Star Trek: Lower Decks Season 5 Episode 4 Review: A Farewell to Farms
Star Trek: Lower Decks Season 5 Episode 4, “A Farewell to Farms,” takes Boimler and Mariner to Qo’noS for a series of trials while Migleemo tries to impress some picky food critics. It’s a step down from last week’s fare; however, the A-plot’s Klingon-esque strength is enough to compensate for what the B-plot lacks.
petaQ on Qo’noS
Mariner reunites with Ma’ah, a Klingon ex-captain who first appeared on the show in Season 2 Episode 9, “wej Duj.” He met Mariner in Season 4 Episode 9, “The Inner Fight,” where the two forged an unexpected bond. “A Farewell to Farms” is a fun continuation of Ma’ah’s arc, which incorporates Mariner and Boimler. It’s a clever way to focus on Klingon culture while keeping our leads involved.
Ma’ah’s relationship with his brother, Malor, is a delightful Odd Couple-esque bond. Klingons are so serious and, frankly, intimidating, so it should come as no surprise that Lower Decks has somewhat softened them with its signature biting humor.
Jon Curry and Sam Witwer put their strong vocal work on display as Ma’ah and Malor in “A Farewell to Farms.” Of course, if you’re a fan of the latter, you know how astonishingly versatile his voice is.
Bold Boimler and Beyond
“A Farewell to Farms” organically continues Boimler’s growth as he taps into “Bold Boimler.” Last week, Ransom gave our Boims a much-needed confidence boost, so it’s lovely to see that in play while he’s on Qo’noS. Can you imagine Season 1 Boimler hopping onto a massive targ or happily taking a beating from a group of Klingons? This newfound sense of easygoing confidence and fearlessness looks good on Boimler (The mustache, though? Eh.).
Moreover, Mariner supports and keeps Boimler in check when he goes too far. When he volunteers to sacrifice himself for the last trial of The Ritual of J’ethurgh, Mariner ensures he doesn’t go through with it. There’s more of a balance in their dynamic, as Mariner softens her reckless edges with a dose of pragmatism and Boimler learns to take more risks.
Meanwhile, the B-story on the Cerritos, in which Dr. Migleemo tries to impress famous Klowakhan food critics, falls flat. Migleemo can be a hilarious supporting character, but he’s best in small doses. This portion of the episodic narrative doesn’t hold up well with the A-line and feels more like it’s filling in screen time.
That said, watching Captain Freeman defend her crew as opposed to react to their shenanigans is a breath of fresh air. Additionally, Migleemo turning the tables on the critics makes for a fun twist. Perhaps it’s more or less strange that Rutherford and Tendi are only there to support Migleemo and not vice versa.
We’re Dimensional Rifting Here
“A Farewell to Farms” isn’t Star Trek: Lower Decks‘ best episode, but the Klingon storyline is a blast and a half. Plus, it finally plants seeds for the overarching mystery: the dimensional rifts appearing sporadically across the quadrant. That bit of plot progression whets the appetite for what’s to come.
Stray Observations:
- This ain’t Mary Chieffo’s first Star Trek rodeo. She also plays a live-action Klingon, L’Rell, in the first two seasons of Star Trek: Discovery.
- I’m calling all my friends “petaQ” from now on. It roughly translates to “weirdo.” I, too, definitely identify as a petaQ.
- Very clever that Migleemo’s homeworld is called “Klowakha,” pronounced like a bird’s bum hole (cloaca).
- Does Klingon acid punk include the thrash lute? Is that what we heard in the bar on Qo’noS? Klingons seem more like metalheads to me.
- Imagine if the Edict of Unreturned Favors was real, and we had to watch Mariner and Boims get fed to a bear.
- Since Boimler dies his hair purple, do you think he’s also dying his sad little mustache/chin hairs as they grow in? I hope so. It’s a very Boimler thing to do.
- The episode title is a nod to Ernest Hemingway’s A Farewell to Arms. Given how militaristic Klingons are, this makes sense.
- Boimler mentioned his time on Titan here, and the dimensional rifts are now a legitimate mystery. Could we see William Boimler again?
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 drops new episodes every Thursday on Paramount+.
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Melody McCune
Melody loves TV. Maybe too much. Besides being a Senior Writer for Tell-Tale TV, she's the Managing Editor for Geek Girl Authority, an Independent Contractor for Sideshow Collectibles, and a Senior Writer for Eulalie Magazine. Additionally, she has bylines in Culturess, Widget, and inkMend on Medium. To top it all off, she's a critic for Rotten Tomatoes and CherryPicks.