Warning: SPOILERS for the Star Trek: Decrease Decks episode “Totally Dilated” are forward!
In only a few weeks, Star Trek: Decrease Decks will conclude on the 2024 TV schedule after a five-season run. However there are nonetheless some thrilling issues to sit up for earlier than the grand finale, like seeing Voyager’s Harry Kim meet the crew of the USS Cerritos. In the present day’s episode, nevertheless, introduced a pleasing shock within the type of Brent Spiner reprising Subsequent Technology favourite Information, albeit a Information from a universe the place the colour purple is much more distinguished. Forward of the episode’s premiere to Paramount+ subscription holders, I spoke to supervising producer Barry Kelly in regards to the story behind together with Information in “Totally Dilated”, in addition to how this episode delivered a “nice supervision” homage for the Subsequent Technology episode “The Interior Mild”.
Why Information Was A Good Match For This Decrease Decks Episode
“Totally Dilated” noticed Mariner, Tendi and T’Lyn visiting Dilmer III, a preindustrial planet the place time passes considerably extra rapidly, similar to the planet from the Voyager episode “Blink of an Eye”. The trio needed to beam right down to the floor as a result of a purple Enterprise-D ended up within the Prime Universe whereas battling some evil clones of Tasha Yar, they usually by accident left behind a chunk of Starfleet expertise on that world. It ended up being the top of the purple universe’s Information. Tendi was later capable of create an electrical generator to show Information again on, and he turned her confidant for the remainder of their time on Dilmer III. Right here’s what Kelly informed be about Information’s inclusion after we started our dialog:
I feel it is such a basic, good trick set-up. They’re on one other planet in disguise, there is a man on the planet who is aware of that they are not purported to be there. It is such an ideal observe set-up that you just want that one wow second, like, ‘Holy crap, there is a massive shock on there and it is Information.’ It’s a manner that we will have enjoyable with this complete multiverse throughline, subverted a little bit bit and have a Information that we make enjoyable with, we do not actually make enjoyable of Information however it’s not canon Information. It is one which possibly Generations hasn’t occurred but, so now we have the Information that has all of the expertise that everyone knows from TNG. He can name again to issues that we all know, after which our characters already know what occurred as a result of it is in logs and the Enterprise has already moved on to the E. So it is all their historical past that they are their very own Star Trek nerds they usually can all fan out about.
Though Barry Kelly’s want to have Information and Geordi LaForge paired collectively on Decrease Decks by no means got here to fruition, a minimum of the previous discovered his manner in. It’s additionally necessary to be aware of how the producer talked about that purple Information comes from his universe’s Enterprise-D, imply he additionally comes from the previous and hasn’t had the identical experiences that the primary universe’s Information had from Generations onward. That’s definitely evident from purple Information’s lack of an emotion chip, however that additionally allowed for a return of types of the Information from the Star Trek days.
How Decrease Decks Performed With The Premise Of “The Interior Mild”
On account of Boimler and Rutherford by accident spilling their micheladas on the transporter console and taking a minute to wash up the mess, Mariner, Tendi and T’Lyn spent a yr from their perspective on Dilmer III. Initially pissed off by being caught on the world, Mariner determined to do her personal model of “The Interior Mild”, the Subsequent Technology episode the place Jean-Luc Picard skilled 40 years residing the lifetime of a long-dead alien throughout the span of simply 25 minutes in actual life. With reference to Decrease Decks placing its personal spin on this basic episode, Barry Kelly informed me this:
What’s good is like I simply stated, it is all in logs. So our decrease deckers, similar to we do, know what occurs to Picard… They know the tropes, it is sort of like rigmarole to them that they’ll a planet, they’re gonna be undercover, and that they are gonna be caught there for a very long time, and Mariner… she needs to do her personal “Interior Mild”. The Decrease Decks model is all of it goes terribly incorrect. She will get imprisoned a number of instances, is aware of the jailers, they’re all buddies. What does she say? ‘Any good rats whereas I used to be away?’ But it surely’s an ideal subversion on it as a result of she’s attempting to do all of the issues Picard did and simply failing at it miserably. After which on the similar time, Tendi and T’Lyn are simply having a great competitors between one another to be science officer. Tendi learns and goes all loopy and batshit with Information earlier than even we’re studying that T’Lyn is not even the competitors along with her anymore.
Mariner tried her greatest to duplicate Picard’s expertise in a extra condensed timeframe, however every try to ingratiate herself into the neighborhood led to her being thrown in jail. It was a comical twist on “The Interior Mild,” and like Picard, Mariner got here away from the expertise along with her personal flute. That one, nevertheless, is made from cleaning soap, and she or he can’t play it effectively… in any respect. Traditional Decrease Decks shenanigans.
The ultimate episode of Star Trek: Decrease Decks drop Thursdays at Paramount+. The upcoming Star Trek TV reveals embody Stranger New Worlds Season 3 and Starfleet Academy, and the streaming-exclusive film Part 31 premieres January 24.