Star Trek: Lower Decks Pokes Fun At Star Wars With Its Latest Episode
This article contains spoilers for the latest episode of "Star Trek: Lower Decks."
"Star Trek: Lower Decks" has gained a reputation for taking some bold swipes and making plenty of affectionate jokes at the expense of some of the silliest moments in the "Trek" franchise. And with over 50 years of canon, well, there's no shortage of easy targets and deep-cut references to focus on in any given episode. In essence, it's precisely the kind of comedic material that could only come from the minds of the biggest nerds and most adoring fans out there, which the writers so obviously are. But who says the broad range of this satirical show's irreverent sense of humor must be limited to "Star Trek" alone?
This latest episode, the penultimate of the season, took aim directly at a venerated sci-fi franchise set in space, as usual ... but, for once, it set its sights on that galaxy far, far away. There's one somewhat obvious reference and another more subtle one that undeniably draws back to "Star Wars." When Captain Carol Freeman (Dawnn Lewis) is tasked with traveling to a lawless planet in search of information on the whereabouts of missing Starfleet officer Nick Locarno, the away team of Freeman, Rutherford (Eugene Cordero), and Lieutenant Shaxs (Fred Tatasciore) find themselves in a sprawling town on New Axton, the aesthetics of which are more than a little reminiscent of that "wretched hive of scum and villainy" itself, Mos Eisley. The trio even ends up in a cantina-like establishment (owned by infamous, Han Solo-like "Trek" rogue, Harry Mudd) filled with criminal aliens of all stripes.
But everything from forcing the Cerritos to "park" behind a moon to the long wait to get into Mudds calls to mind an even funnier butt of the joke: Disney's "Star Wars"-themed parks.
The happiest place on New Axton
Honestly, with "Lower Decks" having riffed on theme parks in the past, it was probably only a matter of time before the animated "Trek" series put Disneyland squarely in its crosshairs. Opting for a more restrained approach this time around, however, "The Inner Fight" left its jabs mostly as subtext by taking the action to the "pickpocket district" of the Western-coded planet of New Axton, where the Cerritos crew are looking to barter for information on Nick Locarno (who, of course, is another callback to a very specific episode of "The Next Generation").
Even beyond the very "Star Wars"-inspired architecture of the buildings and the general atmosphere of ne'er-do-wells running amok in the seediest part of town, the trouble begins early for our Starfleet heroes. The local inhabitants demand that the Cerritos "park" around a moon in orbit, as opposed to setting down on the planet surface right then and there. Sound familiar? It should to anyone who's had the misfortune of leaving their car in a parking garage and walking the rest of the way to the actual park — not unlike the unconscionably long shuttle ride that Freeman, Rutherford, and Shax are forced to endure. Even Mudd's establishment has a strict waitlist, ostensibly to keep out those uppity Starfleet officers but still startlingly similar to the long wait ahead of anyone trying to visit one of the many bars and restaurants at Galaxy's Edge. Even the preferential treatment afforded to certain patrons ahead of our Starfleet characters feels like a shot at those able to afford VIP tours and FastPass!
Episode 9 contains bigger revelations ahead of next week's finale, but there's no denying the fun to be had in seeing "Lower Decks" spare a moment to poke fun at "Star Wars."