Warning: SPOILERS for Star Trek: Lower Decks Season 4, Episode 5 – "Empathalogical Fallacies"
Summary
- "Star Trek: Lower Decks" reveals why Starfleet starships have carpeting, as Betazoid diplomats joke about it being perfect to pass out on.
- The carpet joke in "Lower Decks" follows a similar joke made by Admiral Jean-Luc Picard in "Star Trek: Picard" season 3, bringing levity to emotional moments.
- While carpeting on starships may seem impractical, it would provide a more comfortable landing for crew members in turbulent situations.
Star Trek: Lower Decks just revealed a possible reason why many of Starfleet's starships have carpeting. In Lower Decks season 4, episode 5, "Empathalogical Fallacies," the USS Cerritos ferries three Betazoid diplomats from the planet Angel One to the planet Risa. The three women have clearly been enjoying themselves attending parties on Angel One, and they plan to continue their fun on the Cerritos. As Captain Carol Freeman (Dawnn Lewis), Commander Jack Ransom (Jerry O'Connell), and Lt. T'Lyn (Gabrielle Ruiz) escort the women to their quarters, the Betazoid women flirt and joke about their "mission."
As Star Trek: Lower Decks' Betazoid diplomats sip their large drinks out of Angel One souvenir cups, one of them exclaims: "Oh, I love your Starfleet carpeting. It's perfect to pass out on." It's a quick joke, fired right at the beginning of the episode, and it provides an answer for a question viewers may never have thought to ask. Why do starships have carpet? While it's true that carpeting would be preferable to hardwood or tile if one were going to pass out, this joke also follows a joke made by Admiral Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) in Star Trek: Picard season 3.
