SEPTEMBER 27, 2021 - The crew of the U.S.S. Cerritos is being evaluated, and it looks like the drills are based on classic Star Trek scenarios on the latest episode of Lower Decks, “I, Excretus,” premiering Thursday.

A preview released via the Star Trek on Paramount+ Twitter account begins with the announcement that a drill instructor from Starfleet is going to be testing the crew, followed by a reveal of simulation pods which will put our heroes through their paces in ways that will be very familiar to long-time fans of the franchise. In a rapid-fire montage the preview appears to show:

• a scenario for Rutherford entitled “The Good of the Many” based on Spock’s moving sacrifice in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan

• a simulation for the bridge crew of the Cerritos called “Klingon Encounter”

• a test for Mariner called “Mirror Universe Encounter” which puts her (assumedly) on the I.S.S. Cerritos trying to pass herself off as a Terran (SPOILER ALERT: she fails)

• a cargo bay accident involving a cargo container falling on Commander Ransom in what looks to be a parallel to Worf’s accident in the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode “Ethics.”

Promotional still photos also show Mariner in an Old West situation similar to the Original Series episode “Spectre of the Gun” and Tendi panicking while tending to a Klingon patient. Beyond the holographic tests, the official synopsis for the episode from Paramount+ reveals an even deeper layer to the evaluation the crew will be undergoing: “A consultant arrives on the U.S.S. Cerritos to run drills that require the lower deckers and bridge crew to swap duties.”

As for the meaning of the episode title, one can only guess. All will be revealed when “I, Excretus” is released on Paramount+ Thursday at midnight PST.