Warning: SPOILERS for Star Trek: Lower Decks, season 5
Lieutenant Bradward Boimler (Jack Quaid) growing facial hair on Star Trek: Lower Decks season 5 is hilarious and is a joke that parodies how Captain Benjamin Sisko (Avery Brooks) gradually changed his appearance in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. In Star Trek: Lower Decks‘ final season on Paramount+, the USS Cerritos investigates dimensional rifts that lead to alternatives Star Trek timelines. Meeting your confident, bearded lookalike inspired Boimler to grow his own beard.
When Star Trek: Deep Space Nine introduced Commander Benjamin Sisko, he had a full head of hair and was clean shaven. Avery Brooks’ most famous previous role was the bald, goateed Hawk in Spenser for rent and A man called hawk. Paramount Studios didn’t want the 24th century Star Trek leading the man to resemble a modern character, so Brooks was ordered to adjust his appearance. However, Avery was uncomfortable with her appearance. Although it took 3 years, Brooks managed to turn Captain Sisko bald and wear a goatee.
Star Trek: Lower Decks’ Boimler Is Hilariously Evolving His Appearance as DS9’s Captain Sisko
Boimler’s beard is a work in progress
Star Trek: Lower Decks made Lt. Brad Boimler’s quest to grow a distinctive beard a hilarious (for audiences to watch) ordeal that stretches throughout Season 5. Starting with a few whiskers, Boimler’s beard is appearing in patches rather than evenly. Bradward can’t grow a five o’clock shadowand in Star Trek: Lower Decks Season 5, Episode 4, ‘A Farewell To Farms’, Boimler sports a ragged mustache and pencil while his chin is covered in patches of hair. It’s incredibly funny to watch.
Starting in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Season 3, Episode 22, ‘Explorers’, Commander Sisko suddenly appeared with a goatee. Avery Brooks instantly looked more relaxed and self-assured with his new facial hair. At the end of DS9 In Season 3, Sisko was promoted to captain and given command of the USS Defiant, which gave Benjamin even more momentum. When Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Season 4 began, Captain Sisko was bald and his iconic look was complete. Sisko and DS9 never looked back.
Other Star Trek characters have changed their appearance
New Star Trek looks are generally an improvement
Star Trek: Lower Decks‘ Lt. Brad Boimler is just the latest character to evolve his appearance. Boimler’s beard is obviously inspired by Commander Will Riker (Jonathan Frakes), who grew a beard between Star Trek: The Next Generation seasons 1 and 2. Scotty (James Doohan) was clean-shaven in Star Trek: The Original Series but he had a mustache on his Star Trek films. Geordi La Forge (LeVar Burton) lost his iconic VISOR and gained robotic eyes Star Trek: First Contactwhile Captain Kathryn Janeway’s (Kate Mulgrew) hairstyle has changed throughout Star Trek: Voyager.
Most cases when Star Trek the characters change appearance are sudden. The difference with Star Trek: Lower Decks season 5 is seeing Boimler’s facial hair grow in a comical fashion over time. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine fans were also able to gradually witness the evolution of Captain Sisko’s look. Thanks to Star Trek: Lower DecksIn the Season 5 premiere, audiences already know what Boimler will look like when his beard fully grows back, but getting there is the fun part.