Star Trek: Lower Decks: Twovix

September 7, 2023 8:24 PM - Season 4, Episode 1

The ordinary crew members of the USS Cerritos have been tasked with the mission of accompanying the recently refurbished USS Voyager to its new destination on Earth, where it will serve as a museum.
posted by Navelgazer (21 comments total)

Just so, so excited to be back on the Cerritos. This is my favorite new Trek series and in strong contention for my favorite Trek full stop. Sad that Rutherford didn't get the promotion when really he was the one who saved the day (on the Voyager side of things, I mean. Tendi and T'Lyn saved the day on the 'Ritos) but hopefully an awkward pat on the head from Boimler will help him feel valued.
posted by Navelgazer at 8:26 PM on September 7, 2023 [5 favorites]

Whoops, waited a little two long. Here's my stuff:

Memory Alpha and I were in a transporter accident and now we're called... Memory Jack? Halloween Alpha? Whatever, we're a lot more critical of "The Measure of a Man" now, tell you what:

- The macrovirus returns after surviving eight years behind a panel after its first appearance in VOY: "Macrocosm". It was last seen in VOY: "Shattered".

- Rutherford mentions how Voyager's bio-neural gel packs were affected by Neelix's Brill cheese ten years ago in VOY: "Learning Curve". Rutherford was able to use this method to disable Voyager.

- Doctor Chaotica, The Clown, and Michael Sullivan were all non-corporeal entities in VOY episodes; Chaotica and Sullivan were Voyager holodeck characters and The Clown was from an alien holodeck.

"Did Janeway figure it out?"
"No! She just murdered him!"
"W-well there has to be more to it."
"She isolated the genomes and split 'em up. He begged her to live."
"Holy *bleep*! Janeway didn't mess around."

- Shaxs and Freeman

Posters' Log:

So, after their hit appearance in SNW's "Those Old Scientists" the Lower Deckers jump right into it with the revival of an old VOY controversy. Which Side Are You On? We do want to say that, although we can't find the link now, we do remember making the joke about everybody on the ship but the Doctor being merged into one being years ago; Mike McMahan, if you're reading this, hey, no biggie, happy to help, but, and we're just spitballing here, we wouldn't mind a teensy VA cameo. We're not picky: redshirt, rando alien in a hive of scum and villainy, we'll even do a Pakled.

Anyway, lots of fun easter eggs, and a nice ominous epilogue, although we're sad about the Che'Ta'. Those kids had spunk. We hope that a few of them made it out.

Posters' Log, supplemental: So Rutherford is the only one on Beta Shift not promoted? Hmm. Also like the revival of the provisional rank for T'Lyn. (In other news: yeah, T'Lyn!) Now, if you don't mind, we're going to find a transporter and reverse this shizzle; HJ wants to merge with someone in a different way--no, not that way--OK, yes in that way, but also maybe something more like a Captain Marvel/Miracleman sort of way, you know, just part time for a while to see if things work out.
posted by Halloween Jack at 8:37 PM on September 7, 2023 [3 favorites]

Eek, sorry to jump the gun on you like that, Halloween Jack! I'm happy to leave the rest of the season to you if you'd like.
posted by Navelgazer at 9:28 PM on September 7, 2023

The detail that most enamored me was T'illups having a little of Nellix's fancy gold braid on their shirt.

Solid season opener, for sure. I'm excited to see what the incredibly destructive little ship turns out to be.
posted by hanov3r at 9:52 PM on September 7, 2023 [3 favorites]

I'm excited to see what the incredibly destructive little ship turns out to be.

Whale probe aliens is my bet. (A) Their ship does the little axis-turn that the whale probe did once or twice in TVH, and (B) the whale probe is in the opening credits for what I'm pretty sure is the first time.

If I'm right, I'm glad the show is gonna use the freedom of animation to develop that little corner of Trek; so far they've only really done that with the Pakleds.
posted by CheesesOfBrazil at 2:26 AM on September 8, 2023 [4 favorites]

My guess about the ominous alien ship is that it's some unholy gang-up of Peanut Hamper, Agimus, and Badgey.

While I was never a huge fan of Voyager, this may be one of my Top 5 favorite eps of Lower Decks. It crammed SO MUCH into 22 minutes.
posted by briank at 6:27 AM on September 8, 2023 [3 favorites]

Crammed is totally the word, but in a good way, like cramming cake in one's mouth or something to that degree. I only recently finished a rewatch of Voyager earlier this year (granted, it took a couple years), so 100% of the Voyager jokes were pretty hot and fresh in my mind. Even the Voyager theme was a nice little touch.

It makes sense that our Lower Deckers would get promoted, if only because it seems incompetent officers either get booted or some how salvage their careers a la Barkley.

I honestly don't know which Voyager joke I liked best, be it the whole Two'vix line of jokes about how Janeway resolved the issue or some of our favorite holograms popping up again, "I'm the Son of Captain Proton!" The SNW joke was a nice touch and layering of the shared universe for the two shows.
posted by Atreides at 6:49 AM on September 8, 2023 [4 favorites]

(FYI: Episode 2 was also released if folks weren't aware!)
posted by Atreides at 6:50 AM on September 8, 2023 [3 favorites]

"Did Janeway figure it out?"
"No! She just murdered him!"
"W-well there has to be more to it."
"She isolated the genomes and split 'em up. He begged her to live."
"Holy shit! Janeway didn't mess around."

I feel seen. I have been saying this for 25 years!
posted by rhymedirective at 7:38 AM on September 8, 2023 [6 favorites]

Lower Decks has to be fun as hell to write for. If you get stuck, a quick trip to the Star Trek Shitposting group on FB will clear that right up.
posted by dr_dank at 2:25 PM on September 8, 2023 [6 favorites]

I love Voyager, and I loved this!

In the little diagram explaining Tuvok + Neelix + orchid = Tuvix, the depiction of Neelix sort of... kicking up his heels? like a leprechaun? just slayed me.
posted by tomboko at 3:16 PM on September 8, 2023 [4 favorites]

The transporter combo/multiple staff being reminds me a lot of the DNA combo monster in the opening episode of The Middleman: youtube link to opening. I'm glad that Voyager is getting some love from more recent Star Trek shows. It is (heretically) one of my favorites of older Trek and a chunk of the hate for it at the time had a pretty overt stink of misogyny related to Janeway/female captain.
posted by gudrun at 5:28 AM on September 9, 2023 [3 favorites]

So... Voyager was kind of weird, huh.
posted by kyrademon at 9:54 AM on September 9, 2023 [3 favorites]

So, do we think Ma’ah is actually dead? It certainly looks that way. Starting the season with killing off a character I had assumed would be a recurring foil is a heck of a way to kick things off.
posted by zamboni at 9:29 AM on September 10, 2023 [2 favorites]

Dead? Perhaps, but the first thing that flashed into my mind when that ship attacked was the Picard death fake-out where he was kidnapped by the mercenaries with energy weapons that doubled as transporters.
posted by audi alteram partem at 10:44 AM on September 10, 2023

If they’re going that route, my money’s on Section 31 being behind the probe ship, leading to future William Boimler/Ma’ah shenanigans.
posted by zamboni at 11:08 AM on September 10, 2023

Particularly if this season’s Crisis Point III involves Bradward infiltrating a William-run holodeck Inquisition of Ma’ah.
posted by zamboni at 11:41 AM on September 10, 2023

I mean, this episode was all the Voyager weirdness in one place that nobody (?) has mentioned the Janeway and Paris lizard robots? Er, the Janeway and Paris Lizard Robot Borg, even.

I don't remember the Clown, or rather I think I've just overwritten him with the Move Along Home aliens in DS9, I guess? Looking at MA, oh right sure _that_ episode. Whuf.
posted by Kyol at 12:47 PM on September 11, 2023 [3 favorites]

I don't remember the Clown, or rather I think I've just overwritten him with the Move Along Home aliens in DS9, I guess? Looking at MA, oh right sure _that_ episode. Whuf.

Yeah, basically Voyager's version of "Move Along Home" or that godawful TNG episode with Lwaxana and Alexander in the Holodeck Whimsy-Palace, but the clown was played by Michael McKean, so that's memorable, at least?
posted by Navelgazer at 12:56 PM on September 11, 2023 [1 favorite]

Oh man, "The Thaw" (Voy 2.23) is a great episode. So weird. McKean as the evil clown / personification of Fear is amazing. Deep cuts indeed.
posted by mrjohnmuller at 3:39 AM on September 12, 2023 [2 favorites]

Oh THAT'S what the clowns were about 🤣
posted by Space Kitty at 11:59 PM on October 6, 2023 [1 favorite]