It’s true: we love the main casts of every Star Trek show. But sometimes, an episode breaks format to bring us the perspective of a different character or cast, with unforgettable results.
For this week’s Trek Tuesday, we’re featuring five franchise episodes that give viewers a different perspective. Did we include your favorite in the mix?
“Lower Decks”
First up is the Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 7 episode “Lower Decks.” For the majority of The Next Generation’s run, Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) and his command crew have held the show’s narrative spotlight. But in “Lower Decks,” a group of Lower Deckers becomes the plot’s focal point.
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True, all of The Next Generation’s usual leads appear in the episode. However, they play smaller roles than usual. Plus, they’re presented in a much different light, especially Picard and William Riker (Jonathan Frakes). The episode draws on a role played by Sito Jaxa (Shannon Fill) in Season 5’s “The First Duty” to add thematic weight to the memorable story.
“Distant Origin”
In Star Trek: Voyager Season 3’s “Distant Origin,” the Delta Quadrant offers up a shocking revelation about Earth’s past. This episode puts the audience into the perspective of Forra Gegen (Henry Woronicz), a Voth scientist who lives in the Delta Quadrant. Gegen discovers human remains left behind by the U.S.S. Voyager. However, this discovery leads to the revelation that the seemingly alien Voth has a surprising connection to humans. Both species originated on the same planet: Earth.
Unfortunately, Gegen’s discovery flies in the face of Voth Doctrine. Soon he has invoked the ire of the Ministry of Elders. In order to prove the validity of his scientific claim, Gegen must locate Voyager. But will any amount of proof be sufficient to convince the skeptical Voths of their true origins?
“Course: Oblivion”
As a series, Voyager loved shifting to unexpected perspectives. Just one additional example is Voyager Season 5’s “Course Oblivion.” What makes this episode unique for our list is the fact that at first, you don’t realize that you’re watching a different cast of characters than you’d normally expect to see.
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However, presumptions are upended when it is revealed that the seemingly familiar characters are actually duplicates created in the Voyager Season 4 episode “Demon.” This occurred when the ship visited a Class Y planet. These duplicates were so precise that they believed they were the originals, and began their own journey to Earth. Unfortunately, where the doppelgängers really need to be traveling is back to their home planet, lest they degrade and disintegrate. Can the duplicate Voyager make it back to the Y class planet in time? Prognosis: negative.
“Carbon Creek”
In Star Trek: Enterprise Season 2’s “Carbon Creek,” Captain Jonathan Archer (Scott Bakula) and Trip Tucker (Connor Trinneer) are joined at the captain’s table by T’Pol (Jolene). This serves as a narrative frame for a story told by T’Pol that reveals Vulcans made First Contact with humans before 2063.
The majority of the episode is comprised of flashbacks of T’Pol’s story. In them, T’Pol’s second foremother, T’Mir (Jolene), is one of three Vulcans who survive their ship crashing in rural Pennsylvania in 1957. Archer and Tucker aren’t fully convinced that T’Pol’s story isn’t a fabrication meant to mislead them. But a final shot suggests that there is indeed validity to the story shared by T’Pol.
“Upper Decks”
Brining this entry of Trek Tuesday full circle is the Star Trek: Lower Decks Season 5 episode “Upper Decks.” While The Next Generation’s “Lower Decks” was an inversion of that series’ status quo, Lower Decks’ core concept is founded on this inversion, with the Lower Deckers serving as the show’s main characters rather than the USS Cerritos command crew. But in the penultimate episode of Lower Decks, Captain Carol Freeman (Dawnn Lewis) and her team take center stage.
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After a brief introduction from our usual Lower Deckers, this episode becomes a sort of Lower Decks version of “22 Short Films About Springfield.” We get to see how Freeman, First Officer Jack Ransom (Jerry O’Connell), Shax (Fred Tatasciore), Kayshon (Carl Tart), Doctor T’Ana (Gillian Vigman), Andy Billups (Paul Scheer) and Doctor Gabers Migleemo (Paul F. Tompkins) spend their day. Plus: we finally learn how Shax injured his eye.
All five of these Star Trek episodes are currently available for streaming on Paramount+.
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