History Recap / StarTrekLowerDecksS3E02TheLeastDangerousGame

* GutturalGrowler: K'Ranch wheezes, groans, moans, inhales sharply, yowls, shrieks and gurgles constantly.

By the end of the competition, Boimler has collapsed from exertion. Shaxs, on the opposing team, leans over to compliment his impressive screaming during the match, and invites him to join his Bajoran dirge choir. This second opportunity leads to yet another: after a successful first rehersal, which scored him big points with Shaxs, [[CreepyGood Chief Lundy approaches him from a dark corner]]. Admiring Boimler's wiry build, Lundy says he runs a drawing class that has been looking for a, uh... "skeletal boy" to model, and asks Boimler if he would be willing to sit for them. Though clearly uncomfortable, Boimler decides to continue his adventurous streak. The audience is mercifully spared from spectating this one.

Things for Billups and Rutherford have somehow managed to get even worse. It seems the Dulainians aren't fans of outies, and Billups now finds himself about to be [[AppeaseTheVolcanoGod sacrified to their volcano god Morgo]]. Still, Ransom refuses to intercede, sounding more exasperated than worried about their situation. Mariner overhears, decides this has gone on long enough, and quietly sneaks off to grab a parachute to go rescue her crewmates. Unfortunately, as she's diving for the surface, Ransom calls. He realizes that he was expecting Mariner to disobey orders like she always used to, and admits that his need to be proven right has skewed his priorities. So he has decided that it's time to go bail the engineers out of their jam. Which would normally be great news, but now Mariner, who has prematurely stopped herself midway down the tower, has to somehow make it all the way back up before Ransom realizes that she ''did'' go rogue at the last second.

Boimler takes flight through the corridors, K'Ranch thundering behind him, swiping at him with all manner of weapons. He narrowly escapes a sophisticated homing boomerang by running into Cetacean Ops and diving into the water (much to Kimolu and Matt's annoyance). He pops out of a Jefferies tube on another deck and has the luck to run into the Captain. When she hears that he is being hunted, she immediately calls for a security team, but Boimler's relief [[HopeSpot doesn't last long]]. When he further explains who his pursuer is, Mariner calls off the alert. She is familiar with K'Ranch, describing him as "quite the charmer", and reminds Boimler of his responsibility to honor both his promise and K'Ranch's culture. The hunter turns the corner, and Freeman nonchalantly tells Boimler that he best keep moving.

* MagicAmpersand: The Klingon-themed, video-assisted ''D&D'' clone is called ''Bat'leths & [=BiHnuchs=]''.

* AppeaseTheVolcanoGod: The locals try to sacrifice Billups to Morgo the sentient volcano because he has an outie belly button. They've strung up Rutherford alongside him by the time Ransom and Mariner get there. Unlike most cases, this particular volcano god can talk back and be reasoned with.

* CommanderContrarian: Ransom makes a point to pressure Mariner as much as possible to try to get her to rebel. To this end, he contradicts her at every turn, like [[InsistentTerminology insisting they're repairing an orbital lift, not an elevator]], and has Billups and Rutherford go planetside to liaise with the locals while he and Mariner stay behind to do the repairs, even though both teams clearly aren't ideal for their respective tasks. When Mariner concedes his work after the fact, he sternly dismisses her, even though he quietly accepts the compliment while talking to himself afterwards.

* NinjaPirateZombieRobot: The locals are led by the [[AIIsACrapshoot sentient computer 355]], the [[GooGooGodlike psychic baby Mendrick]], and the [[GeniusLoci sentient volcano Morgo]]. Mariner complains that it's overkill, but Morgo insists it provides checks and balances.

* ShirtlessScene: Ransom talks the locals into letting Billups and Rutherford go by demonstrating that he is totally jacked, which is praised in their wellness-based society.

* BareYourMidriff: The Dulainians have this as part of their hat, to the point that Billups sparks a diplomatic incident when he neglects to expose his bellybutton while entering a sacred site.

The episode opens with Chancellor Martok, decked out in full Klingon armor, giving a bloodthirsty speech about the glory of vanquishing his enemies. He deftly brandishes his ''d'k tagh'', cycloptic face staring down the audience as he challenges them to prove their own honor! Panning out, the four ensigns are watching on a PADD, with an RPG game board and snacks in front of them. All of them will die, the digital GameMaster Martok says, but will they do so with honor? So begins their first round of ''[[TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons Bat'leths & BiHnuchs]]'', the Ferengi-made, Klingon-themed tabletop RPG that Boimler recently acquired.

Boimler decides to visit K'Ranch in his quarters to clarify the exact nature of this hunt he's agreed to participate in. The Kromsapoid is ritualistically preparing himself, not deigning to engage in conversation except to size Boimler up. The hunt, he says, has already begun. He draws a dagger and attacks!

Boimler observes that, as annoying as it is for her, this new arrangement has so far kept Mariner out of trouble. Tendi agrees, adding that these kinds of unexpected opportunities as exactly what got former ensign Vendome into a captain's chair so quickly. Boimler laughs, convinced that Tendi is pulling a prank on him. Vendome, a captain? What a ridiculous thought! But Tendi and Rutherford only look back at him in confusion. They pull up Vendome's personnel file, describing the misadventure that put the captain of the ''Inglewood'' out of commission and got Vendome a FieldPromotion that ended up becoming [[RankUp permanent]]. Boimler is dismayed to learn that, in spite of everything he has done to further his career, the ensign infamous for [[Recap/StarTrekLowerDecksS1E03TemporalEdict getting impaled by a spear]] somehow ended up on the fast track.

Boimler takes flight through the corridors, K'Ranch thundering behind him, swiping at him with all manner of weapons. He narrowly escapes a sophisticated homing boomerang by running into Cetacean Ops and diving into the water (much to Kimolu and Matt's annoyance). He pops out of a Jefferies tube on another deck and has the luck to run into the Captain. When she hears that he is being hunted, she immediately calls for a security team, but Boimler's relief [[HopeSpot doesn't last long]]. When he further explains who his pursuer is, Mariner calls off the alert. She is familiar with K'Ranch, describing him as "quite the charmer", and reminds Boimler of his responsibility to honor both his promise and K'Ranch's culture. The hunter turns the corner, and Freeman non-chalantly tells Boimler that he best keep moving.

->'''Martok:''' The bartender rips off your arm and kills you with it. It is not an honorable death since, technically, you have died by your own hand.\\

The episode opens with the four ensigns playing ''Bat'leths & [=BiHnuchs=]'' (the Klingon-themed bootleg Ferengi version of ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons''), with a simulated Chancellor Martok acting as DM. The brief session sets up the two main plots of the episode: while Mariner is tired of having Ransom looking over her shoulder, Boimler is prodded to rethink his cautious, take-no-chances approach to life.

Ransom, Billups, Rutherford, and Mariner are assigned to help the PlanetOfTheWeek repair their space elevator. Ransom, to prompt Mariner into rebelling, assigns the engineers to the planetside diplomatic duties (which is fun for them, until it isn't), while he and Mariner (attempt to) conduct repairs. Meanwhile, Boimler decides to re-enact the film ''Film/YesMan'' by agreeing to everything... which inadvertently results in him volunteering to become prey for a large, hulking predator named K'Ranch.

* InsistentTerminology: Ransom insists it's not a space elevator, it's an orbital lift, seemingly just to be contrary to Mariner. Everyone else in the episode, including the natives of Dulaine and the lady on the instructional video, call it a "space elevator" so he's just being stubborn about annoying her.

* WhatCouldPossiblyGoWrong: Ransom figures that he and Mariner, who serve aboard a starship, should have no problem repairing a space elevator and that Rutherford and Billups can handle relations with the natives. Turns out the repairs take way longer when you aren't an expert, and Billups insults their culture by accident because public relations is secondary to his job.

* AnAesop: You should be prepared to take risks in pursuit of a goal, especially if your plan isn't working, but you should also think things through and not take risks ''blindly''. More generally, you shouldn't have one over-reaching principle that defines all your decisions, but should make them on a case-by-case basis.
** And in the Mariner/Ransom plot: Pushing someone to their limits shouldn't come at the risk of the mission, or even more importantly, the lives of your shipmates.

* BaitAndSwitchComment: After K'Ranch asks Boimler to volunteer as his [[HuntingTheMostDangerousGame prey]], Tendi tries to backpedal on her "be bold" advice to him, urging a degree of moderation.

* TheCameo: J. G. Hertzler reprises his role as Martok-- or at least a pre-programmed VI copy that supervises the ''Dungeons and Dragons'' clone.
* CasualDangerDialogue: When Boimler runs into Captain Freeman and begs to be saved from K'Ranch, she casually tells Boimler the merits of keeping your word, and when K'Ranch roams through, he thanks her for the mimosas and she gives him a casual "Happy hunting!" (Justified beyond the typical PlayedForLaughs approach: K'Ranch has no intention of actually killing Boimler, and given that Carol spent time talking with him and called off security upon hearing his name, she most likely knows that Boimler isn't in serious danger.)

* ExactWords: Boimler's RPG character gets screwed by this.

* FateWorseThanDeath: When Boimler gets a bad roll in the Klingon RPG, he doesn't get to die an honorable death. He has to live out the rest of his days as a dentist.

* TheHunterBecomesTheHunted: Averted when Boimler tries to invoke this against K'Ranch after being inspired to courage, but [[FailedAttemptAtDrama immediately has his stand cut off]]. He gets speared in the shoulder mid-sentence for his trouble. K'Ranch then lampshades how well-worn the trope is and his mistake in talking about it more than doing it.

* MagicAmpersand: ''Bat'leths & [=BiHnuchs=]''.

* PredatorPastiche: K'Ranch is pretty much a Yautja ''Franchise/{{Predator}}'', an intimidating eight-foot-tall animalistic alien whose species revolves around finding prey to hunt using advanced harpoons and boomerangs, changed ''just'' enough to avoid copyright.[[note]]His face is especially reminiscent of ''Franchise/MassEffect'''s turians, another Predator pastiche, with nearly identical chitinous face plates, backswept scalpal protrusions, pointed mandibles, triangular teeth, black sclera, and colored facial markings.[[/note]] The main joke though is he is actually FriendToAllLivingThings, the hunt is "catch and release" complete with taking selfies, and the injury he inflicted on Boimler is easily mended with Starfleet medical technology.

* SecretTestOfCharacter: Ransom's decision to illogically delegate the diplomacy team to do engineering work and the engineers to handle diplomacy was subtextually evident up front as a test to see if Mariner can actually stick with an order that doesn't make sense or if she'll bail to do her own thing. While she does try to leave when she thinks Rutherford and Billups are in trouble, Ransom concluded independently it was a mistake and commends her for making the effort, as he never learns of her going rogue.

The episode opens with the four ensigns playing ''Bat'leths & [=BiHnuchs=]'' (the Klingon/bootleg Ferengi Klingon version of ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons''), with a simulated Chancellor Martok acting as DM. The brief session sets up the two main plots of the episode: while Mariner is tired of having Ransom looking over her shoulder, Boimler is prodded to rethink his cautious, take-no-chances approach to life.

** Mariner's atmospheric space dive parallel to the space elevator closely resembles a similar scene in the first Kelvinverse ''Star Trek'' movie.

** [[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Recap/StarTrekLowerDecksS1E03TemporalEdict Ransom again gives a speech about how humans and aliens are not so different]], except this time it actually works because he awed them with his rippling physique.

The episode opens with the four ensigns playing ''Bat'leths & [=BiHnuchs=]'' (the Klingon version of ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons''), with a simulated Chancellor Martok acting as DM. The brief session sets up the two main plots of the episode: while Mariner is tired of having Ransom looking over her shoulder, Boimler is prodded to rethink his cautious, take-no-chances approach to life.

* PredatorPastiche: K'Ranch is pretty much a Yautja ''Franchise/{{Predator}}'', an intimidating eight-foot-tall animalistic alien whose species revolves around finding prey to hunt using advanced harpoons and boomerangs, changed ''just'' enough to avoid copyright. The main joke though is he is actually FriendToAllLivingThings, the hunt is "catch and release" complete with taking selfies, and the injury he inflicted on Boimler is easily mended with Starfleet medical technology.

* ItHasBeenAnHonor: Implied. Rutherford and Billups give each other these as it looks like they are going to be dropped into a lava pit.

* TeleportInterdiction: The heavily ionized atmosphere of Dulaine prevents beaming, so travel is facilitated by space elevators (orbital lifts) that rise above the interference.