We’ve got another girls’ trip on deck in Star Trek: Lower Decks season 5 episode 7 “Fully Dilated!” And no, it’s not that kind of fully dilated. We’ve got a planet where time passes differently! We have a big SURPRISE guest star! AND we have ostentatiously garnished micheladas. Grab a napkin, maybe a towel, and possibly a wet wipe or five; this is a Star Trek episode you won’t want to miss. There is a lot to clean up in my review of Star Trek: Lower Decks season 5 episode 7 “Fully Dilated.”
Girls’ Trip!
Star Trek: Lower Decks season 5 episode 7 “Fully Dilated” gives me something I adore in my Star Trek—a girls’ trip! If you read my review last season of Star Trek: Lower Decks season 4 episode 4 “Something Borrowed, Something Green” then you know just how much I love a girls’ trip, especially when I get to go on one with my girls Mariner, T’Lyn, and Tendi. However, this is a really odd girls’ trip, one where our gals are on a covert mission to a pre-warp society. That being said, being trapped on this planet like this is the Star Trek equivalent of being stuck at an airport. It’s definitely a “Carbon Creek” situation that Mariner wants to turn into a “The Inner Light” situation. There’s a lot more Star Trek being referenced in this episode than these. More on that later.
Competition vs. Collaboration
Instead of the usual positive atmosphere surrounding a girls’ trip, there’s some tension. Tendi and T’Lyn are both up for promotion to senior science officer. T’Lyn isn’t registering the tension, but Tendi is. And Tendi is rarely anything but self-confident. T’Lyn is brilliant and will give Tendi good competition, and she knows it. I don’t blame her for feeling intimidated. However, as she points out, it’s her time on Orion talking. Coming from a competitive culture to one of collaboration is a big adjustment. That’s not to say healthy competition doesn’t exist in Starfleet, but it is uncharacteristic of Tendi to be competitive in this way. I’m glad they worked out their differences and that they can both be co-chief science officer! I don’t think that’s ever happened in Starfleet before. It will be fun to watch them work together.
MORE: Here are our reviews of Star Trek: Lower Decks Season 5 Episode 1, Episode 2, Episode 3, Episode 4, Episode 5, and Episode 6!
Time’s Arrow
Did I have Mr. Data on my Lower Decks bingo card? No, I sure didn’t. Star Trek: Lower Decks season 5 episode 7 “Fully Dilated” is full of surprises. It’s been amazing to have all of these wonderful cameo appearances from legacy Trek actors. Still, I know Mr. Data, even if he’s the head of Purple Alternate Universe Mr. Data, is really special for Mike McMahan. When I interviewed him for Fangirlish a couple of years ago, Mike told me that he believed Data and Geordi to be the heart of Star Trek: The Next Generation. We have this appearance, plus Data saying that he needed to get home to Geordi, his best friend warmed my heart with its wholesomeness.
This iteration of Data feels so much like the prime universe Data that it was like literally having an old friend back, you know, aside from that old friend being purple and body-less. Watching Mariner fangirl over him was an absolute treat as well. We’d all go back for Geordi too.
If You like Ostentatious Micheladas…
…and cleaning up the transporter room panel, then you should reevaluate your life choices. But Star Trek: Lower Decks season 5 episode 7 “Fully Dilated” has Boimler and Rutherford cleaning up a very serious mess. I try to respect the rules regarding food and drink in places where we’re not supposed to have such things, but gosh, this episode is a stark reminder of why those rules exist! While hilarious in the cleanup, that mistake stranded our gals for a year on that planet! Not cool, guys! As T’Lyn says, “You do indeed owe us big time.”
The lines between Boimler and Rutherford made me laugh harder than just about anything else in the episode. “This thing tastes like Lundy smells!” “In the time it took you to say that they’ve been there a month! In the time it took me to say that, they’ve been there another month! Ahhhhhhhhh!” It’s so silly and so fun. Moral of the story: ostentatious micheladas are the bane of the transporter room’s existence.
Final Thoughts
It’s official! Star Trek: Lower Decks season 5 episode 7 “Fully Dilated” has dethroned “Of Gods and Angles” as my favorite episode this season. The double entendres in this episode are so silly and yet so on-brand for the show, you can’t help but laugh. What’s funnier is that it’s the gals making these statements in complete naïveté. Mariner’s “I wonder if the carpets match the hull,” and Tendi going on about T’Lyn’s giant melons, it was all I could do to hold myself together.
It’s hard to beat a girls’ trip, in my opinion. This episode has the dialogue, the competition and camaraderie of Tendi and T’Lyn, Mariner’s lovable rogue antics, and purple Mr. Data. Sold.
If I have a complaint, it’s a repeat of what I’ve said before—we don’t have enough connective tissue with this overarching space fissure problem. Sure we keep running into fissure-related issues, but there’s nothing deeper than that so far. Do you have any theories on this matter? Sound off in the comments.
Finally, before I wrap, I’ve gotta say that I’ve never had a crush on a cartoon character before, gosh, bearded Rutherford, even if it’s just a stubble beard, is absurdly hot. Goodness gracious.
What do you think of Star Trek: Lower Decks season 5 episode 7 “Fully Dilated?” Leave me a comment and let’s talk Trek.
The next episode of Star Trek: Lower Decks will air on December 5, 2024, on Paramount+.
