Summary
Star Trek: Lower Decksshould pay a visit to this forgotten planet fromStar Trek: The Next Generation. Under the command of Captain Carol Freeman (Dawnn Lewis), the USS Cerritos specializes in missions of second contact, following up on the planets previously visited by ships like the USS Enterprise-D. OnTNG,for example,Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) and his crew would routinely encounter new planets that were never revisited on the show.The idea of Starfleet ships that perform second-contact missions makes perfect sense, as Picard would sometimes mention that the Federation would be sending representatives after the Enterprise left.
As a staunch believer in the Prime Directive, Captain Picard did not interfere unless he felt it was absolutely necessary, and he usually left planets better off than when he found him. While I enjoyed the episodic nature ofStar Trek: The Next Generation,there were several planets introduced over the series that I would have loved to revisit.Star Trek: Lower Decksnow has that chance, and has already mentioned numerous planets fromStar Trek: The Next Generation(including theinfamous Angel One). But there is one planet fromTNGthat deserves to be revisited, as its fate was left up in the air.
InStar Trek: Lower Decksseason 3, episode 9, “Trusted Sources,” for example, the Cerritos checks up on the planets Ornara and Brekka, whose people Captain Picard had met seventeen years before inStar Trek: The Next Generationseason 1, episode 22, “Symbiosis.”
Star Trek Is Still Cleaning Up Mistakes Picard’s TNG Enterprise Made
Part of the mission of the USS Cerritos on Star Trek: Lower Decks is to check in on the planets Captain Picard and the Enterprise visited in TNG.
Star Trek: Lower Decks Should Revisit Angosia III From TNG’s “The Hunted”
Did Angosia III ever make it into the Federation?
InStar Trek: The Next Generationseason 3, episode 11, “The Hunted,“Captain Picard and the USS Enterprise-D visit the planet Angosia III, which has petitioned for entry into the Federation.Picard meets with the planet’s leader, Prime Minister Nayrok (James Cromwell), and things seem to be going well until an infamous criminal namedRoga Danar (Jeff McCarthy)escapes from a nearby prison.Picard and the Enterprise crew help apprehend the prisoner only to learn that he is a genetically enhanced soldier who was abandoned by his people after the war.
After Danar escapes custody yet again, he breaks out some of his fellow prisoners, and they storm the Angosian capitol. Nayrok asks Picard to help him stop the insurrection, but Picard responds that he cannot interfere.In the end, Picard and his crew leave Angosia with the planet’s leaders and the former soldiers still in a standoff.While the episode suggests that Nayrok should negotiate with the prisoners to avoid bloodshed, there is no indication that this happens. Angosia III was never mentioned again, but I would love to know what became of this planet and whether they helped these former soldiers reintegrate into their society.
Former Soldier Roga Danar Was Mentioned On Star Trek: Lower Decks
Ensigns Boimler and Mariner discuss Roga Danar.
Although the fate of Angosia III remains unknown, Roga Danar was brought up in an episode ofStar Trek: Lower Decks.InLower Decksseason 1, episode 8, “Veritas,“Ensign Brad Boimler (Jack Quaid)mentions Danar when Ensign Beckett Mariner (Tawny Newsome) asks him about the"all-time biggest badass.“When Mariner responds that no one has heard of Danar,Boimler insists that everyone knows him, because he"totally outsmarted Picard, and he has amazing hair!“While I enjoy whenLower Decksreferences obscure characters from previousStar Trekshows, Danar is one I would actually like to learn more about.
Much likeStar Trek: Prodigybrought back Captain Thadiun Okona (Billy Campbell) fromTNG,Lower Deckscould do the same for Roga Danar.
I would love for the Cerritos to check up on Angosia III and find Danar possibly in a position of authority on the planet.Not only did Danar single-handedly escape from the Enterprise-D, but his backstory as a soldier would make a compelling story.“The Hunted” does not reveal much about the war that led the Angosians to create genetically enhanced soldiers or how they plan to help them after Picard’s visit. Unfortunately,Star Trek: Lower Decks’upcoming fifth season will be the show’s last, and if Angosia III doesn’t pop up, I hope a futureTrekproject revisits thisStar Trek: The Next Generationplanet.
