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Cross star Samantha Walkes spoke with us about the Prime Video series, working with showrunner Ben Watkins and star Aldis Hodge, and more.
Posted in: CBS, Review, Star Trek, streaming, TV | Tagged: Eugene Cordero, Jack Quaid, noel wells, paramount, star trek, star trek: Lower Decks, Tawny Newsome
Star Trek: Lower Decks S03E01 Review: Much Ado About… Something?
There's something to be said about how much neuroticism drives Star Trek: Lower Decks, defining the series' main characters in ensigns Beckett Mariner (Tawny Newsome) and Brad Boimler (Jack Quaid). The season two finale, "First First Contact," left at a cliffhanger where Beckett's mother, Captain Carol Freeman (Dawnn Lewis), stood accused of blowing up the capital of the Pakled Planet. The season three premiere "Grounded" picked up where the finale left off on earth as the U.S.S. Cerritos is in dry space dock and the crew on shore leave. This is your minor spoilers warning.
Much of the episode centers on Mariner trying to find a way to either free her mother from imprisonment or unravel the possible conspiracy. The cold open finds herself in San Francisco at her father Alonzo Freeman's (Phil LaMarr) home. Frustrated, she tosses random plants breaking the vases and viewscreens, given her naturally impatient nature. As they find out about the judge, Mariner sets off on her own, recruiting Boimler, who says the record he keeps might help the captain, and dragging ensigns Tendi (Noël Wells) and Rutherford (Eugene Cordero) in the process.
Since there is a natural phenomenon, the lower deckers can't simply transport to the Cerritos, so they have to find a way to commandeer a ship without drawing enough suspicion from Starfleet. Given the series' obsession with Easter eggs, they decided to travel to Montana to the site where Zefram Cochrane made his historic flight that would establish first contact with the Vulcans. With a nod to the classic 1996 Jonathan Frakes film along with other past Next Generation lore, James Cromwell reprised the role in holograph form on the Phoenix. Directed by Jason Zurek and written by Chris Kula, there's nothing really profound about "Grounded" because all it really does is just tie up "First First Contact" with the usual neuroticism and fan service without any giant reveals. If anything, it almost feels like 1981's Raiders of the Lost Ark, where the main character, regardless of his/her own actions, has no bearing on the ultimate result. Star Trek: Lower Decks streams Thursdays on Paramount+.
Star Trek: Lower Decks Season 3 Premiere "Grounded"
7.5/10
Predictable but fun affair with Tawny Newsome, Jack Quaid, Noël Wells, and Eugene Cordero picking up where they left off from last season in Star Trek: Lower Decks S03E01 "Grounded." We get a fun sequence revisiting Zefram Cochrane with James Cromwell reprising his role from the 1996 classic Star Trek: The Next Generation film "First Contact."
Credits
Director
Jason Zurek
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