Episode Discussion | Star Trek: Lower Decks | 4x01 "Twovix" and 4x02 "I Have No Bones Yet I Must Flee"

"Twovix" loglineThe Cerritos ensigns must assist a caretaker on the voyage of a historically significant starship.

Written by: Mike McMahan

Directed by: Barry J. Kelly & Jason Zurek

"I Have No Bones Yet I Must Flee" loglineMariner tries to get demoted, Rutherford tries to get promoted, and Boimler makes a big move.

Written by: Aaron Burdette

Directed by: Megan Lloyd

Nmyownworld ,
@Nmyownworld@startrek.website avatar

I’m late to the party.

“Twovix.” Love it. From Jack’s advice to Shax at the start through the end, I enjoy this episode. Voyager becoming a museum was a great way to cram a lot of VOY escapades into an episode. I’m going to miss Mariner’s, Boimler’s, Tendi’s, and Rutherford’s time together in their hallway bunks, but the promotions are well deserved and bound to happen. I think T’Lyn is a great addition. The ending though, oh, no. Not Ma’ah and the Che’Ta’! I’m betting their demise (seeming? seems likely?) is because of William Boimler or Badgey. Maybe both of them. Keep in mind I’m terrible at guessing.

“I Have No Bones Yet I Must Flee.” Also love it. First and foremost, yes, I, a grown woman, want a Moopsy plush. Preferably one that says, “moopsy.” I was wondering if Mariner’s being promoted would go smoothly, and I was not disappointed with how it played out. For all his goofiness, I think Ransom is a great commanding officer. I’m pretty meh on the potential of Rutherford and Livik being adversaries. It seems out of character for Rutherford. But, LD continues to pleasantly surprise me, so I’m keeping an open mind. Boimler’s tribulations with his new quarters were funny, and very Boimler. With what happened to the Romulan ship at the beginning of the episode, I’m wondering if the whatever it is will take out a different ship every episode this season.

Sniffy ,

The big blob of merged people was so disturbing, glad this was in a cartoon and not live action. That would have been extra horrifying!

Tired8281 ,

Where can I get Moopsy as a ringtone for my phone?

simonzerafa ,
@simonzerafa@infosec.exchange avatar

@Tired8281 @ValueSubtracted

Here's a video clip with the Moopsy. Maybe extract the sounds yo need as a .MP3 ? 🙂

Spoiler and Content Alerts for Season 4 Episode 2:

https://youtu.be/-1ccXD2nieE?si=EGU8XMhOJX5gHsf2

Tired8281 ,

Dang it, now I need an MP3 editor for my Chromebook. Thanks!

danielquinn ,
@danielquinn@lemmy.ca avatar

Here you go!

PorthosAteMyCheese ,

Legend!

Tired8281 ,

Now my phone is complete! TYSM!

williams_482 ,
@williams_482@startrek.website avatar

So why did Boimler’s between-the-holodecks room have the (embarrassing) events of both adjacent holodecks reverberating through it? One of the core capabilities of a holodeck is the ability to manipulate where sounds appear to be coming from, which must include the ability to dampen sounds enormously. And if that technology exists, it should likely be available for ordinary walls between quarters too.

Is this just another case of Boimler not realizing that basic niceties (like viewscreen light filters) exist? And did both Freeman and T’Ana disable the audio dampening of their own holodecks?

Osa-Eris-Xero512 ,

It could just be that the holodeck noise dampening isn't working today, and sleep deprived Boimler doesn't think to just call engineering to go fix it?

LaggyKar ,
@LaggyKar@programming.dev avatar

Or he didn’t realize he needed to activate it, just like window shading

crazycanadianloon ,

It probably boils down to Boimler being a sad sack who still isn’t confident enough to stand up for himself.

FormerGameDev ,

It’s a California class. Low budget. :D

StillPaisleyCat ,
@StillPaisleyCat@startrek.website avatar

Some thoughts after sleeping on it…

— I found the 4 x 01 Twovix the best season premiere yet.

All the premieres seem callback and Easter egg heavy. Making this one a museum (ship) mishap episode worked that into the story in a natural way and allowed some of the weirdest and trippyest things from Voyager to pike on. Bravo.

While some reviewers have expressed regrets that the original Voyager actors voices weren’t used, I’m glad that the focus stayed on the Cerritos crew, the artifacts and how Voyager remains dangerous wherever she is, even as a literal museum.

I am unhappy that the Klingon lower decker and his ship were sacrificed for the seasonal mystery big bad. It’s clear it’s really dangerous though. (Perhaps the mystery ship is collecting humanoids to take them to another era where they are extinct….?)

It’s also likely the case that I enjoyed the ride of the premiere more for knowing I had another new episode to watch immediately.

— The second episode was mostly a straightforward Lower Decks classic, but one that did its job to move the main 4 lower deckers into their new roles.

We’ll have to see how well it works on rewatch, but the moopsie scenes seem likely to be classics. After the Voyager celebration of weird in the season premiere, it was very smart for Lower Decks to underscore its ability to give us its own very original weirdness, and remind us that humanity are the most dangerous in the menagerie.

I’m glad that they make Rutherford a bit of an odd man out in the promotions. I still feel that he’s a bit of an incomplete person/character because his ambition and drive has been submerged by the implant. I really hope that the writers will keep dribbling out more about that.

NemoWuMing ,

Question about the mysterious ship that destroyed the Klingon and Romulan ships: is it a reference to something that was seen elsewhere or is it something new?

JWBananas ,
@JWBananas@startrek.website avatar

Was it in one of the teasers or something? I swear it looks familiar, particularly the way it flips to fire.

williams_482 ,
@williams_482@startrek.website avatar

My first thought was Slave I from Star Wars, which doesn’t really lend itself to any Trekverse theories.

NemoWuMing ,

It looks familiar to me too. At first I thought about the time traveling shuttle in TNG A Matter of Time, or the tiny ship at the beginning of TNG Conundrum, but it’s not any of those.

ThrowawayInTheYear23 ,

Orville?

JWBananas ,
@JWBananas@startrek.website avatar

If you turn it upside down, it’s definitely a whale.

JWBananas ,
@JWBananas@startrek.website avatar

https://startrek.website/pictrs/image/7d9a26c7-b606-40e1-b580-b3812508f5c8.png

JWBananas ,
@JWBananas@startrek.website avatar

Oh holy hell it’s freaking Mr. Bingle

LibraryLass ,

Looks new to me. If I had to guess it’s whoever picked up Badgey making their move.

NuPNuA ,

I only watched the first of the two last night, but I’m so glad those of us who called Janeway a murderer for what she did to Tuvix are finally validated since most other Starfleet officers seem to agree.

stant ,

I bet we see the Vulcan Lower Decks ship destroyed next. I wonder if Tlyn will find out

JWBananas ,
@JWBananas@startrek.website avatar

Plot twist: the mystery foe won’t expect her shield upgrades, which will save the day. For this, she will be asked back, and she will hAvE tO mAkE a DiFfIcUlT cHoIcE aBoUt HeR fUtUrE.

arod48 ,

Congrats to our four new junior lieutenants, they did in 4 seasons what Harry Kim failed to do in 7.

Rom ,
@Rom@hexbear.net avatar

T’illups using “Tuvix” as a verb was golden.

Also Captain Dr. Frigleeman definitely didn’t awaken anything in me I swear.

nxdefiant ,

That thing had serious mirror universe Emperor Georgiou energy.

Continuumguy ,

Observations and thoughts as I watched (initially posted at the other place):

  • We begin with “Twovix”.
  • Holodeck waste material, AKA jizz, poop, and god knows what else.
  • Oh, hey, T’Lyn!
  • DAT VOYAGER THEME!
  • Oh, hey, the probe from the one with the whales!
  • Neelix cheese!
  • Shit did get freaky.
  • Oh shit, they’re going to Tuvix Billups and T’ana!
  • “Janeway straight-up murdered Tuvix.”
  • MACROVIRUS.
  • The Pike Thing, of course.
  • “Back in the 70s”
  • “Captain, I caution against socializing with the organism.”
  • So many VOY deep cuts.
  • “Holy shit. Janeway didn’t mess around.”
  • Macrovirus of Borg. And robotic warp salamander of Borg.
  • “Water, room temperature.”
  • This is definitely T’Ana’s side of T’Llups.
  • Oh god, they tuvixed the Matt the whale! Wait, what about Kimolu? Is he alright? Is he okay?
  • A Tuvixy meatball!
  • Heh, the real solution to the Tuvix conundrum was just to keep merging until it’s a nonsentient blob of meat so there is no murder, so to speak.
  • Oh god I just realized that we’re going to get so much Tuvixy fanart.
  • Bizarre series of Voyager-themed obstacles.
  • SHE GOT A PIP
  • Beckett Mariner receives the fate worse than death for her: promotion.
  • Nothing ever good happens “somewhere in Klingon space”
  • RIP Klingon lower-deckers.

And now, episode 2:

  • Heh, Romulan lower decks.
  • Goodbye, Romulan lower deckers!
  • Heh, those 80s workout stuff.
  • Oh, cool, Boimler still has his Tom Paris tplate!
  • Please tell me Denty has a Memory Alpha page.
  • The Nacelle is right there!
  • Non-botanicals
  • I have just met Moopsy but I would die for it.
  • Oddly enough, this is the SECOND time this year that a Jack Quaid character looked at a VERY bright light. Shoutout to my boy Richard Feynman, the one man crazy enough to watch a nuclear test without goggles.
  • Okay, I would no longer die for the moopsy.
  • Tucker Tubes! Good old Trip got stuff named for him!
  • The Ad Astra Per Aspera poster!
  • I do feel like Starfleet would have better soundproofing, but then again this is the Cerritos.
  • RIP corn guy.
  • LIVIK!
  • Aww, D’Vana Tendi giving orders.
  • Teeth as bread crumbs.
  • Heh, the humans really are the worst.
  • Hah, he could have just used the viewports.
  • Overall, I think I liked this second episode more, even though I loved the VOY fan service.
JWBananas , (edited )
@JWBananas@startrek.website avatar

Teeth, as bread crumbs

Ransom, his teeth astrew

Later…

Ransom, his teeth anew

crazycanadianloon ,

Hmmm, I wasn’t quite sure about the Futurama reference at first because Bone Vampires/Moopsies aren’t exactly unique types of legendary creatures, but then Ransom said “Turns out humans are the most dangerous” which is a straight up lift from the Scary Door.

NuPNuA ,

It’s the Scary Mirror now.

crazycanadianloon ,

Scary Door

In B4 Piped Bot: piped.video/watch?v=bH10TsgozG8?si=9i_hCycJwVzm9q…

NuPNuA ,

youtu.be/hgAci77Oh88?si=kPzhv52P4d01slQJ

nxdefiant ,

I wish I could ask the writers if the holodeck scene was a direct call-out to the old something awful blue stripes series

www.somethingawful.com/news/blue-stripe-life-4/

UESPA_Sputnik ,
@UESPA_Sputnik@feddit.de avatar

I grinned like an idiot throughout the first episode because of all the Voyager callbacks but I got the biggest laugh in the second episode when Boimler goes to his new quaters and the room is bright red because of the glowing nacelle. I had to pause because I was laughing so much. For the past ~30 years I always wondered what crew quarters which face towards the nacelles were like. Thank you, Lower Decks.

CeruleanRuin ,

Shax could have just told him about the built-in filters on the windows, but he secretly wanted someone to hear his holodeck “adventures” with T’Ana. It was a cry for help.

teft , (edited )
@teft@startrek.website avatar

Shaxs probably assumed he would lower the blast shields like a normal person.

JWBananas ,
@JWBananas@startrek.website avatar

I’m sorry Brad, I’m afraid I can’t do that.

FordBeeblebrox , (edited )

youtu.be/CztF7l7FIqg?si=d-1Mrmtf0E1SKioC

It’s not exactly unheard of technology. Boimler the nerd doesn’t know about solar radiation? The windows are not straight up glass

JWBananas ,
@JWBananas@startrek.website avatar

Have you ever tried to think critically while your senses are being completely over-stimulated?

CeruleanRuin ,

That describes Boimler’s normal state even without the extra photons.

JWBananas ,
@JWBananas@startrek.website avatar

Veneers? Really?

Worf can get a new spine but they can’t regrow some teeth?

Hypersapien ,

In fairness, the new spine nearly killed him.

teft ,
@teft@startrek.website avatar

https://startrek.website/pictrs/image/5b65a895-82ab-49ed-9df6-fc1a385a8d1b.png

JWBananas ,
@JWBananas@startrek.website avatar

Thanks, I hate it.

StillPaisleyCat ,
@StillPaisleyCat@startrek.website avatar

I really hope this isn’t a permanent change. But with Lower Decks, who knows?

JWBananas ,
@JWBananas@startrek.website avatar

In true Voyager style, the ship teeth will be fine in the next episode.

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