Let’s go, Sisko was mentioned! Returning once again with another interesting take on the formula and a play on a show’s title, Cullen Crawford returns to write “Upper Decks.” Oh yeah, I thought I’d switch it up, give the writer the top credit and, that way, maybe I could find something more interesting to say than “it’s another episode directed by Bob Suarez.” Yes, the renegade master is back once again, though, unlike Crawford’s previous DS9 links, there was only really the mention of Sisko at the start.

Carving these weird orange fruits in celebration of some weird pagan thing these “hu-mans” used to do in years gone by, our main lower deckers are locked away in a room chatting about how they are so important. Meanwhile, Carrol and the bridge crew are set to have a couple of meetings while Ransom deals with the weird aliens doing weird things. It is a boring episode, nothing is going to happen… Take the time off, have a cup of coffee and enjoy the view outside the ready-room, you’ll enjoy it. Well, Shax won’t, as he sees himself with a snake coming out of his mouth.

Tormented by the shadows of his past, Shax is reliving the Cardassian (that’s the non-vapid ones) occupation of Bajor, particularly the Battle of Tempasa. Meditating to the prophets, his higher mind self beats the living hell out of the Ghost of Cardiassian past. Though he’s not the only one having a difficult time, it turns out Ransom’s job of helping a specialist with the extremophile species in this asteroid belt might be more trouble than it is worth. Working with Delta-Beta shift, the titular Upper Decks crew get to show off what haunts them, how they deal with things, and why they are great.

Despite the horror elements, again I’m going to say that this is what the rest of the season was sorely missing in the run-up to this finale we’re about to have. Said finale will be interrupted by Doctor Who’s Christmas special next week. Carrol is busy with being shuffled around like a president as she’s forced to keep a schedule that might clash with something important at the end of the episode, as Ransom teaches the Delta-Beta shifters a very important lesson. Bridge crew can sleep after sneaking in a workout, as long as he doesn’t notice the disguised Clickets from season 1’s “Veritas.”

It turns out even Lower Decks isn’t safe from being referenced to in Lower Decks, if only the rest of the season knew that so we had a more cohesive story for the final season. I know, I said a few episodes ago that the season was written before the cancellation came down, I am just moaning because I’m an old man who’s upset. Speaking of being upset and moaning, Doctor T’ana is being bothered by Nurse Westlake, who is asking to requisition more painkillers.

Being in a mood, Doctor T orders a redoing of the pain chart. Now, I’m not Captain Benjamin Franklin “Hawkeye” Pierce, but I don’t think that’s what a doctor is typically meant to do, especially one in a military position. Nonetheless, she orders Nurse Cheerful to cut her open, spit in her eye, and call her rude names. Here I thought you had to go to special clubs in Germany and pay for that, extra to be sat on and even more to be fondled. Or so I’ve heard.

If all of that sounded unpleasant, Captain Freeman has it much worse. Between some bloke Alien-ing himself in the name of fertility and listening to a Neanderthal child’s tuba recital for 2, I think the point I’d turn the phaser on myself and do a Kurt Cobain is about the time Ltjg Bingston is doing his one-man show. A one-man show with seven literal acts. I think my brains would be on the back wall of that theater by the end of the first act, and you’d know it because I’d announce I was doing it. You’ve got to at least traumatize one person when you go.

The big thing about “Upper Decks” is that not only does it return the Clickets as a villain after the whole map nonsense 4 seasons ago – no, it is about the part of the crew we hardly see as a whole. Sometimes we’ll get an episode with Shax, with Billups, with Carrol, with Ransom, and so on, but never the whole of command in the one story. Tawny, Jack, Noël, and Eugene (that the first time I’ve used the actor’s names?) are in the episode, but not for more than a few minutes.

If this was the type of episode we knew we were getting, especially 4-5 episodes ago, I’d have put it earlier in the season. “A Farewell to Farms” did something different, “Starbase 80?!” was again a touch refreshing, “Fully Dilated” was a lot more memorable than even last season, and “Upper Decks” is completely unique in the realm of Lower Decks. It’s not perfect, the writing doesn’t feel as memorable, but it certainly is something different from what we’re used to. Different by doing exactly what other Star Trek does, focusing on the bridge crew.

The resolution — don’t worry ,I’m not looking to spoil anything — is a bit Doctor Who. Very much “I name you Carrionite,” or, if you’re older than dust itself, something about the Candyman. Not Sammy Davis Jr. It works, it does what it needs to, but it is very much the through-line I’m pulling as a viewer, and given Crawford’s last episode being a play on British TV, I wouldn’t be surprised if that was intentional. Though I do like Shax waking from his meditative state, looking at the crippled Clickets he beat, and immediately feeling regret for such harm.

Ultimately, “Upper Decks” is the type of episode I was expecting to see in season 5 before we ended, though I would have liked it much sooner. Not as breezy or memorable as last time out with “Fully Dilated,” but certainly not something we’ve seen from Lower Decks up and to this point. The final moments with Carrol are the best thing we’ve had in long-term storytelling in Lower Decks in a long while. Maybe I’m high on watching three episodes back-to-back for our break, but this back-half of Lower Decks‘ 5th season has been far more enjoyable than its first half.

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Lower Decks "Upper Decks"

8

Score

8.0/10

Pros

• Doctor T's deadly one-liner.
• Such a refreshing episode in a season of filler.
• That final moment with Carrol.

Cons

• Very little that's visually interesting.