when Biomler is having drinks with Ortegas and Chapel and constantly slips up. This is also the first he sees Spock smile, which freaks him out.
Once the Enterprise crew find a way to get Biomler home, it instantly backfires when Mariner ruins their chance.
Beckett Mariner And The NX-01 Enterprise
Mariner becoming involved in getting Biomler home to the future opens another can of worms. We learn that a museum display is dedicated to the NX-01 Enterprise, the ship Jonathan Archer flew. There was a piece of the original Enterprise passed to the USS-1701 Enterprise.
Also, Mariner reveals to Una why Biomler has been avoiding her. Una is one of his biggest inspirations for joining Starfleet. She is the poster child of Starfleet in their time. Biomler later quotes Ad Astra Per Aspera, referencing Una’s trial. This admission touches Una’s heart.
Realising that Mariner is correct, Pike, Spock and the other members of the crew rush to Pelia’s department to retrieve what they need. Pelia, however, is greatly unhappy about it.
The Return Trip Home
Biomler and Mariner can then be sent home, thanks to Pike’s negotiation skills with the Orions. It’s here that Biomler mentions to the Orion captain that his friend [Tendi] has a relative [her great-grandmother] on his ship.
Upon returning to their time, the friends bring up some of their adventures to Rutherford and Tendi. Once back on the Cerritos, it is revealed that Biomler was telling the truth as we see the Una poster Mariner mentioned earlier in the episode.
First Officer Jack Ransom then flirts with the poster of Una, referencing Ransom voice actor Jerry O’Connell being married to Rebecca Romijn [Una].
The Enterprise Crew Goes Animated!
Finally, one of the best moments in the episode is the last scene with the Enterprise crew being animated. They’re sitting down quietly, talking about Pike’s birthday, which was referenced during an earlier conversation he had with Biomler.
Pike reveals he cancelled his fishing trip and took Biomler’s advice to spend his birthday with his friends. Each crew member has been drinking a beverage that Mariner introduced Uhura and Ortegas to but with the proper alcohol. M’Benga then questions, “what the HELL have we been drinking?!” This has to be one of M’Benga’s best lines in the entire series.
Verdict
The crossover was terrific, and it was hilarious. It’s lovely that the Star Trek franchise embraces the animation to live-action transition by utilising the two shows with the least in common. We’ve wondered how the episode would work for a while, given how Lower Decks and Strange Worlds sit at opposite ends of the timeline. What we loved was how this was addressed immediately, with Pike asking from what time period Biomler was from and joining them with the Enterprise series, which was set at least 90 years before Strange New Worlds and almost 200 years before Lower Decks.
