The DS9 set was complicated. You had obstructions and levels. Those would need to be replicated with green screen props and they tend to not bother with those. At best you’ll get uncanny valley like the Romulan Bridge in S1 Picard. Works for a specific scene, but isn’t something to dwell in.
It’s easy to imagine if that reality had come to play, we’d get the Tom Paris treatment… but I can’t help but wonder if we might’ve gotten a Captain Brahms.
McMahan confirmed the season plot will come into focus in the next two episodes:
“The finale does. Episode 9 does to a lesser extent. But 10 is like a movie. It’s wonderful.”
I’m guessing either the Cerritos or the Sh’Val is disabled at the end of the next episode, then the remaining ship has to rescue the other in the finalé.
It was nice to see a somewhat T’Ana centered story. Assuming she appears at all, she’s either making out with Shaxs or doing cat things.
Surprised it took so long to meet Levy. It played out as one might expect.
Glad we got some quality time with Delta Shift. We’ve had a few episodes featuring them, but they’re mostly off screen or limited to short exchanges.
As a whole package, I don’t think this episode worked as well as Veritas. There wasn’t a central story tying the four tales together. You could probably cut the hub tale, and possibly Tendi’s turbo lift tale, and not lose anything of value.
The Parliament class we first see in Cupid’s Errant Arrow is 2D illustrations. It’s not until Parth Ferengi’s Heart Place that we get a 3D model.
The chaotic battle we see in the opening credits are mixed. The Romulans and Borg are 2D. Starting in S2 we add 3D Clumpships and Birds of Prey. S3 adds 3D Crystalline Entity. S4 adds 3D Breen ship, and 2D Whale Probe.
The Parasite scene is mixed. The Cerritos is 3D. The Parasite is layered 2D giving the illusion of 3D.
Is it extremely powerful though? The ship doesn’t begin its attack until after an inside job has been completed, not unlike in Star Trek: Generations.
You do bring up an interesting point with the lack of Federation ships being attacked. Though the BIA and the Bynar ship throw half a wrench into that idea. Not technically Starfleet, but not unaffiliated either.
My personal suspicion as to why we haven’t seen a Starfleet Vessel being attacked yet is because the Cerritos is ultimately going to be one of its victims… and that’s best saved for the finale. My second guess is that a Parliament ship will be a casualty. We saw a CGI model for the first time in the Ferengi episode, but the CGI models are typically reserved for fan service (Titan, Crystaline Entity, Voyager, DS9, Soverign Class), have a lot of use (Cerritos, Shuttles), or are engaged in combat (Bird of Prey, Sh’Val, Clumpship, Texas Class, Breen Vessel).
Also note the CGI Bird of Prey being added to the LD intro in S2, which foreshadowed the CGI battle in 3 Ships.
The Parliament class, to date, has not really fulfilled any of those roles—which has my attention in a conservation of detail sense.
An odd number of Binars… and we find the missing pair operating a bridge console at the time of the attack.
Certainly fits the profile of the other acts of treachery followed immediately by betrayal.
I have to admit, with the revelation that the ships are all being stolen with fake debris left behind… I’m at a loss as to what the endgame is.
I seriously doubt they’re being salvaged for parts. Lower Decks has already done that with the Pakleds.
The ships don’t really fit a profile. We have the huge vertical warbird to the tiny Orion vessel. The militant Bird of Prey to the sciency Binars.
Only the Orion and Ferengi vessels could be argued as sharing a mission—with their sorting of random weapons. But even if the ship is after weapons, there are better targets.
Taking the crews prisoner seems impractical.
Really, the only things the ships all have in common is a lower decker that is vindictive and gullible enough to commit treachery. But that’s not an objective, that’s a means to an end.
I always headcanoned that Rom was very quickly fired after DS9… but I have to admit this episode did an excellent job conveying that with Leeta at his side, he’s got quite good job security. … and wasn’t that the Sense-Ores admiral?
I liked catching up with Marinier’s Ferengi friend from back in S1. Kinda wish they did a little bit more with that plot.
I tend to feel awkward when I see characters acting awkward… to that extent I had a little trouble getting through Tendi and Rutherford’s story. I like them more when they get to be big nerds—which we admittedly had quite a bit of this episode.
Beyond that… I find it interesting that the Parlament class now has a CGI model. Lower Decks traditionally saves the CGI budget for ships that get into combat or major fan service. The Parlament vessel doesn’t really qualify for either in this episode. I wonder if it’s going to be a casualty of the mystery ship later in the season.
Also, did I hear right that the Ferengi Lower Decker was in communication with the mysterious vessel?
