Star Trek: Lower Decks Just Had The Nerdiest Episode Title Of All Time
The latest episode of "Star Trek: Lower Decks" is set on the Ferengi homeworld of Ferenginar, a planet that has long been ruled by an aggressive capitalist philosophy. Everything in Ferengi society revolves around profit and acquisition, and money forms the basis of every one of their major beliefs. In the Ferengi afterlife, one enters Heaven by paying the exorbitant entrance fee. The holiest Ferengi book is a list of 285 money-related aphorisms called The Rules of Acquisition. All of Ferenginar's financial interests are overseen by a Pope-like figure called the Grand Nagus. In the final episodes of "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine," the largely underestimated and surprisingly compassionate Rom (Max Grodénchik) became the Grand Nagus, ushering in a new era. Rom gave rights to workers, previously forbidden in Ferengi society.
The plot of the new episode involves Lieutenants Tendi (Noël Wells) and Rutherford (Eugene Cordero) having to go undercover as a couple to infiltrate a notoriously love-and-sex forward Ferengi resort hotel. This is awkward as Tendi and Rutherford are attracted to each other, but have been working hard to retain their friendship through their attraction. The resort features a special dinner option wherein dining lovers are encouraged, on mic and in front of all the other patrons, to declare their affection for one another. They are then ushered into a nearby boudoir where they are expected to engage in noisy coitus. If Tendi and Rutherford don't weather the challenges of the romance hotel, their cover will be blown.
The hotel is run by a Ferengi named Parth.
The title of the episode is "Parth Ferengi's Heart Place."
There is a small contingent of fans out there whose hearts just fluttered. The title is a reference to the 2004 cult horror/comedy series "Garth Marenghi's Darkplace."
Garth Marenghi's Darkplace
The premise of "Garth Marenghi's Darkplace" — a spoof series that lampooned horror TV of the 1980s — was incredibly high-concept. Matthew Holness, the show's co-creator, played a Harlan Ellison-like horror author named Garth Marenghi who was very successful but who wrote very silly novels. In the mythology of the show, Garth Marenghi wrote, produced, and starred in a hospital-based TV series in the '80s called "Darkplace." The series was largely clips of the short-lived fictional "Darkplace" TV series, complete with bad 1980s photography, bad costumes, and bad acting. To add a metanarrative twist, the action would occasionally cut to 2004 interview footage wherein the fictional actors of "Darkplace" commented briefly on the action.
Holness played Garth Marneghi, who played Dr. Rick Dagless on "Darkplace." Matt Berry (from "What We Do in the Shadows") played Todd Rivers, who played Dr. Lucien Sanchez on "Darkplace." Richard Ayoade (the show's other co-creator) played publisher Dean Learner, who played Thornton Reed on "Darkplace." It's not so confusing when you're watching it live. The stories on "Darkplace" were, naturally, absurd and cheap. In one episode, Dr. Rick Dagless becomes the father of a weird eyeball monster. Everyone overacts and delivers cheesy dialogue with the utmost earnestness ... to great comedic effect. Each episode would begin with a commentary by Garth Marenghi explaining why "Darkplace" was so great and why he was so brilliant.
Despite how hilarious "Garth Marenghi's Darkplace" is, it lasted only six episodes. Its weird construction and off-kilter humor, paired with its brief run, pretty much assured "Marenghi" a spot in cult TV history, and the series has accumulated many fans over the last 19 years. Including, it seems, the writers of "Star Trek: Lower Decks," who clearly wanted to give Holness and Ayoade a wink.
By nerds, for nerds
It was pretty clear from the jump that "Star Trek: Lower Decks" was being overseen by nerds of the highest order. The overwhelming volume of "Star Trek" references assured Trekkies that they were among their own. Indeed, "Lower Decks" has invented a specialized conceit that lets its writers throw in as many "Trek" references as they might want in the form of the Artifact Warehouse. Every so often, the characters on "Lower Decks" will wander into a storage locker or vast enclosed room that is full of tchotchkes left over from decades-old "Trek" episodes. Easter egg hunters will find plenty to get excited about in the Artifact Warehouse scenes.
Very occasionally, in a "Futurama" kind of way, "Lower Decks" will also make a wink in the direction of sci-fi TV in general. In an earlier episode, for instance, Rutherford is seen tinkering with The Most Important Device in the Universe, a frequently-used sci-fi prop that did indeed appear on "Star Trek," but in many other movies and TV shows as well. Additionally, Rutherford is often seen using a light-up, hand-held engineering tool of some kind. It makes the same buzzing noise as the ubiquitous sonic screwdriver in the long-running British sci-fi show "Doctor Who."
"Parth Ferengi's Heart Place" sounds like a playful gag someone thought up in the "Lower Decks" writers room with no intention of actually putting it in the show. Ha ha, isn't it funny that "Marenghi" rhymes with "Ferengi?" After making a quip, though, one of the higher-ups chuckled and threw it into the show. It is now eternally "Star Trek" canon.
Garth Marenghi and Dean Leaner returned in the 2006 metanarrative chat show "Man to Man with Dean Learner." A Maenghi novel, "Terrortome," was published in 2022. "Incarcerat" is due shortly.