Star Trek Brings Back the Best Parts of Starfleet and Klingon Teams

Warning: SPOILERS for Star Trek: Lower Decks, season 5, episode 4 – “A Farewell To Farms”

Star Trek: Lower Decks season 5 perfectly illustrates one of the reasons why Klingon stories work so well Star Trek. Klingons were part Star Trek since 1967, when Star Trek: The Original Series the episode “Errand of Mercy” aired for the first time. At this time, the Klingons were enemies of the United Federation of Planets, and Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) faced the Klingons numerous times. In Star Trek: The Next GenerationIn the 24th century era, however, the Klingons became allies of the Federation.

The presence of Lieutenant Worf (Michael Dorn) among the crew of the USS Enterprise-D gave Star Trek: The Next Generation the chance to delve deeper into Klingon culture. In TNG Season 2, Episode 8, “A Matter of Honor,” for example, Commander William Riker (Jonathan Frakes) spends time on a Klingon ship as part of an officer exchange program. The next season, in TNG Season 3, Episode 17, ‘Sins of the Father’, the Enterprise-D visits the Klingon homeworld of Qo’noS to help Worf fight for his family’s honor. These stories offer a glimpse into Klingon culture through the lens of Starfleet.

Star Trek: Lower Decks has a large Starfleet and Klingon crew

Lower Decks Season 4 Episode 5 Tells a Fun Klingon Story and Progresses the Season Arc

In Star Trek: Lower Decks Season 5, Episode 4, “A Farewell To Farms,” ​​Lieutenants Beckett Mariner (Tawny Newsome) and Brad Boimler (Jack Quaid) visit Qo’noS to investigate a rift in spacetime. While there, Mariner seeks out his old friend Ma’ah (Jon Curry) and offers to help him regain his captaincy. Boimler is mad after being involved in a Klingon bar fight and makes excellent use of his knowledge of Klingon culture. Mariner, Boimler, Ma’ah and their brother Malor (Sam Witwer) then have to endure the Ritual of Endless Pain, which brings back their painkillers. Star Trek: The Next Generation.

Star Trek: Lower Decks deftly pokes fun at the Klingon obsession with often violent rituals, while also telling a solid Klingon story. Mariner and Boimler get along well among the Klingons, finding ways to make obscure Klingon rituals work in their favor and finding loopholes when necessary. “A Farewell To Farms” is based on Klingon policy first established in TNG, while also offering insight into parts of Qo’noS that have not been explored before. Ma’ah and her brother are great foils for Boimler and Mariner, making every scene in Qo’noS a lot of fun.

Why Starfleet and the Klingons are perfect odd couples

Klingon society may differ greatly from Federation society, but Klingons and Starfleet officers generally make great pairs. When Star Trek: The Next GenerationCommander Riker temporarily joined a Klingon crew in “A Matter of Honor,” he quickly learned the elements of Klingon culture he needed to emulate to fit in. It’s always fun to see a Starfleet officer like Riker embrace Klingon culture, eating their (often disgusting) food and treating their fellow officers the same as Klingons. Starfleet officers and Klingons have enough in common to recognize the similarities between their cultures, but they have enough differences to keep things interesting.

Star Trek: The Next Generation typically explored Klingon culture through Worf, but Captain Jean-Picard (Patrick Stewart) sometimes got involved as well. Picard defended Worf when his honor was questioned, studying the intricacies of Klingon politics and ritual. Even a Starfleet officer as blunt as Picard could embrace brutal Klingon culture when he needed to. Star Trek: Lower Decks He was always great at telling the essence Star Trek stories in a hilarious and loving way, and “A Farewell to Farms” is another excellent example of this.