Star Trek: Lower Decks Season 5 Episode 6 Review: Of Gods and Angles
Star Trek: Lower Decks Season 5 Episode 6, “Of Gods and Angles,” blesses us with one of its silliest, zaniest storylines yet as the Cerritos crew tries to prevent a Shape War. When this series leans into the absurdities of the franchise and doesn’t take itself too seriously, it truly soars. Thankfully, it maintains the same level of quality as last week’s hilariously spooky visit to Starbase 80.
Can’t We Orb Just Get Along?
Is there anything more ludicrous than sentient orbs and cubes waging war against each other? Of course, this lends itself to fun puns and wordplay aplenty from a writing perspective, and “Of Gods and Angles” doesn’t disappoint in that regard. On a similar note, who would’ve thought that a cube and an orb falling in love and birthing a hybrid baby would be so sweet? It’s simply an entertaining episode from beginning to end.
Character-wise, we’re privy to the most growth we’ve seen from Mariner thus far. It feels like a full-circle moment as she takes Olly under her wing. Olly’s behavior is reminiscent of Season 1 Mariner — she’s a swirling tornado of chaos who leaves devastation in her wake.
While Mariner has been shaped and molded by her mentors, she primarily tapped into her self-worth on her own. Ransom certainly became the catalyst for that. However, Mariner does for Olly what her superiors should’ve done from the jump: she tries to understand her.
Mariner’s empathy makes her leadership style stand out from the rest. Her development, along with Boimler’s, is so gratifying to watch. Tawny Newsome continues to add nuance and warmth to Mariner’s journey with her vocal performance. Newcomer Saba Homayoon is a blast as Olly. I wish the writers introduced her sooner so we’d have more time with our new favorite ensign demigod.
Cube-e or Not Cube-e
“Of Gods and Angles” features a B-plot that’s just as solid as its A-plot, which is a rarity in, well, anything. Star Trek: Lower Decks usually has A- and B-storylines that stand on their own, but the past few episodes have seen the latter fall somewhat short. For this particular B-plot, Boimler tries desperately to befriend Dr. T’Ana just like Alt-Boimler did in his universe. Naturally, hijinks ensue, converging seamlessly with the main episodic narrative.
Like Mariner, Boimler has grown significantly, but it’s nice to get glimpses of the same socially awkward, anxiety-ridden Boimler we’ve seen in episodes past. His personality clashes hilariously with T’Ana’s perpetually gruff nature, making for some fun, expletive-laden scenes.
“Of Gods and Angles” doesn’t propel the overarching narrative regarding the dimensional rifts, but it’s a breezy, delightful watch that provides the escapism I crave right now. It’s also wall-to-wall clever one-liners that will make you laugh out loud. And I don’t know about you, but I could use more laughter.
Stray Observations:
- It’s quite illogical that we’ve had so little T’Lyn this season. Quite illogical, indeed.
- If T’Ana called me “F*cko,” I’d be thrilled. We’d be best friends for life.
- Listen, Radiara is kinda pretty as a name. It also sounds like one a celebrity would give their child.
- I hope the series ends with Boimler having a full, glorious beard. He needs this on an emotional level. It’s imperative for his mental health.
- Star Trek first tackles Greek gods in Season 2 Episode 4 of The Original Series, “Who Mourns for Adonais?”
- The “Hawai’i thing” Tendi’s talking about is a reference to Season 2 Episode 9, “wej Duj,” in which Boimler tried to become buddies with Ransom. It’s objectively one of the show’s strongest episodes.
- Ronald B. Moore (not to be confused with Battlestar Galactica and Outlander creator Ronald D. Moore) was the hologram of a human comedian who appeared in Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 2 Episode 4, “The Outrageous Okona.” Boims with the deep cuts here.
What did you think of this episode of Star Trek: Lower Decks? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
Critic Rating:
User Rating:
Star Trek: Lower Decks drops new episodes every Thursday on Paramount+.
Want more from Tell-Tale TV? Subscribe to our newsletter here!
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.