Mariner and Boimler work the Starfleet recruitment booth at an alien job fair, Rutherford challenges himself. 

This is the first episode this year written by creator Mike McMahan, so it seems right that he takes the time to flesh out one of his least developed characters, Rutherford. To date, we haven’t gone deep into his life pre-augmentation, and in this episode his early persona/alter ego comes to the fore, putting the Cerritos in danger. While the concept of an evil twin is regularly used in Star Trek, it’s the detail that he shares that’s more original, particularly the suggestion that some subterfuge is going on.

The other plot line is less engaging, following Boimler and Mariner as they man a Starfleet recruitment booth at a jobs fair. It’s fairly one-note, with a profession of increasingly annoying visitors winding up the cadets until they break. The one positive is the introduction of sassy Petra Aberdeen of the Independent Archaeologists Guild. She initially locks horns with Mariner, but there’s a suggestion that we’ll be seeing her again.

Verdict: Some much needed character development for Rutherford, but the jobs fair plot is very pedestrian. 6/10

Nick Joy