Easter Eggs In 'Star Trek: Lower Decks'
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Star Trek: Lower Decks is the show created by Star Trek geeks for Star Trek geeks. As such, it is always chock full of references and Easter eggs that only the most hardcore fans will notice and appreciate. Season three, even though we’re only two episodes in, doesn’t disappoint. I watched each episode twice, pause button at the ready, to catch all of these.
Episode one is called Grounded. In it, the Cerritos is in space dock while there is an investigation of the captain for destroying the Pakled Planet. Mariner and her friends break a whole lot of rules while trying to prove the Freeman’s innocence. Even though they fail, it all works out in the end.
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Episode one Easter eggs:
They meet at Sisko’s, the same restaurant that Captain Sisko’s father owns and operates throughout Deep Space 9.
In the restaurant, they serve Ketrocel White-Hot sauce. Ketrocel White was the addictive substance that the Founders used to keep the Jem’Hadar enslaved during the Dominion War.
There is a Federation News Network broadcast that has the following headlines:
"Admiral Jellico bans Zebulon Sisters from active-duty starships." Jellico was Picard’s replacement while he was on a top-secret mission. The Zebulon Sisters were a popular band in the Federation.
"Buffalo Solar Knights 'eclipse' London Kings in game 1 of ELDS." The London Kings were a baseball team mentioned in the DS9 episode ‘If Wishes Were Horses’.
"Six-year-old Zakdorn youngest to be crowned Stratagema Grandmaster." Zakdorns are a highly strategic alien species known for their prowess at the game Stratagema. The species and the game were featured in the TNG episode ‘Peak Performance’.
"Country Stampede: a dozen teens injured rushing stage at Sonny Clemonds's concert." Sonny Clemonds was a twentieth-century country singer who was cytogenetically frozen and reanimated by the Enterprise crew in ‘The Neutral Zone’.
Boimler’s family owns a raisin vineyard which is very similar to the Picard family vineyard.
The image of the destroyed Pakled Planet looks the same as the destroyed moon, Praxis II, in the movie Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country.
Captain Freeman thanked Captain Bateson for helping clear her name. Captain Bateson first appeared in the TNG episode ‘Cause and Effect’.
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Episode two is called The Least Dangerous Game. There are two plots in this one. Mariner and Rutherford go on an away mission where things go awry. Meanwhile, back on the ship, Boimler attempts to become “Bold Boimler” and winds up being hunted.
Episode two Easter eggs:
The title of the episode is a reference to the short story ‘The Most Dangerous Game’ about people being hunted.
The gang is playing a tabletop game featuring Klingon chancellor Martok. Boimler describes the game as, “a Ferengi knock-off.” However, the voice of Martok is done by J.G. Hertzler, the same actor who played Martok on DS9.
The aliens featured have a “wellness-based culture”. This is a direct reference to the aliens in the TNG episode ‘Justice’. Both cultures have extreme punishments for seemingly minor offences.
Springball is a Bajoran sport featured in Deep Space 9.
Boimler is hunted by K’ranch, a creature with a need to hunt prey. This is reminiscent of the Hunter in the DS9 episode ‘Captive Pursuit’ and of the Hirogen from Voyager.
The away team got in trouble for entering a sacred shrine without their belly buttons exposed. This is a call back to the time when Gene Roddenberry tried to show a woman’s belly button on screen but was stopped by the network.
The skydiving scene is taken right from JJ Abrams’ 2009 Star Trek.
These two episodes had enough Easter eggs to fill a very large basket. It makes me excited for the rest of the season. Plus, there were enough Deep Space 9 references to keep this old Niner’s heart happy for a while. Until next time, Qapla'!
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Sources: IMDb, Memory Alpha