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** Outright defied as of the Season 3 finale. The ''Cerritos'' takes out two ''Texas''-class starships, damages a third and '''still''' survives a pair of attacks by those ships whereas a ''Sovereign''-class starship (and a Federation ''Starbase'') goes against them... and both are nearly destroyed outright by the ''Aledo'' and her sister-ships. Yes, the ''Cerritos'' has to go into Spacedock for repairs afterwards, but that is one badass little support ship that can take a beating while others are left in pieces.

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** Outright defied as of the Season 3 finale. The ''Cerritos'' takes out two ''Texas''-class starships, damages a third third, and ''crashes out of warp'' because the crew [[GodzillaThreshold resorted to weaponizing their warp core]], and '''still''' survives a pair of attacks by those ships whereas a ''Sovereign''-class starship (and a Federation ''Starbase'') goes against them... and both are nearly destroyed outright by the ''Aledo'' and her sister-ships. Yes, the ''Cerritos'' has to go into Spacedock for repairs afterwards, but that is one badass little support ship that can take a beating while others are left in pieces.
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* FamedInStory: Despite being a ''California''-class and not too amazing in the whole workings of Starfleet, the ''Cerritos'' is actually beloved by other ''California''-class crew in the fleet, being considered the ''Enterprise'' of the ''California''-class. This is due to their adventures, including surviving two encounters with the Pakleds. Following its battle with the rogue ''Texas''-class drone ships, during which time it survived ''crashing out of warp'' after taking heavy fire, it seems Starfleet has begun to treat the ''Cerritos'' and the ''Cali''-class in general with a smidge more respect as well.

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* FamedInStory: Despite being a ''California''-class and not too amazing in the whole workings of Starfleet, the ''Cerritos'' is actually beloved by other ''California''-class crew in the fleet, being considered the ''Enterprise'' of the ''California''-class. This is due to their adventures, including surviving two encounters with the Pakleds. Following its battle with the rogue ''Texas''-class drone ships, during which time it survived ''crashing out of warp'' after taking heavy fire, using its warp core as a bomb, it seems Starfleet has begun to treat the ''Cerritos'' and the ''Cali''-class in general with a smidge more respect as well.
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* FamedInStory: Despite being a ''California''-class and not too amazing in the whole workings of Starfleet, the ''Cerritos'' is actually beloved by other ''California''-class crew in the fleet, being considered the ''Enterprise'' of the ''California''-class. This is due to their adventures, including surviving two encounters with the Pakleds. Following its battle with the rouge Texas-class drone ships, it seems Starfleet has begun to treat the ''Cerritos'' and the Cali-class in general with a smidge more respect as well.

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* FamedInStory: Despite being a ''California''-class and not too amazing in the whole workings of Starfleet, the ''Cerritos'' is actually beloved by other ''California''-class crew in the fleet, being considered the ''Enterprise'' of the ''California''-class. This is due to their adventures, including surviving two encounters with the Pakleds. Following its battle with the rouge Texas-class rogue ''Texas''-class drone ships, during which time it survived ''crashing out of warp'' after taking heavy fire, it seems Starfleet has begun to treat the ''Cerritos'' and the Cali-class ''Cali''-class in general with a smidge more respect as well.
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* FamedInStory: Despite being a ''California''-class and not too amazing in the whole workings of Starfleet, the ''Cerritos'' is actually beloved by other ''California''-class crew in the fleet, being considered the ''Enterprise'' of the ''California''-class. This is due to their adventures, including surviving two encounters with the Pakleds.

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* FamedInStory: Despite being a ''California''-class and not too amazing in the whole workings of Starfleet, the ''Cerritos'' is actually beloved by other ''California''-class crew in the fleet, being considered the ''Enterprise'' of the ''California''-class. This is due to their adventures, including surviving two encounters with the Pakleds. Following its battle with the rouge Texas-class drone ships, it seems Starfleet has begun to treat the ''Cerritos'' and the Cali-class in general with a smidge more respect as well.
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* ObfuscatingStupidity: Knowing that the criminal inhabitants of a non-Federation world are not going to cooperate with Starfleet officers, Freeman beams down with Shaxs and Rutherford and makes every blunder imaginable in trying to find out where Nick Locarno is, while a guy in an evil-looking full body armor suit swoops in to steal their objective every time. It's only after he "steals" the information that she reveals it was Billups and she was deliberately antagonizing the crooks so that they would give him anything just to piss off the straight-laced Starfleets.
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** Her minor in Ancient Technology pays off when updating Vexilon, even if she had to spend hours trouble-shooting (and had to call in Billups for assistance). But Vexilon hadn't been updated in six million years, so there's no way she could've known it'd go wrong.
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Repair Dont Respond. If you find find the entry to be incorrect, remove it. Simply adding a line on the end about how she's not actually a Pointy Haired Boss doesn't explain anything.


* PointyHairedBoss: Throughout the series, we see that Freeman is this to a T. Suffering from DudeWheresMyRespect, she can't stand the fact that Starfleet at large and Mariner in particular don't give her the respect she feels she deserves. When given a chance to prove herself, she goes into panic mode, becoming a massive ass-kisser to suck up to people and can be completely vindictive if it goes wrong. A GlorySeeker, she will happily take credit for various things others have done or implement ideas while suffering from DidntThinkThisThrough. She's probably one of the worst recurring captains in the franchise. As noted above, she gets a lot of CharacterDevelopment over the course of the series. She's still not exactly Picard or Janeway, but she's not Jellico, either.

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* PointyHairedBoss: Throughout the series, we see that Freeman is this to a T. Suffering from DudeWheresMyRespect, she can't stand the fact that Starfleet at large and Mariner in particular don't give her the respect she feels she deserves. When given a chance to prove herself, she goes into panic mode, becoming a massive ass-kisser to suck up to people and can be completely vindictive if it goes wrong. A GlorySeeker, she will happily take credit for various things others have done or implement ideas while suffering from DidntThinkThisThrough. She's probably one of the worst recurring captains in the franchise. As noted above, she gets a lot of CharacterDevelopment over the course of the series. She's still not exactly Picard or Janeway, but she's not Jellico, either.
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** She's also quite cunning, having impressed the Ferengi Grand Nagus and his wife/counsellor by scamming them, and gotten vital intel from a WretchedHive by playing up the "clueless, rulebound, and entitled" angle the criminals there expected to get them to sell said intel out of spite to a big scary bounty hunter... who was actually Commander Billups, sent in specifically to take advantage of her BatmanGambit.
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* PointyHairedBoss: Throughout the series, we see that Freeman is this to a T. Suffering from DudeWheresMyRespect, she can't stand the fact that Starfleet at large and Mariner in particular don't give her the respect she feels she deserves. When given a chance to prove herself, she goes into panic mode, becoming a massive ass-kisser to suck up to people and can be completely vindictive if it goes wrong. A GlorySeeker, she will happily take credit for various things others have done or implement ideas while suffering from DidntThinkThisThrough. She's probably one of the worst recurring captains in the franchise.

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* PointyHairedBoss: Throughout the series, we see that Freeman is this to a T. Suffering from DudeWheresMyRespect, she can't stand the fact that Starfleet at large and Mariner in particular don't give her the respect she feels she deserves. When given a chance to prove herself, she goes into panic mode, becoming a massive ass-kisser to suck up to people and can be completely vindictive if it goes wrong. A GlorySeeker, she will happily take credit for various things others have done or implement ideas while suffering from DidntThinkThisThrough. She's probably one of the worst recurring captains in the franchise. As noted above, she gets a lot of CharacterDevelopment over the course of the series. She's still not exactly Picard or Janeway, but she's not Jellico, either.
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** Also, if she has one genuine talent as a captain, it's negotiating. She's able to get the different factions of Mixtus III to come to terms in an hour or so, only failing to sway the most unreasonable and least credible faction, and successfully negotiated to get the Ferengi to join the Federation.

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** Also, if If she has one genuine talent as a captain, it's negotiating. She's able to get the different factions of Mixtus III to come to terms in an hour or so, only failing to sway the most unreasonable and least credible faction, and successfully negotiated to get the Ferengi to join the Federation.

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* HiddenDepths: She's a big fan of vocal jazz and loves scat singing.
** Also, if she has one genuine talent as a captain, it's negotiating. She's able to get the different factions of Mixtus III to come to terms in an hour or so, and successfully negotiated to get the Ferengi to join the Federation.

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* HiddenDepths: HiddenDepths:
**
She's a big fan of vocal jazz and loves scat singing.
** Also, if she has one genuine talent as a captain, it's negotiating. She's able to get the different factions of Mixtus III to come to terms in an hour or so, only failing to sway the most unreasonable and least credible faction, and successfully negotiated to get the Ferengi to join the Federation.
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** While she's called a Caitian she bears a striking resemblance to an ''Eeiouian,'' a feline species from the Star Trek novel ''Uhura's Song'' that was beset by a DoomsdayPlague.

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** While she's called a Caitian she bears a striking resemblance to an ''Eeiouian,'' a feline species from the Star Trek novel ''Uhura's Song'' that was beset by a DoomsdayPlague.ThePlague.
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** While she's called a Caitian she bears a striking resemblance to an ''Eeiouian,'' a feline species from the Star Trek novel ''Uhura's Song'' that was beset by a DoomsdayPlague.
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* BelligerentSexualTension: With Mariner in "Temporal Edict". She throws an object at him in Sickbay and threatens to kill him, and he admits that it was kind of hot. Amusingly, both him ''and'' Mariner are visibly disturbed by this development.

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* BelligerentSexualTension: With Mariner in "Temporal Edict". She throws an object at him in Sickbay and threatens to kill him, and he admits that it was kind of hot. Amusingly, both him ''and'' Mariner are visibly disturbed by this development.development, though he at least has made peace with it judging by the comments he made in his [[https://www.instagram.com/p/CiLCi_bMjKB/ personal log]] for "The Least Dangerous Game."
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** Also, if she has one genuine talent as a captain, it's negotiating. She's able to get the different factions of Mixtus III to come to terms in an hour or so, and successfully negotiated to get the Ferengi to join the Federation.
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* BigBrotherMentor: What he evolves into after CharacterDevelopment kicks in. Ransom takes a distinct interest in helping the Warp Core Four meet their full potential, with a specific interest in Mariner and Boimler.


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* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: Season One Ransom was largely a boistrous, self centered jerk. When he learned about Mariner being Captain Freeman's daughter, he was curious about how he could use her to suck up to the Captain. Come later seasons, while Ransom hasn't lost his most boistrous personality, he is far more invested in helping ''others'' fulfill their potential rather than using them to enhance his own career.
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* DemotedToExtra: She fades back into being a random extra following her breakup with Mariner in "Trusted Sources".


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* OfficialCouple: She and Mariner get together at some point between "First First Contact" and "Mining the Mind's Mines", but they break up in the penultimate episode of season 3.
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* CommitmentIssues: According to Ransom in season 4 the ''Cerritos'' crew has simultaneously the ''statistically'' horniest and most-commitment averse crew in Starfleet. The only one with a fully stable long-term relationship is the captain.
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** "Cupid's Errant Arrow" shows she can be a very effective diplomat given the chance. When the inhabitants of Mixtus III are too busy dealing with their petty grievances to recognize the threat of a moon about to destroy their world, Freeman sorts them out in no more than a few hours.

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** "Cupid's Errant Arrow" shows she can be a very effective diplomat given the chance. When the inhabitants of Mixtus III are too busy dealing with their petty grievances to recognize the threat of a moon about to destroy their world, Freeman sorts them out in no more than a few hours. When dealing with Grand Nagus Rom and his First Clerk Leeta in "Parth Ferengi's Heart Place", she instantly recognizes that the pair are playing Admiral Vassery and gets one over on them by tricking them into an ImpossibleTask, which impresses the duo.
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** Getting to eject and detonate the warp core (a gigantic improvised matter/antimatter bomb) is practically euphoric for him, with the whole crew cheering him on for finally getting to realize his dream.

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** Getting to eject and detonate the warp core (a (effectively a gigantic improvised matter/antimatter bomb) is practically euphoric for him, with the whole crew cheering him on for finally getting to realize his dream.
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* ImAHumanitarian: Caitians used to hunt Betazoids for food at some point in their history. In "Empathological Fallacies", when T'Lyn's Bendii syndrome causes the crew to lose control of their emotions while a trio of Betazoid women are on board, T'Ana has to be physically restrained from trying to eat them.

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* ImAHumanitarian: Caitians used to hunt Betazoids for food at some point in their history. In "Empathological Fallacies", when T'Lyn's Bendii syndrome causes the crew to lose control of their emotions while a trio of Betazoid women are on board, T'Ana has to be physically restrained from trying to eat them. And even then, she admits to eating synthetic betazoid.
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* ImAHumanitarian: Caitians used to hunt Betazoids for food at some point in their history. In "Empathological Fallacies", when T'Lyn's Bendii syndrome causes the crew to lose control of their emotions while a trio of Betazoid women are on board, T'Ana has to be physically restrained from trying to eat them.

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** He also makes it clear that, even though he's fighting the Gelrakians to save his team, he still respects their culture and sovereignty.



* TestosteronePoisoning: He lifts weights ''a lot'', even during meetings with other crew members. His room is basically a gym. One of the first things he does after being turned into a PhysicalGod by some strange energy is to [[MindOverMatter telekinetically]] bicep curl some trees.
-->'''Ransom:''' It's easy to become a god. The trick is staying a god.

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* TestosteronePoisoning: TestosteronePoisoning:
**
He lifts weights ''a lot'', even during meetings with other crew members. His room is basically a gym. One of the first things he does after being turned into a PhysicalGod by some strange energy is to [[MindOverMatter telekinetically]] bicep curl some trees.
-->'''Ransom:''' --->'''Ransom:''' It's easy to become a god. The trick is staying a god.

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added trope


* SeenItAll: Most of the ''Cerritos''' crewmembers (sometimes with the exception of Rutherford or Tendi) fall into this territory. Repeatedly, during Season 2, we see them having complete non-reactions to Ransom's giant head eating the ship, Captain Freeman steering the ship towards a black hole, Shaxs' UnexplainedRecovery, and the sheer bizarreness of the drills based on previous (infamous) ''Star Trek'' episodes.

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* OneSteveLimit: The ''Cerritos'' has three crew members of the same species named Merp. The roster gets around this by adding descriptives to their given names, such as Big Merp and Sleepy Merp.
* SeenItAll: Most of the ''Cerritos''' crewmembers crew members (sometimes with the exception of Rutherford or Tendi) fall into this territory. Repeatedly, during Season 2, we see them having complete non-reactions to Ransom's giant head eating the ship, Captain Freeman steering the ship towards a black hole, Shaxs' UnexplainedRecovery, and the sheer bizarreness of the drills based on previous (infamous) ''Star Trek'' episodes.
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* AmbiguouslyBi: HappilyMarried to a man, but when Cathiw, another woman, keeps flirting with her, she becomes flustered and has to keep reminding herself of her marriage.

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* HiddenDepths: Sociopathy aside, Shaxs is religious and a practitioner of the Bajoran faith. As of Season 2 he's also taken up pottery to channel his rage and trauma into something more constructive.
-->'''Rutherford:''' Put it in the clay, Papa Bear, put it in the clay.\\

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* HiddenDepths: HiddenDepths:
**
Sociopathy aside, Shaxs is religious and a practitioner of the Bajoran faith. As of Season 2 he's also taken up pottery to channel his rage and trauma into something more constructive.
-->'''Rutherford:''' --->'''Rutherford:''' Put it in the clay, Papa Bear, put it in the clay.\\


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** "Empathalogical Fallacies" demonstrates that he genuinely cares about the emotional well-being of his Baby Bears.
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[[AC:Crew of the U.S.S. ''Cerritos'' (NCC-75567)]]

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[[AC:Crew !Crew of the U.S.S. ''Cerritos'' (NCC-75567)]]
(NCC-75567)
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!!!"The Redshirts"
[[folder:In general]]
A club of command-division ensigns on the ''Cerritos'', who work together to get themselves promoted as quickly as possible.
----
* DramaticIrony: They call themselves the "{{Red Shirt}}s" because they think it makes them sound invincible. Red shirts started off as a fan term for the extras killed on away missions, since back in the ''TOS'' era, Red was the color that security personnel would wear.
* EarlyBirdCameo: They each make a few minor appearances prior to appearing more prominently in "The Spy Humongous".
* ProfessionalButtKisser: They make a point of trying to emulate other captains in an attempt to look "promotable" and advance their career as fast as possible. To be fair though, almost all of them decided to tone it down after Boimler called them out on it.
* RousingSpeech: Their reaction to a crisis in the mess hall in "The Spy Humongous" is to give one of these. As in, [[FailedAttemptAtDrama one speech per member, simultaneously]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Ensign Casey]]
!!Ensign Casey
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/stld_casey.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:''"Nice speech. I'm sure it'll play well on the ''lower'' decks."'']]
->'''Voiced By:''' Creator/NeilCasey

A male Human ensign serving aboard the ''Cerritos'' as a conn officer, and the head of the Redshirts club.
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* AlphaBitch: A male example of this trope, acting as the unofficial leader of the Redshirt clique aboard the ''Cerritos''.
* [[invoked]]TheDanza: He shares his surname with the actor voicing him.
* ADayInTheLimelight: He's a minor antagonist in "The Spy Humongous", which is where most of his characterization happens.
* DeadpanSnarker: He has his moments.
** In "Strange Energies", he reports that there is "a giant head approaching the ship" in a tone that implies he's SeenItAll.
** In "The Spy Humongous", when Boimler practices giving a RousingSpeech (and fails miserably), Casey is [[StunnedSilence silent]] for a few seconds before deadpanning, "We should mutiny."
* EvilCannotComprehendGood: More ''selfish'' than evil, but unlike the other Red Shirts, Casey doesn't see any value in Boimler's slapsticks in "The Spy Humongous". All he can see is that Boimler humiliated himself to make a "bug" laugh, ignoring that the bug was a fellow officer suffering from the effects of an alien artifact and that Boimler saved her ''and'' everyone else in the bar at the low price of some temporary indignity.
* InterserviceRivalry: Casey looks down on the other lower-deckers, regarding them as working ''for'' Starfleet rather than being worthy members of the agency [[SmugSnake like himself]].
* MeaninglessVillainVictory: Casey gets a stint as acting captain, but only because Ransom, Freeman, and the rest of the bridge crew decide to duck out early for drinks. Shaxs relieves him almost immediately, having come in with the next shift. He's then ordered to clean up the airlock the Pakled used as a toilet.
* ShutUpKirk: His response to Boimler calling him out:
-->'''Boimler:''' Alright, you know what's shameful? Trying to build a persona by copying other captains. You think Riker did that? You guys are wasting your time on this Redshirt stuff. Be your own captains!\\
'''Casey:''' Cute speech. I'm sure it'll play great on the ''lower'' decks.
* SmugSnake: He considers himself above the other lower-deckers, but Ransom and Shaxs give him a nice reality check when he finally gets that position as acting captain.
* UnexplainedRecovery: He's seemingly killed by an [[ExplosiveInstrumentation exploding console]] in "No Small Parts", and his blood-soaked body is abandoned when the Pakleds invade the bridge. Come Season 2, though, and he's alive and kicking again with no explanation.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Ensign Jennifer Sh'reyan]]
!!Ensign Jennifer Sh'reyan
[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/stld_jennifer.png]]
[[caption-width-right:250:''"Right now, this uniform is wearing you."'']]
->'''Voiced By:''' Creator/LaurenLapkus

A female Andorian ensign serving aboard the ''Cerritos''. She appears to have a rivalry with Mariner.
----
* AmbiguouslyGay: Of the BelligerentSexualTension kind between herself and Mariner in ''First First Contact'', where the latter claims the former dreams about her every night. Also, in ''I, Excretus'', a holographic representation of her can be seen making out with Ensign Barnes. Not so ambiguous by Season 3, however, as it's revealed that she and Mariner have been "babe-ing" since the finale of Season 2.
* AscendedExtra: While originally a OneSceneWonder, her name alone increased her screen time come Season 2, and by Season 3 she and Mariner have [[RelationshipUpgrade upgraded to calling each other "babe"]] (but they don't want to label it yet).
* GreenSkinnedSpaceBabe: An attractive blue-skinned Andorian.
* InLoveWithYourCarnage: She's downright giddy when watching Mariner phaser all her friends to conserve oxygen following a power outage, even admitting that she had introduced them to each other in the hope that she'd make a scene.
* MsFanservice: A memory projection of her appears in "Mining the Mind's Mines" parading around in a bikini trying to seduce Mariner. Even before they started dating, Mariner mutters to herself that she had been dreaming about Jennifer's "stupid little butt."
* NameFromAnotherSpecies: Despite being Andorian, she has a human sounding first name. The name "Jennifer" comes from Creator/TawnyNewsome [[invoked]][[ThrowItIn improvising]], unaware the character was Andorian.
* RescueRomance: She and Mariner get much closer after Jennifer stops Mariner from floating off into space.
* ScrewThisImOuttaHere: After Boimler criticizes the Redshirts for building personas based on other captains, Jennifer is convinced by his actions and words to leave the club along with Ensign Castro and Ensign Taylor.
* SitcomArchNemesis: Seems to be this for Mariner, who admits to hating Jennifer despite knowing Starfleet officers are "not supposed to have interpersonal conflict". Mariner eventually admits in a later episode after Jennifer saves her life that she has a tendency to [[BelligerentSexualTension put distance between herself and the people she likes]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Ensign Castro]]
!!Ensign Castro
[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ens_castro.png]]
[[caption-width-right:250:''"It was then that I realized that the real ''Enterprise'' was inside me all along!"'']]
->'''Voiced By:''' Creator/GabrielleRuiz

A female Human ensign serving aboard the ''Cerritos''.
----
* IncrediblyLameFun: She and her pretentious friends love parties --which she calls "salons"-- where they make candles, tell ghost stories and do interpretive dance.
* ReassignedToAntarctica: Implied -- she served on the ''Enterprise''-E, the most prestigious ship in Starfleet, "for like one minute" before being transferred to the ''Cerritos'', which certainly sounds like a punishment for ''something''...
* ScrewThisImOuttaHere: After Boimler criticizes the Redshirts for building personas based on other captains, Castro is convinced by his actions and words to leave the club along with Ensign Taylor and Ensign Sh'reyan.
* ShipTease: With Boimler. She hits on him once during his stint in the Redshirts, and later invites him to a Winger Bingston performance.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Ensign Taylor]]
[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/kzinti_officer.png]]
->'''Voiced By:''' Creator/FredTatasciore

A [[Literature/KnownSpace Kzinti]] ensign serving aboard the ''Cerritos''.
----
* AllThereInTheManual: Was thought to be nameless; [[http://web.archive.org/web/20210918173425/https://old.reddit.com/r/startrek/comments/pp7kqi/episode_discussion_star_trek_lower_decks_2x06_the/hd45j6c/ a Reddit post]] [[WordOfGod from the show's dialogue editor]] confirmed his name to be Taylor.
* TheBusCameBack: For the Kzinti species as a whole, being the first time we've seen one on-screen in anything ''Trek'' since their first appearance back in ''TAS''; they were prohibited from appearing until recently thanks to [[ScrewedByTheLawyers legal snarls]].
* MythologyGag:
** When he demonstrates poor posture to Boimler, his pose is identical to that of the Kzinti telepath in "[[Recap/StarTrekTheAnimatedSeriesS1E14TheSlaverWeapon The Slaver Weapon]]" (which introduced the Kzinti to the ''Star Trek'' universe).
** Being a Kzin ensign, it's perhaps not unsurprising that he'd be chosen to go on an assignment on a RingWorldPlanet; after all, both sci-fi concepts originated from Creator/LarryNiven.
* NoNameGiven: He wasn't named on-screen until Season 4. This may be on purpose, as Kzinti seen in "The Slaver Weapon" (and by extension the other Larry Niven books) don't get names unless they earn them.
* ScrewThisImOuttaHere: After Boimler criticizes the Redshirts for building personas based on other captains, he is convinced by his actions and words to leave the club along with Ensigns Castro and Sh'reyan.
[[/folder]]
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[[/folder]]

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[[/folder]][[/folder]]

!!!Senior Staff
[[folder:Captain Carol Freeman]]
!!Captain Carol Freeman
[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/stld_freeman.png]]
[[caption-width-right:250:''"Warp me!"'']]
->'''Voiced by:''' Creator/DawnnLewis

The captain of the U.S.S. ''Cerritos'' and a veteran Starfleet officer. She also happens to be Ensign Mariner's mother.
----
* AbusiveParents: Ultimately subverted. In the series premiere, she orders Boimler to follow Mariner and nail her on the first sign of trouble so that Freeman has a valid reason to send her back to the U.S.S. ''Quito''. While Freeman argues with her husband over subspace, she suggests throwing Mariner in the brig, but he points out that it's useless because their daughter [[{{Unishment}} apparently likes it there]]. Mariner reciprocates by openly defying and mocking her, which justifies some, but not all of this, as she represents a discipline problem on a starship. It's subverted because she does all of this to keep Mariner in Starfleet. If she does not discipline Mariner at all then Starfleet will inflict far harsher punishments and might even kick Mariner out.
-->'''Holo-Mariner:''' She's the Captain! And I'm a pain in the ass!
* AwLookTheyReallyDoLoveEachOther: In "Moist Vessel", she and Mariner briefly put aside their long-standing animosity and hug each other after they save the crews of the ''Cerritos'' and the ''Merced''. When they realize that they're in an embrace, they quickly let go and pretend like nothing happened.
* BadassCreed: ''Cerritos Strong!''
* BlackBossLady: As TheCaptain of the vessel.
* BluntNo: When Peanut Hamper tries to worm her way back onto the ''Cerritos'' after leaving Freeman, Tendi, and Shaxs to die alongside a whole village, Freeman tells her in no uncertain terms that it's not happening.
--> '''Freeman:''' There is no way in hell you're coming back on my ship, missy!
* TheCaptain: As per her rank and position.
* CatchPhrase: "Warp me!"
* CharacterFocus: In the first season, Freeman was a distant, aloof figure even when she directly interacted with the Lower Deckers (except in scenes with her daughter). As the show has continued, Freeman has gotten more attention as a viewpoint character in her own right, with her own storylines independent of the Lower Deckers.
* CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass:
** "Cupid's Errant Arrow" shows she can be a very effective diplomat given the chance. When the inhabitants of Mixtus III are too busy dealing with their petty grievances to recognize the threat of a moon about to destroy their world, Freeman sorts them out in no more than a few hours.
** Despite her quirks and flaws as a commander, Freeman recognizes how dangerous it is for Starfleet to warp in, change a society, and then warp out without ever following up, even if they're usually getting rid of something objectively terrible. She manages to convince Starfleet that they need to actually go back and help such planets not fall into old habits (or develop worse new ones). Unfortunately, her obsession with making the first attempt look good doesn't end well.
* DudeWheresMyRespect: She has this view about Starfleet. She believes they have no respect for her or the ''Cerritos''. This is ultimately [[DeconstructedTrope deconstructed]] in "Trusted Sources" where, given the chance to actually prove her worth, she goes to extreme lengths to make herself and the ship look good, blames and punishes Mariner when she thinks she made things worse and learns she was ''completely wrong'' too late to fix things.
* FantasticRacism: She must detest the Anabaj because Mariner had dated one just to [[DatingWhatDaddyHates infuriate her mother]]. Then again, they ''do'' lay eggs in people's throats...
* AFatherToHisMen: Initially averted, even when it's her own daughter who's one of her officers. Freeman was usually dismissive of her lower-ranking crew. Even when crediting Boimler for helping her in "Temporal Edict", she condescendingly called it "the wisdom of a child". By the end of Season 2, however, she tells her assembled subordinates that they're "the best crew in Starfleet" and declares her intention to turn down a transfer to another ship in order to stay with them. She's also more willing to fraternise with the lower deckers as equals off-the-clock in the second season, most notably in "An Embarrassment of Dooplers" where she, Boimler and Mariner joke and banter together in the dive bar where they all end up at the end of the episode. By the time of Season 3's "Reflections", she is shown attending to the bedside of Rutherford, obviously concerned for the well-being of one of her junior-most officers.
* FirstEpisodeSpoiler: It's revealed at the end of the pilot that Ensign Mariner is her daughter.
* GladIThoughtOfIt: In "Moist Vessel", Ransom suggests giving Mariner the worst jobs on the ship to get her to transfer. Seconds later, Freeman repeats it as though it's her own brilliant plan. Ransom's reaction suggests this is par for the course.
* GlorySeeker: She seems to want fame and respect from Starfleet and frequently complains that they don't respect her. Her daughter implies this is her primary motivation as well.
* HiddenDepths: She's a big fan of vocal jazz and loves scat singing.
* {{Hypocrite}}:
** She lectures Mariner about her immaturity, but Mariner points out that trying to trick a crew member into requesting a transfer isn't the height of maturity, either.
** In general, she believes that [[DudeWheresMyRespect Starfleet has no respect for her "Lower Deck" ship's duties]], yet [[StealingTheCredit she has no respect for her own "Lower Deck" crew]].
* IMinoredInTropology: Freeman minored in ancient technology according to “In the Cradle of Vexilon”, but it’s not enough to fix its problems and she has to call in Billups.
* ItsAllAboutMe: Her ''own daughter'' thinks this is true about her, and the first four episodes seem to support that Freeman is self-centered. "Cupid's Errant Arrow" shows a different side of her, as she quickly brings a dangerous standoff from dissenting parties to a decisive and satisfactory conclusion without physically harming any of them. This comes back to bite her in the ass in "Trusted Sources" when she manipulates things to make herself and her new "Project Swing By" look good, punishes Mariner when she thinks she ruined things and learns too late that it wasn't her.
* KickTheDog: In "Second Contact", she assigns Boimler to spy on her own daughter to give her cause to kick Mariner off the ship.
* MyBelovedSmother: "Moist Vessel" shows that some of the strain with Mariner is from Freeman's habit of constantly second-guessing and micromanaging her rather than treating her like an adult who can make her own decisions.
* NotSoAboveItAll: Her conversation with the ship's therapist doesn't go any better than Mariner's did because she can't stand his condescension and constant food metaphors either.
* PassedOverPromotion: Freeman is ''not'' happy that her career has stalled out at Captain of what, in her mind, can just ''barely'' be called a starship, and constantly connives to get a transfer to a better posting. Subverted in that she finally gets it in the second season finale, only to turn it down because she's finally bonded with the ship and crew. [[WhamShot And then she gets]] ''[[WhamShot arrested]]''.
* PointyHairedBoss: Throughout the series, we see that Freeman is this to a T. Suffering from DudeWheresMyRespect, she can't stand the fact that Starfleet at large and Mariner in particular don't give her the respect she feels she deserves. When given a chance to prove herself, she goes into panic mode, becoming a massive ass-kisser to suck up to people and can be completely vindictive if it goes wrong. A GlorySeeker, she will happily take credit for various things others have done or implement ideas while suffering from DidntThinkThisThrough. She's probably one of the worst recurring captains in the franchise.
* SlaveToPR: Deconstructed and something she has passed down to her daughter, though in the more traditional way. Capt. Carol Freeman is fundamentally a good person, but she is ambitious and a glory hound with a strong desire to advance her career. Something very much expected in a quasi-military organization like Starfleet. The problem is that Capt Freeman has shown on many occasions to be fully willing to not only endanger her ship, her crew, and even her own life just for the chance of increasing her standing in Starfleet, only to be snubbed each and every time.
* StealingTheCredit: According to her captain's log in the pilot, the senior staff saved the day, with no mention of the contributions from other crew members. All of this is done while Boimler, the crewman who brought back the key to the cure, is in the room. She gets better about this in future episodes.
* SuicidalPacifism: In "Terminal Provocations", she's so insistent on being diplomatic with the [[AliensAreBastards Drookmani]], even in the face of their obvious intransigence, that she lets them completely deplete the shields before finally letting Shaxs retaliate. Unfortunately, the Drookmani have unintentionally disabled the ''Cerritos''' weapons with the repeated strikes, nearly forcing Freeman to order everyone to AbandonShip before Mariner and Boimler accidentally solve the problem for her.
* TeamMom: Carol Freeman's "stern, overbearing mother" qualities merge with her captaining style, to the point Mariner says "The line between Captain stuff and Mom stuff has gotten too hazy!"
* TooMuchAlike: The main source of conflict with her daughter, the problem child of Starfleet. These are two headstrong women that have a strong drive to help people but are terrible at doing things on their own. The problem is that these two NEED to be in charge of any group they're in and micromanage everyone in it. When they're put together, they constantly butt heads until Capt. Freeman is forced to pull rank. This comes to a head in "Strange Energies" where the two are forced to admit that they just can't work together on a regular basis.
* TooMuchInformation: As Mariner's mother and Captain, Carol Freeman has intimate knowledge of her daughter's service record, medical history, and childhood activities. She also has no problem announcing the most embarrassing details to the entire ship, much to Beckett's chagrin.
* VitriolicBestBuds: Reconstructed! With her own daughter no less, Beckett Mariner. These two have so much in common it's downright scary sometimes, for both of them. They've been forced to admit that they can't work together personally on a regular basis because they constantly end up fighting inevitably each time. While they avoid each other when they can, the few times they share their off time together isn't much different. The reconstruction part comes in that is these two actually do enjoy spending time with someone who shares their interests, history, and on equal footing when off the clock. Something exceptionally rare for the both of them.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Commander Jack Ransom]]
!!Commander Jack Ransom
[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/stld_ransom.png]]
[[caption-width-right:300:''"Setting my fists to 'stun' and my kicks to 'kill!'"'']]
->'''Voiced by:''' Creator/JerryOConnell

The first officer of the U.S.S. ''Cerritos''.
----
* AcePilot: In the Season 2 finale, Jack manages to manually pilot the ''Cerritos'' through a huge debris field without sensors and only Beckett and Jennifer calling out larger chunks to him.
* AnythingButThat: Ransom is horrified when Mariner suggests he become her mentor and Freeman signs off on it, mostly because this time he's dealing with a confident and serious Mariner, not one on the verge of getting kicked off the ship.
* BackFromTheDead: It's [[ImpliedTrope implied]] that, like most bridge crew (as Boimler and Mariner point out) he's died before and come back. That, or like much of the Cerritos, he's SeenItAll.
-->'''Ransom''': "Well done, Mr. Boimler! You never forget your first death."
* BelligerentSexualTension: With Mariner in "Temporal Edict". She throws an object at him in Sickbay and threatens to kill him, and he admits that it was kind of hot. Amusingly, both him ''and'' Mariner are visibly disturbed by this development.
* BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor: Throughout Season 3, he claims that Freeman is "too soft" on Mariner and constantly encourages her to "put her foot down" regarding her daughter's [[MilitaryMaverick antics]]. When she finally does so in the penultimate episode, not only does she go [[DisproportionateRetribution way overboard]] in a way that [[EveryoneHasStandards even he considered too far]], but it ultimately turns out to have been over something that wasn't even Mariner's fault this time.
* BenevolentBoss: Despite his quirks, lecherousness, and desperation to get promoted, Ransom has repeatedly been shown to be a capable and understanding First Officer.
** PlayedForLaughs in "Envoys". His response to Rutherford failing a basic command simulation in a uniquely terrible way is to be impressed by getting such a unique result and try for more.
** More seriously, he'd also rather die than let anyone on his away mission team get put in danger.
** He is consistently the bridge officer who's most likely to give Boimler the praise he craves.
** He's also pretty horrified in "Trusted Sources" when Captain Freeman is in the process of exiling and effectively disowning her own daughter, despite being just as pissed as everyone else on the ''Cerritos'' over what they think Mariner pulled.
** Ransom succeeds where at least a dozen officers before him (including her own mother) have failed in figuring out Mariner's strategy to avoid getting a promotion, and is even able to convince her to stick to accepting it with him as her superior.
* BoringButPractical: When in a scrap, he tends to rely solely on a two-handed fist strike against his opponents. But, credit where it's due, he tends to win every scrap he fights in.
* BunnyEarsLawyer: He's a [[TestosteronePoisoning Testosterone Poisoned]] ass-kisser, but he's also AFatherToHisMen who takes responsibility for leading his subordinates, is always willing to put himself in danger before others, and is persistent in his efforts to make Mariner to be the best officer she can be.
* CallingYourAttacks: When we've seen him fight hand-to-hand, he's always yelling out his attacks moments before doing it.
* CasanovaWannabe: Tries to flirt like Kirk and Riker did. The reactions have ranged from disinterest to getting thrown into a table (which he takes pretty cheerfully). Deanna Troi calls him out as this immediately, saying it stems from his own insecurity. [[ComicallyMissingThePoint Ransom thinks he could use that on other Betazoid women as a pity move.]] Oh, and the few times his conquests have been successful, it only seems to be due to his dates wanting to eat him (i.e., one of his dates being a salt vampire).
* CastingGag: Creator/JerryOConnell is married to Creator/RebeccaRomijn, who plays Una Chin-Riley aka NumberOne on ''Series/StarTrekDiscovery'' and ''Series/StarTrekStrangeNewWorlds'', making them the only husband and wife first officers in ''Trek'' history. This was later referenced in the crossover episode "Those Old Scientists" where Ransom mentions that he thinks Una is the hottest First Officer in Starfleet history. Also, his acting debut was in the movie ''Film/StandByMe'', which co-starred Creator/WilWheaton, who played Wesley Crusher on ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration''.
* CompanionCube: At some point he was turned into a caveman and made a "wife" for himself out of churros. Rumor abounds on the lower decks that he "refreshes" it every few months with the replicator. This might be true.
* DomedHometown: He's from Tycho City, a domed city on Luna (the Moon).
* EveryoneHasStandards: He threatened to transfer Mariner to Starbase 80 if she screwed up, but later told Boimler that he would never send anyone to that hellhole. When Freeman reassigns Mariner to Starbase 80 ''for real'', he is completely shocked.
* {{Expy}}: [[invoked]] His manly style of command and personality invoke previous commanding officers like Kirk and Riker. This includes assuming the CaptainMorganPose whenever he wants to appear commanding. WordOfGod even described him as "Riker, [[ThisIsYourPremiseOnDrugs but on speed]] and with less shame."
* AGodAmI: Gets zapped with strange energies in the Season 2 premiere and promptly goes berserk, remaking the planet into his own image as a FitnessNut. Mariner snaps him out of it by [[GroinAttack kicking him in the balls a few times]].
* GoodOldFisticuffs: He doesn't use weapons in combat, as he prefers to fight anyone bare-handed, and usually wins.
-->''"Looks like we'll have to repel them the old-fashioned way. Setting my fists to stun and my kicks to kill!"''
* HiddenDepths:
** In "Temporal Edict", the often shallow and careerist Ransom is clearly aware that stabbing Mariner in the foot (so he can take her place in a TrialByCombat) could get him court martialed. He does it anyway because he genuinely accepts responsibility for the crew under his command, including Mariner herself, and considers the duel to be his duty as the ranking officer present.
** Related to the first point, up until the actual fight it seems that Ransom is all hat and no cattle, as he was unceremoniously stunned, spent most of the first part of the episode preening, and was mostly notable for being patient zero in a zombie plague in the first episode. Come the actual fight with Vindor, he rips off his shirt to reveal his amazing physique, tosses the sword aside, faces the giant ''bare-handed'' and wins.
** During "Crisis Point", while it was a holo-Ransom based on the real one's personal logs, he correctly identified Vindicta's quotes as coming from Shakespeare's "The Tempest" which, one must recall, is even more ancient literature by the time of Lower Decks.
** More subtly, he never tries to kill anyone ''directly'' while an "omniscient murder-god" in "Strange Energies". Given that he can do stuff like make a moon disappear with a snap, it makes him look like a fundamentally decent Starfleet officer.
** In seasons 2 and 3, he often gives small but suitable praise towards Boimler when the Ensign steps up or performs well, [[PetTheDog giving him his due]].
* {{Hunk}}: He has broad shoulders and a very muscular build which he maintains by exercising with a lot of free weights. Mariner thinks he's hot despite hating him, and the mere sight of him shirtless defuses a diplomatic disaster on a planet with a "wellness-based society."
* {{Hypocrite}}: Has little patience for bootlicking ensigns despite himself being a ''major'' suck-up toward Captain Freeman.
* ItsProbablyNothing: In "Second Contact", he gets a bug bite on the Galardonian homeworld, but [[TemptingFate declines to have it checked in sickbay]]. Naturally, it soon gives him a horrible zombie-HatePlague that he then spreads to much of the crew.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: A goofy, arrogant, and sleazy womanizer who nonetheless is firmly loyal to Starfleet and is willing to sacrifice his life for the sake of his crew.
* KlingonScientistsGetNoRespect: ''Hates'' non-Starfleet scientists as he hates that they graduate from college on degrees on something ridiculous like spores, decide to fly off into the galaxy and end up getting eaten by some alien flower (resulting in Starfleet officers having to clean up their messes). After Boimler's [[RageBreakingPoint rampage]] against the non-Starfleet scientists and others, he looks forward to getting a drink with Boimler (after he had to put Boimler in the brig for a night) and listening to how he gave those stupid outpost scientists what they deserved.
* MirrorCharacter: Although the character is an obvious parody of Kirk and Riker, he is also surprisingly similar to Boimler in several ways, and this may be why he has intermittently taken the Ensign under his wing. Like Boimler he is a capable but quirky officer, desperate for promotion and prone to some unseemly [[ProfessionalButtKisser sucking up to his superiors]].
* MrFanservice:
** He gets a ShirtlessScene in "Temporal Edict" which shows off his muscular physique. During the combat, some of the scenes look like he's been oiled up, with a slight glow to his skin.
** In ''First First Contact'' he appears in a blink-and-you'll-miss-it flashback, posing nude for a life drawing class that Rutherford and Tendi were attending.
** In "The Least Dangerous Game", he manages to ''defuse a diplomatic crisis'' by popping his top off on a planet whose [[PlanetOfHats hat]] is physical fitness.
* NumberTwo: As the first officer to Captain Freeman.
* OutOfFocus: Ransom was never a main character but starting Season 2, he's mostly been in the background with maybe a line an episode as the other members of the bridge crew took over to show the POV of the ''Cerritos'''s inner circle.
* PassedOverPromotion: He's the first officer aboard what might generously be called a fifth-rate ship and it appears he's reached the high point of his career (a contrast to Riker, whom Starfleet brass continually ''wanted'' to promote to Captain, despite his repeated refusals). Notably, when Freeman is to be transferred to a new posting, Ransom (though dejected that she won't be taking him with her) fully expects to be made the ship's new commanding officer, only for her to shoot him down and inform him the new Captain is going to be an outside transfer.
* PatrickStewartSpeech: He keeps trying this on the Gelrakians in "Temporal Edict", but he doesn't really have the chops for it. He also gives one to Mariner in the prison cell about what it means to be a good Starfleet officer right before [[ItMakesSenseInContext stabbing her in the foot]].
* PermaStubble: Drawn with this.
* PetTheDog: Despite treating Boimler [[ButtMonkey about as well]] as the rest of the officers, he does acknowledge that he's a very capable crew member in the season finale when the latter requests a transfer and promotion to the ''Sacramento'': He admits his record is impeccable and the only reason he's torn between him and Mariner over the promotion is because [[ProfessionalButtKisser he wants to suck up to Freeman]] after learning Mariner is her daughter. He later makes up for his indecisiveness by personally recommending him to Riker for a transfer and promotion to the ''Titan''. After Boimler's failed attempt to have Ransom be his "bridge buddy", he also turns other Starfleet personnel Boimler's way to help him make new friends.
* ProfessionalButtKisser: He'll do anything to suck up to Captain Freeman, including being nice to Mariner once he finds out they're mother and daughter. [[NoSell Neither one is impressed]].
* PunnyName: His name is Jack, and he's also jacked, not to mention totally obsessed with working out!
* TheResenter: By the start of Season 2, Ransom is highly upset over the fact that Freeman is treating Mariner like an acting first officer while ignoring her ''real'' first officer, himself. For their part, they decide to tone that down.
* SignatureMove: Has two. One is standing in a CaptainMorganPose (like Riker). The other is a two-handed fist strike when in combat (like Kirk).
* TestosteronePoisoning: He lifts weights ''a lot'', even during meetings with other crew members. His room is basically a gym. One of the first things he does after being turned into a PhysicalGod by some strange energy is to [[MindOverMatter telekinetically]] bicep curl some trees.
-->'''Ransom:''' It's easy to become a god. The trick is staying a god.
** He also ends up turning random objects into gym equipment; Dr. T'Ana realizes he's "creating his own jacked utopia!"
* YouAreBetterThanYouThinkYouAre: In “I Have No Bones And I Must Flee”, he realizes Mariner sabotages herself with promotions and refuses to play that game any more. At the end, he convinces her that she’s a better officer than she sees herself for, convincing her to go further.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Doctor T'Ana]]
!!Doctor (Commander) T'Ana
[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/stld_tana.png]]
[[caption-width-right:250:''"REOWWWW! Get the [bleep] out of my sickbay!"'']]
->'''Voiced by:''' Creator/GillianVigman

The Caitian Chief Medical Officer (CMO) of the U.S.S. ''Cerritos''.
----
* ActionGirl: In "Temporal Edict", she performs a flying kick that knocks out ''three'' Gelrakians armed with spears.
* AfraidOfDoctors: Despite being the Chief Medical Officer on a Starfleet vessel, T'Ana herself has never reported for and in fact appears to vehemently fear getting an annual (and mandated) physical. It takes Tendi chasing her through the Jeffries tubes and risking life and limb to scan her to get her to come around on the concept. A core part of it seem that she hates the idea of getting a checkup from someone else, seeing it as insulting as she's a doctor herself.
* BenevolentBoss: She praises Rutherford's surgical skill while also calmly telling him that his lack of bedside manner makes him ill-suited to be a doctor. She's also generally even-tempered and considerate with Tendi, and takes notice when Tendi proves to be overqualified to be working in sickbay.
* BigOlEyebrows: Sports a pair to go with her cranky personality.
* BrilliantButLazy: In "Second Contact", after figuring out a cure to the outbreak on the ship, Captain Freeman tells T'Ana that she has another paper to publish. T'Ana just grumbles about more paperwork.
* CatFolk: As a Caitian, this comes with the territory. However, she seems to be as far from the stereotypical CatGirl as possible. While she is a humanoid feline of female gender, she has a personality more in line with an acerbic senior office worker than a bubbly GenkiGirl.
* CatsAreMean: {{Downplayed}}. She's said to be an excellent doctor, but an unpleasant person to deal with. That said, she's not needlessly cruel, just irritable. Fletcher describes her as "just a cat in a coat," which sounds about right.
* CatsAreSnarkers: She's a sapient felinoid with an appropriate snark streak.
-->''(re Mariner's collection of scars)'' "Congratulations, you look like a [bleep]ing scratching post."
* CombatMedic: In "Second Contact", she keeps her cool in what could be best described as a ZombieApocalypse and gives strict orders to make sure people survive.
-->'''T'Ana:''' Don't pass out! Nobody's authorized to pass out!
** That said, she typically stays out of combat situations and in Sick Bay. When she ''does'' have to break the Hippocratic Oath, though...
* ContrastingSequelMainCharacter: The only previous Caitian character, M'Ress, was a sexy CatGirl in a TOS miniskirt. T'Ana is a scruffy, bad-tempered alley cat in a lab coat.
* DrJerk: She has a grouchy disposition in the tradition of [[Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries Bones]] and [[Series/StarTrekVoyager The EMH Doctor]]. That said, she recognizes the importance of an effective bedside manner and keeping patients calm (in part because a patient having an anxiety attack is going to make whatever medical issue they have ''worse'').
* EarNotch: She's missing a piece of her right ear, which suggests that she survived a very dangerous mission as a CombatMedic sometime in the past. This makes her a bit of a hypocrite, as she criticizes Ensign Mariner for hanging onto her collection of scars.
* ExoticEquipment: Once mentions she'd like to get her "coital hooks" around Shaxs, though this is probably metaphorical. Probably.
* ExoticEyeDesigns: Her sclerae are yellow. For obvious reasons.
* FurryReminder: She occasionally exhibits cat-like behavior.
** In "Temporal Edict", she hisses like a cat while defending sickbay from the Gelrakians.
** Later on, in "We'll Always Have Tom Paris", she acts like she's in heat for the entire episode and tasks Tendi with bringing her a Caitian libido post. When she finally gets the post, it turns out she just wanted a box to play in. "If I fits, I sits."
** In "Mugato, Gumato", she hisses, scratches and flees when Tendi tries to give her her physical, not unlike real cats resisting going to the vet. At one point she's ''hiding under a shuttlecraft''.
* GutturalGrowler: As one would expect from a grumpy feline, she speaks with a raspy voice.
* InterplayOfSexAndViolence: T'Ana's idea of foreplay is a holodeck bank robbery where she and Shax kill several cops before getting it on.
* InterspeciesRomance: With Lieutenant Shaxs, a Bajoran, as of "Mugato, Gumato".
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: A [[AddedAlliterativeAppeal crotchety Caitian with a caustic tongue]]... Who nevertheless becomes a genuinely supportive mentor figure for Tendi once she realises just how capable the young Orion is.
* LadySwearsALot: T'Ana gets more [[SoundEffectBleep Sound-Effect Bleep]]s than any other character in the show.
* TheMedic: She's the Chief Medical Officer of the vessel. She's also Ensign Tendi's superior officer.
* TheMentor: Starts to take more of a personal interest in Tendi during Season 2, even inviting her to go rock-climbing on the Holodeck. She eventually concludes that Tendi is too hard-working to be a mere nurse, and suggests she apply to be Science Officer on the bridge.
* MyInstinctsAreShowing: Like many Caitians, she toys with her animal side, speaking in a bestial growl and dreaming about getting her coital hooks into Shaxs. But get her in heat, or force her to get a medical exam, and she suddenly becomes full-on cat.
* MythologyGag:
** The last time a Caitian got a speaking role on-screen was also [[WesternAnimation/StarTrekTheAnimatedSeries the last time Trek was animated]].[[note]]Excluding the "Caitian" twins bedded by Kirk in ''Film/StarTrekIntoDarkness'', which are neither furry, nor catlike, nor named as Caitians onscreen, only by Damon Lindelof.[[/note]]
** She tends to wear a light-blue lab coat, much like [[Characters/StarTrekTheNextGeneration Doctor Crusher]] from ''[[Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration TNG]]'', while her attitude evokes Dr. Pulaski from the same series.
* NoodleIncident: How she lost her tail. All we know is that it happened while she was serving on the ''Algonquin''.
* OutOfFocus: In Season 3, with Tendi no longer serving under her, she is seen far less frequently than before.
* PunctuationShaker: Her name contains an apostrophe. It's not cosmetic, though, but a glottal stop.
* SeenItAll: She has had to fix a ''lot'' of weird medical problems during her time in Starfleet. Even someone being turned into a hand puppet is something she's seen before and isn't particularly concerned about. A Pakled waking up on his own from extended vacuum exposure surprises her, though.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Lieutenant Commander Andy Billups]]
!!Lieutenant Commander Andarithio "Andy" Billups
[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/stld_billups.png]]
[[caption-width-right:250:''"The only lady I love is two decks tall and pumped full of dilithium."'']]
->'''Voiced by:''' Creator/PaulScheer

The chief engineer of the U.S.S. ''Cerritos'', and Ensign Rutherford's superior officer.
----
* AbdicateTheThrone: He is the crown prince of the planet Hysperia, but he renounced his claim to pursue a career in Starfleet. Doesn't stop his mother from periodically trying to get him back.
* ADayInTheLimelight: He doesn't get a focus episode until Season 2's "Where Pleasant Fountains Lie", but it goes over his whole backstory...
** He's not originally from Earth, but in fact from the planet Hysperia, which based itself off of Ren Faires.
** He's in line for the throne, but is much more interested in being a part of Starfleet.
** He'll be obligated to take up the throne if he ever loses his virginity, so he's purposefully remained celibate long into adulthood. His mother, Queen Paolana, keeps trying to trick or manipulate him into having sex with someone, but thus far hasn't succeeded.
* BenevolentBoss: He gladly allows Rutherford to transfer to another department, congratulating him for being willing to expand his horizons and saying any department would be lucky to have him. When Rutherford talks to a holodeck version of him, to tell him something he could never say to the real Billups... it's embarassingly gushing praise about Billups.
* BewareTheNiceOnes: Generally a really great guy to work for, but when an ensign innocently asks how Shax came back from the dead Billups snaps at him and immediately orders him reassigned.
* CelibateHero: Done ''very'' purposefully. If he loses his virginity, he'll be obligated to take the throne back on his home planet and thus resign from Starfleet, which he doesn't want. He's heavily implied to be UsefulNotes/{{asexual}} on top of this.
** This even extends to holographic re-creations of Billups. When Mariner goes through the Naked Time scenario during "I, Excretus", Billups is just sitting in the back (completely nude) surfing his PADD rather than participating in the orgy.
* TheEngineer: He's the head of the engineering department aboard the ''Cerritos''.
* AFatherToHisMen: Of all the senior staff, he gets the most obvious love from his subordinates.
* InformedAttribute: Done as an in-universe gag when Rutherford calls him a stone-cold badass who doesn't need someone like Rutherford gushing to him openly. Cut to Billups [[IJustWantToHaveFriends quietly eating lunch alone]], looking neither particularly badass nor likely to reject anyone asking to sit with him.
* KingIncognito: To an extent. He's the crown prince of his homeworld, but it doesn't come up until season 2. While presumably it's public record that he's crown prince, it doesn't matter to him whatsoever and he gladly takes orders from Captain Freeman.
* MarriedToTheJob: He tells his mother that the only lady he will ever love is the warp core.
* MauveShirt: He is this to the bridge crew/senior staff. Not a main character like Freeman, Ransom, Shaxs, or T'Ana, but still an instantly recognizable authority figure on the ''Cerritos''.
* MrFixit: As the ship's chief engineer.
* MyBelovedSmother: His mother is the queen of his home planet, Hysperia. She's dead set on getting him to succeed her, and is willing to do so by any means necessary, including damaging her own ship and faking her death.
* NervousWreck: According to an argument Mariner and her mom have, he's very easily unsettled by stuff (especially when it comes to human reproduction), but Carol seems convinced this applies to near-everything.
* OddNameNormalNickname: As discovered in [[Recap/StarTrekLowerDecksS2E07WherePleasantFountainsLie "Where Pleasant Fountains Lie"]], the unusual long form of Billups's name comes from his origins as the prince of a [[TheThemeParkVersion superficially]] renaissance-style monarchy. His disinterest in ruling or even participating in his culture of origin is the likely reason he chooses to go by a more ordinary nickname.
* OOCIsSeriousBusiness: Despite normally being rather soft-spoken, he unleashes [[ClusterFBomb a torrent of angry curses]] that puts even ''[[LadySwearsALot T'Ana]]'' to shame when he finds out Captain Freeman kept her potential promotion to another Starfleet ship a secret from the senior staff.
* OutOfFocus: The only senior staff member we've been introduced to who isn't listed in the credits.
* ParalyzingFearOfSexuality: Billups is heavily implied to be a [[UsefulNotes/{{Asexual}} sex-adverse asexual]], as he gets uncomfortable any time the subject of sexuality or romance comes up. Not to mention that whole CantHaveSexEver thing...
* StrongerThanTheyLook: Looks like a normal dude standing next to [[TheBigGuy Shaxs]] and [[MrFanservice Ransom]], but...
** He's able to ''volleyball bump'' a Gelrakian for Shaxs to spike into the floor, in "Temporal Edict".
** When "Bionic Five" fist-bumps him in "Crisis Point", it's with his apparently metal hand. Billups reacts like it's flesh.
** In "No Small Parts", he can be seen holding the line in front of the sick bay with Ransom - mostly by ''brute-force pushing'' against the halbreds the Pakleds are using.
** "I, Excretus" and "Where Pleasant Fountains Lie" both show Billups either shirtless or in the nude, and ''dude is jacked.''
* TokenGoodTeammate: While the other senior officers on the ''Cerritos'' have mild {{Jerkass}} tendencies, Billups is by all indications a NiceGuy through and through.
* UnexpectedVirgin: Well, not to most of the crew since they are well aware of his history and his mother's attempts to trick him into sex, but for the audience this is true. He may be socially awkward, but the fact that he's a 40 something virgin comes as a bit of a surprise.
* WhoNamesTheirKidDude: In line with "Bradward" and "Samanthan", Andy's full name is revealed to be Andarithio. Presumably his mother thought it would be a good [[YeOldeButcheredeEnglishe medieval-esque]] name, even though Andrew ''is'' [[RealityIsUnrealistic a medieval name]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Lieutenant Shaxs]]
!!Lieutenant Shaxs
[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/stld_shaxs.png]]
[[caption-width-right:300:''"Not if I have something to scream about it!"'']]
->'''Voiced by:''' Creator/FredTatasciore

A Bajoran lieutenant aboard the U.S.S. ''Cerritos'', serving as the tactical officer and chief of security.
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* BackFromTheDead: He somehow comes back from being dead, lampshading the tendency for major characters in the series to return to life for whatever reason. This was apparently an extremely traumatic experience which is why lower deckers generally aren't told the details.
* BearHug: Fittingly for a guy who loves using bear metaphors, he's huge enough to lift people clean off their feet in an embrace, in particular Doctor T'ana.
* BenevolentBoss: He's perfectly fine with Rutherford transferring back to Engineering after proving himself a surprisingly competent fighter because Shaxs respects Rutherford for being true to himself. Even long after Rutherford has transferred back, Shaxs still refers to him as "[[AffectionateNickname Baby Bear]]" out of respect for his performance.
* BerserkButton: Making any light-hearted comments about his past on Bajor. It's clear he fought in the resistance, so anyone making light of his time fighting the Cardassians is understandably a sore spot for him.
-->''"You think I had time for anything other than resisting?! Fighting fascism is a full time job!"''
* TheBigGuy: It goes with his large stature; he's heavily involved in combat and can carry Boimler or Rutherford over his shoulder with ease.
* BloodKnight:
** He loves a good fight and hates it when the captain won't let him resort to violence. He sees a potential SuicideMission with incredibly poor odds as the best day of his life.
--->''"Phasers locked onto their warp core, Captain. Please, ''please'' let me shoot their warp core! I have been ''very'' good this month!"''
** Getting to eject and detonate the warp core (a gigantic improvised matter/antimatter bomb) is practically euphoric for him, with the whole crew cheering him on for finally getting to realize his dream.
* BoisterousBruiser: [[BloodKnight Leaps into combat with jovial glee]], emphasised by him having NoIndoorVoice.
* BruiserWithASoftCenter: He's huge, got a rock-hard body, grizzled mug, loves violence and has to suppress the urge to kill things when triggered. He's also a fan of pottery, runs a Bajoran dirge choir, and cries easily when troubled about his past. When they're doing a violent bank robbery sim together, ''he'' is the one who tells T'ana that he wants to stop everything and talk about their feelings.
* CameBackWrong: {{Downplayed}}, but the ordeal of coming back from the dead haunts him every day.
* CulturedWarrior: A BloodKnight ass-kicker who spends his off-duty hours making pottery and singing in a Bajoran dirge choir.
* ConnectedAllAlong: It turns out that he worked with none other than Kira Nerys in the Bajoran Resistance.
* FaceDeathWithDignity: The last moments of his HeroicSacrifice have him manhandling two guards while laughing maniacally.
* FoeTossingCharge: In the first and last episodes of the first season, he responds to an EscortMission by doing an OverTheShoulderCarry on the escort and charging through every enemy in his path.
* HairTriggerTemper:
** He says he's killed better men for less during an argument over new chairs for the conference room, though he amends it to "wanted to kill them for about the same" when pressed.
** Boimler's simulation of him shouts, "Don't talk to me, I'm pissed off!" when Rutherford says hello. Rutherford is amazed because the real Shaxs said the same thing to him an hour earlier.
* HeroicBuild: He's incredibly tall and incredibly broad; Mariner jokes that he keeps spilling his coffee because he can't raise it past his enormous pecs.
* HeroicSacrifice: Sacrifices himself to save Rutherford during the Season 1 finale. He gets better.
* HiddenDepths: Sociopathy aside, Shaxs is religious and a practitioner of the Bajoran faith. As of Season 2 he's also taken up pottery to channel his rage and trauma into something more constructive.
-->'''Rutherford:''' Put it in the clay, Papa Bear, put it in the clay.\\
'''Shaxs:''' I'm going to fight! I'm going to get revenge! I'm... ''(working the clay)'' going to make a cute little ashtray for my incense. It's going to look like a puppy.\\
'''Rutherford:''' Ooh, a puppy!
* InterspeciesRomance: With Doctor T'Ana, a Caitian, as of "Mugato, Gumato".
* MythologyGag: In "Second Contact", the shirt of his uniform is torn while he fends off infected crewmembers, exposing much of his chest. This is a nod to Kirk's frequent ClothingDamage after a fistfight in ''TOS''.
* NoIndoorVoice: Downplayed. Shaxs speaks normally most of the time, but anything that gets him riled up raises the volume to match, and it doesn't take much to get him there. Shaxs himself even lampshades it in the Season 1 finale.
-->'''Shaxs:''' Not if I have anything to scream about it!
* OddFriendship: Resident ass-kicking BloodKnight Shaxs is very close to socially awkward nerd Rutherford, and seems to view him as a surrogate son, calling him "Baby Bear" in reference to his dubbing the ship's Security division the "Bear Pack"
* OneNameOnly: The series has stuck him with this, but a comic he cameo's in refers to him as Shaxs Drazon. Whether this will change in the fourth season is unknown.
* OverTheShoulderCarry: If something needs to be brought somewhere else, Shaxs won't hesitate to toss it over his shoulder and charge through whatever he needs to to get it there, even if he doesn't need to.
-->'''Rutherford''': You know, I can run on my own...
* PapaWolf: Papa ''Bear'', thank you very much. Everyone in his "Bear Pack" (what he calls the ''Cerritos'' security department staff) is family to him, even temporary members like Rutherford.
** This was almost literal since one early concept art shows that he started out as Xax, who was a purple furred alien with an operations uniform.
* ReligiousBruiser:
** It's not given nearly as much attention as other Bajoran characters, but he ''is'' still Bajoran, and can clearly be seen wearing the traditional Bajoran earring that is a symbol of their faith to the Prophets. During his training of Rutherford on the holodeck, after the young Ensign kicks all kinds of ass, we do get this gem:
--->'''Shaxs:''' [[OhMyGods In the name of the Prophets!]]
** And again during the [[Recap/StarTrekLowerDecksS1E09CrisisPoint "movie"]], though technically, that was only a holographic simulation based on him.
--->'''Shaxs:''' '''''INTRUDER! When you get to Hell, tell the [[Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine Pah-wraiths]] that Shax sent ya, special delivery, STRAIGHT FROM BAJOR!''''' ''[opens fire with a {{BFG}}]''
** The crew of the ''Cerritos'' gives him a funeral service where the Captain says "He's with the Prophets now", suggesting he was a known adherent of the Bajoran faith.
* RunningGag: Shaxs has a reputation for wanting to eject or otherwise weaponize the warp core. According to his entry on the Trek Logs Instagram, it's because of the sheer, unabashed awesomeness of using a two-story matter-antimatter bomb. The fact it was tactically prudent to do so in the Season 3 finale came as much of a surprise to him as everyone else on the ''Cerritos'' bridge (minus Boimler).
* RuggedScar: He has a scar across his right eyebrow and cheek, which generally serves to make him look more badass.
* ShellShockedVeteran: As evidenced by his [[TraumaButton reaction]] to Boimler's casual question about his life on Bajor, not all of Shaxs' scars are on the outside.
* TopHeavyGuy: His upper body ''really'' is huge.
* TraumaButton: He has two: The circumstances behind his [[UnexplainedRecovery resurrection]] and being asked about his homeworld. Anyone who's seen ''TNG'' or ''Deep Space Nine'' can tell you that the homeworld thing being traumatic is a ''very'' JustifiedTrope, and that he's far from the only Bajoran to carry scars (emotional and physical) from the occupation.
* UnexplainedRecovery: He's suddenly back alive without explanation in "We'll Always Have Tom Paris". Rutherford eventually works up the courage to ask him how he came back, but the circumstances are so horrific that thinking about it drives Shax to tears and the audience is spared from hearing it, (Rutherford was going to ask earlier in the episode but backed off when a different crewmember did and got disciplined for poking into a very sensitive topic). [[LampshadeHanging Apparently this happens a lot to the bridge crew.]]
[[/folder]]
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[[AC:Crew of the U.S.S. ''Cerritos'' (NCC-75567)]]

[[folder:General Crew Tropes]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/cerritosnonuniform.JPG]]
[[caption-width-right:350:The ''Cerritos'' crew is always ready for action, even on their day off!]]
* BunnyEarsLawyer: While the ship's crew tend to be rather eccentric, dysfunctional, and sometimes downright insubordinate, they are capable of [[LetsGetDangerous transforming into a highly efficient and capable team]] whenever things ''really'' get serious.
* DysfunctionJunction: The crew seem to have a lot of problems, from command issues to interpersonal issues to [[MildlyMilitary basic discipline issues]]. This might be because the ''Cerritos'' is a less prestigious posting than most other "main character" ships in ''Star Trek'' series and less "cream of the crop" officers get posted there, or [[LowerDeckEpisode because of the nature of the series]] those issues are just brought to the foreground more often, or a combination of both.
** It's possible the ''Cerritos'' is tied with the [[Literature/StarTrekNewFrontier USS Excalibur]] in terms of sheer lunacy, both among the crew and the ship's exploits.
* LoadsAndLoadsOfRaces: Thanks to the freedom of animation, many Federation races (and a few non-Federation ones like the Kzinti) are represented on the ''Cerritos''.
* MauveShirt: There are a ''lot'' of recurring minor characters, most of whom get ADayInTheLimelight at some point.
* MisfitMobilizationMoment: When they ''really'' have to work together to save the day, such as in "No Small Parts" and "First First Contact", the crew of the ''Cerritos'' prove to be as much a BadassCrew as that of any of the starships ''Enterprise''.
* SeenItAll: Most of the ''Cerritos''' crewmembers (sometimes with the exception of Rutherford or Tendi) fall into this territory. Repeatedly, during Season 2, we see them having complete non-reactions to Ransom's giant head eating the ship, Captain Freeman steering the ship towards a black hole, Shaxs' UnexplainedRecovery, and the sheer bizarreness of the drills based on previous (infamous) ''Star Trek'' episodes.
* WorldOfJerkass: To a point. They're still Federation, so decidedly good guys, but it's made repeatedly and abundantly clear that few on the ''Cerritos'' are happy to be there. This is, however, gradually subverted over the course of the series as the crew start to bond and learn to take pride in their ship.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:U.S.S. ''Cerritos'']]
!!U.S.S. ''Cerritos'' (NCC-75567)
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/uss_cerritos.png]]
->'''Voiced by:''' Creator/JessicaMcKenna (computer voice)

A ''California''-class starship named for a city southeast of UsefulNotes/LosAngeles.
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* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: Given her status as a "lower decks" ship among Starfleet's armada in general, this is always in play when the ''Cerritos'' encounters other Starfleet ships, both in and outside of her own class. This is readily in effect when the ''Cerritos'' rendezvous with the ''Parliament''-class U.S.S. ''Vancouver'' (NCC-70492) in "Cupid's Errant Arrow". The ''Parliament''-class appears to be a similar-looking yet much more advanced version of the ''California''-class, and a few members of the ''Cerritos'' crew experience various levels of starship envy while in her presence. It's even more apparent in "No Small Parts" when the ''Cerritos'' ends up crippled by one Pakled ship while the ''Titan'' single-handedly sends three Pakled ships running.
** Zigzagged as apparently the ''Cerritos'' is this to other ''California''-class Starships with other crews expressing awe and envy on encountering then. They might not impress the Fleet at large but the ''Cerritos'' is lower deck famous.
** Outright defied as of the Season 3 finale. The ''Cerritos'' takes out two ''Texas''-class starships, damages a third and '''still''' survives a pair of attacks by those ships whereas a ''Sovereign''-class starship (and a Federation ''Starbase'') goes against them... and both are nearly destroyed outright by the ''Aledo'' and her sister-ships. Yes, the ''Cerritos'' has to go into Spacedock for repairs afterwards, but that is one badass little support ship that can take a beating while others are left in pieces.
* BoringButPractical:
** The ''Cerritos'' does the unglamorous yet necessary jobs, many of which involve following up on civilizations that the Federation has met before. Their "second contact" missions are the ones that lay the actual groundwork for other races to maintain relations with the Federation.
--->'''Ensign Boimler:''' We get all the paperwork signed, make sure we're spelling the name of the planet right, get to know all the good places to eat...
** This also applies to her fellow ''California''-class ships. They may not look flashy, but they're easily customizable for specific missions.
** Boimler actually addresses this to the ''Titan'' crew. The ''Titan'' is a much more action-oriented ship, with the crew going into battles every five minutes. However, the ''Cerritos'' is a much more subdued ship, full of explorers, and harkens back to old TNG. The ''Titan'' crew finds TNG exploring and political episodes boring, but both Boimler and Riker find them soothing. Riker even says that Boimler shouldn't take the ''Cerritos'' for granted.
* ButtMonkey: Being the 2380's equivalent of the ''Oberth''-class (a science vessel not equipped for front-line combat), she tends to get her butt kicked by more powerful warships. (In the back half of Season 3, it happens three times in four episodes.)
* DudeWheresMyRespect: Part of the show's premise is that the ''Cerritos'' is one of Starfleet's least important ships. InUniverse, her captain feels that Starfleet considers the ''Cerritos'' to be a joke. However, to the community of crews aboard ''California''-class ships at large, the ''Cerritos'' might as well be the ''Enterprise''.
* FamedInStory: Despite being a ''California''-class and not too amazing in the whole workings of Starfleet, the ''Cerritos'' is actually beloved by other ''California''-class crew in the fleet, being considered the ''Enterprise'' of the ''California''-class. This is due to their adventures, including surviving two encounters with the Pakleds.
* NonStandardCharacterDesign:
** A downplayed example; while the ''Cerritos'' is unusually designed and lacking the sleek lines of other "main character" ships, her saucer section and warp nacelles clearly identify her as a Federation vessel. Her odd placement of the secondary hull is not without precedent either, as other "background" designs such as the ''[[https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Oberth_class Oberth]]''- and ''[[https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Steamrunner_class Steamrunner]]''- class vessels have unconventional secondary hulls as well.
** ''California''-class ships have their name and registry number on the ''back'' of the saucer rather than on the front as with most Starfleet designs. According to [[invoked]]WordOfGod, this is for the benefit of ships that the ''Cali'' is towing.
* StylisticSuck: With a "flat" saucer section, oddly placed warp nacelles, lack of a connecting "neck", and awkwardly-connected secondary hull, the ''California''-class is designed to look like one of the throwaway ship models kitbashed from other models to be seen in distant group shots in some other ''Star Trek'' series. The disconnect between the saucer and the engineering section also symbolizes the disconnect between the senior officers and the lower deckers.
* WhatAPieceOfJunk: As a "second contact" ship, she is considered one of the less prestigious duty postings in the fleet. In "Cupid's Errant Arrow", the ''Cerritos'' is shown to need constant maintenance, and is prone to random plasma fires. She's approximately a decade and a half old, as her registry number would place her as a contemporary with the U.S.S. ''[[Series/StarTrekVoyager Voyager]]'' (NCC-74656). On the other hand, the ''Cerritos'' shows surprising robustness at times (not unlike ''Voyager'', in fact), as in "Moist Vessel", when the effects of the terraforming goo are completely reversed and leave no permanent damage. Even more impressive considering that the same goo renders her sister ship the ''Merced'' unsalvageable, with barely a HandWave (the ship was allegedly "more exposed" to the effects of the goo). Riker also compliments her hardiness in the Season 1 finale, considering how long she lasted against scavengers with superior firepower. Overall, while the ''Cerritos'' is not a particularly prestigious ship, she's still much more capable than dedicated support ships like the ''Miranda''- and ''Oberth''-classes, which are notorious for their loss rates in [[Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration TNG]] and [[Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine DS9]].
[[/folder]]

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