Kayshon, His Eyes Open: Lower Decks S02 E02

As if the references and links to the golden era couldn’t get any stronger with Lower Decks, this weeks instalment blows it out of the water.

In a quick overview, the Cerritos is tasked with assisting in the cataloguing of a Collector’s vast collection as well as the arrival of a new Security chief with Starfleet’s first Tamarian Officer.

On the Titan, Boimler is still right at the cliff face of the action dodging phasers and torpedoes every second and ending up making some big decisions.

Perhaps not as impactful an episode as Strange Energies, Kayshon works purely as a vehicle to introduce a mass of familiar concepts into the formula of Lower Decks. The return of a collector a la Kivas Fajo from The Most Toys is an Easter Egg fan’s wet dream. The scenes in amongst the artefacts are incredible and packed full of things to look out for in every corner. Problem is, there’s so much that it starts to distract from the main thread of the episode and dilutes a lot of the impact.

I’m stating now that it’s essential to watch this one twice so as to keep up with events after you spend the first time through going ‘Isn’t that…’ and ‘Look! Over there it’s a…’ plus other predictable quotes. 

Kayshon is a clever introduction thanks to, but not limited to, his multiple Darmok references through his universal translator. He also completely mirrors his predecessor Lt Shax in attitude and mannerisms providing a new dynamic on the bridge of the Cerritos. With a sash perhaps more as a nod to Worf than the Tamarians, his appearance in the episode contains the best twist in what is pure escapism from start to finish.

But let's delve a little deeper here. The mission against the Pakleds with the Titan's covert squad is excellently played out and offers up an interesting view of how the rest of the fleet might view the Enterprise-D's adventures. Is it jealousy? Do others think that Picard and co were a bit "less" Starfleet? It does allow for Boimler's rather brilliant speech about the purpose of Starfleet itself which, if you read a little more into it, could be a prod at both Discovery and Picard which have chosen a more action heavy path than we were used to in the '90's.

Plus the whole battle sequence with the Pakleds is gorgeous to watch with the Titan having received (as with the Cerritos) some serious visual upgrades since season one. The flexibility with animation shines through in every frame and slightly more so in that we have the Titan flipping around to combat their enemy. 

While the Titan arc brings us full circle with Boimler back to No Small Parts via a pretty brilliant twist and hat tip to TNG, the big draw will be that A-story and the Kerner Hauze collection that's booby trapped against anyone removing any part of it. Filled with references to just about everything (yes, that's Khan's necklace...yes, that's a Picard bust from The Pegasus...) the attempted escape is pretty solid with Jet taking on some parts of the usual Boimler role but managing to nark off Mariner even more quickly.

Jet is in himself a classic - one that appears with no backstory or explanation (that's sort of
pointed at from the start) and then is gone by the closing credits. It's not just a reference to characters in Star Trek that have come and gone but a lot of series across the breadth of TV. I somehow don't think he'll show up again!

It's also nice here that we haven't got that Tendi/Rutherford versus Mariner/plus one split which bodes well for the remainder of the season and does demonstrate that the writers are purposely avoiding something that was a heavily used plot point in season one. 

If you thought that Crisis Point in season one was a love letter to the franchise with its take on the movies then this is a must see. Drawing on TNG lore to provide a scenario to overload even the most hardcore fan is damn fine impressive and one of the best things to have ever popped into the mind of a Star Trek writer. Kayshon triples down on just about everything from the opening moments in the sonic showers to the final seconds. I'm not going to give anything away about how the episode ends but it absolutely fits with the ethos of the series.

Lower Decks has easily excelled when its not taken its heritage too seriously and utilised it for the better of its own stories and continuity. This is 100% where it succeeds over other recent arrivals and will continue to do so. Lower Decks is actually funny and even more hilarious if you're aware of all the running jokes tacked in. It's great to be in a time where you're genuinely excited to see the next episode!

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ALSO check out our full set of season one reviews HERE!

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