Star Trek: Lower Decks throws away its solid, its penchant for tons of Easter eggs, and winds up with its finest episode possibly ever.

Going again to Deep Space Nine is sort of an automated slam dunk. Sure, one thing would possibly’ve gone unsuitable in final week’s episode, but it surely didn’t. The returning solid is nice. Our solid of regulars is nice. Deep Space Nine, the station, seems to be lovely in animated type. But let’s be trustworthy – most of us long-time Star Trek followers have been going to like “Hear All, Trust Nothing” it doesn’t matter what.

Now, “A Mathematically Perfect Redemption”? Oh, this episode is one other story solely. There aren’t any guardrails right here, no tried and trusted crew to fall again on. All we’ve is a one-off character and a planet stuffed with chicken folks. And not simply any previously one-off character, however a very obnoxious one: Peanut Hamper.

Yes, that’s proper, the bratty Exocomp who left her complete crew to die by the hands of the Pakled is again. Where has she been? And is she a greater individual for her time away? All can be revealed!

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To Boldly Recap

Peanut Hamper floats in area, anticipating the Cerritos and her crew’s demise. Instead, they win the day and escape – abandoning Peanut Hamper within the course of. Oopsie doodle! No must concern. PH actually makes a brand new buddy from some area particles (her title is Sofia) and units to the method of escaping her circumstance. She places collectively a nacelle and prepares to latch herself to it.

But, then, tragedy strikes! Drookmani scavengers seem and PH has to (she does this simply) sacrifice Sofia. Peanut hamper speeds away, slightly quicker than supposed, however manages to (considerably) safely crash land on an M-class planet. The planet is Aereolus and, sure, it’s a planet of chicken folks. In reality, greater than that, it’s a planet the place principally every thing has wings and flies.

Aereolus can also be one thing else – a planet that has by no means heard of the Federation. And which means, at the very least for now, Peanut Hamper has a secure place to relax and never wind up on a penal colony for abandoning her shipmates to die. Lucky for PH, she comes underneath the care of Captorus, the chief of the chicken folks tribe. And whereas Peanut Hamper doesn’t like this backwater rock (or Captorus’ son, Rowduh), she hangs round.

And that’s when issues begin to change.

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A Mathematically Perfect Love Story

Rowduh exhibits Peanut Hamper round despite the fact that the 2 don’t get alongside. Captorus is out of the blue attacked and poisoned by a sky snake, which might be a deadly wound if not for Peanut Hamper’s scientific talents. Not solely does PH save Captorus’ life, she additionally offers medical care to everybody within the village who wants it. And then she ensures that every one the eggs hatch – which could be very uncommon.

All this leads Rowduh to not solely belief Peanut Hamper, however to fall in love along with her. How do they, uh.. make amore? Never you thoughts! Love finds a means! And it finds a solution to a marriage. But not earlier than Rowduh reveals a basic fact about his folks — they was once technologically superior! But know-how led to conflict in order that they gave up every thing to reside that good good cottage core life. And they nonetheless have their spaceships beneath their village.

And wouldn’t it? As Rowduh and Peanut Hamper are about to tie the knot, the Drookmani present up – and so they need these ships! But taking the ships would compromise the village so the Aereor attempt to battle again. Obviously, they’re outmatched. The solely one who can save them is Peanut Hamper. And the one individuals who might help Peanut Hamper are Starfleet.

And so, as she goes off to probably sacrifice herself, Peanut Hamper sends out a misery – and it will get picked up by the Cerritos.

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A Mathematically Perfect Twist

Quite a bit occurs at this level: Peanut Hamper blows up the Drookmani, the Drookmani beam to and take over the Aereor ships, the Cerritos exhibits up, and subsequently will get pounded by the Drookmani. At one level, Peanut Hamper stops serving to and decides she’s carried out. And that leaves Rowduh to take certainly one of his ancestor’s ships and save the day.

Afterward, Peanut Hamper insists this was the plan all alongside. Now the Aereor know they will belief know-how! Peanut Hamper is mendacity, though she does have a plan. The precise plan is to ingratiate herself into the Aereor tradition, assist them, save them, after which use that saving to get again into Starfleet. She is the one who contacts the Drookmani within the first place. And the Drookmani have audio proof to that impact.

In the tip, Peanut Hamper finds herself precisely the place all evil machines wind up – within the basement of the Daystrom Institute. And it’s there that PH meets somebody very fascinating – Agimus. Yes, the identical Jeffrey Coombs voiced evil laptop from final season – and he thinks that he and Peanut Hamper can do splendidly terrible issues collectively. Cue the maniacal laughter. Roll credit.

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To Boldly Review

Star Trek: Lower Decks is on a roll. First, they clarify Rutherford’s emotional backstory, then we see Deep Space Nine for the primary time in a long time, and now we’ve the surprisingly glorious return of Peanut Hamper. And the explanation “A Mathematically Perfect Redemption” is so good could be very easy — it doesn’t depend on tons of Easter eggs. It doesn’t require an encyclopedic data of Star Trek. You barely need to know something about Lower Decks even!

More than that, although, this episode offers us one thing we not often see on Star Trek – an honest-to-badness villain origin story. As a matter of reality, Peanut Hamper may wind up being the very best Star Trek villain since Gul Dukat.

In reality, PH is lots like Dukat. They are each megalomaniacal narcissists, they each faux to care about others despite the fact that they don’t, and so they’ll each do something as much as and together with genocide to get what they need. Neither sees themselves as a villain – at the very least not at first. But Peanut Hamper, like Dukat earlier than her, sees now that her finest path is the one which entails probably the most villainy.

We can’t wait to see extra. Kether Donohue as Peanut Hamper is excellent and it’s bonkers that she doesn’t get prime billing for this episode. This is likely one of the funniest episodes of this present and she or he is a giant a part of why.

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References: Gotta Spot ‘Em All

There usually are not practically as many Easter eggs in “A Mathematically Perfect Redemption” as most episodes of Star Trek: Lower Decks this season, however there are nonetheless a couple of value noting.

Peanut Hamper wonders if Starfleet forgot to scan for non-organic life – they neglect to try this on a regular basis. Peanut Hamper mentions desirous to run away to be a Dabo woman. Doctor Migleemo has a seat subsequent to Captain Freeman identical to Troi does with Picard on the Enterprise-D. JD Hertzler voices one of many Drookmani – he’s a Trek actor finest recognized for taking part in Martok on DS9.

Peanut Hamper repeatedly refers to “the needs of the many being greater than the needs of the few” which is a Wrath of Khan shout-out. She additionally claims she didn’t violate the Prime Directive as a result of the Aereor do have warp functionality. This is much like when Picard encounters the Ba’ku in Star Trek: Insurrection.

However, the weirdest Easter egg of all has nothing to do with Star Trek: Lower Decks however with Kether Donohue who performs Peanut Hamper. PH retains complaining about being caught with chicken folks. As it occurs, Kether Donahue’s different two most up-to-date voice performing roles are on Tuca & Bertie (a present about chicken folks) and a present actually titled Birdgirl. So it’s actually true — Donohue can’t get away from chicken folks!

All in all these episode guidelines. Peanut Hamper, you might be welcome on our televisions any day.

5/5 stars

Lina is a ten+ 12 months leisure journalist veteran whose bylines embrace SYFY Wire, Looper, and Screen Fanatic. She has written comedian scripts for IDW Comics and Zenescope Enetertainment and has written Doctor Who shorts for BBC Worldwide. She is a long-time podcast host and producer who has labored on Who Won the Week, SYFY’s Every Day sequence, and the Amazon podcast Untold Story. She at the moment co-hosts the New York Times beneficial podcast Song vs Song.

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