After TNG: The Untold Stories of Star Trek's Other Lower Deckers Unveiled

Article Overview

Lt. JG Beckett Mariner's friendship with Ensign Sito Jaxa in "Lower Decks" establishes a connection to "Star Trek: The Next Generation" and hints at the possibility of Sito making a comeback. Sito's tragic death at the hands of Cardassians during a perilous assignment profoundly affects Worf, Captain Picard, and Mariner.

Ensign Taurik was initially planned to be a recurring character in a possible eighth season of "Star Trek: The Next Generation." However, these plans changed when the movie franchise was launched.

While the Star Trek: Lower Decks series drew inspiration from the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode with the same name, the fate of the original Lower Deckers after TNG ended remained unknown. "Lower Decks" primarily followed the journeys of four junior officers on the USS Enterprise-D: Ensigns Sito Jaxa (Shannon Fill), Taurik (Alexander Enberg), Sam Lavelle (Dan Gauthier), and Nurse Alyssa Ogawa (Patti Yasutake). These characters anxiously awaited news of their potential promotions. This TNG episode holds a special place for Mike McMahan, serving as a significant influence on his animated comedy series Star Trek: Lower Decks. This series, too, exclusively focuses on the lives of junior officers aboard the USS Cerritos.

Ensign Sito Was Killed By Cardassians

Star Trek: Lower Decks season 4, episode 9 revealed that Lt. JG Beckett Mariner (Tawny Newsome) and Sito Jaxa were friends during their time at Starfleet Academy. This connection established by Mike McMahan explicitly showcases Mariner's association with Star Trek: The Next Generation and its Lower Deckers. With this bridge now established, it will be intriguing to witness if the original Lower Deckers from TNG make a comeback in the season 4 finale or in future episodes of Lower Decks.

Ensign Sito Jaxa, chosen by Lt. Worf and Captain Jean-Luc Picard, embarked on a perilous mission into Cardassian territory. Under the guise of a Bajoran terrorist, Sito transported a Cardassian informant named Joret Dal using a "stolen" shuttle from the USS Enterprise. After successfully delivering Dal to Cardassian territory, Sito intended to escape back to the Enterprise in an escape pod. Tragically, she was killed while attempting to flee, and only the wreckage of her escape pod was discovered upon the Enterprise's arrival. Cardassian security later confirmed that they had eliminated an escaping Bajoran terrorist.

Sito's death deeply impacted Worf, who mourned her loss alongside the other crew members in Ten Forward. Captain Picard was also profoundly affected and delivered a shipwide announcement to honor Sito's exemplary character. Furthermore, Sito's demise had a profound effect on Mariner from Star Trek: Lower Decks, who now wishes to remain as an Ensign to spare fellow officers from harm. Mariner has found solace with her Klingon counselor Ma'ah and seeks to honor Sito's legacy by thwarting Nick Locarno's plans in the fourth season finale of Lower Decks.

Ensign Taurik Would Have Starred In TNG Season 8

Ensign Taurik, portrayed by Alexander Enberg, left a lasting impression in the episode "Lower Decks", despite the pressure of living up to Leonard Nimoy's iconic character, Spock. There were hopes that Taurik would become a recurring character in Star Trek: The Next Generation, similar to Lt. Reginald Barclay (Dwight Schultz) or Ensign Ro Laren (Michelle Forbes), if the series continued beyond its seventh season. Observing Taurik in "Lower Decks" makes it evident that he would have seamlessly integrated into engineering alongside his frustrated mentor, Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge (LeVar Burton). However, these plans were ultimately abandoned when Paramount decided to embark on the Star Trek: TNG movie franchise rather than a continuation with an eighth season.

Instead of reprising the role of Taurik in Star Trek: The Next Generation, Alexander Enberg took on the very similar character of Ensign Vorik in Star Trek: Voyager. Despite never being officially acknowledged within the show, Voyager and TNG producer Jeri Taylor, who also happened to be Enberg's mother, hinted that Taurik and Vorik were actually twin brothers. This notion was later "confirmed" in the non-canonical Star Trek: Starship Creator game. Vorik made appearances in a total of eight episodes of Voyager, spanning from season 3 to 7, and narrowly escaped death in the episode "Friendship One". As Vorik remains alive, there is a strong possibility that he could make an appearance aboard the brand-new USS Voyager-A in the second season of Star Trek: Prodigy.

Ogawa Became A Lieutenant And Battled The Borg In Star Trek: First Contact

Alyssa Ogawa, Dr. Beverly Crusher's trusted medical colleague in Star Trek: The Next Generation, had a significant role in aiding the crew. After a promotion in Starfleet, Ogawa married Lt. Andrew Powell and later became pregnant with their child. In an episode titled "Genesis," Ogawa's unborn child played a vital role in finding a cure for Barclay's Protomorphosis Syndrome. Lt. Commander Data utilized the natural immune barriers in Ogawa's amniotic fluid to create an antidote.

Unlike her fellow Lower Deckers, Ogawa appeared in the first two TNG movies. In Star Trek Generations, she assisted Dr. Crusher in analyzing Geordi after his encounter with the Duras sisters. Similarly, in Star Trek: First Contact, Ogawa was instrumental in evacuating the sickbay on the USS Enterprise-E when it was infiltrated by Borg drones.

However, Ogawa was not present in Star Trek: Insurrection or Nemesis, implying that she had moved on from the Enterprise after the events of First Contact. According to the non-canon Star Trek: Titan novel Taking Wing, it is revealed that Ogawa left the Enterprise due to the tragic loss of her husband, Andrew, during Starfleet's war with the Dominion.

Sam Lavelle Inspired Lower Decks’ Boimler

Sito Jaxa in Mariner, Ogawa in Lt. JG D'Vana Tendi (Noël Wells), and Taurik in both Lt. JG Sam Rutherford (Eugene Cordero) and Provisional Lieutenant T'Lyn (Gabrielle Ruiz) embody distinct qualities. However, the most influential figure in Star Trek: Lower Decks, specifically shaping the character of Lt. JG Bradward Boimler (Jack Quaid), is none other than Sam Lavelle from Star Trek: The Next Generation. In "Lower Decks", Boimler humorously attempts to connect with Commander Jack Ransom (Jerry O'Connell) by pretending to hail from Hawaii, much like Sam awkwardly trying to establish a bond over their shared Canadian background with Commander William Riker (Jonathan Frakes), despite Riker's upbringing in Alaska.

Lavelle possesses a similar boldness to "Bold Boimler", although he still retains his awkwardness and eagerness to please. In 2020, prior to the premiere of Star Trek: Lower Decks, Mike McMahan acknowledged the influence of Dan Gauthier's character from Star Trek: The Next Generation on Boimler. McMahan drew a connection between Lavelle and Boimler, expressing that they are both overly dedicated to advancing in rank, which hinders them from taking the necessary risks to become the next Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner). Lavelle did not appear in later Star Trek series, but his legacy lives on through Boimler, who may one day have the opportunity to follow in Kirk's footsteps. The season 4 finale of Star Trek: Lower Decks will be available for streaming on Paramount+ on November 2nd.

Editor's P/S

As a Star Trek fan, I am thrilled to learn more about the untold stories of the Lower Deckers from Star Trek: The Next Generation. Ensign Sito Jaxa, Ensign Taurik, Ogawa, and Sam Lavelle were all memorable characters, and it's great to see that their stories are being continued in the new animated series, Star Trek: Lower Decks.

The episode "The Inner Fight" revealed that Lt. JG Beckett Mariner and Ensign Sito Jaxa were friends at Starfleet Academy. This connection is significant because it establishes a direct link between the original Lower Deckers and the new series. It also suggests that Sito may make a comeback in a future episode of Lower Decks. I would be very excited to see this happen, as Sito was a fascinating character with a tragic story.