Star Trek: Lower Decks

WRONG

This will be the only thing to get me excited for that show

Today I learned that nobody ever actually planned to have an Andorian named Jennifer... Tawny Newsome was just ad-libbing during a recording session and went "Move, Jennifer!" and whoever was storyboarding put in a half-second clip of an Andorian being shoved out of the way.

I wonder if they'll ever give us an in-universe explanation for her name.

I wouldn't go so far as to say 'set her up to fail', but yes.
As to your second question...
Somebody better go check on Agimus and Peanut Hamper...

Also, Freeman transferring Mariner off the Ceritos in such manner raises the question if she's fit for command. Makes me wonder what the Starfleet brass might be thinking if they saw the exposé, and what Adm. Freeman thinks of Mariner summarily resigning.

Interesting point considering this show is named after a TNG episode where the main protagonist is given a second chance by Picard and Picard told Geordie to find a way to work with Barkley in another episode.

Eh, Starfleet captains are pretty bulletproof. There are lot of episodes in the first two seasons of TNG where Picard should have been out of a job afterwards.

I'd be happy to be wrong, though.

Back in the 90s, Jennifer was a name used among black women applied to air-headed white women. It may still be used the same way today, but I no longer hang out in those types of communities/friends. Anyway, Andorran Jennifer is exactly the kind of person we would call Jennifer.

I also wonder if they'll ever address Mariner's last name.

Options:

1) Although Beckett considers Alonzo her dad, he's not her biological father, and "Mariner" was Carol's original name.

2) Alonzo and Carol are both Beckett's biological parents, but they were not yet married when she was born or had simply not yet chosen to take on the same name, and "Mariner" was either Carol or Alonzo's original name (hey, it's the '80s).

3) Her given name actually is Beckett Freeman, but she changed it as part of her desire to avoid favoritism. ("Mariner" could be her original middle name, or she could have chosen it as a nod to the naval background of her chosen career.)

I believe "Becky" has superseded "Jennifer" for that purpose ever since that one song Beyoncé put out about Becky with the good hair

Set her up to need prompt rescue, at the very least.

And presumably the Admiral himself is being set up to fail by the Romulan infiltrators in Starfleet, to undermine support for AI in general.

Entire project spearheaded by Commodore Oh?

Or she's a fan of this movie, and chose to use his name as her last name.




Or not, I'm not really being serious. Just though of Kevin Costner's character when I read your post.

Oh, Becky was around long before Bey

Section 31.

The Section 31 of the 24th century is too small and discreet to be behind a new class of automated starships that a Starfleet Admiral makes a big effort to publicize to the news media. Also Section 31 learned their lesson about the dangers of trusting AI decades earlier.

It just dawned on me this morning that it could also be 4) an adoption and Mariner is the name of her birthparents who died in a [insert Starfleet malady of choice here], much as Michael Burnham didn't become Grayson after Amanda and Sarek adopted her and Word never adopted his parents'last name. Which is probably a long shot but in the realm of possibility.

It'd be a bit on the nose for the troubled relationship Mariner has with her mom to throw in the "well, she's not my REAL mom!" angle.

I'd go with Mariner was Carole's pre marriage name

We already exist in a time where matrilineal surnames are normal, so in a few hundred years it likely wouldn't be worthy of notice

Makes it a little weird that Carol's surname isn't still Mariner, though.

this show does subtle as well as any soap opera I've sat through, but I'm assuming if they go through that reveal they wouldn't be as lazy as all that.

Different baby daddy that she didn't marry?

I've always assumed she changed her last name so she would/could be judged on her own merit and not that of her parents. Of course, her own behavior throws all that out the window. But, that's the reason I had in my head as to why she didn't have the same last name as either of her parents.

That makes sense to me. It'd be hard to be "Ensign Freeman" on Captain Freeman's ship and not have the question come up.

I didn't realize until just now that only about a year has elapsed from the beginning of Season 1 to the end of Season 3.

There's a post-credits stinger with this one.

okay, the fleet assemblage was a good jab.

God, this whole episode really slaps.

I was surprised my hometown got a shout-out during the Cali class battle until I was informed Tawny Newsome grew up there and was in high school at the same time I was.

It's getting overused lately, but hot damn if I ain't a sucker for when a fleet of starships show up.