Star Trek: Lower Decks Season 4 Episode 9 Review: The Inner Fight
Star Trek: Lower Decks Season 4 Episode 9, “The Inner Fight,” is a fast-paced, action-packed outing that lays the foundation for an explosive season finale. In short, this penultimate episode holds your attention from beginning to end.
Mariner’s Struggle
At the core of “The Inner Fight” is Beckett Mariner’s internal struggle, one we’ve seen brewing all season. However, it really took root in Season 4 Episode 6, “Parth Ferengi’s Heart Place,” where Mariner’s reunion with a good friend finds her reevaluating her life.
From there, we see her crash and burn as she becomes more reckless and careless. She backslides after a season of believing in herself enough to further her career. It’s heartbreaking, especially considering that Mariner lost her best friend and had countless senior officers fail her. It’s also no surprise that Ransom’s genuine belief in Mariner and his desire to help her scared the crap out of her.
In that respect, “The Inner Fight” is a deftly written psychological study that mines the depths of Mariner’s grief and trauma. We seldom see Mariner in this state — being vulnerable and open about her feelings. Sure, it’s with a Klingon she fought with before a glass storm, but it still counts.
Tawny Newsome continuously proves she’s the prime voice for Mariner, injecting the ballsy lieutenant junior grade with heartbreaking vulnerability, nuance, and tenderness. Newsome’s expressive voice really grounds Mariner and her story, even in an often out-of-the-world narrative. The humanity of these characters is the crux of Star Trek: Lower Decks, and getting that nice balance between the surreal and real is fun to watch.
Mariner’s character struggles and overall growth are beautifully executed in “The Inner Fight.” How can you not feel for her, someone who feels she doesn’t deserve to advance because her BFF died? Hats off to the writers for handling Mariner’s arc gracefully and empathetically.
A Return
“The Inner Fight” revives an older Star Trek villain from three decades ago with the return of Nick Locarno. It’s implied Locarno is behind the various alien species who are trapped on Sherbal V, as evidenced from the blueprints in Locarno’s cave, and that his ship looks like the mystery vessel. Could Locarno be the Big Bad from the beginning of the season? It’s a damn delightful and unexpected twist, to be sure.
Overall, “The Inner Fight” is a brilliantly constructed penultimate installment that perfectly sets up the season finale (especially with that cliffhanger). It boasts Star Trek: Lower Decks‘ signature rapid-fire humor, emotional depth, seamless fight sequences, and plenty of Trek Easter eggs. Now, imagine if they get Tom Paris and Locarno on screen simultaneously. Our minds might explode.
Stray Observations:
- Rutherford discovering his Starfleet uniform boasts pockets is akin to finding pockets in a dress—a glorious blessing.
- Can we get an episode where Dr. Crusher teaches Boimler how to tap dance like she did for Data?
- Nick Locarno last appeared in Star Trek: The Next Generation‘s “The First Duty.” It’s his only appearance in the series. However, Locarno is the inspiration for Star Trek: Voyager‘s Tom Paris, with both characters played by Robert Duncan McNeill.
- We need a whole episode featuring Mariner and her Klingon BFF. I’d watch that.
- I love the nod to Harry Mudd with “Mudd’s,” the sketchy bar for seedy criminals that Mudd presumably established before his passing.
- We’ve mentioned Seven of Nine, Beverly Crusher, and Thomas Riker in the same episode. It’s high time they appear in some capacity in a future Lower Decks episode. Even better if Tom gets to interact with Boimler’s copy, William. Throw in William Riker for good measure.
- Billups is the man. Nuff said.
What did you think of this episode of Star Trek: Lower Decks? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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Star Trek: Lower Decks streams new episodes every Thursday on Paramount+.
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Melody McCune
Hello! My name is Melody and I love TV! Maybe too much. I'm the Managing Editor for a small entertainment site called Geek Girl Authority and an Independent Contractor for Sideshow Collectibles. Additionally, I have bylines in Culturess, Widget, and inkMend on Medium. I love cheese. I love lamp.