This is the Daystrom Institute Episode Analysis thread for Lower Decks 4x07 A Few Badgeys More.
Now that we’ve had a few days to digest the content of the latest episode, this thread is a place to dig a little deeper.
I really like the on-going gag that Starfleet/The Federation is actually as idealistic as it attests to be. It would be far too easy to leave Daystrom as Star Trek’s version of Arkham Asylum. But while the methods of rehabilitation may have been played for laughs, letting Peanut Hamper, Agimus, and Tyrannikillicus walk the path to re-enter society was honestly really appreciated.
If this has been DS9, Picard, or Discovery… I probably would’ve expected an Arkham Asylum angle… where the inmates are all in varying stages of vowing revenge. And, it’s easy to imagine the more Megalomaniacal inmmates may indeed be as such… I still appreciate that Daystrom’s shown in the light that they can be reformed.
More ascension stuff this episode. I wonder if that’s ever going to be explored, or if it will only ever be left as a gag. It seems like the kind of thing that would be difficult to dig into in a satisfying way.
I mean, to be fair, we got a LARGE info dump with the first ascension. The secrets of the universe, omniscience, the meaning of life… what more is there?
That said, Lower Decks extremely loosely follows along the original movies… considering V is up next, we may get the answer to “What does a Koala need with a spaceship?” and all it entails.
Each season we get some key art that mimics the movie posters for the original movies. Season 1’s was a homage to the Motion Picture, 2 the Wrath of Kahn etc… the connections are extremely loose and rarely impact the plot in any meaningful way, but they’re there. (For instance, in S4 we have the whale probe in the opening sequence)
Considering V was a quest to meet God, and the Koala is the closest thing LD has to that, baring Q or Trelane and the like, I think it’s safe point of conjecture.
But, for realsies, the only things we currently know about S5 is that it’s in production, T’Lyn is sticking around, and we’re visiting Orion again.
I know I’m reading too much into this, but Badgey’s ascension kind of says something very thought provoking.
I can’t let go of the fact that Badgey had his personality stripped down to little more than pure vengance. Yet when he achieves omniscience, this is immediately put aside by a feeling of being something greater, then ascends to points beyond. Is this a deliberate story point to suggest the possibility of asension being a process outside of morals, inner peace, and logic, or is that an accident? Or did Badgey somehow summon new facets to his psyche out of this experience? Or is the door left open for a malevolent presence to come crashing down on everyone later?
Then again, we already had one gag where ascending was a “wait, it’s that easy?!” moment, so maybe that’s all there is to it.
