Star Trek: Lower Decks is back this week with a sexy wellness-based culture, a hunting-based culture, and a new-and-improved, “Bold Boimler.” We’ve got a lot of ground to cover this week so let’s sky-dive into our review of episode 3×02 of Star Trek: Lower Decks, “The Least Dangerous Game.”
Bold Boimler!
Bradward Boimler is surprising us all this week. While I can appreciate his usual posture of wanting to know the logistics and details before making a move, there comes a point where he is too obsessive about it. This obsessiveness puts him in analysis paralysis or worse, keeps him from trying anything that might be slightly out of his comfort zone. That’s not a good place to be, and if we’re looking closely, is something that’s held him back from advancement.
It’s interesting to see where this new, “Bold Boimler” is going to go. It puts him in new scenarios, like a spring ball game, Bajoran dirge choir, and of course, being hunted by K’Ranch. Being hunted by K’Ranch is an interesting thread, as to the best of my knowledge, we’ve never seen Kromsapoids before. I like the “catch & release” idea. That’s better than the Hirogens out in the Delta Quadrant. But overall, it was nice to see Boimler put himself out there.
A Less Than Ideal Tropical Away Mission
The Dulainians remind me of Risa, so of course, we’re in for a fun and relaxing time right? NOPE. This is the part of the episode that grated on me. I get what Ransom is trying to do, by getting Mariner to fall in line and obey orders. But it is WILDLY irresponsible for him to have put Rutherford and Billups in danger like that.
Of course, there’s some humor in the whole, “We offended them by entering a sacred temple without our bellybuttons out!” but I found it frustrating that Ransom was so bent on messing with Mariner that he really put Rutherford and Billups into harm’s way. Mariner was absolutely right to say what she did to Rutherford at the end of the episode. Ransom put him in danger, to begin with, and I’ve gotta say, that’s a bad look for a first officer. I think there needs to be some repercussions for him, but it doesn’t look like he’s going to get them.
Final Thoughts
While this isn’t my favorite episode of Lower Decks, there are a few things I found enjoyable in “The Least Dangerous Game.” I LOVE the D&D spoof of “Bat’leths & Bihnuchs”! As a D&D player, I really appreciate that the Martok simulation is a program. This allows everyone to be a player rather than one person playing as a game master. Also, in the tradition of getting back great legacy characters, I love that they got J. G. Hertzler back to play Martok. He seems to really relish the role here and I LOVE it. Also, I love the “system of checks and balances” that the Dulainians have–being ruled by a volcano (“The Navel of our Planet”), a psychic baby, and a sentient computer. Those are great callbacks to Star Trek: The Original Series, and are always a highlight of the episode.
Free Fallin’
Finally, haters gonna hate, but the skydiving scene is lifted straight from Star Trek (2009) and I’m totally here for it. Like it or not, that film was my introduction to the Star Trek universe and quite literally changed my trajectory as a science fiction fan. I wouldn’t be here writing about Star Trek for you each week on Fangirlish without it. Frankly, without it revitalizing the fandom and bringing in so many new fans, we wouldn’t have all this new Trek today. So, props to Mike McMahan and the gang for putting it in there, giving credit where credit is due.
Speaking of Mike McMahan, I got to talk Trek with him last week. Stay tuned here to Fangirlish for my interview. We had so much to talk about, it will be split into two parts!
What did you think of “The Least Dangerous Game”? Leave me a comment and let’s talk Trek.
The next episode of Star Trek: Lower Decks will air on September 8, 2022, on Paramount+.