Here we are with another Lower Decks week, and this is a very crucial episode in Trek history. Ferenginar and the Ferengi are ready to join the Federation. This also comes after the mysterious ship is seen attacking a Ferengi ship. Rom, the Grand Nagus, can’t keep trading actively with the ship and needs more resources than the Federation can provide. The Cerritos and Captain Freeman are to join Admiral Vassery in the negotiations to allow the first steps of Ferengi into the Federation. Meanwhile, the Lower Decks group is assigned to the coveted mission of updating a guidebook to Ferenginar. Boimler wants to hit almost every cultural landmark in the main city. Mariner is upset at how supportive and great the Lieutenant JG role is for her that she just wants to hit up the bars. Rutherford and Tendi must pose as a married couple for the complimentary package at a hotel.
The negotiations seem easy to Admiral Vassery, but they start to take a sharp turn with Rom, which has Vassery unable to get the Ferengi in without giving up a lot from the Federation. Captain Freeman is able to swindle the Ferengi while Vassery hasn’t let her negotiate, and ends up getting them to commit to the standard terms of the Federation. On Ferenginar, Boimler starts to watch some Ferengi programming and sacrifices all his time sightseeing. But, Commander Ransom is pleased with that and has Boimler escorted out of the room. Mariner meets up with a Ferengi friend at a bar, and proceeds to have a bender in the bar, which also results in a fight caused by the Lieutenant. Her Ferengi friend bails her out and he points out that Mariner has grown and that’s fine. Tendi and Rutherford have an easy fake time at first and then feel very awkward as they have to get closer and closer as a couple. But, if they are found out as liars they will be imprisoned. They are able to get through to the end…which is to copulate…but Migleemo almost ruins it all by saying they are the most platonic friends on the ship. They are able to convince him and the Ferengi that they are really in love with the counselor and return to the ship. There, they keep up their very close, almost romantic, friendship and are fine with that.
Here we go with our thoughts!
Music
Mr. Daps: “I really enjoyed this week’s music. I thought it was a nice blend of old and new. While the only iconic music really came from older series, the new music wasn’t as memorable. Perhaps this opinion will change with time.”
Murray: “I was pleased by the episode’s soundtrack. It brought in some key themes while holding true to the series. But, it also brought in an alien homeworld’s fun music possibilities too.”
Design
Mr. Daps: “This was a very fun week for design I thought. I loved all of the new things to be seen on Ferenginar. I definitely found myself getting slightly distracted from the episode by looking at the different details that were to be found. This episode is definitely worth watching and re-watching just for the details in the design. If the charcuterie board was fun on board the USS Toronto was also a lot of fun. I also noticed some other fun nods to Star Trek and beyond throughout the episode. All in all, very well done in terms of visual design this week!”
Murray: “Ferenginar was full of designs we’ve never seen before. I love how it was basically an alien Vegas with so many sleazy neon-type signs. All of it was what you would expect from an expansion from Quark’s, for example. Boimler’s room was also what would be expected from a Ferenginar hotel. Plus, the shows he watched were so well done to be Ferengi-style American television programming. Great thought into the parody of it all, and it works for it being Ferengi. In comparison, the episode on Orion is not where I would want to see a lot of these featured.”
Story
Mr. Daps: “I really enjoyed this week’s stories. There were quite a few of them. I loved the negotiation progress between Starfleet and the Ferengi. I really enjoyed watching Boimler get sucked into Ferengi television. I also was amused to an extent by the forced flirtation of friends between Rutherford and Tendi I think. I keep going back and forth on that. I did like how this episode added depth to Star Trek in general though. I also liked the connection to Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Overall, well done.”
Murray: “As much as there were so many storylines going on, it worked so well because it was unified under the Ferenginar plot. Each of these stories would have been too drawn out if there were just one or two in the episode. It actually worked to have them all in one, which surprised me. And I think it really gave some more background to Ferengi culture that we don’t always see.”
Hit or Miss?
Mr. Daps: “This week was an easy hit for me. It was great from a nostalgia standpoint. However, it didn’t just rest on the past. It also moved forward. The storylines were fun. I liked that Captain Freeman got to really step up and be the hero this week. I’m definitely curious where the rest of this season goes in terms of that mysterious ship and was glad it made a return. Time will tell how this season will shape up. Hopefully, this will continue to another two, or three, or four, or…. Anyway, I liked it and I’m enjoying getting to watch Star Trek: Lower Decks on a weekly basis!”
Murray: “A definite hit for me. I loved the extension of Deep Space Nine with Rom and Leeta. Having the hijinks on a planet that is known to be selfish and slimey worked so well. Overall a really fun episode that advanced not just Trek history but growth in the characters too.”
