Warning: Contains Spoilers for Star Trek: Lower Decks season 4, episode 9 – "The Inner Fight"
Summary
- Lower Decks season 4, episode 9 "The Inner Fight" includes numerous visual references to Star Wars, with Easter eggs planted on the planets Sherbal V and New Axton.
- The episode subverts expectations by venturing into a galaxy far, far away, with elements like the Imperial Shield Gate, black-uniformed security officers, and a moon shuttle resembling Star Wars designs.
- The design of New Axton and its marketplace resemble Tatooine and the Black Spire Outpost, while Mudd's Bar mirrors the Mos Eisley Cantina, showcasing the show's celebration of Star Wars.
Star Trek: Lower Decks is well-known for its multiple loving references to the Star Trek franchise, but Lower Decks season 4, episode 9 "The Inner Fight" includes more than a few references to Star Wars. Most of these Easter eggs are visual elements planted on the planets Sherbal V and New Axton for fans of both franchises to spot, and with one exception, don't affect the plot at all. These rugged, lived-in worlds feel more like Star Wars planets Tatooine and Endor. Rusty ships and armored bounty hunters make the Cerritos crew members stick out like sore thumbs in their crisp, colorful Starfleet uniforms — which a gatekeeper even points out to Captain Carol Freeman (Dawnn Lewis).
The penultimate episodes of Star Trek: Lower Decks seasons subvert expectations. Lower Decks season 1, episode 9, "Crisis Point" is a foray into cinematic Star Trek, as Ensign Beckett Mariner's (Tawny Newsome) holodeck program reveals references to the Star Trek movies. Lower Decks season 2's "wej Duj" offers glimpses into the lower decks of Vulcan and Klingon ships, introducing the series' popular new Vulcan T'Lyn (Gabrielle Ruiz) and Ma'ah (Jon Curry). "Trusted Sources" in Lower Decks season 3 invites Federation News Network reporter Victoria Nuzé (Alison Becker) to deliver an outsider's perspective with her interviews. Now, Lower Decks season 4 veers off into a galaxy far, far away for its surprises.
