Spoilers Star Trek: Lower Decks 4x09 - "The Inner Fight"

[Tuskin38]

Money.

Yes, I think the difference is between using Locarno as a main character versus just a guest character. On Voyager, Locarno would have been in the main cast. So they would have had to pay higher royalties for using him and pay them in every single episode, for the entire entire series. Here, Locarno is just a guest character. So they have just to pay for the right to use the image in a couple episodes in contrast to paying a live action person and paying royalties for the entire series.

Ron Moore and Naren Shankar were both staff writers when they wrote The First Duty, so I don’t think royalties are the issue. Unless things were different in 1992.

Shankar was an intern staff writer, maybe that makes i difference idk

 

[fireproof78]

Ron Moore and Naren Shankar were both staff writers when they wrote The First Duty, so I don’t think royalties are the issue. Unless things were different in 1992.

Within seeing the contract that would be hard to guess.

 

[Kamen Rider Blade]

Also Nick Locarno is officially definitely NOT Tom Paris and I'm still processing that. 20something years of him being the same guy with the serial numbers filed off...

They could be cousins.

 

[EyalM]

Maybe they're Transporter Clones!

I had a theory that Tom used an alias while in the academy, because of his admiral father...

 

[Paul755]

I loved that we finally find out why Mariner is the way she is. Sito is a deep cut but then again, not really if you think about it.

Tying Lower Decks to Lower Decks is perfectly meta.

Good to see Tom Riker is still alive.

I wonder if the actress who played Sito is still active. Maybe we get a “young Mariner” flashback complete with Sito, Locarno and Wesley Crusher.

the stuff with the First Federation information broker was great.

8/10.

 

[Farscape One]

I loved that we finally find out why Mariner is the way she is. Sito is a deep cut but then again, not really if you think about it.

Tying Lower Decks to Lower Decks is perfectly meta.

Good to see Tom Riker is still alive.

I wonder if the actress who played Sito is still active. Maybe we get a “young Mariner” flashback complete with Sito, Locarno and Wesley Crusher.

the stuff with the First Federation information broker was great.

8/10.

From what I have seen, it appears Shannon Fill (who played Sito) retired from acting in 1995.

Though, like you, I would love to see a flashback with her and Mariner.

 

[NCC-73515]

Thomas Riker lives! Frakes definitely needs to appear as Tom on Lower Decks!

Another reason to get a 25th century sequel to PIC S3

 

[F. King Daniel]

I'm starting to wonder if it's a plot by duplicates. The list had Locarno and Tom Riker. Perhaps the return of William Boimler is immanent?

 

[ED-209]

I had a theory that Tom used an alias while in the academy, because of his admiral father...

That's a wildly accepted theory across fandom.

 

[Oddish]

That's a wildly accepted theory across fandom.

Indeed. Ranks up there with "Threshold" being a weird dream Paris had.

 

[Starkers]

From what I have seen, it appears Shannon Fill (who played Sito) retired from acting in 1995.

And is apparently now a clinical social worker (or was, I have no idea how up to date that information is). That being said being pulled back into the biz for a one off voice role isn't that inconceivable. Could be a nice pay day and she doesn't even have to appear on screen, hell she could probably record her bits from home if she wanted.

Man that was all kinds of surprising. Nick Locarno? Never in a million years would I have come up with him as the season's big bad, and Sito Jaxa not only being mentioned but her death being the trigger point for, it seems, 99% of Mariner's issues! As others have said that's one deep cut, but it makes sense-even if it is a little out of the blue- and it ties Lower Decks to Lower Decks so I approve.

And I'll approve a hell of a lot more if they somehow contrive to bring her back, I've been hoping for thirty years that she didn't actually die rarely has the death of a guest character bothered me as much as it did her.

Anyway a great episode, with some great core Trek philosophy at its heart. Yet again Carol Freeman proves she's a dang fine captain (and frankly I'm annoyed at myself for doubting her, it should have been obvious what game she was playing)

"He has lots of internal organs" made me laugh out loud.

One niggle. If Locarno is kidnapping crews, putting the lower deckers in charge and then abandoning their commanding officers on the planet, what happens to the rest of the crew?

 

[Tallguy]

Renegotations happen all the time as do negotiations. Contracts also get superceded all the time.

This isn't contracts, this is a union thing. The point is that neither party is allowed to negotiate. (Especially not the writer.)

 

[Ar-Pharazon]

Thomas Riker lives! Frakes definitely needs to appear as Tom on Lower Decks!

Playing in a jazz bar on Risa maybe?

I'm starting to wonder if it's a plot by duplicates. The list had Locarno and Tom Riker. Perhaps the return of William Boimler is immanent?

I was actually leaning towards William Boimler as the "big bad" once they mention a life form on the mystery ship.

Like I said a few pages ago, maybe there are accomplices. A gang of twins, transporter clones and other various duplicates. The duplicate Picard from Allegiance could be their leader. Those goofy Jay Leno aliens did like observing captives.

 

[Farscape One]

Playing in a jazz bar on Risa maybe?



I was actually leaning towards William Boimler as the "big bad" once they mention a life form on the mystery ship.

Like I said a few pages ago, maybe there are accomplices. A gang of twins, transporter clones and other various duplicates. The duplicate Picard from Allegiance could be their leader. Those goofy Jay Leno aliens did like observing captives.

Interestingly, the list on the Cerritos (Seven, Tom, Nick, and Beverly) are all duplicates or have been duplicated in one form or another.

Seven - had a silver blood duplicate

Tom Riker - IS a duplicate

Beverly - she was killed over and over again in "Cause And Effect" (depending on how you look at time travel and that particular instance, one can make the argument that each version we saw killed was a copy of the original)

Nick - same actor portrayed him and Tom Paris (This one is more an out of universe 'duplication', but given the nature of LOWER DECKS, I think this can actually count. Plus, Locarno's picture was the one on Admiral Paris' desk in his office in "PATHFINDER".)

 

[Tallguy]

Beverly - she was killed over and over again in "Cause And Effect" (depending on how you look at time travel and that particular instance, one can make the argument that each version we saw killed was a copy of the original)

That would then include the entire crew of the Enterprise. Including Livingston.

 

[Farscape One]

That would then include the entire crew of the Enterprise. Including Livingston.

True. I was just noticing the connection after you mentioned the idea of all duplicates working together.

I know that those four were all former Starfleet (though in Seven's case, Starfleet adjacent, since she never was officially a member until PICARD), but it hit me that this was another connection.

Interestingly, the only leads in 24th century shows that were never duplicated were all the ones created for DS9. (O'Brien was duplicated, but he originated on TNG... same as Worf.)

 

[Oddish]

Plus, Locarno's picture was the one on Admiral Paris' desk in his office in "PATHFINDER".)

Well before LD's inception, though. At the time, I think Locarno was supposed to be laid to rest forever. No one was expecting a show as irreverent as LD to occur.

 

[eschaton]

Interestingly, the only leads in 24th century shows that were never duplicated were all the ones created for DS9. (O'Brien was duplicated, but he originated on TNG... same as Worf.)

DS9 didn't need to duplicate its leads, with the MU side arc being returned to once per season.

 

[Farscape One]

Well before LD's inception, though. At the time, I think Locarno was supposed to be laid to rest forever. No one was expecting a show as irreverent as LD to occur.

I know, and I always handwaived that as really being Tom. I just included that example as the out of universe in joke duplication of Nick, which is exactly something this shoe would.

 

[Farscape One]

DS9 didn't need to duplicate its leads, with the MU side arc being returned to once per season.

THAT is an excellent point.