Much Ado About Boimler

The latest episode of Star Trek: Lower Decks was among the best of the series so far. Other episodes may have generated a few more laughs, but "Much Ado About Boimler" had a solid blend of comedy and character.

When a transporter accident sends Boimler slightly out of phase, he (and Tendi, who has created a genetically modified dog) are transferred to another ship for a trip to a medical facility known as The Farm. Meanwhile, the senior staff is sent on a special mission, so an old friend of Mariner's comes to fill the captain's chair on the Cerritos -- and she wants Mariner to be her first officer.

There's an interesting and rather serious message slipped into the core of this episode like medicine in a pet treat. We've heard in many of Star Trek's incarnations that this future is one where people can follow their bliss and do what makes them happy. We even got an episode early in Lower Decks that found humor in how supportive people are of this notion. Here, we come to learn that Mariner doesn't want anything more than to be an ensign -- not right now, at least. She doesn't always need to be chasing "more" to be chasing "happiness."

It was nice to have the Lower Decks formula shaken up a bit this week, swapping around the character pairings and separating Mariner from Boimler and Tendi from Rutherford. It's going to be better for the show in the long run if other "team-ups" like this still work, and this episode was a good sign that they will.

But mostly: jokes! The ominous Division 14 ship was a buffet of them, from Star Trek references like Christopher Pike chairs and Voyager-style giant salamanders to no-Trek-knowledge-required gags like a strange face/torso swap and... a Slenderman? Not to mention the hilarious concept of someone simultaneously afflicted with accelerated growth and reverse aging. (Guest actor Nolan North gave a great vocal performance of the character.)

There were even more jokes in the form of Tendi's strange, creepy dog: The Dog. (And a subtle and sinister threat in the mix that they were taking this dog to The Farm.) Add in the comedic riff on the plot of "Chain of Command," bringing in a "Jellico" and sending the senior staff off on a special mission involving seeds (ooo), and I thought there was a lot of fun going on in this episode.

I give "Much Ado About Boimler" a B+. We're coming into the home stretch, with just a few more episodes to go in this 10-episode season.