S01E07. Crisis Points
These graphics are mindblowing! Gregory brings “Crisis Point,” the ninth episode of season one of Lower Decks, written by Ben Rodgers and directed by Bob Suarez; and “Crisis Point 2: Paradoxus,” the eighth episode of season three, written by Ben Rodgers and directed by Michael Mullen. Like “Subspace Rhapsody,” these episodes engage in a specific genre: here, the action movie. We discuss family, race, and the power of narratives. We also touch on mental health, aspirations, Star Trek movies, punishment in Starfleet, and holodeck episodes.
(The transcript for this episode is in progress and will be added to this post when it’s ready.)
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Connections:
- Deanna Troi’s mother Lwaxana Troi first appears in The Next Generation S01E11, “Haven.”
- Picard’s brother Robert is first seen in The Next Generation S04E02, “Family.”
- Beverly Crusher hits Wesley Crusher while under the telepathic influence of Sarek’s emotions in The Next Generation S03E23, “Sarek.”
- Data’s brother Lore is introduced in The Next Generation S01E13, “Datalore.”
- Gwyn’s troubled relationship with the Diviner is depicted throughout Prodigy, but especially in S01E01-02, “Lost and Found,” and S01E09-10, “A Moral Star.”
- Sarek’s estrangement with his son Spock first appears in The Original Series S02E15, “Journey to Babel.”
- Tendi visits her homeworld of Orion in Lower Decks S04E04, “Something Borrowed, Something Green.” She begins the show working in Medical, but later becomes a science officer trainee.
- A xenophobic conspiracy theorist is proven right in Lower Decks S04E08, “Caves.”
- We previously discussed Star Trek racism in Discovery S01E01, “The Vulcan Hello,” and S01E02, “Battle at the Binary Stars.”
- Mesk, an Orion adopted by humans, appears in Lower Decks S03E06, “Hear All, Trust Nothing.”
- The Orion pirate queen we mention is Osyraa, the Minister of the Emerald Chain, first introduced in Discovery S03E08, “The Sanctuary.”
- James Callis (who played Gaius Baltar on Battlestar Galactica) portrays an imaginary psychiatrist in Picard S02E07, “Monsters.”
- Kor seeks to go out in a blaze of glory in Deep Space Nine S04E09, “The Sword of Kahless,” which we talked about recently.
- It’s not Boimler who spends time in the security division, but Rutherford, in Lower Decks S01E02, “Envoys.”
- Uhura rotates through the various ship departments throughout the first season of Strange New Worlds.
- Vindicta’s Shakespeare quotes and the vector graphics of the Chronogami are references to the film Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.
- As discussed on a previous episode, Braxton pursues temporal revenge in Voyager S05E24, “Relativity.”
- Toral, son of Duras, seeks revenge in Deep Space Nine S04E09, “The Sword of Kahless.”
- The holodeck has been used to play westerns (TNG S06E08, “A Fistful of Datas”), Robin Hood (TNG S04E20, “Qpid”), Beowulf (VOY S01E12, “Heroes and Demons”), Gothic novels (VOY S01E13, “Cathexis”), and noir (TNG S01E12, “The Big Goodbye), among many other genres.
- Yar is unceremoniously killed in The Next Generation S01E23, “Skin of Evil.”
- Mike McMahon, the creator of Lower Decks, was a writer and producer on Rick and Morty; he was among those who won an Emmy for S03E03, “Pickle Rick.”
Works Cited:
- Benioff, D. & Weiss, D. B. (Creators). Game of thrones [TV series]. HBO Entertainment, Television 360, Grok! Television, Generator Entertainment, Startling Television, Bighead Littlehead.
- Bruner, J. S. (Jerome S. (1990). Acts of meaning. Harvard University Press.
- Clinchy, B., Goldberger, N. R., Tarule, J. M., & Belenky, M. F. (1997). Women’s ways of knowing : the development of self, voice, and mind (Tenth anniversary edition.). BasicBooks.
- Kring, T. (Creator). (2006-2010). Heroes [TV series]. Tailwind Productions, NBC Universal Television Studio, Universal Media Studios.
- Moore, R. D. & Eick, D. (Executive producers). (2003-2009). Battlestar Galactica [TV series]. David Eick Productions, R&D TV, NBCUniversal Television Studio, Universal Media Studios, Universal Cable Productions.
- O’Bannon, R. S. (Creator). (1999-2003). Farscape [TV series]. Hallmark Entertainment, The Jim Henson Company.
- Parker, T. & Stone, M. (Creators). (1997-present). South Park [TV series]. Celluloid Studios, Braniff Productions, Parker-Stone Productions, South Park Studios.
- Roiland, J. & Harmon, D. (Creators). (2013-present). Rick and Morty [TV series]. Williams Street; Harmonious Claptrap; Justin Roiland’s Solo Vanity Card Productions!; Starburns Industries; Rick and Morty, LLC; Green Portal Productions.
Our next episode will cover the 2009 film Star Trek, written by Roberto Orci & Alex Kurtzman and directed by J.J. Abrams.
Before the Future Came is edited by Lucy Arnold, transcribed by Melissa Avery-Weir, and webmavened by Gregory Avery-Weir.
Our theme is “Let’s Pretend” by Josh Woodward, available under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.