Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Legends Finally Return
The most recently aired episode of Star Trek: Lower Decks, which premiered on Paramount+ today, features the voice talent of both Max Grodénchik (Grand Nagus Rom) and Chase Masterson (Leeta) from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine in an unlikely homecoming kind of scenario.
Former Star Trek: Deep Space Nine actors Max Grodénchik and Chase Masterson reprise their roles for the most recent episode of Star Trek: Lower Decks.
The episode, entitled “Parth Ferengi’s Heart Place,” has Grodénchik and Masterson reprising their roles for the animated series, and Lower Decks writer Mike McMahan is happy with his ability to mess with audience perspective with this addition to the cast. Though Lower Decks was initially met with apprehension by die-hard Star Trek fans when it premiered, it’s clear by now that the series has taken on a life of its own, and has won over audiences by and large.
McMahan has stated that he loves exploring B-plot story lines, and subverting audience expectations by cleverly playing with Context. While Lower Decks is very much a Star Trek comedy show that plays with this notion, the series’ charm comes from the fact that characters like Boimler could in fact be a serious character if pressed with more serious circumstances off-screen.
On the same token other Star Trek shows like Deep Space Nine mainly show us the serious side of the operation, and there could be a number of playful antics that happen after hours that aren’t critical to what’s happening in the foreground.
As the story progresses, it’s evident that both Rom and Leeta aren’t laying all of their cards out on the table…
“Parth Ferengi’s Heart Place” shows us exactly what McMahan is trying to accomplish in the Star Trek animated series by showing Deep Space Nine characters in a wildly different context. The episode first depicts Rom as a somewhat careless character who’s obsessed with baseball. But since the Starfleet crew only knows Rom through his reputation, they can only assume he’s being genuine.
As the story progresses, it’s evident that both Rom and Leeta aren’t laying all of their cards out on the table, and they are very much the same Star Trek characters that we developed a rapport with while watching Deep Space Nine.
Being that we’re in the middle of Star Trek: Lower Decks‘ fourth season, we’re curious to see if we’ll continue to see the other side of Deep Space Nine‘s Rom and Leeta as the season continues to play out.
Though Star Trek: Lower Decks plays with the idea that what you’re seeing on-screen isn’t necessarily what’s happening all the time in the background, it never does so in a patronizing way. If you’ve had your doubts about Lower Decks, and need a compelling enough reason to tune in and see what the buzz is all about, then the appearance of two crucial supporting actors from Deep Space Nine should be enough to convince you to check the series out.
Being that we’re in the middle of Star Trek: Lower Decks‘ fourth season, we’re curious to see if we’ll continue to see the other side of Deep Space Nine‘s Rom and Leeta as the season continues to play out. But since season 5 is in development, we strongly suggest you start the series from the beginning if you haven’t yet given it a chance, because it’s clear that there are still so many stories to be told.
