Featuring lens flare, aspect ratio shifts, and other examples of “cinematic” language, “Crisis Point” marked the first time that Lower Decks seemed to really test the limits of its own format and potential. “ Crisis Point” was the first such example, a story set largely in the holodeck that served as an affectionate parody of the excesses of the Star Trek feature films, underscoring the oft-discussed differences between the franchise as it appears on television and in cinemas. Lower Decks is particularly adept at this sort of storytelling, with each 10-episode season featuring at least one experimental adventure that breaks the usual format of the show and the established language of Star Trek television.
“A Mathematically Perfect Redemption” is a reminder of just how much fun Star Trek can be when the franchise allows itself to take advantage of the vast fictional universe in which it is set. This is stunning, but it is not unprecedented.
The Cerritos doesn’t even show up until the episode’s final act, with most of the episode following Peanut Hamper’s adventures. It didn’t feature the traditional opening credits, instead offering a mournful rendition of Chris Westlake’s score, playing over shots of Peanut Hamper adrift in a field of interstellar debris. “A Mathematically Perfect Redemption” offered a “previously on…” introduction that animated events of “No Small Parts” from Peanut Hamper’s previously unseen perspective. Instead, it told the story of a lost exocomp, Peanut Hamper (Kether Donohue), following the events of season 1 episode “ No Small Parts.” “ A Mathematically Perfect Redemption” eschewed the usual structure of the show, episodic adventures focused on the lives of four junior staff members on the USS Cerritos: Beckett Mariner (Tawny Newsome), Brad Boimler (Jack Quaid), D’Vana Tendi (Noël Wells), and Samanthan Rutherford (Eugene Cordero). This week, Star Trek: Lower Decks went off-format. This discussion of the value of off-format Star Trek contains spoilers for Star Trek: Lower Decks season 3, episode 7, “A Mathematically Perfect Redemption.” There’s also a whole lot of Voyager talk.
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