Starbases are supposed to be a home away from home for starship crews, a sanctuary where they can take a time-out in Starfleet-approved surroundings. Starbase 80 is different, a space station so riven with neglect that many officers believe it's cursed.

"Starbase 80?!" plays a long game, taking a gag from the season premiere and turning it into a pivotal moment for our learning heroes to tackle.

It's hard to believe any human being in the 24th century would still believe in curses, but that didn't stop Ned Quint with that damned Howard sex candle. Anaphasics aside for a moment, Mariner had good reason to feel that things were a little jinxed this episode, confronted as she was with a return to the galaxy's most infamous starbase.

There are echoes of "Apocalypse Now" in the third episode of " Lower Decks " season 5, as Lt Bradward Boimler is recruited to track down a flag officer who's gone AWOL in a luxury space hotel — the admiral's name, Milius, is presumably a nod to John Milius, screenwriter of Francis Ford Coppola's Vietnam classic.

Lower Decks faced fan skepticism, then won over many with its wacky love-letter to the Trek universe. Season 5 explores deeper themes and relationships while adding familiar faces for more laughs. Despite the series ending after season 5,

Check out preview images for Paramount+ and Mike McMahan's Jack Quaid and Tawny Newsome-starring Star Trek: Lower Decks S05E05: "Star Base 80?"

"Dos Cerritos" in Lower Decks pays homage to an alternate timeline trope seen in previous Star Trek episodes. Captain Becky Freeman's rule of no interpersonal conflict pokes fun at Roddenberry's strict rule on TOS.

We talk a lot about Star Trek beyond the scope of the series and films that the franchise makes. Though, we don't talk about it enough. Today, we're angling to make up for some of that. We've touched on toys,

We'd forgive you for forgetting, since the alien species only made one "Trek" appearance before showing up on the new episode of "Lower Decks" season 5, an