Star Trek Lower Decks 4.05 "Empathalogical Fallacies" REVIEW

[@TroutBoneless]

"holistic security" is my new favorite star trek concept. It's like having Social Services instead of a police department

[@SpellboundTutor]

Likewise!

[@whosplayingyou29]

Personally LOVED Shaxx's dig at today's police work "Did you really think we just sit around all day practicing phasering people? Who would that help?"

[@lillyzola6053]

Yeah if modern police in the US took some guidance from Shaxx, we’d have a lot less dead children lol

[@lcflngn]

Spot on! My very favorite bit of a great ep. I would’ve written this post, but you did it. Why is this not a thing? (Our society is so messed up) Hoping that it will be a normalized concept some how.

[@yellowprime8491]

If contemporary PD in the USA spent all their days at the range, they'd miss less and kill even less innocents. So modern PD is even worse than what Shax imagines.

[@plucas1]

"I'm as Vulcan as a motherfucker" will go down as one of the great Star Trek quotes of all time.

[@ya-boyrookus7516]

T’Lyn is 62 years old, and she is still “Vulcan as a motherfucker.” I really enjoyed this episode. It was nice hearing her internal dialogue, crew perceptions, etc. She is quickly becoming one of my favorite Vulcans.

[@bemasaberwyn55]

IKR

[@Blazingstoke]

I just love how one of the Betazoids was played by Eda the Owl Lady - so unexpected, yet perfectly apropos given their role in the plot

[@kaivoid7649]

Thank you! I knew I knew one of those voices, I just couldn't place it and it was sending me a little mad

[@christinacody8653]

Now I'll need to go rewatch to hear that, my daughter loved that show! We were really disappointed when it ended.

[@ScottLuvsRenFaires]

The Boimler/Shax plot gives a justification for Shax being so very hurt when Boimler mocked him behind his back in an earlier episode. Shax has worked hard to support Boimler's emotional health and Boims not only failed to reciprocate, but actually tore down Shax.

[@jessesinclair4734]

Shax being an absolute beefcake mountain but also the emotional center of the crew is legit my favourite thing. And while it's most *explicit* in this episode, its definitely something that has been continuously built up with him the entire series. Last season, in the Rutherford backstory episode, just how sad he sounds before he has to stun Rutherford is perfect. TLDR, Shax is the perfect man.

[@NachosRenard]

T'lyn this episode just fits my idea of her being autistic even more. She's logical to a fault, she's fully vulcan not a mix or emotional rogue... but she has hightened emotions, tends to follow her own sense of logic because it doesn't match other vulcans, and she doesn't always understand the choices other vulcans make, thinking there's something wrong with her.

[@kaitlyn__L]

Oooh I love this

[@RvEijndhoven]

I support reading T'lyn as autistic, because it fits really well. Though I don't think she has heightened emotions as such, at least not relative to other Vulcans. After all, the explanation behind their dedication to logic is that they are, in fact, highly emotional and in the past this led them to be violent to the point of self-destruction, until Surak came up with the whole 'logic and emotional suppression' thing. So their apparent lack of emotions is cultural rather than a natural inclination. And I feel that actually strengthens the reading of T'lyn as autistic, since we feel the same emotions as everyone else, but we don't always express it the same way and therefore don't always recognise what we're feeling because how it expresses itself is different from what non-autists describe. And it's hard to suppress your emotions if the ways you're taught to keep their expression in check don't work for the way your emotions express themselves.

[@TroutBoneless]

One thing Ive really come to appreciate about Lower Decks is how they'll take bad star trek episodes from the past and recontextualize them so that it's a goofy sitcom premise instead of a cringey drama

[@callumjohnston858]

It reminds me of Alan Moore's writing advice: consume trash. Instead of reading and emulating something good, read something bad and consider how you could do better.

[@anvalisok]

I loved when the Betazoids went to sickbay and T'Ana is shown smelling their arrival before seeing or hearing them.

[@rommdan2716]

She hold herself very good this episode

[@killarazzi]

On my second viewing I realized that the Betazoids are also under the influence of T’Lyn, which further defies our expectations of Betazoids being the emotional influencers. On the bridge they mention that even they don’t know why their not thinking straight which explains the internal turmoil they go through out the episode. Their cloud of judgement may explain why they make the unsound choice of going through the neutral zone. This episode is worth watching multiple times.

[@LowbrowDeluxe]

Consistently amazed at how much they fit in an episode. A solid full Star Trek plot with the A plot and T'lyn's story, character growth for the security team, a lesson for Boimler, Cataxian lore, decent character display with how the various crew react under the effects of the episode crisis, and advancing the season plot, all in 20 minutes.

[@fighting.words.ma.library]

I like how T'lyn is being portrayed as still Vulcan, albeit an unconventional one by their standards- specifically, I like how her coming to terms with herself was symbolized by a simple unclenching of her fists. The exchange between her and Mariner was both hilarious and heartwarming. And I like the message that, just because you don't fit the "norm", you are [x group] enough. Good stuff. Also loved Capt. Freeman reiterating that she's happily married. It's not something that we're reminded of much, but I also like how her love for her husband couldn't be overridden by Crazy Emotion Syndrome. All the Dr. T'ana stuff, especially as a cat owner, was funny to me, and the brief appearance by the Romulans also made me laugh. This was a pretty funny episode to me.

[@ffreed]

I loved the Romulans’ collective “AAAAAAAWWW…” when the Cerritos made a U-turn away from the border.

[@kaitlyn__L]

@@ffreed”…we’ll go lurk over there!”

[@keiyakins]

I really liked this one. "everyone's emotions are turned up to 11!" is a staple of Star Trek for a reason, it lets the characters express themselves in a way they normally wouldn't. And of course, this being the Cerritos crew, it pretty universally resulted in them being incredibly supportive of one another. Also Mariner being the one to help T'Lyn work through her feelings was great. S1 Mariner couldn't have done that on her best day, now she's able to do it while locked in a closet with half the crew trying to break in, and it felt natural.

[@frankm.2850]

Mariner has gone through some really well done character development over the last couple seasons. I'm really excited to see where she goes from here, given where she started.

[@My_fandom_corner]

T'Lyn felt so very neurodivergent-coded in that ep! Always love to see that! She and Boimler are really autistic icons this season (its just my headcanon, don't come after me)

[@606Jelly]

I'm fully on board with your headcannon.

[@GSBarlev]

I agree that she's being coded as _Vulcan_ neurodivergent (and it's *super cool* of _LDS_ to double down on the _ENT_ portrayal of Vulcans as way more bigoted and "un-evolved" as a society than earlier shows--with the exception of "Take Me Out to the Holosuite") would lead us to believe). As someone who has both witnessed and experienced workplace discrimination due to neurodivergence, I *felt* for T'Lyn when she said that she expressed feeling that she was "damaged" and "wrong." We all need a Mariner in that situation to remind us that we're "Vulcan as a Motherf***er."

[@TheBleggh]

​@@GSBarlev I've always been a fan of what ENT did to the Vulcans, and I think it makes characters like Spock and T'Lyn *more* compelling, not less.

[@bemasaberwyn55]

I have a friend who is on the spectrum. I myself am neurodivergent due to an early diagnosis of ADHD which can cause bouts of executive dysfunction. Boimler really resonates with me because his hyperfixations and hyper competence as well as not knowing how to relax or things that I have struggled with over the years. And with the exception of Barclay and his social anxiety we really have not had a neurodivergent character in Trek until we got Tilly. And then in season 2 they reframed Spock as having Vulcan dyslexia and it seems that the proverbial floodgates opened by them having more and more neuro characters and I am all for that. Even if it's not specifically stated there is at least some portion of the crew of the Cerritos that are neurodivergent and I think that's one of the reasons why they resonate so well with so many of us. So we would not come after you for that headcanon since those of us who are neurodivergent do see the connection

[@GSBarlev]

@@TheBleggh The backroom dealing shown _DIS_ and the bigotry shown in _Trek 2009_ and _SNW_ (even more Chapel than Spock) do a great job in illuminating the limits of _Kir'Shara's_ effect on Vulcan society. I hope future seasons of _SNW_ more fully explore the _v'tosh ka'tur_ and address the isolationist bent of the Syrrannites (and even Surak himself).

[@Keleigh3000]

The disappointment of those Romulans had me in stitches.

[@JediMB]

I'm glad T'Lyn shared her "backstory" with someone. She's a treasure and deserves friends who understand what she's going through and have her back. And, yeah, I loved the joke about how there's always a Romulan ship lurking at the edge of the neutral zone

[@leeeorama]

To paraphrase Jada Essence Hall, "Lurk over there!"

[@DDarkestKnight]

8:40 Love how this show keeps confirming how much of a mommy's girl Mariner is. "I GOTTA GO SAVE MY _MOMMY_ !" That had me rolling!

[@GirlPainting]

The part that made me lough out loud was when the security team starts preparing for battle and Lt. Kay´Shawn starts Naruto running ^^

[@elim_inator]

This episode was so much fun. T'Lyn's voice actress is incredibly talented when it comes to humoristic delivery and it really showed here. Loved her dry delivery of her one-liners, but also her subtle emotional moments.

[@joju997]

Are we counting Threshold as the Voyager Horniness Hour? Also, I’m liking the way they’re doing the storyline in the background. It feels like a good compromise between making the show as serialized as Discovery or Picard and having no overarching plot. Also also, I am loving the emphasis on the crew being emotionally supportive. Maybe it’s only hitting because Strange New Worlds season 2 was so vocal about everyone existing for the mission, but it’s really nice.

[@BR0B0T_VR]

Yeah, I’m also think the “sex salamanders” (as Jessie likes to refer to them) is the closest Voy ever got to a “horny episode”.

[@ffreed]

@@BR0B0T_VRThere was a Pon Farr episode early on, if memory serves.

[@kaitlyn__L]

Yeah this is basically following the RTD Doctor Who formula of recurring references with strong continuity but each episode is otherwise pretty standalone. (As opposed to the Moffat method, where everything seems kinda standalone on the surface but understanding the resolution of almost all episodes actually requires some understanding of the season-long plot… sigh.)

[@adrianXXII]

I find it funny with how often you mentioned atypical that you viewed T'lyn with a queer lense and not an Autistic/Neurodivergent one. I personally like the idea of T'lyn being the Vulcan equivalent to a neurodivergent individual.

[@saphirebandit93]

Honestly, as someone who is both, there is overlap in experience. It makes sense, in both cases you are someone who is excluded from the blue print of an ideal human (or vulcan in T'lyn's case). If you want to exist as yourself you have to struggle with that idea and carve out your own space in the world. I do agree that T'lyn does read as more neurodivergent/autistic, honestly her being an autistic vulcan would be awesome.

[@IAsimov]

When she said she didn't know if she was Vulcan, I felt it too strongly. I've had many times in my life where I have wondered that, after seeing what people consider a 'normal' man or a 'normal' woman to be.

[@Batgirl219]

I loved Mariner suggesting she be sent to the brig. After all, it is her favorite place.

[@SaoirseWaddingHayes]

I adored this episode. I actually teared up when T'Lyn had her little break down, and again when Shax said he's there to protect the crew emotionally as well as physically. Funnily enough though, this episode kind of made me ship Mariner and T'Lyn. An emotional, bitchy Vulcan and a hotheaded, impulsive human? They're so spirk coded lol

[@janMelantu]

T’Lyn and Mariner definitely have the right chemistry

[@JediMB]

Ship name: Mari'Lyn?

[@Donnagata1409]

@@JediMB 😍😍😍😍😍😍Mari'Lyn!

[@michaellauritano5252]

I saw this ship coming as soon as T'Lyn came on the Cerritos and this episode felt like validation!

[@rainbow_doglover8301]

Yes I was wondering if they’re setting them up as I was watching this episode

[@TheMotlias]

I loved how this episode showed Mariner as a genuinly good officer, when everyone was hyper emotional, inclusing herself she was able to realise it and deal with the situation and help her shipmate though termoil

[@MatthewJamesKalasky]

And the last time she did that on the ship, she got the promotion that started her PTSD downward spiral, yet STILL did it all ANYWAY.

[@everettharris967]

The 3 Betazoids were pretty big deal actresses - Rachel Dracht, Wendie Malick and the hilarious Janelle James (principal on Abbott Elementary).

[@DDarkestKnight]

That was Rachel Dratch?! She sounded like Judy Greer

[@TreknoPsychoPod]

Great bait and switch. I was expecting some sort of "Bridesmaids" send-up with the Betazoid trio (Wendie Malick, what a GEM!), but it turned into something much more interesting and fun. T'Lyn is such a great addition to the series.

[@thebitterfig9903]

With T'lyn having Bendii Syndrome, it makes me wonder if the crew of the Sh'vhal were effected, and overreacting to T'lyn's behavior. Banishing her to a Starfleet ship for improving shield regeneration was perhaps an illogical response from the captain. If T'lyn being frustrated over a lack of cell phone reception can drive an entire Federation ship into party overload, a Vulcan ship being 10% more judgemental than normal seems plausible. edit *to note* I do think T'lyn is atypical, but I figure there's a difference between other Vulcans seeing her as tolerably eccentric and someone they needed to exile to the Federation.

[@BatteredWalrus]

Unless Benedii syndrome disappears and comes back like chicken pox it’s likely not the cause since it seems this is a one time short appearance while on the Cerritos

[@pookhahare]

Interesting point . I do wonder why they hadn't diagnosed it.

[@thebitterfig9903]

@@pookhahare It's normally a disease of the elderly, and T'lyn is rather young (for a Vulcan).

[@xanderfulton3186]

I think it’s kinda weird that they’ve glossed over he essentially having early offset Alzheimer’s

[@TheBleggh]

I think T'Lyn might be Vulcan neurodivergent but I don't think she actually has Bendii syndrome so much as she was exhibiting similar symptoms.

[@Alfwin]

Before, I really liked T'lyn. After watching this episode, I _love_ her. That scene with her and Mariner had me legit tearing up a bit. Also, does anyone else kinda ship T'lyn and Tendi? Every scene they have together, their dynamic is just plain delightful!

[@ForeverAflame]

The first thing I do after watching every episode is return to your channel to watch the corresponding review, because it helps me learn about all the most important references to other Star Trek stories that appear in the episode. I've only seen parts of other series, so I would miss them otherwise. Thank you for highlighting these things.

[@Kels1701e]

Another great episode. "Lower Decks" & "Strange New Worlds" are both perfect Star Trek.

[@MuffinHunterX]

Wendy Malik! Sure most people will probably immediately associate her with Eda The Owl Lady but she was great on _Just Shoot Me_ and _Hot in Cleaveland_ as well as other smaller roles I've heard her V.A. for over the years. Definitely reading T'Lyn as Vulcan neurodivergent. Tendi as usual is freaking adorable even when crazed. I don't recall a horney on main episode of Voyager but there was that bit in Threshold... Yeah. Oh and Janeway deleting the holo wife and there was a woman that thought Janeway was after her lover and she was very clearly not. Shax continues to be my favorite of the bridge crew. The wholesomeness of this man is a wonder considering his backstory.

[@YumLemmingKebabs]

I felt so bad for Tendi at the end when she didn't get to hug. :(

[@flyingfortress15]

Shaxs is our big, loveable, warpcore ejecting, side job consuleing tactical officer and he's great at it all.

[@Taigan_HSE]

Even in Lower Decks I’m still a little leery of swearing, but I did get a kick out of “then, by the transitive property, I also am as Vulcan as f*ck.”

[@kmac169]

I liked how this episode was essentially the same concept as the previous one with Tendi, but where Tendi doesn't want to be the stereotypical Orion, T'Lyn wants to be (or feels like she is supposed to be) the stereotypical Vulcan. I especially liked how both episodes ended on that same note of "It is okay to just be you." You don't have to be who or what others tell you that you are supposed to be. You can just be you. I do want to add that I laughed my ass off at the gag with Romulan ship crew towards the end of the episode. When the whole crew went "Aww" when the Cerritos turned away... that alone killed me and the rest of the scene just added to it.

[@and_also_aaron3372]

Starfleet is an army of exiles and runaways just searching for a home. Found family has always been a major theme of Star Trek and that's what has always drawn me to it.

[@Hinoema01]

My favorite joke was the high stakes moment ending with a whole ship of Romulans going "Aaww!"

[@sharkofjoy]

My favorite visual gag was not mentioned: There's a moment when one of the Betazoids says, "Our emotions are all over the place, too. Why do you think I want to kiss Katrot?" And Katrot gives her a raised eyebrow 2-frame once-over that is just incredible. Another really good, really funny episode. This more and more becomes my favorite Trek! Also, the outfis and the choreography in this animated show are way better than they need to be. The Betazoid outfits were stellar.

[@tararose5650]

What about a neurodivergent reading of T'Lynn? She thinks differently than other Vulcans, not that she has different abilities, but literally her brain works differently. As a person w/ ADHD I found that reading very touching.

[@frankm.2850]

Lower Decks is wholesome as fuck, and I love it! As someone who grew up on Next Gen and reruns of TOS, LDS is quickly becoming my favorite Star Trek series. Strange New Worlds is up there to. If I were in Starfleet I'd love to serve under captains Freeman or Pike.

[@DavidMajors]

This is my favorite episode of Lower Decks, officially. And it pretty much confirms that T'Lyn is my favorite character, and she was pretty much from her first appearance. Maybe I just enjoyed the heightened emotion dynamic, but it really felt like every character on the show had at least a great moment in this episode. The bridge crew Shined. And so many easter eggs and references. This was a full five course meal of Star Trek. I loved it. And I absolutely love T'Lyn's arc.

[@Seal0626]

I really like how the murder ship is getting closer and closer to the main action. It's ramping up the tension, with a dollop of dramatic irony, that we know more about this thing than they do, and they're just blithely going on with their lives while we know that there's a monster out there.

[@kaivoid7649]

Papa Bear made me cry. I LOVE the holistic approach to ship security!

[@BrigitteEmpire]

The lurking Romulan ship took me the fuck out

[@davedahl4461]

I hope T’lyn doesn’t really have Bendai syndrome… that would be incredibly sad. In the episode Sarek they said it was untreatable and fatal. It was an analogy for Alzheimer’s. I adored how much Shax cares about the crew. Mariner was unusually sweet and kind this episode. All of the characters get time, and development it’s fun and interesting.

[@danshive4017]

I think it was more a frame of reference as something with similar projecting symptoms.

[@davedahl4461]

@@danshive4017 that would be more comforting. I think I’ll accept that analysis. Thanks!

[@MatthewJamesKalasky]

I don't think it was actually all that unusual of Mariner by this point. Remember how forgiving she was in the season 3 finale, and how supportive she was of Boimler in Twovix.

[@MicahSps]

The closest they got to an "Everyone wants to bone down" ep of Voyager was just Tom and B'Elana in "Scientific Method". And later, when 7 is spying on them: "There is no one on Deck 9 Section 12 who doesn't know when you are having intimate relations"

[@HDimagination]

Is this the first time that we’ve seen a starfleet security team re-take a ship that has been hijacked? Based on what we see here the Cerritos security force might be one of the most competent in the fleet…

[@armydave587]

T'Lyn is definitely going Starfleet (unless she makes a noble sacrifice to save the Cerritos). Mariner was trying to point out that the things she's ostracized for on her Vulcan ship make her an asset to Starfleet. I wonder if Vulcans join Starfleet because they don't fit in mainstream Vulcan society.

[@AdamEspersona]

I’m glad that she was able to calm down T’Lyn in her own way.

[@Texasjim2007]

That would also apply to Tendi being an atypical Orion of course and Worf being an atypical Klingon or Troi being an atypical Betazoid. As somebody who spent 20 years in the Army I think it makes sense that occupations often requiring long separations from the people you grew up with and dealing with a wide diversity of individuals from backgrounds very different than your own such as Starfleet tend to be naturally more attractive to social misfits than to those who feel more comfortable among the greater predictability of their own native community and its particular cultural norms and traditions.

[@kaitlyn__L]

The Vulcan science ships definitely seem to have higher prestige, so most Vulcans probably only go to Starfleet as a backup plan for whatever reason. I always thought this ever since it was established that Spock declined the VSA admittance and caused a scandal. (I actually don’t recall if that came up in TOS or if after _09_ Disco just retroactively said that happened there too)

[@myriadmediamusings]

T'Lyn has been a delight in the 4/5 s4 episodes, being a very memorable character while also complimenting the main 4 well. This episode definitely feels like the high watermark of fully cementing her as a member of the Cerritos being a main in all but casting. This episode was very good and I would rank it as my 3rd favorite episode of Season 4 with good a and b plots. Once again the moment I saw an ENT reference with Reed on the puzzle box, immediately thought of how Jess must've been giddy.

[@odessasteppes7490]

One thing I really appreciated was the reinforcing of the message from "Something Borrowed, Something Green", that Tendi didn't fall back on her assigned role of "Prime Assassin" or anything. She just turned into a hug monster. Also, Shakxs is an anti-fascist icon and I love him. "What did you think? We just sat around all day practicing phasering people?? Where's the help in that??"

[@Jayjay-qe6um]

I like this episode so much, makes me wish that there should be another SNW and Lower Decks crossover. I want an interaction between T'Lyn and Spock, maybe they could learned something about each other.

[@stevengalloway8052]

This is the definitive T'lyn episode. She's a 62 year old Vulcan cutie... 🥰😏

[@kyleellis1825]

Every time we find out a character has neurosis of their own, it kind of feels like the ceritos has no typicals on board. I really like seeing Jennifer and the captain act as the comedic straightman. I like seeing the contrast of people who would normally be main characters in Startrek versus the Lower Deck cast members own way of handling things. Feels like we haven't had much of that since S3 and even though I love finding out how inteesting the Ceritos crew is, I'd like to meet a couple more typicals for contrast going forward.

[@cpprcoyote]

To attempt to answer the Voyager question "Scientific Method" aliens were experimenting on the crew and some of them were horny because of it and "Tinker, Tenor, Doctor, Spy" had a lot of sexual themes but it was the doctor having sex day dreams but overall Voyager had more horny for Seven rather than everyone is horny for each other type of episodes I might have missed an ep I was just skimming through the seasons and trying to recall

[@kaitlyn__L]

Thanks, I had finally forgotten the thermal imaging x-ray thing of Tom and B’Elanna tonguing each other in the Jefferies Tube. Now I’m thinking about it again lmao

[@GSBarlev]

All the latinum to the first CafePress seller to put out good "Vulcan as a Motherf***er" apparel.

[@BR0B0T_VR]

So glad to see so many other people picking up T’Lynn as autistic coded. One of the hosts of a Trek podcast Jessie guested on last week hinted at it and I’ve been thinking about it ever since.

[@lcflngn]

Which one? Love to hear that :)

[@BR0B0T_VR]

@@lcflngn kzbin.infoNlRgIwnfwRU?si=dT9F_NdmhcCSWP9m

[@jakecrowe]

I stumbled upon your channel a few weeks ago when The Very Short Treks came out and love your point of view. I find them surface level hilarious, but you definitely have me thinking about them critically which has really made me appreciate the rest of Star Trek. You have a great channel, thanks for your content!

[@lesbiandrea]

This was by far our fav. episode this season so far. T’Lyn is so good and we love that she’s clearly seen as part of the main gang this season. Anyway, give T’Lyn a girlfriend.

[@kaitlyn__L]

And make it Mariner!

[@xanderfulton3186]

The only problem I had with this episode is the possibility that they just kinda glossed over the possibility that T’Lyn has Bendii syndrome. That’s a big deal isn’t it? Like a 24 year old having early onset Alzheimer’s

[@GSBarlev]

Yeah. My reading was that discussion of mental health is _extremely taboo_ on Vulcan and that disorders are thus woefully under-researched. Bendii Syndrome is thus the most well-known (because of Sarek), and it seems unlikely that T'Lyn has it. On the other hand, I hope they don't try to hand-wave that this is just a normal Vulcan response, given that T'Pol was in some _really trucked up_ emotional situations on Enterprise and never had that bleed over into the crew (unless it did? Archer and Reed, especially, were chaotic AF in the later seasons).

[@Donnagata1409]

@@GSBarlev Hey, that makes sense! They were probably influenced by T'Pol!

[@diakritika]

Could it be some other issue *masking* as Bendii syndrome ("pseudo-Bendii")? A "young" Vulcan of lower ranks feeling frustrated on a ship with mostly non-Vulcan crew... that's already a lot to take in.

[@xanderfulton3186]

@@diakritika okay yes but the projection is a medical thing otherwise you wouldn’t be able to test for it.

[@diakritika]

@@xanderfulton3186 Sure, otherwise it would be magical :)

[@mulukh7]

I didn't expect to enjoy this episode, I didn't expect to like T'lyn. But I loved this episode so much, laughed out loud, cried from emotion and laughter! Really appreciate T'lyn now too!

[@williammultini3469]

I'm Brazilian, my native language is Portuguese but I understand perfectly everything you say, so I don't think you need to worry about pronunciation. I also loved this episode, especially the part about the Emotional Support Security Team. At the end of the episode I was thinking "Tendi, if T'Lin doesn't want to give you all the love you deserve, I will! 💚

[@sergioaccioly5219]

Lower Decks is arguably the best Star trek show of them all in having character growth without being explicit about that. It just... happens. Day to day, episode by episode, each character gets a little more mature, a tad more nuanced. NO fanfarres, no great speeches or Gatcha moments. Just growth. And I liked the reminder that freeman is a good and conscientious captain.

[@danime4288]

I love your reviews about my favorite Trek-Show 😍 But may I ask: where the hell do you get all the awesome Trek-Shirts from?

[@WhyNotAParadox]

The final beats with Boimler/Shaxs and Tendi/Mariner/Tlinn really got me in the heartstrings. They were both such tender human moments - just another example of how good example of the Trek ethos Lower Decks is!

[@ForDBssake]

I hope they have a borg cube bit where instead of antics it's just a bunch of back and forth shots of borg just in their regenerators not moving or speaking. Then a close up shot of a Borg blinking and cut to the ship blowing up the cube.

[@louisdarden108]

I'm reasonably certain one of the Betazoids shares a voice actress with Eda the Owl Lady, so that's nice! Also, having watched The Naked Time recently (I'm watching TOS more or less from the beginning), I'm not so sure it made everyone on the ship amorous... then again, Sulu did get a powerful urge to swordfight.

[@danshive4017]

My understanding is the excuse for the naked now in TNG was to quickly showcase the characters. I don’t know if that truly was the reason, but I remember it being claimed (either in the companion guide, or in DVD extras, not sure which, leaning towards the former).

[@kaitlyn__L]

Sometimes writers claim that it’s to show the character by means of showing what they’d never normally do, but usually the real reason is just to help the actors get comfortable with each other by acting out and hamming up. See also DS9’s Dramatis Personae

[@TroutBoneless]

This season is really impressing me. It was a long road to get me to love Lower Decks but this season is a home run so far. There were a number of great lower decks type sketch series going around before the show was announced, including Starship Icarus, the Cracked show with basically the exact same premise as Lower Decks. And I loved Starship Icarus so much, and that flavored my expectations for Lower Decks a LOT. As great as a Starship Icarus cartoon would have been, I can now confidently say that Lower Decks is one of the best of the new generation of Trek

[@zljmbo]

this episode was truly aligned with The Gene Vision™

[@Sootielove]

Getting to see neurodiverse aliens is such a cool concept. I know it's set up with Bendii syndrome, but I see a lot of common ground with personality disorders with T'Lyn and feeling so othered because you just can't click with other people or manage your emotions in the same way as other people

[@zeroherrera]

The closest episode that Voyager had to a "lets get it on" was the one were Bellana Torres was approached by a Vulcan undergoing ponfarr, which caused her to go into a Klingon mating instinct with Tom Paris getting drawn into it.

[@lemmingrad]

When I think about it, Torres has a couple other “and then Torres gets horny” scenes. - the telepathic alien who made the crew fantasize with someone they want to f*ck that renders them catatonic. Torres gets it on with fantasy Chakotay. In this same episode, Janeway gets trapped this way too with her husband, and Tuvok while not in the mood to f*ck gets tricked by fantasy wife to believe he’s returned to Vulcan. Only mentioned but Harry probably got with his former crush on Earth. - the aliens who run around invisible doing experiments on the crew, one of them is making Paris and Torres uncontrollably horny.

[@danshive4017]

I like the threat “over there.” With only ten episodes a season, I don’t want any one thing feeling like it’s taking over the plot. If they can provide quick little snippets that ultimately help the pacing and tone of the season finale, that’s good by me.

[@poomar]

I loooove this one. 2 absolutely fantastic episodes in a row. This one had me cracking up and did things I didn't expect. I lost it when PFT yelling at the replicator

[@posindustries]

If I were to have one complaint about this episode, it's that the last exchange between T'Lyn and Tendi made me wish that this one had aired before "Something Borrowed, Something Green," because that would have felt like a better progression of their friendship arc, but that's not actually a problem with the episode itself and really harkens back to the old "Tuvok/Neelix" dynamic of them finding a common bond one week and then back to having the Vulcan eye-rolling at the illogical behavior of the excitable goofball that just wants to be their best friend the next.

[@ruplayinggame3080]

I got teary-eyed when Shax said that thing at the end about taking care also of emotional needs. just an amazing concept, I am all for that. And I continue to adore T'Lyn and I loved her dynamic with Mariner this episode. this show is really becoming better and better and I adore it. So happy I started to watch it

[@rebeccatompkins]

Maybe the salamanders in ST: VOY? Q and The Grey? I mean, Q wanted Janeway to be the mother of his demi-Q (?) There is a trend of Vulcans that aren't atypical. Spock, Sybock, T'Pol and T'Lyn.I love how that being in a liminal place of slightly out of the mold we can relate with. (Okay, I concede Sybock is jarring.) Witchy Trekkie me was in stiches with the Tarot reading. Perfection!

[@Texasjim2007]

This episode brings to mind a comment Ann Coulter once made in a speech she once gave to some Log Cabin Republicans that her main issue with Gays in the military is that she didn't want to turn the Department of Defense into the Department of Gay Studies. One thing comedies like STLD or Jim Parson's Big Bang Theory and Young Sheldon do brilliantly is help us understand how the many different individual quirks, fetishes, and obsessions we all have can become as dysfunctional for ourselves and those around us as alcoholism or a narcotic addiction if we don't learn how to control them when the situation requires it. Mariner was the ideal choice to help T'lyn here because she experienced an Amok Time situation once before in a simulation designed to make her fail an evaluation where everybody else in the crew was infected with the Amok Time virus making them lose all their inhibitions. Since Mariner is the least inhibited person in the crew normally because like Captain Kirk she's generally competent enough to be able to survive whatever problems her impulsive nature gets her into, she tends to rely on others to keep her grounded but that doesn't work when everybody is acting crazy around her so she failed her evaluation. It's interesting that Boimler, the Captain, and the security guys didn't seem to be infected as much by the situation possibly due to Boimler's core personality trait of neuroticism which Starfleet Captains and Security personnel probably have an above average share of as well. My favorite line was the one about the Doctor having taken an oath not to eat her patients. God I love this show.

[@Ransok_Bukaj]

As an autistic person, my heart and soul go out to T'lyn, my beloved~

[@KingOfMadCows]

Betazoids have fish ancestry, and the cat species used to hunt them.

[@rommdan2716]

How couldn't I have seen that?!

[@Jungoguy]

I liked the fact that one of the Betazoids was voiced by Wendie Malick, AKA Eda the Owl Lady!!!

[@_cosmic_void]

Thank you! I knew I recognized the voice but I couldn't place it!

[@Jungoguy]

@@_cosmic_void she was also Pacha’s wife on the Emperor’s New Groove

[@BritneyLaZonga]

The romulans going "Aaaaaw" in face of the war they missed out on had me laughing TWICE. When I rewinded it still landed so well!

[@odesseus]

You mention Malcom Reed (the puzzle!), wondering if you've watched the Shuttlepod Show. It's got Conner Trinneer (Trip) and Dominic Keating (Reed) hosting it with *great* guests. I really enjoy it.

[@donnicholas7552]

Another fun episode! I loved it! 🥰 I particularly loved Tendi in this episode. All the characters were great!

[@ffreed]

“Get her! Make her be my friend!”

[@djkittycat]

You'd think they'd sell that hat somewhere but they won't. Star Trek merch just doesn't jump on easy things like that when they could make bank. For example, where is our Moopsy plushie?

[@vengeance1701]

Also, nice job explaining that queer themes/readings don't necessarily make the characters that way, it is just something the community can relate to and that everyone can relate to, too! You are a great explainer!

[@Scuzzbopper.]

Voyager (a *little* bit): The one where the Vulcan from engineering goes into Pon Farr and it's contagious for B'Elanna. Not thinking of another one off the top of my head.

[@leeblack2103]

Thanks for the wonderful review! Much love from Seattle!!

[@finnbaker3985]

While I liked last week's episode more, I thought this one was incredibly strong as well. I've gone into this season wanting to see new things and this week and last week have definitely delivered. I think T'lyn is a very good addition to the cast and I'm excited to see what the showrunners do in the future with her.

[@SharkBlueMedia]

Keep up the great reviews! I love how you get them out so quickly! You are always the first and I love watching your Star Trek review videos the moment they come out.

[@asteven8]

I just love T’Lyn and this episode. Idk why but its adorable that Shax calls Boimler “baby bear.”

[@krosossgamer]

I just want to say this, and, this goes back to the episode with the ring and super computer, I ship Boimler and T'Lyn so much. Thank you for your time.

[@Noms_Chompsky]

5:00 Nah Jessie, memorizing student faces and names is how every teacher everywhere starts every year before school begins.

[@Donnagata1409]

Jessie, it was Sarek who was Vulcan as a mother(beep)! Spock was bispecies, as we all well know and love him.

[@samuelharrison7164]

Several out loud laughs for me in this one, which is pretty rare when watching a show by myself. I liked it a lot!

[@kapowcomicsuk]

Just read the very Shaxs focused issue of IDW's Lower Decks comic book! No video review for this one, the form, writing, and art didn't differ enough from the main Lower decks to be honest, but it was still freakin' amazing! Hope you manage to grab a copy...

[@hyenaedits3460]

I loved this episode almost as much as the last one! T'lyn's neurodivergence not making her any less Vulcan was a really touching message. I love when fantasy/sci fi races/species aren't all monoliths and have the same range of diversity as humans. Also, i dont drink but i would wear a "it's romulan ale o'clock somewhere" hat. And the security team doing seemingly "soft" stuff on their downtime instead of just constantly punching stuff feels very true to how martial arts actually works, to my knowledge. When i went to karate as a kid, we spent as much time doing meditation and breathing as we did sparring. And a lot of my therapy work has been toning down my hyper vigilance so my internal alarm bells arent constantly going off. Now when a situation is actually going sideways im more prepared to act because i trust my intuition and ability.

[@jwiese100]

I can relate to Tlyn. I had days were i was frustrated from not being able to do things because internet was down or services were unavailable to the point where it makes others frustrated.

[@SMunro]

"Emotional Support Security Team." awesome.

[@bemasaberwyn55]

Because I am only an ally and not lgbtq plus myself I do have a different read on the coding than you do Jessie. Not to dismiss or diminish your personal reading I just have a different read of T'Lyn. I very much see her and a majority of the crew of the Cerritos as being neurodivergent. And as somebody who haven't had that kind of overt representation until the introduction of Sylvia Tilly, it warms my heart that many of the characters in the show could easily be seen as having the types of neurological disorders that lead to that kind of Divergence. My friend who is on the Spectrum also reads in a very similar manner. And much like your comment about how queer portrayal in Star Trek has taken kind of a backseat there has never been a full outright stated neurodivergent character until this era( first with Tilly than they retconned Spock to having Vulcan dyslexia but before that the closest that we had was Reginald Barclay). And given the balanced between hyperfixation and hypercompetence that Boimler is shown to have I would not be surprised if Mike were to say that Boimler has ADHD or is a high-functioning autistic. And I think that many people who are neurodivergent are drawn to the crew of the Cerritos because they see themselves in so many of the crew members more so than they have in other Starfleet cruise over the years