“The Best Exotic Nanite Hotel” is a classic comedy of misunderstanding; Star Trek: Lower Decks S5E3

As a Star Trek enthusiast who’s spent countless hours navigating the galaxy of fandom since I was knee-high to a Klingon, let me say that this episode of Lower Decks truly resonated with me. The third installment of Season 5, “The Best Exotic Nanite Hotel,” was a delightful blend of humor and heartfelt character development that echoed my own experiences in life and love.

As a diehard fan, I’ve got to say that the third episode of Star Trek: Lower Decks Season 5, titled “The Best Exotic Nanite Hotel,” proved to be quite an enjoyable watch, even though it didn’t initially seem spooky upon its release on October 31. But fear not, for this episode offers a unique blend of classic Star Trek dilemmas and two interwoven plots that explore themes of assumptions and misunderstandings in a captivating way.

Episode summary

In this installment, Starship USS Cerritos finds itself at the colossal space liner, the Cosmic Duchess. Their main objective here is assisting with the errant nanites that have overrun the vessel. Tendi has seamlessly reconnected with his Lower Deck colleagues, and they’re all eager to pitch in with the nanite issue, while Mariner is devising a list of fun activities she intends to enjoy onboard the Cosmic Duchess.

As the Lower Deckers prepare to set sail, their crew undergoes a minor shift. Boimler gets summoned by Commander Ransom for a covert operation aimed at tracking down Admiral Milius, who has mysteriously vanished. Meanwhile, the remainder of the team welcomes Jennifer Sh’reyan, Mariner’s former Andorian girlfriend, who appears to believe that they are still romantically involved.

On the Cosmic Duchess, Mariner and Boimler find themselves preoccupied with their tasks at hand. Mariner is torn over her feelings for Jennifer and refuses to heed the counsel of her friends, who suggest she merely discuss her concerns directly with Jennifer. However, even the wise words from T’Lyn, a Vulcan, fall on deaf ears as Mariner remains stubborn in her silence.

Assumptions are anathema to communication.

While Boimler grapples with his own communication hurdles regarding Commander Ransom, it’s due to the assumption he holds – believing that Ransom is using him as a sort of protective barrier or bodyguard, a notion that stems from another crew member who sustained severe injuries, claiming this was Ransom’s practice with junior officers during away missions.

Following a string of mishaps, Boimler and Mariner eventually iron out their differences by engaging in open communication. Boimler discovers that Ransom valued him due to his reliability and thorough preparation as an officer. Meanwhile, Mariner finds out that Jennifer was aware they weren’t dating anymore and had been teasing her because they hadn’t discussed the matter directly.

In a similar fashion, they both accomplish their tasks successfully. The nanites lose their ability when T’Lyn plays the vibe tubes of Krog on the Rocks, her preferred musician. At this moment, the team encounters the miniature USS Endeavor, a vessel from a smaller-scale alternate reality. Concurrently, Admiral Milius resumes Starfleet duties to aid the Endeavor in its journey back home.

Memorable moments

In this captivating installment, I found myself chuckling at several delightful instances that seemed straight out of a comic strip. Some of these memorable scenes involved character development, while others cleverly paid homage to past Star Trek episodes and even other films.

• Admiral Milius’s reveal is remeniscent of the reveal of Colonel Kurtz—a renegade officer—in the 1979 film Apocalypse Now.
• T’Lyn’s fandom for Krog on the Rocks in this episode. In particular, when Tendi gives T’Lyn an autographed picture, and T’Lyn comments that there is no logic in an autograph, but then also says that she will keep it in her quarters, to “study handwriting.”
• The USS Endeavor is an Intrepid-class starship, like the USS Voyager. The captain also mentions a “month of hell,” likely referencing the two-part “Year of Hell” episode of Star Trek: Voyager.

Thoughts on the episode

Although I’ll concede that the initial two episodes of this season seemed quite uneventful, this one was considerably more engaging. The complex situations involving nanites and the rogue admiral took a step back to make way for character-driven storylines, but this wasn’t problematic because it was the intriguing character dynamics that truly shone in this episode.

I am a bit wary of the fact this is our second encounter with a multiverse this season. As Chad Porto pointed out last week, multiverse stories are not new to Star Trek, but they can also become tedious. Given that this is the final season of Lower Decks, I’d rather we spend time with “our” Lower Deckers than get bogged down in alternate versions.

In summary, the multiverse took a backseat in this episode, but it was still enjoyable. The two storylines worked well together, maintaining a consistent lighthearted feel and ensuring an even distribution of character development. Notably, T’Lyn played a crucial role and provided several humorous instances. As a fan of T’Lyn, I found the outcome satisfying!

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2024-11-02 03:23