Spoilers Star Trek: Lower Decks 3x05 - "Reflections"

Bold Boimler Strikes Back. A funny role reversal with Mariner where he's the one that goes apeshit and ends up in the brig.

Another hint at Rutherford's shadowy past.

 

yes, he immediately came to mind. Although to be fair he was on the bridge way before ending up in the transporter room.

 

Maybe he came back for a bit and went back again. Visits every once and awhile.

 

Or he comes back to visit his family IN PRIVATE because he doesn't want their house on Bajor invaded by mobs of adoring Bajorans (or Starfleet on his ass for info about the Prophets or future events) so Mariner has no fucking clue that he is anywhere other than still in the Celestial Temple.

 

To be fair, if Starfleet wanted info on future events they had at least half a dozen ways to time travel to get them.

 

It would be nice if Rutherford’s younger personality isn’t gone completely and actually got integrated into his main personality. Maybe he could have a bit more of an edge in the future. I just find it hard to believe that personality was dormant all this time and is just gone now. I don’t want him to change completely, I still love his “okey dokey” personality. But I’d love to see some edge slip through somehow in a subtle way.

 

Actually, young angry Rutherford reminded me a lot of "our" Rutherford snapping at Mariner and the others over failing to secure the Deck 1 room last episode.

 

Nice episode. Good balance of continuity reveals moving the Rutherford story along and comedy moments during the recruitment.

 

Screencaps gallery now online...

https://www.cygnus-x1.net/links/lcars/sc-LD3-5.php

 

Yeah, but they'd be breaking the Temporal Prime Directive in that case and would only get a glimpse into a possible future... because once you see future events, this knowledge is likely going to impact your actions in one way or another that could lead to a different outcomes.

Albeit UFP DID start actively using time travel technology in the 26th century, so its possible SF began using it for intelligence gathering, to avoid potential nasties and preservation of the timeline.
In fairness, I don't think it wouldn't be first time that SF turned a blind eye when it came to avoiding destruction thanks to time travel.

 

I agree. But in the mindscape, when the younger personality is dying, Rutherford specifically mentions integrating the two personalities and the younger personality says that it is not possible. So the episode seems to close the door on that pretty definitely unless the writers change their minds somehow which is always possible of course.

 

Hmm... I wonder if that has something to do with what he was doing when he got blowed up?

 

Case in point - he didn't say it was impossible, only that it would mean both versions of them as they were would die. Which is likely a reverse reference to Tuvix - the merge of Neelix and Tuvok created a new being. Splitting him back into them killed Tuvix. But in Rutherford and Young!Rutherford's cases, creating the merge would also kill THEM, since the merged mind wouldn't be either.

 

I know what they said. But how would the other personality really know anyway? I guess we’ll wait and see if there’s any more effects from his old personality or not. Hopefully it’s not forgotten!

 

I liked the Rutherford story because it was like a proper, serious plot but told through the lens of Lower Decks. Boimler going mad was amusing too.

Sisko is non-linear now. I find it easy to imagine that he visits Cassidy, Jake and the (now grown-up) baby from time to time, popping into their lives kind of like he did with Jake in 'The Visitor' but on purpose this time.

 

Well what he was doing was illegal, soooo, he was probably sourcing things from outside of the Federation.

 

My first 9 score for the season. The Starfleet Academy subplot was fine, but I was enjoying the Rutherford reveal the most. I don't think "Young Rutherford" is gone-gone (that personality can always come back at the discretion of the writers), we still don't know why it was necessary to both erase Rutherford's memories while providing him with the implant to begin with. His injuries are easily fixable without the need for one.

Looking forward for more LDs.

 

I was going to put this in Trek Tech but since that thread is not spoiler tagged...

Concerning the Impulse Engine Racing Pods, safe to say the pods were made out of single impulse engine elements like this...



and that Starship Impulse Engines are made up of many of these singular engine elements stacked together. I love it!

 

and 3.05 replaced 3.04 as my favorite episode this season.

• Rutherford/Cordero's voice actor was excellent in his varied dual roles.
• loved both stories!
  
• Unexpected, but funny AF that Boimler instead of Mariner blew his lid, with hilarious conversations and a fun reverse cell scene.
• Awesome to get some backstory of Rutherfords past (even implant aside).
• Indy-Space-Lady showing Mariner a What if
  Spoiler

  (which I think is a story we'll revisit - maybe only in a dream scenario tough -, if I remember a scene from the season trailer with Mariner-Indana-Jones like swinging on a rope, with a golden-something)