Star Trek: Lower Decks disappoints in “Trusted Sources”

Good news arrives on the USS Cerritos: Captain Freeman’s Swing By program, an initiative to revisit planetary civilizations since their first discovery, has been given the green light by the Federation. However, the surprise inclusion of a reporter to tag along on the program’s first missions adds a great deal of stress to the outing. All this and more in the new episode of Star Trek: Lower Decks, “Trusted Sources.”

Credit where credit is due: I like the premise of the episode. The Swing By program is such a no brainer that I would had hoped such a program already existed, but better late than never, I suppose.

For their first Swing By mission, the Cerritos is sent to visit the Ornarans and Brekkians, the alien beings first met by Picard in (arguably) the best generation of Star Trek: The Next Generation season 1, “Symbiosis.” However, although we get a funny encounter with the Ornarans, the episode doesn’t get into their current circumstances at all. The involvement of the Ornarans and Brekkians is more of a cute wink to longtime fans than something this new show wanted to expand on. In fact, I think the episode would have done better to make up a new species for the Cerritos crew to visit, because by bringing up Picard and TNG, it made me remember the high standards of conduct and ethics that the Enterprise and the Federation are supposed to uphold, and how no one on the Lower Decks crew measures up.

Star Trek: Lower Decks is out of step with the franchise in “Trusted Sources”

For example: after paying the Ornarans a visit and learning that they are doing just fine, Captain Freeman learns that the Swing By program will be cut unless it can provide a good story for the reporter, so they go go visit Brekka in hopes it will be worse off. I just can’t help just find this story contrived as hell, as it could only be happening in a universe far removed from Star Trek. Why would the Federation want a disaster at every planet they revisit? Sure, if there is one, they should help, but the Swing By program’s stated goal at the top of the episode is simply to check up on planets since first contact. Whatever state the planets are in, that just sounds like a good idea. And why does the media in the Federation resemble our own sensationalist media? I would hope journalistic practices would be better in the utopian future of Star Trek, but apparently they’re just as bad. Imagine Tucker Carlson existing in this ideal future.

Anyway, because this reporter character has to be given the five-star treatment, Captain Freeman attempts to keep her daughter and the rest of the LD crew from interacting with her. (Although in one scene she literally walks the reporter right to Mariner’s bunk area. Okay.) It all climaxes when we learn that Mariner has talked to the reporter secretly. Afterwards, the reporter publishes a hit piece on Captain Freeman. Assuming it was Mariner who said all the awful stuff about the Cerritos, Freeman ships her off to Starbase 80.

So first off, it is obvious from the start that Mariner wasn’t the one who talked shit on the Cerritos. (Why would she? She likes being there and doesn’t hide that fact, I would think Freeman knows that). Second of all, I’m sorry, but if this was TNG, Picard would have never have made a decision to do anything about Mariner until he knew for a fact Mariner was the one who said those things. In this episode, Freeman makes an assumption, which is really poor form for a Starfleet Captain.

I get it. The writers want this emotional dip before the finale next week, and in any other universe, this story would work. However, in the context of the Star Trek universe, I can’t help but shake my head. This is a fine episode if you’ve only ever watched Star Trek: Lower Decks, but for the hardcore Trekkies, this is a mixed bag.

Grade: C

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