Normally, I do these for a topic related to Dungeons & Dragons or some other concept. But May is my Sci-Fi month, and I LOVE Star Trek. So, let's take a deep dive and explore the strange past of Star Trek Lower Deck's own Beckett Mariner!
Mariner's On-Screen Dates
We know that she had the following postings. I am putting my best guesses at her age in parentheses.
- 2349-50: Likely birth year(s).
- 2368: First Year at Starfleet Academy (16-17)
- 2372-2375: Served aboard Deep Space 9 (20-21 to 23-24)
- 2370s: Served aboard the USS Atlantis (24+)
- 2379 (or thereabouts): Served on the USS Quinto (30s)
- 2380: Served on the USS Cerritos (30s)
Those are all established (more or less) dates, ages are only a guess. Yes, she is a 30 year old Ensign on the Cerritos.
What about other evidence of her existence? The first big one comes from the Star Trek: Next Generation episode "The First Duty" in the 5th Season of TNG. We know from both TNG and Lower Decks this was Stardate 45703.9 or 2368.
So, obviously, that background actress was not supposed to be Beckett Mariner. But it is really, really convenient.
Captain Mom Carol Freeman
What else do we know about Beckett? Well, her mom, Carol Freeman, is a Starfleet Captain. Capt. Will Riker described himself as "Carol's Mentor," which she said, "I wouldn't go that far." We know that in 2381 she is the Captain of the U.S.S. Cerritos so when exactly was Riker her "mentor?"
I am going to suggest she served aboard the Enterprise sometime between 2363 and 2371 (SD 48212.4 – 48975.1). She was friends with Sonya Gomez, who was also a Captain at the same time and was an Ensign on the Enterprise in 2364-2365. And, and this is the big one, Carol piloted the Enterprise out of spacedock. At some point she served on the Enterprise, was mentored by Riker, met and became friends with Sonya Gomez.
It is not a stretch then that Beckett was also on the Enterprise during this time. Is there evidence for this? Of course! Or...well, there is some flimsy circumstantial evidence.
Beckett on the Enterprise-D
The Star Trek: TNG episode When the Bough Breaks takes place in 2364. It features a bunch of kids, including one young girl who could be a young Beckett Mariner. You can see the scene here:
If Beckett is 18 in 2368, she would be 14 in 2364. The girl in the video looks younger than 14. If we assume she was particularly gifted and joined Starfleet at 16-17, then we could say she was 12-13 here.
So, maybe not her, but it certainly *could* be.
For other potential Becket Mariner sightings, I will have to go through TNG Seasons 1 to 5 and Deep Space Nice Seasons 4 to 7. You'd think I could just, you know, remember with all the times I have watched these.
I am looking forward to finding more evidence! In the meantime, on to my next "In Search Of" topic.
Was there a question of it being "canon" or not? I think that was answered when it crossed over with Strange New Worlds. Also, Mariner was promoted to lieutenant (jg) in the 4th season, as were all the main characters.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, a lot of this stuff seems like when people say that kid in the Iron Man helmet in Iron Man 2 is Peter Parker. Sure, why not? I mean, Marvel didn't even have permission to use Peter Parker back in 2010, but yeah, they totally put him in a movie because they knew 6 years later they'd get to use Spider-Man. Sure, what the heck. lol
Good grief, 30-something? Both her behavior and her character design would have had me guessing early 20s at most, but the art style makes everyone look young.
ReplyDeleteShe really has been a colossal screwup to be serving as an ensign at this point. :)
I like the idea that she's been in the background all this time. I don't think so, but I like the idea just the same.
ReplyDeleteThis is the kind of quality content I look for on the internet.
ReplyDeleteThe one bit I'm not sure on is the Enterprise section, I'm not sure if Captain Freeman actually piloted the Enterprise, the link just says she escorted it, but it's been a bit since I saw the episode so I can't recall the exact quote they're referencing. The rest makes sense though, although I suspect that her friendship with Sonya Gomez was made between shifts; based on s4e03 I don't get the impressions that engineering was a particularly strong suit of hers despite her interest in archaic tech. Given she apparently keeps getting possessed by D'Arsay masks, I'm inclined to think it was the 'archaic' part that appealed to her rather than the tech.
But I'm nearing the end of DS9, so now I'll be keeping an eye out for background characters that might be Mariner now.
Thank you for the Shout Out!
ReplyDeleteToo bad you don't have a "Like" feature enabled.
I'll be putting up a reciprocal link at the article.
Steve "Vulcan Stev"
Nitpicker-in-Chief
@PT Dilloway, there used to be. Less so now.
ReplyDelete@Dick McGee, that IS her character. She started out as a normal Starfleet officer but kept getting herself into trouble and demoted so she would not rise up the ranks.
@Liz A. Same! I am hoping to find more "evidence!"
@Vulcan Stev, Thank you for sending me down this rabbit hole!