When a franchise has been round for so long as “Star Trek” has, it is sure to have a handful (or two) of all-time episodes underneath its belt. Practically 60 years is an extended and storied historical past to drag from — to not point out an intimidating one — however “Decrease Decks” has by no means as soon as shied away from a problem. In reality, the animated collection has all the time appeared to embrace such excessive expectations and season 5 is effectively on its method to ending the present on the best of notes. Its newest episode, amusingly titled “Absolutely Dilated,” lives as much as that mandate by paying homage to not one, however two of the perfect hours in all the “Trek” canon.
The start of the episode places our Starfleet misfits on a collision course with an anomaly that is as “Trek” because it will get: A model of the Enterprise-D from one other actuality (it is purple in that universe as a result of, effectively, why the heck not) briefly crosses over into this one earlier than returning house by way of a dimensional fissure in space-time. A misplaced piece of tech on a close-by planet, nonetheless, forces the Cerritos to beam an away staff to the floor, conceal them in plain sight among the many pre-warp native inhabitants, and have them take away something that might violate the Prime Directive coverage of noninterference. In a traditional twist on system, although, the planet occurs to endure extreme time dilation. In layperson’s phrases, which means a second on the Cerritos in orbit interprets to a full week on the floor … and, whereas performed for laughs right here, the results will be downright existential.
If that sounds acquainted, the franchise has waded in very comparable waters earlier than with two highly-rated episodes: “The Inside Mild” from “The Subsequent Technology” and “Blink of an Eye” from “Voyager.”
Decrease Decks namedrops a shocking Voyager episode
Paramount
How do you greatest bear in mind “Blink of an Eye”? Maybe it is as the “Voyager” episode that featured a forgotten visitor look by future “Misplaced” star Daniel Dae Kim. For the hardcore Trekkies on the market, although, it is (in)well-known for dropping one of many wildest character particulars in all of “Voyager” — the truth that The Physician (Robert Picardo), a holographic program, one way or the other managed to have a organic son. (Yeah, severely, that occurred.) Extra broadly, it is possible remembered by most as one of many extra quietly transferring hours of “Voyager” due to a storyline that used its time dilation gimmick to extremely nice impact. No marvel “Decrease Decks” determined to exit of its manner and provides this a particular shoutout early on in “Absolutely Dilated.”
In a really comparable setup, the “Voyager” episode begins when Captain Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) and her crew encounter a extremely uncommon planet that traps the starship in its gravity effectively. Due to time dilation, nonetheless, Voyager’s look in orbit as a vivid pink dot and the “floor shakes” it causes on the floor have profound impacts on the primitive alien species beneath. For hundreds of years, the indigenous inhabitants crafts mythology, civilization, and ultimately scientific development based mostly across the presence of their particular guests in orbit. As a nonbiological life kind resistant to any potential dangerous results of time dilation, The Physician is distributed down to gather intel and experiences three full years on the floor, making a household for himself and residing a life he by no means may’ve dreamed of whereas on Voyager (although, alas, we by no means see any of this for ourselves).
The actual spotlight comes when the aliens lastly invent know-how to journey into orbit and ship astronauts of their very own (together with one performed by Kim) to go to Voyager. When his folks start aiming weapons on the Voyager, he is despatched again to persuade them that they imply no hurt. Taken as a complete, the episode is as pure a reference as “Decrease Decks” may probably make — and a really worthy episode to return and revisit if you have not.
Decrease Decks’ newest episode would not have been doable with out The Subsequent Technology’s The Inside Mild
Paramount
With all due respect to films like “Interstellar” and “Lightyear,” sci-fi was already making essentially the most out of time dilation many years prior. Even earlier than “Voyager” dabbled in these waters (er, make that ripples of space-time?), “The Subsequent Technology” set the bar impossibly excessive with “The Inside Mild.” Identified by popularity as the episode that even Captain Picard himself, Patrick Stewart, considers his all-time favourite, the premise entails Picard and the Enterprise encountering a primordial relic in house that seems to be a probe. When it sends a beam of power proper at Picard and strikes him unconscious, his anxious crew slowly notice that he is experiencing one thing a lot much less dangerous than they initially presume. By way of some fancy psychological projection, he is delivered to the probe’s planet of origin to dwell a complete lifetime as one of many aliens native to that world — regardless of solely minutes passing for his unresponsive physique again on the Enterprise.
“Decrease Decks” as soon as once more makes a cheeky allusion to this sensible episode of “The Subsequent Technology,” however the animated present clearly acknowledges that it owes an ideal deal to the poignancy and feelings of what got here earlier than. The actual kicker to “The Inside Mild” comes from the truth that the planet Picard is now “residing” on is doomed to be destroyed by a close-by supernova. Regardless of his greatest makes an attempt to warn his fellow folks, his issues go ignored and he has little recourse however to proceed residing out his life along with his new household. By the point everybody realizes their destiny, it is too late to do something besides ship a probe into house containing the reminiscences of this alien race … the exact same probe Picard finds a thousand years later.
Though they take extraordinarily completely different tonal paths to get there, every of those “Trek” episodes attain comparable sufficient locations — and show that the franchise is at its greatest when it will get existential.
New episodes of “Star Trek: Decrease Decks” premiere Thursdays on Paramount+.