Warning: SPOILERS for Star Trek: Lower Decks Season 5, Episode 7 - “Fully Dilated"Star Trek: Lower Decksjust toppedStar Trek: Enterprise’s classic episode, “Carbon Creek.” The spectacularStar Trek: Lower Decksseason 5, episode 7, “Fully Dilated” is a fish-out-of-water story where Lieutenants Beckett Mariner (Tawny Newsome), D’Vana Tendi (Noel Wells), and T’Lyn (Gabrielle Ruiz) are stranded in a pre-warp civilization for a year. “Fully Dilated” cleverly borrows from severalgreatStar TrekepisodeslikeStar Trek: The Next Generation’s “The Inner Light” andStar Trek: Voyager’s “Blink of an Eye,” andit’s a riff that exceedsEnterprise’s “Carbon Creek.”
Star Trek: Enterpriseseason 2, episode 2, “Carbon Creek,” is a story told by Subcommander T’Pol (Jolene Blalock) of how her ancestor, T’Mir (also Blalock), and two other Vulcans crash-landed and were stranded in Carbon Creek, Pennsylvania in 1957. TheVulcans arrived over a century before First Contactand hid among the townspeople, who were unaware they were aliens. The Vulcans were forced to adjust to"primitive"Earth until they were rescued months later, but Mestral (J. Paul Boemer), elected to stay on Earth.InStar Trek: Lower Decksseason 5, episode 7, Mariner even calls their predicament"a Carbon Creek situation.”
Star Trek: Lower Decks Did Their Own Enterprise “Carbon Creek” Episode - But Better
Lower Deckers On Dilmar III Topped Vulcans In Carbon Creek, Pennsylvania
Star Trek: Lower Decksseason 5, episode 7, “Fully Dilated” did an even better version ofEnterprise’s “Carbon Creek.“Mariner, Tendi, and T’Lyn were stranded on Dilmer III, a medieval pre-warp civilization, and they blended in thanks to Starfleet surgical procedures to make them resemble the Dilmerians. Each Lower Decker had a distinct story: Mariner decided she had to live the way Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) did inTNG’s “The Inner Light”, while T’Lyn applied her Vulcan brain power to improve their lives, with no idea Tendi was competing with her over who is the better Science Officer.
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With its pink skies, sweeping vistas, eclectic townspeople, and villainous lurker, Snell (Eric Bauza), Dilmer III inStar Trek: Lower Deckswas more interesting than 1957 Pennsylvania inStar Trek: Enterprise. Lower Decks' comedy was sharp, andthe character interplay between Mariner, T’Lyn, and Tendi on their extended"girl’s trip"was some of the best writing ever onStar Trek: Lower Decks. Not to mention, “Fully Dilated” also brought back Brent Spiner to play the severed head of a purple, alt-universeLt. Commander Data, who doles out sage advice to Tendi, Mariner, and T’Lyn. Plus,Star Trek: Lower Decksaccomplished all of this in just 25 minutes.
Why “Carbon Creek” Is A Classic Star Trek: Enterprise Episode
Vulcans In 1957 Is A Standout Enterprise Premise
The brilliance ofStar Trek: Lower Decksseason 5, episode 7 does not dilute the enduring quality ofStar Trek: Enterprise’s “Carbon Creek,” which stands as one of the seminal episodes of the series.“Carbon Creek” exemplified the best ofStar Trek;it told a compelling fish-out-of-water story where America in the 1950s was seen through the eyes of Vulcans forced to live in this era.Enterprisebanked on Jolene Blalock to anchor “Carbon Creek” as T’Mir, along with two Vulcans who were notEnterpriseseries regular cast members. Yet the drama was fascinating as the Vulcans fit into the town of Carbon Creek, Pennsylvania.
Enterprise delivered a standout, milestone episode with “Carbon Creek” that remains a fan-favorite.
Just as T’Lyn’s improvements to Dilmer III’s agriculture resulted in a hair tonic that improved the Dilmerians' lives (and made T’Lyn rich),Star Trek: Enterprise’s “Carbon Creek” contains an eyebrow-raising retcon to Earth history: T’Mir sold Velcro to a company so that the technology is Vulcan in origin instead of a human invention. Without starship battles, aliens (other than the Vulcans), and the futuristic trappings ofStar Trek, Enterprisedelivered a standout, milestone episode with “Carbon Creek” that remains a fan-favorite. It’s safe to predict “Fully Dilated” will also rank high among the very bestStar Trek: Lower Decksepisodes.
