Summary
Warning: contains spoilers forSons of Star Trek#4!
Star Trekjust confirmed how Beckett Mariner’s story needs to end. One of the main characters inStar Trek: Lower Decks, Beckett Mariner, is the heart and soul of theCerritos.Notable about her character is she continually shirks command positions and promotions, as she feels she would not make a good leader. However,Sons of Star Trek#4 shows she actually is–and it points the way to her future.
Sons of Star Trek#4 is written by Morgan Hampton and drawn by Angel Hernandez. In the alternate universe Q Jr sends Jake, Nog and Alexander toDukat is a Starfleet captain, and Beckett Mariner is his first officer. Unfortunately, Dukat has been killed, leaving Mariner in command. Undaunted, Mariner rallies the surviving personnel.
Mariner proves herself to be a highly competent captain, assigning the crew to appropriate stations while tending to their emotional needs.
Mariner does it all with her trademark wit and humor.
Beckett Mariner Was Unlike Any Other Starfleet Officer
Mariner’s Pain and Grief Kept Her in Trouble
WhenStar Trek: Lower Deckspremiered in 2020, it was unlike any otherTrekshow, and with it came new types of officers. Beckett Mariner, voiced by Tawny Newsome, was one of the many ensigns aboard theUSS Cerritos. Mariner has demonstrated problems with authority on numerous occasions, with a significant disciplinary record. Why Mariner was so against being promoted was a mystery until theLower Decksseason four episode “The Inner Fight.” The one–two punch of losing a dear friend from Starfleet Academy, as well as thehorrors of the Dominion War, deeply impacted Mariner.
Mariner came to believe that being promoted up the ranks would take her away from why she joined Starfleet in the first place, and her mother and father were proof of this.
“The Inner Fight” also revealed that Mariner in fact joined Starfleet to be a captain, but life experiences changed that. All around her, higher ranking officers seemed to have nothing but desk jobs, which is not what Mariner wanted. Mariner came to believe that being promoted up the ranks would take her away from why she joined Starfleet in the first place, and her mother and father were proof of this. Mariner then did everything she could short of getting court-martialed to avoid promotions.
Could Prime Beckett Mariner One Day be a Captain?
Mariner Proves She Is a Great Captain
While the Beckett Mariner ofSons of Star Trekis from an alternate universe, one where her life was not scarred by loss and war, it is not a stretch to see Prime Mariner one day in this role as well. Even though she runs from promotions and increased responsibility, Mariner cares very much for those around her and genuinely believes in Starfleet’s principles of knowledge and exploration. Mariner one day could heal from the pain she has carried through her adult life, andSons ofStar Trek#4 gives fans a glimpse of what that might look like.
Sons of Star Trek#4 is on sale now from IDW Publishing!
