Invincible Season 4's Star Trek: The Next Generation Parody Explained

Mild spoilers ahead for "Invincible" season 4, episode 2, "I'll Give You the Grand Tour."

Superhero movies might be slowing down at the box office, but that doesn't mean we're suddenly lacking for great superhero media. Far from it, we currently have a plethora of superhero shows worth checking out, and not just of the Marvel or DC variety.

Take "Invincible," the Prime Video TV adaptation of the comic book series of the same name written by Robert Kirkman and illustrated by Cory Walker and Ryan Ottley. This adult animated superhero drama is an epic tale that follows the long and career of would-be hero Mark Grayson (Steven Yeun) and the many difficulties and tragic losses he faces along the way. A big part of the appeal is how much weight its story gives to the idea of a world of superpowers. The violence and insurmountable deaths in the series aren't just for show, nor is "Invincible" gross just because it can be. (Looking at you, "The Boys.") Instead, any time someone dies in the series, it has a real emotional impact.

But it's not all doom and gloom. "Invincible" is also quite funny, as Kirkman and co-creator Simon Racioppa find a great balance of tones. Moreover, the show embodies the endless possibilities of comic books by filling its universe with a myriad of weird little creatures and places. And because it's a pastiche, "Invincible" doesn't shy away from referencing or even lampooning other works, including non-superhero titles.

Indeed, season 4, episode 2, "I'll Give You the Grand Tour," has Nolan aka Omni-Man (J. K. Simmons) and Allen the Alien (Seth Rogen) joining forces with a group of space travelers that's not so subtly a parody of the main crew from "Star Trek: The Next Generation." Allow me to explain.

The primary threat of "Invincible" season 4 is a perfectly cast Lee Pace as the Viltrumite leader Thragg. To counter him, Nolan and Allen set out in search of special weapons that Nolan once hid, knowing they could destroy the Viltrumites for good.

To ensure they stay under the radar, Allen's girlfriend Telia (Tatiana Maslany) suggests they travel in a spaceship dubbed The Venture, resulting in a musical cue that strongly resembles Alexander Courage's classic "Star Trek" theme. The Venture, however, could not be more different from the iconic USS Enterprise. It's literally falling apart by the second, with alarms constantly going off, fires randomly happening across its bridge, exposed tubes and cables everywhere, and pieces of the hull being left behind every time it goes to warp speed.

Its crew, meanwhile, is straight out of "The Next Generation." There's The Captain (Scott Aukerman), an undeniably Picard-like bald man wearing a Federation-coded red and black uniform, along with a big, angry man named Warp (who's similarly modeled after Worf). Even The Venture's science expert Download and Councillor Tuva are blatant knock-offs of Data and Deanna Troi. (Interestingly, these characters first appeared in issue #9 of the original "Invincible" comics, whereas season 4 of the TV adaptation starts off drawing primarily from issue #66.)

In keeping with the show's previous irreverent homages, The Captain is utterly incompetent, so much so that he nearly gets Allen and Nolan killed by accidentally unleashing an army of alien monsters on them. He's so bad, in fact, that the rest of The Venture's crew immediately supports Telia when she leads a mutiny against him.

Also, a fun fact for those not aware: Worf actor Michael Dorn voices the alien warrior Battle Beast on "Invincible."

This "Star Trek" parody is simple yet quite effective. It doesn't come across as shoehorned-in fan service because the reference serves a purpose to the plot of the episode. Nolan and Allen are tasked with finding weapons that could turn the tide against the Viltrumites, which Nolan kept neat records of. As such, it makes sense for this knock-off Enterprise crew to appear and transport Nolan and Allen around.

It also works as a parody because the characters and situation are funny whether you understand the "Star Trek: The Next Generation" references or not. On the surface, The Venture's crew is simply an inept band of officers working on the crappiest spaceship you'll ever see. Just watching the incredibly powerful Nolan and Allen as they're slowed down by and almost die as a result of their incompetence is deeply amusing on its own, with Nolan slowly losing his mind over having as he's forced to deal with them.

Of course, if you're at all familiar with "The Next Generation," then this parody will easily be one of the highlights of "Invincible" season 4 so far. It's the specificity that makes the whole thing sing, from the music straight out of "Star Trek: The Original Series" to the way The Venture's crew captures the essence of their more serious "Next Generation" counterparts, even as they find themselves trapped in a variety of zany scenarios (most of which are their own fault). It's a pleasantly silly respite from the season's more dramatic developments.

"Invincible" is streaming on Prime Video, with new episodes of season 4 dropping on Wednesdays.