New Star Trek Episode Fixes 2 Underwhelming Stories From The Next Generation

Star Trek: Lower Decks incorporates countless references to past Star Trek shows, and its latest episode fixes two lackluster plotlines from Star Trek: The Next Generation. Following the adventures of the USS Cerritos and its zany crew, Lower Decks feels like a spiritual successor to TNG in many ways. In Lower Decks season 5, episode 6, "Of Gods and Angles," the Cerritos hosts two warring alien factions. These energy aliens known as the Orbs and the Cubes float around the ship, constantly arguing about every tiny thing.

When one of the cubes goes missing, Lt. Beckett Mariner (Tawny Newsome) teams with the Cerritos' newest crewmember Ensign Olly (Saba Homayoon), who happens to be the demigod grandaughter of Zeus, to solve the mystery. The main storyline in "Of Gods and Angles" is reminiscent of two very similar plotlines from early episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation.TNG season 1, episode 7, "Lonely Among Us" and TNG season 2, episode 4, "The Outrageous Okona" both have plotlines that involve warring factions, but they ultimately get lost among the episodes' other stories.

Star Trek: Lower Decks Fixes 2 Lackluster TNG Stories

Lower Decks Hilariously Incorporates Two Early TNG Storylines

In Star Trek: The Next Generation's "Lonely Among Us," the USS Enterprise-D plays host to Selay and Antican delegates, whose conflict causes trouble for the ship's crew. In a completely unrelated plotline, a strange energy blast passes through the Enterprise, affecting the ship and its crew. When the Assistant Engineer is killed, Lt. Tasha Yar (Denise Crosby) interrogates the delegates but ultimately determines that they are not responsible. Lower Decks' "Of Gods and Angles" contains warring aliens and a murder investigation, but ultimately ties its plotlines together better than "Lonely Among Us."

In the end, Captain Carol Freeman (Dawnn Lewis) and her crew learn that the children of the Orb and Cube leaders have fallen in love and born a child. In light of this development, the Orbs and Cubes agree to establish the Treaty of Squaaron, named for the little new shape.

TNG's "Outrageous Okona" resolves in a similar manner, when the titular Captain Okona (Billy Campbell) reveals that he has been helping the son and daughter of two warring factions conduct their clandestine love affair. The daughter, Yanar (Rosalind Ingledew), has become pregnant by her enemy's son Benzan (Kieran Mulroney), and their prospective child helps the two warring parties come together. By referencing these old Star Trek stories (and resolving them more neatly), Below Decks continues to prove that there is still untapped potential in previous series.

Star Trek: Lower Decks Fulfills Creator Mike McMahan's TNG Season 8

McMahan Once Ran A Twitter Account Posting Hilarious Ideas For TNG Season 8

Star Trek: Lower Decks creator Mike McMahan was recruited for the Star Trek team not only because of his comedy chops, but also because of a Twitter account he ran called "TNG Season 8." Star Trek: The Next Generation, of course, ended with season 7, and McMahan's Twitter account consisted of often ridiculous suggestions for an imaginary eighth season. Upon meeting with executives, McMahan pitched a show following the lowest-ranked crew members of Starfleet's ships, and the rest is history. While Lower Decks may not exactly be TNG season 8, it has certainly incorporated a lot of characters, places, and things from TNG.

With its lovable cast of characters and surprisingly heartfelt galactic adventures, Lower Decks channels TNG in more ways than one. In 2020, McMahan sent one final Tweet on the TNG Season 8 account, confirming that "all TNG Season 8 writing is being channeled into Star Trek: Lower Decks." From bearded Riker jokes to a massive Tuvixed crew blob, Star Trek: Lower Decks has incorporated several ideas from Mike McMahan's Twitter account, and his obvious love for Star Trek shines through in every episode. Given this, it's unsurprising that the show has excelled in revisiting old and abandoned TNG storylines.