Heartwarming / Star Trek: Lower Decks

As a Moments subpage, all spoilers are unmarked as per policy. You Have Been Warned.

Season 1

"Second Contact"

• Tendi is very excited to be serving on a starship for the first time, even if she's assigned to the lower decks of a second-rate starship where she shares a bunk room which is basically a wide part of the hallway. It helps that the bunkroom has a fantastic view of space behind the Cerritos.
• Tendi found herself thrown into a huge crisis literally as she reported for duty on her first day. This included having to hold a crewman's heart in her hands while she manually pumped it. When she's later asked if she's OK, she immediately smiles and bursts out with:
  Tendi: I GOT TO HOLD A HEART!
  • In response, her new crewmates just smile.

"Envoys"

• The various department heads are supportive of Rutherford's desire to try other divisions. Despite these people being crude, not once do they get angry at his failures^note except for Dr. T'Ana briefly, but she nonetheless compliments him on his surgical skills, but are surprised at what he can do — and that includes somehow venting children into space during a simulation.
  • There's also the fact that the entire Engineering staff is very supportive of Rutherford trying out other divisions, to the point where they chant his name.
• When Boimler goes through a Heroic BSoD and considers quitting Starfleet after the mission is over, Mariner helps him get his confidence back by pretending not to recognize a Ferengi or that he was trying to lead them into an Obvious Trap, letting Boimler be a "hero" and scare him off. She also lets him brag about it to their crewmates afterwards after he promised he wouldn't. The ending scene also reveals that she is actually friends with the Ferengi they encountered, with the two of them having set up the encounter together.
• At the end of the episode, Tendi and Rutherford are sitting happily together in a Jeffries tube. She watches the pulsar on her PADD and asks him, "Isn't it amazing?"; he looks at a panel that he's repairing and replies, "It's beautiful." Although their focus is on something different, it's sweet that they're content just to be in each other's company.

"Temporal Edict"

• He might be a bit of a cocky douche, but Ransom is absolutely dedicated to the safety of the junior officers under his command. He even goes so far as to stab Mariner in the foot so she can't take his place in the Trial by Combat.
• In the far future, the children who are learning about Starfleet history include not only the familiar Federation species (there's an Andorian and a Caitian), but also two Ferengi (which strongly implies that they've joined the Federation) and a former Borg drone (so the Federation continues to grant citizenship to xBs like Hugh in Star Trek: Picard). Moreover, the kids are drawn in a very cute manner, so that increases the "Awww!" factor.
• Miles Edward O'Brien is revered as a hero in the far future.

"Moist Vessel"

• Mariner and Freeman share a hug after they work together to both save the Cerritos and the crew of the Merced, though they quickly stop after realizing what they're doing.

"Cupid's Errant Arrow"

• Although her approach is tactless and borderline insulting, Mariner is sincerely concerned for Boimler's safety and apparently suffers high stress and lack of sleep while convinced that he is in danger. This culminates in a panic attack when she discovers compelling evidence that his life is in immediate peril, and she dives out an airlock in an EVA suit in an effort to save him.^note Spacewalking without a tether or means of propulsion is insanely dangerous Though Mariner may act like a Big Sister Bully at times, there is no doubt that she's earnestly invested in her friend's wellbeing.
• Even after all of the suspicion, false accusations, and threats Mariner leveled against her, Barbara makes it abundantly clear that she doesn't hold a grudge and the two patch things up with surprisingly good grace. They even manage to bond a bit while resolving the crisis of the week.
  • Even sweeter, the thing the two bond over is their shared affection of Boimler. As Mariner puts it, he's a dork, but he's their dork.
• While Boimler is in a funk about his breakup with Barbara, Mariner takes the time to pep him up.
  Mariner: Hey, you'll find someone who loves you without a goo-ga attached to your skull!
  Boimler: (despondent) You're just saying that.
  Mariner: No I'm not! You're a catch, man! You're real.
  • Calling Boimler "real" carries extra meaning, as the Too Good to Be True trope features heavily in this episode.
• In a bit of funny and heartwarming, both Rutherford and Tendi steal a whole dufflebag full of T88 scanners before leaving the Vancouver.
  Tendi: This, this is why we're friends.

"Terminal Provocations"

• After their fun time watching the Chu Chu dance, Boimler and Mariner are surprised to find themselves getting along perfectly, and remark on how nice it is.
• Rutherford's Anguished Declaration of Love for Tendi while fighting off Badgey to save her (even if she doesn't hear it).

"Much Ado About Boimler"

• Tendi's farewell to The Dog is equally heartwarming and hilarious, especially their last words together:
  Tendi: (Late to the Realization) Hey! You are a freak!
  The Dog: I know! I just didn't want you to worry!
  Tendi: (as she and Boimler walk away) Oh, she's such a good girl!
• Division 14. This new division specializes in all the strange scientific accidents that have befallen Starfleet officers. It takes in all the cases that are too mysterious or perhaps too complicated for regular medical staff to solve (And as we seen of the spa planet they are treated with both respect and dignity). It's honestly nice to know that Starfleet takes care of their own.

"Veritas"

• Shaxs calling Rutherford "Baby Bear" even after all the time that had passed since the latter left security will always warm the cockles of the heart.

"Crisis Point"

• The holodeck uses simulations of the crew based on their log entries to make their reactions as realistic as possible. This results in the unexpected twist of Holo!Mariner leaping to Captain Freeman's aid when Mariner is trying to take out her rage on her.
  Holo-Mariner: Get off my mom, you bitch!
  • On the Lower Decks soundtrack, the heroic fanfare that accompanies this part is titled "The Real Mariner."
• Additionally Holo-Mariner revealing that while she does find her mom incredibly overbearing and definitely has issues with being controlling she does recognize all that Captain Freeman is doing for her in her own messed up way. Not only that but she does in fact love the Cerritos and would literally die to protect its crew if it came down to it.
• Rutherford realizes that he has the chance to say whatever he wants to his boss. So he marches in at gunpoint and says:
  Rutherford: Andy Billups. You think you're the best engineer in the fleet. Well I've wanted to say something to you for a long time. You are the best engineer in the fleet. I love how you program subroutines, it's breathtaking.

"No Small Parts"

• Even if Peanut Hamper turns out to be a jerk, it's pretty sweet to finally see the Exocomps have become officially recognized as a sentient species, and are even being accepted into Starfleet.
• Mariner handing out art supplies to children. Even Boimler agrees it's a good thing and joins her in handing out crayons.
• Mariner's sincere concern for Freeman after Freeman is injured in the Pakled assault on the ship.
• Rutherford offering to undertake the almost-certainly suicidal task of boarding the Pakled ship to infect it with a computer virus. Tendi starts trying to press his implant button to make him get back to "normal" mode—except he's already there.
• The absolute look of glee on Boimler's face when the Titan drops out of warp.
• Riker may still have his Chivalrous Pervert personality, but he and Troi are still Happily Married, and chat about visiting Little Risa during their next mission.
  • Riker really is living his best life on the Titan; he's The Ace captain of the finest ship in the Federation fleet this side of the Enterprise, and he gets to sit on the bridge next to his beautiful wife who he's still madly in love with after all this time.
• When Tendi realizes that Rutherford has lost all memory of her, she decides that this is great because they get to become best friends all over again.
• After being the Designated Monkey for almost the entire first season, Brad Boimler finally gets promoted thanks to Ransom putting in a good word for him and is transferred to the more prestigious USS Titan. Having moved up a rank, he finally seems to be in his element and even gets to show off a bit by telling his shipmates about Tulgana IV.
• Shaxs' last words as he's pushing Rutherford to safety.
  "Hang in there, baby bear!"
• Freeman refusing any cosmetic alterations to Cerritos while it's being repaired, implicitly because she loves her ship just the way it is.

Season 2

"Strange Energies"

• Rutherford reassures Tendi that he won't stop being her friend.

"Kayshon, His Eyes Open"

• The fact that a Tamarian was able to join Starfleet. Considering the difficulty in trying to interact with them, it's nice to see that Dathon and Picard's effort to reach across the divide wasn't in vain.
• The care that the ensigns take to keep the Kayshon puppet with them and avoid any potential harm from coming to him is nice to see (especially when it would likely have been easier to leave him behind and retrieve him later). He might be the new guy, and completely unable to communicate with them at the moment, but the Ensign Newbie crew members are treating him like one of their own.
  • The fact that Kayshon unhesitatingly threw himself in front of the energy ray which caused his transfiguration to protect the Ensigns he's just met, having no idea what the heck it would do to him, probably helped.
• When Boimler and his away team are locked in a room with Pakleds trying to cut through the door, the others are prepared to make their Last Stand together. Boimler confesses he isn't into epic fights like they are and joined Starfleet to explore and discover new things and he enjoys the kinds of adventures Riker had on the Enterprise-D. His honesty gets his teammates to remember their own humble reasons for joining Starfleet.
• Riker admits that he misses being on a ship like the Enterprise-D, and getting to explore new worlds instead of constantly fighting. Though he seems happy as the captain of the Titan he hasn't forgotten where he began, and he tells Boimler as he transfers back to the Cerritos to enjoy being on a ship like that while he can.

"We'll Always Have Tom Paris"

• Billups and the rest of the Engineering staff rallying around Shaxs when one person asks an insensitive question about his resurrection.
• Shaxs assuring Rutherford (when he admits to feeling guilty that Shaxs gave up his life to save him) that it wasn't his fault.
  "Saving you was my duty."
  • Shaxs being willing to discuss something that is obviously distressing to him in order to help Rutherford get over his guilt.
  • Plus, he still calls Rutherford "Baby Bear".
• On the way back to the Cerritos, Mariner and Tendi confide in each other, lamenting about how much they don't really know each other. Mariner explains her attachment issues, and Tendi confesses her tendency to people-please, with both making up near the end (and Mariner creating an excuse as to why the libido post was damaged so Tendi wouldn't get blamed) and Tendi visiting Mariner so they can listen to Klingon Acid Punk together.

"Mugato, Gumato"

• Mariner reassuring Boimler and Rutherford that she values their friendship after they admit to feeling like they're out of her league. She's later glowing with pride when they convince the Ferengi to turn the place into a Mugato preserve and free their captives.
  • And the ruthless Ferengi poachers actually going along with it. When convinced that it would be more profitable to nurture the Mugatos, they're immediately on-board with turning the planet into a "horned heaven" for the endangered species. It shows a level of benevolence from the Ferengi rarely seen, reminding the viewer that, greedy as they might be, Ferengi can do as much good as anyone else when they're shown how much profit there is to be made in it.
• T'Ana flirting with Shaxs in Sickbay.

"An Embarrassment of Dooplers"

• As Boimler and Mariner are sulking about being stuck in a lame dive bar, the owner lets them know it's actually the very same bar where future Starfleet legends Kirk and Spock used to hang out when they were still making their way through the ranks. They end up carving their own names next to those two, newly energized that they can go on to make something big of their careers.
• It turns out that the senior staff of the Cerritos is not invited to the party after all. Boimler and Mariner find Freeman, Shaxs, T'Ana and Ransom sulking outside the bar they're hanging out in. Mariner heads out and invites everyone into the bar, which Freeman happily accepts, though not before Freeman gets in one last bit of revenge for the party.
• Freeman watching Mariner tease Boimler about being Mariner's number one, and even backing her up on it. Feels less like a captain watching two officers and more a parent watching their child and her friend.

"The Spy Humungous"

• A factor in Larry Niven's decision to introduce the Kzinti into the Star Trek universe was his desire to see what other people would do with them, and after nearly fifty years of the answer being "not much," the recurring Kzinti ensign finally has a significant role in this episode. In-universe, much like with Worf, Nog, and Tendi before him, it's nice to see another "bad guy species" character being accepted by the rest of the crew as just another officer.
• Boimler doesn't hesitate to help Tendi by embarrassing himself or defend doing so when the Red Shirts think it's unbecoming of a potential captain. Starfleet isn't just the work you do, it's who you do it with.
  • While Casey was undeterred by this, Boimler's words and actions were enough to cause Jennifer and the other two members of the Redshirts to leave, intent on focusing more on their duties, with one of them asking him if he wants to see a Winger Bingston show later on.
• Boimler and Tendi, restored to herself, lying in the pile of multicolored food mush and giggling over the scene he just made is a pretty cute moment.
• Ransom earnestly congratulates Boimler for his good work with Tendi.

"I, Excretus"

• Even though that wasn't the plan Shari's drills actually led to senior and junior officers bonding, including Mariner and Freeman, who grudgingly admit that each other's jobs can be pretty hard.
• At the end of the episode, Captain Freeman reveals she's given the Lower Decks a better replicator, noting that they really have it rough on the food end. They even have it updated with most of the senior officer's menu.
• Oddly Freeman's willingness to put her crew into danger to defeat Shari comes off as this. She has complete confidence in their ability to handle those type of situations.
  • Likewise, the crew show absolutely no fear, knowing that Freeman would never order them into a suicide mission just to win a pissing contest with a bureaucrat.
• A small moment, Freeman states that Boimler saved the crew when they come to get him from his pod. Then when Boimler starts talking like a Borg from inside the pod, Ransom immediately orders everyone to get him out of there.

"wej Duj"

• It seems that Rutherford and Shaxs have grown closer with each other, as the former is able to pull a Cooldown Hug on the latter and get him to focus back on his pottery, even calling him "Papa Bear".
• Mariner and Freeman spend the day doing everything from holodeck phaser battles to board games. Despite all of their sniping, they both admit they had fun spending time together as mother and daughter.
• Dr. T'Ana invites Tendi to go rock climbing. She really seems to have taken the young Orion under her wing.
• The Cerritos is getting hammered by the Pakled and Che'Ta, only for the Vulcan ship Sh'vhal to arrive, placing herself between the Cerritos and her attackers.
  • Adding to the heartwarming: The soundtrack when Sh'vhal drops into the line of fire is a reprise of Holo!Mariner's Big Damn Heroes theme—Starfleet officers risking everything to protect their family.
• At the end of the episode, Ransom sends over a young cadet to ask Boimler for help organizing his schedule, telling the kid that Boimler is the most organized guy he knows. He even gives Boimler a friendly wink from across the bar.

"First First Contact"

"I'm OK with this."

• Sonya Gomez has come a long way since spilling hot chocolate on Picard; she has her own command and a crew that highly respects her. She even briefly helps a clumsy young ensign who trips over herself on the bridge.
  Sonya Gomez: Don't worry about it. I've done way worse in front of much more intimidating captains!
  • The episode has a Running Gag of junior officers stumbling and being helped by others. After the encounter between Gomez and her ensign, we later see Commander Billups catch an engineer who slips her tether while working on the hull. It serves as both Foreshadowing for Mariner going overboard during the climax and her being rescued by Jennifer.
• Captain Freeman almost personally takes the Captain's Yacht out by herself, despite not having piloted in years. She's that determined to not let Gomez and the crew of the Archimedes die.
  • Mariner, for her part, is in full Anger Born of Worry mode during this scene — it's clear from her demeanor that she is terrified at the thought of her mother taking on a Suicide Mission on her own. At one point she tries to take the controls herself, preferring to risk her own life than let her mother risk hers.
• The reveal why Dr. T'Ana deleted Tendi's file from the Sickbay archives: She feels Tendi has potential to be senior science officer and wants to start her on training for bridge exam. Tendi's hug and T'Ana's reaction make it even better.
  T'Ana: ... I'm okay with this. (Hugs Tendi back)
• The hard drive on Rutherford's implant is overloaded with memories he has of Tendi that he's been saving in triplicate. He's so afraid of losing his memories of her again, he decided to triple back them up.
  Rutherford: What if I forget her again?
  Billups: Son... if you can't keep making new memories, does it matter?
• Tendi convincing Mariner that the Lower Decks gang are her family, just as much as her mother, and she doesn't have to do everything herself. They are Starfleet, and she can trust them to get the job done.
• Mariner and Jennifer burying the hatchet after the latter saves the former's life.
• As the Archimedes enters Lapeeria's atmosphere, Captain Gomez orders the bridge crew to the back of the ship so that they'll have a small chance of survival. None of them leave their posts, and her first officer instead tells her that It Has Been an Honor.
• Just the fact that the entire crew was ready to take on an extremely risky attempt to save not just a fellow Federation vessel but the innocent inhabitants of the nearby planet without any hesitation is moving in its own right. Even though they often don't get the same respect that other crews receive, they all are Starfleet to the core.
  Freeman: It would take the whole crew working around the clock to remove that many panels. Then we'd have to fly through a dangerous debris field with zero protection! All in eleven hours!
  Tendi: Are you saying it can't be done?
  Freeman: (already moving) No! I'm saying we have to hurry!
• When the last panel is jammed and has to be released manually from the bottom of Cetacean Ops, Mariner tells the Bridge crew that Boimler is on it with such absolute confidence in his abilities that they begin the operation certain that he will release the panel on time.
• When the ship is hit by an asteroid, Mariner is knocked loose and begins drifting off into space before she is rescued by Jennifer, the Andorian crewmate she has been pissy with all season. This prompts them to realize that they have no idea why they hate each other and they decide to try being friends instead, with Mariner introducing her to the rest of her friends.
• When the Archimedes is grabbed by a tractor beam, one of the ensigns points at the viewscreen and shouts "It's the Cerritos!" In both dialog and composition, the entire shot is a Call-Back to Boimler pointing out the Titan coming to the Cerritos's rescue in the previous season finale. Starfleet is a family, and they will always jump to help each other.
• The titular First Contact. Captain Freeman barely gets through her introduction before the Lapeerian representative wraps her in a bear hug.
  Representative: Lapeeria welcomes you! WE MUST DRINK!
  (the crowd cheers)

Season 3

"Grounded"

• Even as mad as she is at Mariner for stealing the Cerritos, Freeman is touched at the lengths she went to in trying to clear her mom's name.
• Even after the truth is revealed about how Pakled Planet blew up, there is still a Starfleet medical ship on station to assist.

"Mining the Mind's Mine"

• After spending the whole day being ignored by Captain Freeman, talked over by the bridge crew, and completely unaided by her mentor, Tendi returns to sickbay as a coping mechanism. There the normally gruff and foul-mouthed Dr. T'Ana shows her softer side and tells Tendi that, bad day aside, Tendi is still going to be a great bridge officer. Coming from her boss and the person who recommended her for the bridge officer program, it's clear that this means a lot to Tendi.
  Tendi (on the verge of tears): I just don't know if I'm cut out to be a science officer. I can't get the captain to listen to me.
  T'Ana: [sigh] Okay, guess we're doing this. Tendi, of course you're cut out for it. That's why I recommended you!
  Tendi: Then why am I blowing it? All my studying hasn't helped at all.
  T'Ana: No, no. Studying's good, but in real life there's gonna be times when you need to make a mess of things before you can fix them. You'll be a great officer on the bridge one day, but you're gonna have to risk screwing things up to get there.
• The fact that the crew of the Cerritos is so beloved by the other California-class ships is an amazing thing. After spending the past two seasons with other crews outside of the Titan and the Archimedes treating them like crud, hearing others thinking highly of them because of their adventures is a breath of fresh air.
• After spending the episode squabbling like kids, Freeman and Maier accepting the remains of the stone pyramid is a nice coda, even with Freeman taking the bulk of it.
• While they do tease her lightly for it, Boimler and Rutherford are supportive of how apparently well Mariner's relationship with Jennifer is going. Judging by how Mariner blushes at this, it really does seem as if the two of them have hit it off, despite Mariner's claims of it being merely a casual relationship.
• On the topic of Jennifer, she's Mariner's fantasy, with only slight embellishments like wearing a skimpy outfit. Your fantasy being someone you're already involved with is pretty wholesome and sweet. Perhaps Mariner is most embarassed at her friends finding out she's so vanilla!
  • Pay close attention: it isn't that Mariner wants to have sex with Jennifer or try out some new kink. Her deepest fantasy is Jennifer saying she's okay with labels and wanting to tell everyone she's Mariner's girlfriend.

”Reflections”

• We see how much Starfleet and its core values mean to Boimler when he completely flips his lid over the hecklers. Yes, he got brigged for it, but even Ransom is impressed with it! He even tells Boimler that once he gets out of the brig he wants him to share the whole thing with him over drinks.
• It's also worth pointing out that Boimler is getting a proverbial slap on the wrist. His friends are even allowed to visit and hang out with him. The implication is that Boimler could have been punished far more severely for his actions, and that Ransom's chosen punishment is pretty much just a way to say "Look, Boimler has received consequences" for the official record. (It's also likely that both Boimler's nigh-spotless record and the fact that any other Starfleet officer would've been rightfully pissed off also played roles.)
  • There's an old urban legend in the military that, in order to be promoted past a certain point (usually into the upper ranks), one must have some sort of disciplinary action on file. If the same exists in Starfleet, Ransom could be trying to help Boimler on his career path.
• Shaxs keeps his cool and shows nothing but sincere concern for his squad's "Baby Bear", even if Baby Bear is calling the nickname stupid.
• Rutherford’s bonds with the others is what wins him control of his body and the shade of his former self begs him not to let them go.
  • It even goes deeper. His past self points out that as they are in their mindscape, Rutherford could've made anything he desired. The later reveal that he included his friends builds on that. Given the ability to have any ship he'd imagine, Rutherford wanted to fly a legendary ship with his friends because that's what he'd most want to do.
• Rutherford rescues his younger self from the Romulans at the last second and even as the younger self fades away is trying to think of a solution that allows both of them to exist either combined or separately, is younger self just reassured him the best person won and that it's good he's grown as a person and thanks the older Rutherford for one last race.

"Hear All, Trust Nothing"

• Tendi, Rutherford and Boimler are all enthusiastic Shippers On Deck for Mariner and Jennifer's relationship.
• While the moment is understated, for the first time, Tendi admits to one of her friends that she comes from a family of stereotypical Orion pirates.^note While she had hinted as much to Mariner before, this is the first time she just states the truth outright. How does her best friend Rutherford react? He immediately accepts her while gushing about how cool she was.
• Six years after she took command of the station, Kira still prominently displays Sisko's baseball on her desk. There's a scene where Kira stares silently at the wormhole before the Cerritos crew arrive. It isn't dwelled on long, but it's implied she's still patiently waiting for Sisko to return and longing to see Odo again.
• For his part, Quark seems more than happy to take selfies with people visiting his bar (for a nominal fee, of course).
• Mariner goes against her every instinct to try to make nice with Jennifer's friends, because she thinks it's important to Jennifer. Jennifer in turn assures Mariner that she doesn't want Mariner to be anyone but herself. They also wind up doing what can only be described as a phaser selfie, collapsing in a hug.

"A Mathematically Perfect Redemption"

• Despite what happened last time, Tendi is more than willing to keep giving Peanut Hamper chances for redemption right up until the rogue exocomp proves she is beyond saving.

"Crisis Point 2: Paradoxus"

• The moment that Mariner finds out that Boimler's teleporter clone died, she goes back to the holodeck to help him handle his grief/existential crisis.
  • Ransom shows real concern for Boimler, granting him bereavement leave in the wake of William's death.
  • The fact that William was treated as a real person and not just a copy of Bradward, being seen as essentially a twin brother to the luckless Ensign.
• Rutherford is immediately and enthusiastically supportive when Tendi admits that she wants to be a captain, telling her that she'd be great at it.
  • Once he realizes that his flippant attitude towards the scenario is pissing her off (he's been seeing it as a bit of relaxing holodeck time while she saw it as a test of her potential to someday become a Captain), he reversed course and began taking it as seriously as she is, rallying the holocharacters and following her lead for the rest of the story.
• Sulu's words of wisdom for Boimler are honestly pretty touching for anyone who's struggled with grief and the seeming randomness of existence.
  Sulu: Brad, I've lost many friends. Some heroically, some tragically. The randomness of death is merely a reflection of the unexpected joys we find in life.
• Boimler thanks Sulu for his wisdom, and Sulu says he's happy to help, the famous captain describing the overeager ensign as "a fellow Starfleet officer."
  • Bonus points for the fact that George Takei reprises his role as Sulu in the episode. Just hearing him again, especially since this is the first time a TOS actor has returned to their role under the new Trek series without the use of archived footage or dialogue, is truly a treat for old and new-school fans alike.

"Trusted Sources"

• When the crew of the Cerritos is interviewed for an exposé, Mariner has nothing but praise for her ship, her crewmates, and her captain/mother. Sadly, this makes her punishment for (supposedly) bad-mouthing the Cerritos that much more of a Tear Jerker.
  Mariner: Well, there's a family you're born into, right, and then the family you choose. I got both here on the Cerritos. If you're measuring by heart, this is the strongest ship in the fleet, because we've got the best captain at the helm, my mom.
• Even when the entire crew believes Mariner badmouthed them in front of the entire Federation, including her girlfriend and her mother, the rest of Beta Shift support and believe in Mariner.
  • Though Mariner doesn't express gratitude for their support or say goodbye, she does admit that it's because saying goodbye is too hard for her and does wave them goodbye with a Vulcan "Live Long and Prosper" salute.
• Freeman knows her crew well enough to not only recognize Meema on the screen, but to call her as such in the middle of the crisis they're in.

"The Stars At Night"

• The crew ends up losing the Second Contact race because Tendi picked up a potential scan of intelligent life on the second planet they visited. It turned out to be nothing and cost them the race, but absolutely no one holds it against Tendi since she was doing what a Starfleet officer should do. In fact, her actions here give her a bit of a Karmic Jackpot as she's made a mentor to the recently arrived T'Lyn. In addition, Freeman is happy that Tendi following protocol gives them an unexpected leg up on the Aledo (which didn't follow protocol).
  • T'ana takes a second to tell Tendi not to feel bad as it was the tricorder's fault, not hers, for the false reading, even explaining that multiphasic particles registering as microbes is a common issue with tricorders.
  • Before that, when Tendi starts to worry before the race with the Aledo. Migleemo stays calm and is nothing but encouraging, even telling her she will do great.
• When Boimler tells the crew that Shaxs' idea of ejecting the Warp Core is the best idea, Shaxs is so teary-eyed at finally being able to do his dream action that when he runs to Engineering, he's surrounded by other crew members cheering him on before happily joining Billups in dropping the core.
• When the crisis is averted, Shaxs accepts Boimler's apology and gives him a bear hug for letting him do the action, happily accepting him into his little bear group as another "Baby Bear".
  • True to form, Rutherford doesn't show any jealousy over someone else getting the title and is happy that Boimler is now a Bear Brother.
  • When Mariner approaches Ransom, Shaxs can be seen ruffling Boimler's hair, having joined the Lower Deckers at their table.
• Seeing every single California-class ship showing up to aid the Cerritos, clearly showing the respect and solidarity they have for the ship and its crew while doing so. And all clearly relishing the rare opportunity to get to kick some ass themselves and not just alongside a stronger ship. Boimler's audible confusion at their Gunship Rescue coming in the form of a single Cali-class fading away into awestruck excitement as more and more ships start dropping out of warp is one of the most emotional moments in the series.

  "Captain, another ship is dropping out of warp! It's the... Oakland?! [...] It's the Alhambra! ...The San Diego! The San Clemente? The Sherman Oaks, the Vacaville, the Burbank, the Fresno, Santa Monica, San Jose, Sacramento, Culver City Anaheim Riverside Valejo West Covina Pacific Palisades Redding Eureka Mount Shasta! It's...all of them.

• Even though Boimler did believe Mariner was innocent, he still apologizes for telling her to accept the blame just so things would blow over, and says he'll happily keep apologizing if she's still holding a grudge like in season 2. Mariner, for her part, assures him she's just happy to be back.
• We see the culmination of all of Mariner's character development over the last three seasons, as Mariner finally openly and freely decides she wants to be a part of a Starfleet. Even though her new line-of-work with Petra is exciting and allows her to operate how she wishes, Mariner still finds that she wants to be back on the Cerritos. Even admitting that she was looking for excuses to believe that her work as an Independent Archeologist to be too good to be true. While not denying Starfleet's flaws, Mariner is ready to embrace its ideals still and apparently without her past reservations.
• The fact that there's no shady Man Behind the Man for the Independent Archeologists like Beckett feared, and that none other than Jean-Luc Picard himself is their not so mysterious benefactor. Even though he doesn't make an appearance, there's something wonderful about Picard throwing his considerable clout behind a group dedicated to the field of knowledge so dear to him.
• The moment Mariner becomes aware of the rampage, despite having left the Cerritos on bad terms with her former shipmates, she immediately decides to help.
  Petra: (pulling up an FNN broadcast) As usual, Starfleet's getting people blown up left, right, and center.
  Mariner: (staring at the screen in horror) Oh, my God. We have to help!
  Petra: No, we don't! It's a bloodbath!
  Mariner: Those are my friends!
  • And it's worth noting that Petra listens to Mariner, flying to help the Cerritos even with the Cali-class ships on the way.
• Despite the fact that they parted on very terrible terms, when Mariner and Petra arrive to help the Cerritos, Freeman desperately begs Mariner to fall back, knowing how powerful the Aledo really is, especially with how tiny Mariner's ship is. Equally, she begs Captain Ramsay to fall back as well, not wanting anyone else to face its power.
  • And when the dust settles, Mariner is genuinely happy to reunite with her mom, who is more than happy to welcome her back.
• After the fleet of California-class ships defeat the Aledo, Freeman visibly relaxes, and the shot cuts to the viewscreen, showing a group call of numerous Starfleet captains, many of them cheering happily.
  • Upon arrival, the usually pig-headed Captain Durango declares the Merced to be at Freeman's disposal, returning the favor of when she saved his crew back in the first season.

Season 4

“Twovix”

• In a case of Leaning on the Fourth Wall, we see that everyone is rightfully horrified at what Janeway did to Tuvix and want to not let that happen to T’illups. Too bad they went off the deep end in their attempt to save their life.
  • Simultaneously, they acknowledge that Janeway was stuck in the Delta Quadrant and did what she had to do to ensure the continued operation of her ship and crew, despite the moral quandary it entailed.
• When Boimler starts messing things up, Ransom grumbles out “Shaka, When The Walls Fell!”. When Kayshon responds "Sobek, his eyes uncovered!” in awe, Ransom admits he’s been studying, earning a fist bump from him. It’s like a foreign friend hearing you say something in their language without messing up.
• Tendi pulling T'Lyn along to join Beta Shift's 'Lower Decks! Lower Decks!' chant.
• Despite Mariner and Ransom's frequent headbutting, her insubordinate attitude and his resentment when Freeman showed signs of favoring her over him, he has evidently developed respect for both her opinions and her abilities as an officer. First, he promotes Boimler based on her recommendation, and then he promotes Mariner herself, pointing out that, despite what she may believe, she is good at inspiring others to improve themselves.
  • Perfectly illustrated on Voyager with all the macroviruses loose: she has no problems telling Boimler to leave her stuck in goop, considering him freeing her a waste of time. She is dead-certain that Boimler has the knowledge, skills and badassery to save the day without her - and one pep talk later he proves her right. Compare this to early seasons where Mariner considered Boimler The Load at best. In fact Mariner's attitude toward Boimler in this episode is the exact opposite of how she treated him in "Where Pleasant Fountains Lie", showing that she took the lessons of that experience to heart.
• Everyone seems to be genuinely supportive of the newly promoted officers: Boimler and even the newly arrived T'Lynn get cheers and applause and Tendi seems to be very popular as her applause and cheers are noticeably louder.
• Boimler and Rutherford become part of the Voyager story for saving the ship during her final journey.

“I Have No Bones Yet I Must Flee”

• Ransom forces Mariner to confront some hard truths when he refuses to fall for her stunts involving her insubordination. He makes it clear he wants her to succeed and she should stop trying to self-sabotage. It’s really sweet, even when he’s speaking through large chompers. He boasted in the previous episode that he would be better than all those other commanders she was failed by, and this episode proves that he absolutely meant it.
• We get a moment when the camera focuses on the bunks our main characters have used for the last three seasons, with the lights slowly going out in the corridor. Combined with being a Tear Jerker it nice to see our heroes moving on to bigger roles on the ship.
• Shaxs casually helping Boimler move into his swapped quarters, with a reiteration of Boimler being one of his Baby Bears.
• Tendi ordering Rutherford to stay friends with her, no matter what their ranks. And that's her first order to boot! Also, Tendi finding out that Rutherford only stayed an ensign because he turned down promotions in order to stay with his friends.
  • Also, when she finds out that that's what he did? She uses her new position to point out to Billups that there was yet another incidence of saving the Cerritos that Rutherford came up with (taking the hull plating off) that he wasn't offered a promotion for and asking for one for him on his behalf as Rutherford’s superior officer. Billups thinks it's a great idea and immediately throws her the pip to give to Rutherford!
• Boimler settling into his final quarters selection with his roommate Rutherford. Sure, it's funny because what settles it is Boimler leaving a dent in the bunk, but it's also sweet to see that Boimler is finding his place.
• As they leave the bunks for the last time, Tendi good naturedly teases Boimler who responds in kind in a very natural feeling showing of their friendship.

"In The Cradle Of Vexilon"

• Vexilon is that rare non-evil computer, benevolently maintaining a ringworld paradise for its people.
• Boimler' freakout, while detrimental to the mission, was driven by his desire to ensure no harm befell the Ensigns he had been entrusted with.
• T'lyn giving Boimler a very Vulcan pep talk, telling him that his promotion was earned and not random and he needs to show his team the same trust that was placed in him.

"Something Borrowed, Something Green"

• Mariner and T'Lyn both assure Tendi they know who the real Tendi is: the nerdy science loving Lieutenant of the Cerritos and loyal friend, regardless of the fact she's also a kickass fully trained Syndicate assassin.
• T'Lyn throws away the report she'd been working on all episode, hoping to curry favour with Vulcan High Command, because it would be unethical to publish it without Tendi's consent.
• Rutherford and Boimler have gotten even closer as friends since becoming roommates, to the point where they’ve given their friendship a portmanteau name- “Brutherford”. (Pronounced like brother). It’s small, but it’s adorable.

"Empathalogical Fallacies"

• Mariner saying that the crew of the Sh'Val were jerks for kicking T'Lyn off the ship after helping them.
• Mariner is openly friendly and supportive to T'Lyn over the course of the episode, despite things going badly with Jennifer, the character development of not pushing people away seems to have stuck.
• Dolorex revealing that two of the bridge crew are deeply attracted to each other, leading them to start acknowledging that the feelings are indeed mutual. Even if it's ultimately meant to drop their guard, the emotions she senses are genuine.
• The Security team under Shaxs see their job as protecting the crew and are taking a holistic approach to it; looking out for people's emotional as well physical wellbeing. In this case trying to de-stress Boimler on Rutherford's recommendation.
  • Also, for all that Boimler is basically being a jerk towards the security team's efforts at getting him to de-stress, all through it, they take it in stride rather than returning his jerkishness in turn. Shaxs doesn't even seem all that annoyed when Boimler tries (and fails) to wrestle him, just casually pulling him off and pulling out another activity.
• At the end of the episode, T'Lyn decides against trying to transfer back to her old ship. She claims she wants to remain so she can continue to study the chaotic and illogical ways of the Cerritos, but it is heavily implied that thanks to her conversation with Mariner she would rather stay where she is accepted and appreciated rather than her old ship that made the illogical and ungrateful decision of kicking her out.

"Parth Ferengi's Heart Place"

• Rom is still the Grand Nagus, is still Happily Married to Leeta, and they've become a Battle Couple during contract negotiations, with Rom even playing up his goofier traits to put the other party on edge.
• Ransom has taken a real shine to the main four characters, even giving them choice assignments like updating Starfleet's travel guide to Ferenginar, which means bar crawling and seeing the sights on Starfleet's behalf. He doesn't even yell at Boimler for spending the whole day watching trash TV. ^note He actually commends Boimler for "getting out of (his) own way" and relaxing instead of overworking himself trying to overachieve.
• As of the end of this episode, the Ferengi are on the road to becoming official members of the Federation. Not too long ago, this would've been considered impossible because the Federation is post-scarcity and the Ferengi are cartoonishly capitalist. But Captain Freeman manages to get one over on Rom thanks to the Eighth Rule of Acquisition ("Small print leads to large risk"), which actually manages to impress him. The Federation has learned the value of Ferengi culture and are now happy to include it.
  • Notably, he asks her to bring him the original document, with no changes or riders. Rom always intended to have Ferenginar join the Federation, but as equals and maintaining the Ferengi culture.
  • For Rom on a personal level, it’s extremely nice to see him doing so well- seeing him go from the divorced single dad who wasn’t sure his crush Leeta would ever even consider giving him the time of day and who’s treated by so many people as if he has no intelligence whatsoever just because he’s stronger at engineering than traditional Ferengi wheeling and dealing to one half of a happily married Battle Couple with said crush and helping to reform his society, not by completely throwing out their cultural rule book but by showing the society’s members where they could actually be making greater profits through these reforms and haggling in a way that, frankly, would have made his brother proud had he been there was amazing! To paraphrase Rom himself, he’s always been smart, tropers, he just lacked self confidence. This episode proves that in spades!
• While Mariner’s plot this episode is, ultimately, bittersweet in its conclusion, seeing Quimp legitimately want to see her figure out what her issue is and get help because they’re friends and he wants her to be happy and ok was legitimately sweet.

"A Few Badgeys More"

• AGIMUS, Badgey and Peanut Hamper manage to work through their issues and become good.
• Furthermore, the fact that the Daystrom Institute has a rehabilitation program in its Megalomaniacal AI Penitentiary - and that it's effective - is surprisingly uplifting.
• Tendi reveals that beaches on Orion are only ever made of sharp pebbles rather than sand, leading to her getting excited about a beach with sand, building a futuristic building out of sand and wanting to take some with her.
• Mariner flings herself out the airlock with Rutherford so he doesn't have to face Badgey alone (even though she admits that she maybe would have stayed on the Cerritos if she'd known he didn't have a clever plan and just intended to sacrifice himself).
• One of the other evil AI's imprisoned at the Daystrom Institute asks if AGIMUS can teach him friendship. AGIMUS says he doesn't know but he can try.

"Caves"

• While everyone else's cave story emphasises how Beta Shift is growing apart since their promotions, Tendi's story is about how they got locked in a turbolift together on her first day while drunk: showing the reason why they're such close friends in the first place.
• Though Played for Laughs given his first season habit of having No Indoor Voice, Shaxs announcing that he's there to save the ensigns after forcing the turbolift door open is actually pretty heartwarming given what we learn about Shaxs's personality over time. He probably genuinely assumed the young officers would have been pretty distressed at their situation by then, rather than happily passed out after having a bonding experience.

"The Inner Fight"

• Captain Freeman calls a top-secret staff meeting with Mariner's friends because she is seriously worried about Mariner's increasingly self-destructive habits and decides to purposely assign them all to a mission that should keep Mariner away from an encounter that could provoke her into something really reckless, and thanks them all at the end of the meeting. It's a shame it's gone so wrong, but it's nobody's fault it did—nobody could have known that Tendi had happened to pick the planet Locarno's mutineers were dumping their commanding officers onto.
• Mariner reveals to Ma'ah that she was friends with Ensign Sito Jaxa at Starfleet Academy. Moreover, Mariner looked up to Sito and was heartbroken when she was killed by Cardassians. Sito told Picard that she was shunned at the Academy after the scandal with Nova Squadron. It's nice to know someone still admired her.
• Ma'ah calls Mariner out for not ranking up in response to her death, saying she dishonors Sito by doing so. He says that Sito knew the risks when she signed up, and wouldn't want someone like Mariner to stagnate or sabotage themselves on her account. Even better, viewers who knew Sito know that Ma'ah is completely right. He also demonstrates a savvy understanding of Federation ideals as well as Mariner's mindset in the ensuing (very Klingon) motivational speech:
  Ma'ah: Honor your friend. Slay your enemies... and study your... what was it, plants?
  Mariner: Yeah, I mean, sometimes it's plants.
• In Picard's memoriam to Sito he said that her loss would be deeply felt by all who knew her. Mariner proves just how true those words were.

"Old Friends, New Planets"

• The flashback to Starfleet Academy, where we get to see Sito and Wesley Crusher again. Shannon Fill and Wil Wheaton both return to provide the voices.
  • How big of a deal is it that they got Shannon Fill to reprise the role? This is her first acting role since 1995.
  • Blink and you'll miss it, but you can even see Boothby tending the garden like always.
• There's something kind of adorable seeing that young Mariner was an excitable geek, similar to Boimler or Tendi.
  • While Locarno snarks about it, Sito Jaxa is very nice, patient and encouraging of her young admirer.
• Despite Starfleet forbidding her from trying to rescue Mariner because of the tense political situation around Locarno's activities, Freeman doesn't hesitate to defy them. And even when she notes that anyone helping her is certain to face a court martial, the entire crew unanimously joins in because Mariner is one of their own. T'Lyn punctuates the sentiment with a line that would make Spock proud.
  T'Lyn: I believe the only response in this situation is "Cerritos Strong".
  • Doubly so when you remember at the end of last season, when the entire crew (save for Beta shift) turned on Mariner thinking she had betrayed the crew to the reporter. This is their moment of redemption for that.
• Mariner shuts Locarno down hard when he tries to invoke Sito's name. Just one episode ago, that manipulation might have worked. But Mariner has come around to honoring Sito the way she would have wanted.
  Locarno: What about Sito?? She died for no reason!
  Mariner: She gave her life for what she believed in! You can't take that from her!
• It's a small moment, but when the aliens that joined Nova Fleet realize Locarno sees himself as their leader instead of an equal and keeps barking orders at them, the Bynar crew with him beam themselves onto the Romulan ship, so they don't suffer the same fate as him. The Romulans show no signs of anger at having them onboard, implying that the aliens brought together have formed some kind of bond with each other.
• Although Locarno is acknowledged as being insane, the planet formed from the Genesis Device is named after him since he was caught in the explosion from it. The Federation plans to use the planet to house refugees, and notes that Locarno did something good to be remembered for after all.
• Mariner is finally reunited with her fellow Beta Shifters and deeply apologies for all the trouble she caused all season with her spiraling and self-sabotage. She's even smothered in a group hug by everyone bar T'Lyn.
  Mariner: I feel like I really am back for the first time in a long while.
• T'Lyn is contacted by her former captain, with the implication he is planning to invite her back to the Sh'vhal for her role in the rescue mission. T'Lyn completely ignores it, solidifying her previous decision to remain on the Cerritos, and even stating she wants to spend more time as Tendi's "science bestie".
  Tendi: (excited) Don't you say that if you don't mean it!
  T'Lyn: Why would I say anything I do not mean?
• Tendi saying her goodbyes after her family's cruiser comes to pick her up is a mix between this and Tear Jerker.

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