Star Trek: Lower Decks season 4 finale review, “Old Friends, New Planets”

Nick Locarno from Star Trek: The Next Generation…remember him? If you don’t, the short version is that before Tom Paris was Tom Paris, he was a hot-shot Starfleet Academy pilot. Nick convinced his friends (“Nova Squadron”) to attempt a dangerous maneuver (the Kolvoord Starburst) in a flight show at graduation. He promised them equal shares of applause when they pulled it off, but really his only concern was his own personal glory. Long story short, things didn’t go well and someone died. Nick took responsibility (after failing to cover things up), and was expelled from the Academy.

But that was TNG Nick Locarno, a well-meaning (if short sighted) kid. Now TLD Locarno is an adult with a chip on his shoulder and a problem with authority. Throughout this season of Lower Decks, Nick has been building up his own personal “Nova Fleet,” a collection of non-federation ships along with officers he was able to convince to mutiny against their captains. Nick hopes to use his fleet, along with Mariner and the black-market Genesis Device he captured from the Ferengi, to overtake Starfleet.

It’s not a great plan. Nick really just wants to encourage everyone else in the quadrant to rebel against whatever authority they serve under and to join his little fleet of anarchists. “Anarchist” is probably too strong of a word for “ego can’t handle even the suggestion of following orders.”

Anarchist idiots vs idiots who believe in teamwork

Predictably, the Federation doesn’t want to risk a war with any of the races who were conscripted into the Nova fleet, so it’s up to Captain Freeman and the Cerritos to mount a rescue. The entire crew affirms they’re willing to go on the mission. The irony is that Locarno complains about being given dangerous commands by the powers that be, but the Federation politicians urge caution. Instead it’s the captain who makes the dangerous order, with the full informed consent of her crew.

Locarno is protected by an impenetrable shield. Mariner makes the first move: calling him an idiot in front of the entire quadrant and stealing his doomsday device. Tendi convinces her sister D’Erica to loan them a ship to destroy the shield. Rutherford gets the borrowed ship working (with a bit of help from a Twain-ed Livik). Boimler gets his turn in the captain’s seat and throws the Orion ship at the shield.

This episode is all about the superiority of teamwork. Locarno’s loose collection of self-interested idiots are no match for the Cerritos’ tight collection of team-working idiots. All of the participants in Nova fleet think they’re working only for themselves and are unwilling to take orders; in the end it’s down to Locarno vs Mariner. The two might both have said similar things about inept officers who send their crews to their deaths, but the two could not be more different. As Mariner points out, she never fired a shot at the other Nova fleet ships, but it was still Nick’s plan that put them all in danger.

The non-Federation ships all scatter at the first sign of shield-penetration. Locarno’s ego leads him to believe he can disarm the Genesis Device. He gets blown up. The Cerritos crew is all re-united and ready to celebrate, until the Orions come to collect on their bargain: taking D’Vana, Mistress of the Winter Constellations, back to Orion. A sad note for the end of the season, but it seems like she might have a plan.

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