In this review of Star Trek: Lower Decks #15, Brad Boimler takes charge of the away team on Laapoonia (which isn’t as bad as it sounds), while the U.S.S. Cerritos comes under attack by an unidentified warship, finally allows the crew to do something normal for a change.
Star Trek: Lower Decks #14
Written by: Tim Sheridan
Art and Main Cover by: Vernon Smith
Variant Cover: Chris Fenoglio
Page Count: 28 pages
Release Date: January 14, 2025
This review contains spoilers
Star Trek: Lower Decks #15 begins with the invasion of Laapoonia by an unknown alien fleet, as both the U.S.S. Cerritos crew and the Laapoonians work to locate the missing Laapeerians. Lieutenant Brad Boimler is too preoccupied with taking charge of the away team to be of much help. But when Commander Ransom accidentally zaps himself with a phaser (it was set to “stun”), Boimler seizes the opportunity only to have his dream yanked out from under him as crewman Sun-Sanchez returns to the away team and takes charge.
In orbit above Laapoonia, the Cerritos crew engage the mysterious alien warship in battle, but the starship’s weapons have no effect, while the Cerritos takes a pounding from the alien assault. Captain Freeman is injured in the attack, prompting Beckett Mariner to drop protocol and call her “mom”. Freeman waves her off and orders a damage report from Billups (it’s bleak).
Down on Laapoonia, crewman Sun-Sanchez gets the away team working with their Laapoonian counterparts as the alien invasion continues. Sun-Sanchez asks for Boimler’s help in planning an evacuation of the populace, but it appears the techno-phobic Laapoonians have no advanced spacecraft (except for a conveniently well-armed emergency escape vehicle). Just as Boimler begins to admire Sun-Sanchez’s leadership skills, the crewman dies from an unexpected allergic reaction from Laapoonian rations.
Boimler fumbles, but quickly takes charge, ordering the away team to approach the spacecraft through the Laapoonian sever system (the less said about that sequence the better). Back on the Cerritos, Freeman discovers that the aliens want the Laapoonian ambassador when the delegate is beamed away after the Cerritos’ shields collapse.
Boimler and the away team take the Laapoonian craft into space and launch an all-out assault on the alien warship, but the aliens return fire and the away team appears to be destroyed.
Star Trek: Lower Decks #15 ends with Captain Freeman ordering the Cerritos crew to plot a course for the nearest Starbase, without searching for any possible survivors.
Analysis
Wow, Star Trek: Lower Decks #15 accomplishes a lot, but three issues in and the crew still have no idea who these invaders are or what happened to the Laapeerians. On the U.S.S. Cerritos, Star Trek: Lower Decks #15 plays as a straight forward Star Trek episode, with the bridge crew facing their own version of the Kobayashi Maru test against a powerful enemy, before forcing them to retreat.
The chaos on the Cerritos and the apparent loss of the away team prompts Captain Freeman’s tough call and raises the stakes beyond the typical Lower Decks story. But for those missing the traditional screwball antics, fear not, as the away team story on Laapoonia more than makes up for it.
The absurdities (re: only possible on Lower Decks) include, but are not limited to, Commander Ransom stunning himself with his phaser, and crewman Sun-Sanchez dying from an (avoidable) allergic reaction to Laapoonian food paste. Boimler rising to the occasion during this crisis is unexpectedly inspirational, albeit short-lived (not that anyone believes the away team were actually killed).
Writer Tim Sheridan digs into Boimler’s psyche, his growing resentment/self-centered drive to take command of the away team (isn’t that mutiny?) as the lieutenant initially bristles over crewman Sun-Sanchez’s easy rapport with their fellow crew members. Remarkably Boimler has a change of heart about Sun-Sanchez’s leadership skills (if a bit late to the party), which might be the motivation behind his rallying the troops for an escape plan.
The Laapoonians are side-lined for much of Star Trek: Lower Decks #15, only appearing long enough for a bit of helpful exposition. The fact that the technologically averse Laapoonians have a heavily-armed shuttle at the ready might seem like an illogical Deus ex Machina, but it’s not like Star Trek hasn’t ever contradicted itself in a story before.
Vernon Smith does an admirable job emulating the animated series art style while adding some personal touches. Smith’s sight gags are on point as usual, between the Laapoonians using the stunned (and stiffened) Commander Ransom as a stage for acrobatics, the page of Boimler’s growing frustration over crewman Sun-Sanchez and the opening recap page that features not only the classic 1970s animated Captain Kirk, but also several characters from the various Trek series in Captain Freeman’s ready room.
Smith also gets to throw in some action and drama during the Cerritos’ space battle with the alien invaders, eschewing the traditional comedy for chaos and explosions on the bridge as the injured Captain Freeman faces increasingly dire circumstances, prompting her to retreat. The alien warship also maintains its menacing appearance, with an assist by Charlie Kirchoff’s colors, whose palette underscores the threat the Cerritos’ bridge crew faces during the attack.
Final Thoughts
Star Trek: Lower Decks #15 brings a mix of danger and excitement into the story that raises the stakes while still providing the offbeat humor than was the beating heart of the animated series.
