Lower Decks 

A mission of the Enterprise as seen through some junior officers who are up for promotions, as questions of duty and honor arise among some of them, such as a Bajoran whom Worf has designated to be promoted to operations.

Director:

Gabrielle Beaumont

Writers:

Gene Roddenberry (created by), René Echevarria (teleplay by)

Stars:

Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes, LeVar Burton

Cast

Episode cast overview:
Patrick Stewart	...	Capt. Jean-Luc Picard
Jonathan Frakes	...	Cmdr. William Riker
LeVar Burton	...	Lt. Cmdr. Geordi La Forge
Michael Dorn	...	Lieutenant Worf
Gates McFadden	...	Dr. Beverly Crusher
Marina Sirtis	...	Counselor Deanna Troi
Brent Spiner	...	Lt. Commander Data
Dan Gauthier	...	Sam Lavelle
Shannon Fill	...	Sito Jaxa
Alexander Enberg	...	Taurik
Bruce Beatty	...	Ben
Patti Yasutake	...	Nurse Alyssa Ogawa
Don Reilly	...	Joret Dal

Storyline

Sam Lavelle, who is up for promotion after tests he takes with fellow ensigns, fears Riker has it in for him. Sito Jaxa is told by Picard she shouldn't even have been admitted to the course after her cowardly conduct as Starfleet Academy cadet. Worf takes care of the close combat training. While the trainee officers wrestle with their hopes and honor, the Enterprise has to shift focus to a real operation. This involves a covert mission with a Cardassian, for which a cadet is selected after some doubts have been lifted by hidden psychological tests.

---

Plot Keywords:

alyssa ogawa character | poker the card game | cardassian | covert mission | vulcan starfleet officer | 

---

Genres:

Action | Adventure | Mystery | Sci-Fi

---

Certificate:

TV-PG

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English Klingon

Release Date:

5 February 1994 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Paramount Studios - 5555 Melrose Avenue, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Television

Technical Specs

Runtime:

45 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Sito was posted to the Enterprise seven months ago.

---

Goofs

Picard tells Ensign Sito that she will get back to Federation space using the shuttle's escape pod, however shuttle craft are small and do not have escape pods.

---

Quotes

Sito Jaxa: How am I supposed to defend myself when I can't see a thing?
Lieutenant Worf: Stop making excuses! Replace the blindfold!
Sito Jaxa: No! It's not a fair test.
Lieutenant Worf: Very good, Ensign. You have passed the challenge.

---

Connections

References Upstairs, Downstairs (1971)

---

Soundtracks

Star Trek: The Next Generation Main Title
Composed by Jerry Goldsmith and Alexander Courage

User Reviews

Upstairs/Downstairs

As it is with so many television series, we have a cast of a few characters that dominate. I remember watching MASH and thinking how, with all the medical staff they had, did everything happen to Hawkeye and his small contingent; why did they always have the commander's ear. Here the producers allow us into the fraternity behind the scenes. The young officers on the way up. One in particular, a young woman who was part of the careless activity that got Wesley almost drummed out of the academy, sees all her work nearly stifled by her past. This is her story of ascendancy and her story of risk. After Picard tells her she has no future, she comes to a conclusion to ditch the past and take the gifts she has accumulated and move forward. She goes on a mission of tremendous risk to become what she hopes to become. A sensitive episode.