Canon Connections: Lower Decks 4x05 - Empathological Fallacies

• Captain Sokel and the VCF Sh’vhal were both introduced in “wej Duj” the same episode in which we first saw T’Lyn.

• This is the first time the prefix VCF has been applied to a ship. Presumably it is Vulcan specific.

• The Betazoid diplomats the USS Cerritos is ferrying spent three weeks on Angel I, a planet with a matriarchal society introduced in the episode Angel One.

• The diplomats’ whalebones have labels that read ”Angel 1” in front of a flower-like emblem that was seen on the surface of Angel I.

• When the USS Enterprise D visited Angel I in “Angel One”, Data described their technological development as being similar to that of mid-20th century Earth. It’s never explicitly stated that they’re pre-warp, though. The Federation considered it important to maintain excellent diplomatic relations with the planet.

• The Cerritos is taking the diplomats to Risa, a ”pleasure planet” first introduced in “Captain’s Holiday”. It’s a popular destination for Starfleet officers engaging in sex tourism.

• We learn that ancient Catians used to hunt ancient Betazoids for food.

• Katrot has a cap that reads, *”It’s Romulan ale o’clock somewhere,” which she purchased from a woman on Angel I. Romulan ale was introduced in “Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan”, and is illegal in the Federation. Of course, Angel I is not a Federation world, and it is very close to the Romulan neutral zone.

• In her personal correspondence to Sokel, T’Lyn makes note of her ”chaotic tendencies” and ”punishment,” both of which were plot points in “wej Duj”; Sokel recommended T’Lyn be reassigned to a Starfleet due to her inability to control her emotions.

• ”I know you don’t drink, but there’s going to be a chocolate fountain if you want to get wild.” It has become a bit of fan canon that Vulcans become intoxicated consuming chocolate, though it’s not actually supported by anything we’ve seen on screen.

• Vulcans do drink, however, despite Spock’s claim that they don’t experience the ”dubious benefits” of alcohol. Spock drinks in “The Enterprise Incident”, “Requiem for Methuselah”, and “The Broken Circle”. Sakonna drinks Bajoran spring wine and we learn that there’s a Vulcan port in “The Maquis, Part I”, which is where people think Quark offers Sakonna chocolate, but does not actually happen in the episode. Tuvok and Chakotay share some Vulcan brandy in “Repression”. And, of course, the Vulcans who made official first contact with Earth drank with Zefram Cochrane in “Star Trek: First Contact”.

• T’Lyn has a painting on her wall depicting a large statue carrying a lirpa. The painting is based on a matte painting of Vulcan made for “Star Trek: The Motion Picture”.

• Boimler is quizzing himself on the names of everyone aboard the Cerritos, and we find out the blue woman with barbels is named Sleepy Merp, making her the third named Merp on the ship, along with Big Merp and adjectiveless Merp, and I have several questions.

• Boimler does say he’s trying to remember ”every single crew member’s name,” but one of the people in his quiz is Honus the bartender.

• ”This crew is always weird and yelling.” T’Lyn has summed out three and a half seasons of “Star Trek: Lower Decks” in a single sentence.

• Boimler asks Shaxs if he’s going to learn tsunkatse, a popular bloodsport on the planet Norcadia Prime in the Delta Quadrant that Seven of Nine was press ganged into participating in, in the episode “Tusnkatse”.

• The Bear Pack engages in activities related other security officers in or related to Starfleet.

• Haubold shares her slam poetry about Worf, who became chief of security aboard the Enterprise D after Yar’s death in “Skin of Evil”.

• Kayshon uses charades to depict constable Odo, the security chief on Deep Space 9, introduced in “Emissary”.

• T’Lyn proposes that Zanthi fever could be affected the Betazoids, which would then cause the crew’s increased emotional instability. In “Fascination” Lawaxana Troi’s Zanthi fever affected several of the people aboard Deep Space 9.

• This is the first time we’ve learned ensign Haubold’s name, despite her being a background character since the series premiere, “Second Contact”.

• Shaxs’ ritual box is not the same as the containers holding the Tears of the Prophets, but it shares many of the same elements.

• Shaxs’ puzzle depicts captain Malcolm Reed and the NX-01 Enterprise.

• Shaxs’ Bajoran tarot deck has art based on the Rider-Waite deck, and features several Bajor specific cards:

• Celestial Temple i.e. Bajoran Wormhole

• Orbs - This card is based on the Ten of Pentacles and depicts ten orbs; originally it was believed there were only nine Tears of the Prophets, but Captain Sisko discovered the Orb of the Emissary in “Shadows and Symbols”; because not all the orbs have been named on screen, with books, comics, and video games we have names for 16 different orbs.

• Invasion - A Bajoran in a field with a sword, facing down what I believe we can assume to be a Cardassian based on the legs and boots.

• Derna - Bajor’s fourth moon, seen in “Image in the Sand”

• The Emissary - The cars is based on The Magician; we see Sisko wearing what appears to be the a hat Winn Adami wore as a vedek, and robes similar to those of Kai Opaka except in white and red.

• Borhya - In “The Next Phase” Ro tells Geordi of the Bajoran spirits of the dead.

• The Betazoid delegates turn out to have been officers of the Betazed Intelligence Agency the whole time.

• The starmap depicting the Cerritos’ proximity to the Neutral Zone also show Romulus, and, notably, the planet Cheron, which was seen in “Let That Be Your Last Battlefield” and was the homeworld of Bele and Lokai.

• The map is a recreation of the one seen in “Balance of Terror”.

• T’Lyn is actually the cause of the emotional outbursts aboard the Cerritos, and she notes that Vulcans can suffer similar afflictions to Zanthi fever such as Bendii syndrome, the same condition which affected Sarek in “Sarek”.

• T’Lyn states that Bendii syndrome ”is mostly observed in the elderly,” and lets Mariner know she is only 62 years old. Sarek was 201 when he became afflicted.

• We learn that Boimler was aboard the Cerritos when he turned 25.

• T’Lyn’s running with ridged arms bent at 90° may have been inspired by Spock’s running in “Star Trek: Into Darkness”.

• “Phasers? Big phasers?” In “Where Pleasant Fountains Lie” when Mariner asked Boimler how the type-3 phaser differed from others, his response was, “They take two hands.”• Big Merp is playing the titular game from “The Game”.

• Steve Stevens and another person are wearing anbo-jyutsu gear introduced in “The Icarus Factor”. According to Kyle Riker, anbo-jyutsu is ”the ultimate evolution of the martial arts.”

• Dolorex gives Cap’n Freeman a Betazoid PADD with an image of the Mysterious Threat on it. The PADD has the emblem previously seen on the Betazoid flag in “The Star Gazer” on it.

• ”Maybe all three of us could go to the pottery shop and throw some clay?” We learned the Cerritos has a pottery room in “wej Duj”.