The Spy Humongous debuted on 16 September, 2021. It was written by John Cochran.
The Pakled situation is continuing to be a minor problem for the Federation. So the Cerritos and Captain Freeman (Dawnn Lewis) are sent to work on negotiating a peace. Things are complicated by the arrival of a Pakled on the Cerritos seeking asylum. The Pakleds plan to hold Freeman until the wayward Pakled returns. But the refugee is more of a spy than an asylum seeker.
Meanwhile, on the lower decks, it’s Anomaly Consolidation Day, something Tendi (Noel Wells) is determined to enjoy, and you know that means there is going to be lots of visual easter eggs and trivia. Speaking of, the Pakleds continue to refer to Freeman as Janeway, and all Starfleet ships as Enterprise. The Tal Shiar get name-checked by Ransom (Jerry O’Connell), the Crimson Force Field (Samaritan Snare) gets mentioned, and Mariner (Tawny Newsome) prank-calls Armus (Skin of Evil).
Boimler (Jack Quaid) gets recruited by the Red Shirts (you call yourselves that?), a group that is determined to help each member rank up. Is this what Boimler really wants? And are they really interested in helping the crew or just themselves?
Where Pleasant Fountains Lie was written by Garrick Bernard, and was first broadcast on 23 September, 2021.
Like many classic Trek episodes, this one has a Shakespearean title.
Mariner and Boimler find themselves dealing with a sentient computer (Jeffrey Combs!) on an uninhabited planet. It makes for hilarious moments and Combs has that perfect delivery, which makes his portrayal of AGIMUS just brilliant. Will AGIMUS be able to outmaneuver Mariner and Boimler? Or will it go the other way around?
Chief Engineer Billups (Paul Scheer) has some problems on the Cerritos when an old adversary arrives… his mother, Queen Paolana (June Diane Raphael). Billups abdicated his prince title, but his mother is always trying to trick him back into things. If Billups loses his virginity, he must become King. Will his mother be able to trick him?
We learn Billups comes from a medieval-themed world, which includes dragons! We also get to see, for the first time, the oft-mentioned Daystrom Institute, and is that a Batman silhouette?
This one is a lot of fun, plays with some familiar Trek tropes, and does it in new ways. Man, I keep forgetting how much I love this show. It’s fun, funny, and damned entertaining.
I, Excretus was written by Ann Kim and was first aired on 30 September, 2021.
A Starfleet instructor, Shari Yen Yem (Lennon Parham) comes aboard the Cerritos to work with and test the crew. Shari Yen Yem is Char Yen/Pandronian like Bem from The Animated Series. She’s arrived with a number of capsules to evaluate the staff. Command crew are given lower-deck duties, while Boimler and company are given command crew jobs.
Hilarity ensues, of course. There’s a Mirror Universe test for Mariner, and Boimler gets stuck in a Borg simulation he intends to perfect.
There’s a brilliant Body Snatcher reference, and other trivia and Easter eggs include Alice Krige’s return as the Borg Queen, a nod to The Naked Time and The Naked Now, as well as Spectre of the Gun, Ethics, Crystalline Entities, Trek II and Trek III.
Will the Cerritos pass the test? This one is great! It not only deals with what people come to Starfleet for, but is also incredibly funny. It shows levels of work, protocol, and how things and people work together to make us all better. IDIC!
