Mariner and Boimler try to track down the location of a legendary Starfleet party while the bridge crew deals with an insecure alien diplomat.

This is a relief. Imagine if the only new episode released in the week of Star Trek Day had been a stinker, and the last few weeks weren’t suggesting good things. But the good news is that Lower Decks has got its mojo back again.

Doopler (Richard Kind) is a whiny, neurotic alien that creates a double of itself when anxious. As you can imagine, this soon escalates as the alien duplicates exponentially (reproducing faster than Tribbles) and the Cerritos is in danger of looking like the Tribbles-infested starbase in Short Treks’ The Trouble with Edward. What’s particularly rewarding about the resolution is that Captain Freeman herself saves the day, rather than having to rely on her troublesome daughter.

Talking of Mariner, she’s with Boimler, trying to crash the best Starfleet party in the galaxy. She finally gets to share her upset at Boimler leaving her, and this relationship truly is the heart of the show. There’s a fun Blues Brothers-inspired car chase through a mall, some containers of Commander Data bubble bath and appearances by Okona (Outrageous!) and Captain Shelby (promoted since The Best of Both Worlds).

Verdict: A fun half hour that puts the ship back on an even keel again. More please. 8/10

Nick Joy