Star Trek: Lower Decks Name Drops Forgotten The Next Generation Villain

Star Trek: Lower Decks' fourth episode featured a heartwarming story about Mariner and Freema. That won't be the main focus here though, because as with every other episode on the show, this one had multiple Easter eggs and references, including a forgotten The Next Generation villain.

SPOILERS FOR STAR TREK: LOWER DECKS SEASON 1, EPISODE 4, "MOIST VESSEL" BELOW

While Lower Decks celebrates the entire Star Trek franchise, it has mainly referenced The Next Generation. In the "Moist Vessel" episode, it featured TNG's classic poker games, but also name drops Professor James Moriarty.

Credit: CBS

In an attempt to move up his ranks, Boimler tried to copy Mariner's attitude, letting out an evil laugh as he receives an order through his Combadge. However, when asked by someone about what's happening with him as he seemingly talks to himself, he quickly brushes it off and says it was actually Moriarty.

As Star Trek fans know, this is a reference to one of the biggest Holodeck villain, Moriarty, first introduced in The Next Generation episode, "Elementary, My Dear Data." The character originated in Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories. While Moriarty was just a computer program, he proved to be a threat to the crew.

Boimler mentioning the TNG villain is just one of the many references within the Star Trek lore. Along with exciting stories, fans look forward to the Easter eggs that each episode brings, and we can't wait to see more as the season goes on.

New episodes of Star Trek: Lower Decks arrive on Thursdays on CBS All Access.

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