This publish incorporates spoilers for the newest episode of “Star Trek: Decrease Decks.”
We should always have recognized the place “Star Trek: Decrease Decks” season 5, episode 6, “Of Gods and Angels,” was headed the second an enormous inexperienced hand confirmed up within the opening credit. The self-referential animated sci-fi comedy collection has taken the USS Cerritos crew to lots of acquainted locations within the “Star Trek” universe over the previous 5 seasons, and for his or her newest journey, the present’s writers determined they need to boldly return to one of many campiest episodes of the unique “Star Trek” collection. That is proper, of us: it is time to revisit “Who Mourns For Adonais?”
“Who Mourns For Adonais?” was by no means going to be essentially the most illustrious episode of “Star Trek: The Unique Sequence,” particularly because it aired because the second episode of season 2, following up the collection’ excessive level, “Amok Time.” In distinction to that episode’s fascinating, high-stakes take a look at Vulcan mating rituals, “Adonais” cooks up a foolish storyline wherein the Greek gods of delusion are revealed to be a species of alien deities. The story facilities on Apollo (Michael Forest), an endangered god who’s surviving due to the adoration he nonetheless receives from others. There’s some attractive, over-the-top ’60s costuming within the hour, together with a shimmering (and brief) gold toga for Apollo and a Barbie-pink one for Lt. Carolyn Palamas (Leslie Parrish), who finally ends up smitten with the god however in the end has to play it cool.
Greek gods first appeared within the Star Trek episode Who Mourns For Adonais?
The Greek gods episode of “Star Trek: The Unique Sequence” is not outright dangerous (Anton Yelchin even as soon as named it as his favourite), nevertheless it exists in the identical bizarre and by chance hilarious area as a number of different episodes from the collection that do not fairly mesh with typical “Star Trek” canon and — due to their decidedly of-its-time trappings — are a bit exhausting to take critically. Positive, the franchise has handled “deities” a number of instances within the years since “Who Mourns For Adonais?” aired, however not often ones with shiny sandals and laurel crowns. “Of Gods and Angels” modifications that, bridging the hole between the zany execution and existential tone of the unique collection episode and the extra firmly scientific world of later “Star Trek” exhibits. It does this by introducing the granddaughter of Zeus, Ensign Olly (Saba Homayoon), a beginner on the Cerritos who cannot cease inflicting hassle.
“Of Gods and Angels” is a fairly good “Star Trek” episode, because it ties collectively a number of tropes — two teams on the verge of warfare! Unusual, non-humanoid species! A homicide thriller! — which have confirmed up in “Star Trek” exhibits previous, but combines them in a approach that feels contemporary. Add Olly, a Mariner-level chaos agent whose issues will be traced again to her energy over electrical energy, to the combo and you’ve got additionally acquired a narrative about fraught legacies and unmeetable expectations. Olly has been handed from ship to ship due to her errors, and he or she’s exhausting on herself about them as a result of she feels powerless in comparison with her high-achieving ancestors. As normal, “Decrease Decks” would not go too deep into any of this and finally ends up portraying Ensign Olly as a little bit of a brat, nevertheless it’s good to see a discordant early-franchise plot level revisited and refined.
The present additionally would not go overboard on the references this time. Olly has energy over electrical energy, and he or she says the golden laurels on her head — the identical ones Apollo sported within the unique collection — do not come off. The opening credit additionally function a giant inexperienced hand grabbing the Cerritos, a nod to the distinctly bizarre and inventive approach the “Unique Sequence” writers determined to get the Enterprise into the gods’ orbit. Other than these callbacks, although, Olly is her personal particular person, able to making floppy lightning bolt instruments with poor goal and, thanks, maybe, to her part-mortal background, seemingly not depending on the worship of others for survival. As normal, “Decrease Decks” is not afraid so as to add to a few of the earliest “Star Trek” lore, increasing on it in inventive methods whereas acknowledging how humorous it already was within the first place.
New episodes of “Star Trek: Decrease Decks” stream Thursdays on Paramount+.
