An Embarrassment Of Dooplers (episode)

Real world article
(written from a Production point of view)

Mariner and Boimler try to track down the location of a legendary Starfleet party while the bridge crew deals with an insecure alien diplomat.

Summary[]

Act One[]

"Captain's log, Stardate 58053.9. The Cerritos is escorting a Doopler emissary to Starbase 25 for trade negotiations. Dooplers are a species which involuntarily duplicate as an emotional defense mechanism. We've been walking on eggshells the entire trip."

Captain Carol Freeman and her senior officers, with uneasy smiles on their faces, are having a nice dinner with the Doopler emissary in the conference room. He thanks Freeman for her hospitality, and her efforts to prevent him from duplicating. As he says this, he accidentally drops his fork, and is seemingly embarrassed, but before anything can happen Commander Jack Ransom throws his own fork over his shoulder to the floor, and everyone laughs off the incident. The emissary excuses himself to prepare for their arrival at the station, and the senior officers breathe a sigh of relief, Ransom noting the extreme stress of the task at hand for the past week. However, as they'll be in time for the Command Conference at Starbase 25, and the legendary after-party, Freeman believes that the efforts will be worth the trip. She'll be the only California-class captain present, due to the previous battle with the Pakleds.

In the cargo bays, Ensigns Beckett Mariner and Brad Boimler are stacking crates, and unhappy about the fact that they won't get a chance to attend the party. Boimler begins to reminisce about his time on the USS Titan, and Mariner notes how if he were still there, he'd likely be guaranteed an invite to the party. Boimler begrudgingly notes how his transporter duplicate, William Boimler, is probably going to be there, which gives Mariner an idea. As the Titan is preoccupied with Pakleds on the other side of the system, Boimler could go in his duplicate's place with Mariner as his guest, and no one would know the difference.

In the lounge, Ensigns D'Vana Tendi and Sam Rutherford are building a working kit model of the Cerritos, and note the small details included in the model. Rutherford notes how much work they got done before he lost his memory but starts to get confused when he finds what appear to be instructions that were etched into the parts of the model by himself prior to his memory loss. He doesn't know what they mean but is confident that they can still finish the model.

The Cerritos arrives to Starbase 25 and is greeted by Captain John Anderson, who asks how their trip was. Freeman notes how exhausting it was to accommodate the Doopler emissary, but as she talks about the strenuous nature of the trip, the Doopler emissary walks onto the bridge, and overhears her talking about his "fragile" emotions. Freeman tries to recover, but the emissary believes he was a bad guest and as he begins to panic, he starts to spontaneously duplicate. Unable to stop him from "dooplercating", Anderson denies her permission to dock at the station, unwilling to risk the station getting overrun with Dooplers.

At their bunks, Boimler asks Mariner if they should be in their skants for the party, but Mariner declines, saying no one wears them anymore. They then get a ship-wide message from the bridge that the Dooplers are duplicating, and that if they see them, to just smile and look away, before the Dooplers realize she's telling the whole ship about what's going on, further exacerbating the problem. Realizing the chaos is a perfect distraction, Mariner and Boimler sneak off the Cerritos to attend the party.

Mariner and Boimler beam over to Starbase 25, and Mariner notes how the location of the party is usually kept secret, but since she used to live on the station, she knows her way around. As she leads Boimler through the station, a mysterious Tellarite notices her onboard, and contacts someone that "Becky" is back.

Act Two[]

Boimler and Mariner enter a shop and are immediately confronted by a Mizarian named Malvus, who holds them at gunpoint. Malvus is angered that Mariner had stranded him on Ceti Alpha IV, but Mariner denies that she strands anyone, causing Boimler to note a couple instances that she stranded him on Rubicun III and Axilus. As Malvus and Boimler relate on how hard it is to work with Mariner, she interjects and asks Malvus for help, as she believes he knows where the party is. Malvus agrees to provide them with the location if they assist him in moving a few crates of merchandise, consisting of bubble bath mix in bottles shaped like Lieutenant Commander Data. Boimler wonders if one bottle he examines with a smirking Data isn't actually a Lore bottle, but Malvus simply agrees that a couple of them may be Lores.

Taylor in Cerritos lounge — Rutherford getting burned by a malfunctioning model ship as an annoyed Kzinti Starfleet Officer walks by.

Back in the lounge, Rutherford and Tendi are still struggling with the finishing the model of the Cerritos and are a bit baffled that it's taking them so long to finish, unsure what they're doing wrong. Rutherford's instructions that he wrote in the past are also further confusing him. As they try and figure it out, Shaxs enters the lounge with a large mass of the Doopler emissary (who is still dooplercating) and orders all the officers to clear the room, saying the room is needed for emergency Doopler holding. As the emissary continues to multiply, Rutherford and Tendi rush out of the lounge to look for a quieter place to finish the model, which further embarrasses the emissary.

On the bridge, Freeman is trying her best to calm the emissary down, saying that he doesn't need to feel embarrassed, but this makes the emissary believe more that there is a reason to feel embarrassed. Freeman realizes that whatever she says doesn't help calm him down, and decides not to say anything more, leading the emissary to believe she's giving them the silent treatment, once again intensifying the situation.

In the turbolift, Rutherford is starting to get frustrated with the model, since the model's power is wired wrong, and Tendi suggests that perhaps they should put it away for the time being. Rutherford declines, intent on finishing it, but the turbolift opens up into a corridor that is full of the rapidly duplicating Dooplers. Realizing that they're in their way, the Dooplers continue multiply at a rapid pace.

Karts — Mariner and Boimler running from security

On Starbase 25, Mariner and Boimler are driving the merchandise to storage. Mariner is frustrated with Boimler that he told Malvus that she abandoned him on accident, noting that the incident was private between the two of them, when suddenly they're pulled over by the station's security. Mariner contacts Malvus, who reveals that he set them up, and that there are stolen Klingon disruptors hidden beneath the bubble bath. Boimler suggests telling the officers the truth, but Mariner knows that the security teams on the station are corrupt, and that they will coerce a confession out of them regardless of the circumstances. However, Mariner also knows that they are not very good drivers, and speeds away, driving through a casino, barbershop, and a clothing shop. Mariner drives through the promenade, avoiding civilians and shop stands, while Boimler screams in terror. Mariner eventually makes a maneuver to suddenly reverse, causing one of the security karts to crash. Mariner drives up a flight of stairs, and crashes into a hangar, with one kart still in pursuit.

Back on the Cerritos, Tendi and Rutherford have been cornered in the repair bay by the Dooplers, and climb the shuttlecraft, Sequoia to escape the large mass. As they climb up, the Dooplers start to push the shuttlecraft towards the ceiling, and Rutherford notes a maintenance hatch that they can escape through, Tendi reminds him that it was sealed off months ago, and Rutherford replies that he didn't remember it was. He starts to show frustration that he doesn't feel himself since he's so behind in his friendship with Tendi and can't even remember what his notes mean with the model, saying it feels like he's competing with his own ghost.

On the station, Boimler and Mariner crash into an aviary and manage to elude the security karts still chasing them. However, after the last one crashes, Mariner nearly hits an old groundskeeper, but swerving, hits a rock instead, causing them to crash into a lake.

Act Three[]

Mariner and Boimler wade out of the lake, which is now full of bubble bath mix, and the upset Boimler says that they will likely be getting arrested, but Mariner contacts Malvus and demands he tell them where the party is, threatening to expose that the disruptors belong to him. He is confused by this, as Mariner would be arrested with him, but Mariner points out that they'd be put in the same cell together. Intimidated by this, Malvus finally reveals that the party is in Ballroom Alpha; Mariner notes with annoyance that every big party is held there, and that it's not even a secret.

Mariner and Boimler make their way to the party, and an insectoid bouncer asks for their name. Boimler poses as his duplicate aboard the Titan, and the bouncer lets him in, but prevents Mariner from joining him, noting that as she serves on a California-class starship, she's not allowed in. Mariner is frustrated that she isn't allowed in, but relents, saying she will find ways to occupy herself. Boimler is unsure about going in without her, and she tells him to just go in without her, bringing up how he basically did the same thing when he transferred to the Titan. Realizing that Mariner is still upset that he accepted his promotion, they get into an argument as Boimler didn't know she was still angry with him. Mariner replies that she's been waiting for him to apologize to her for weeks. Boimler angrily says that he earned his promotion, and leaves, angry that Mariner is making it about herself. The bouncer approaches Mariner and attempts to show some sympathy but is just brushed off by Mariner.

Brad Boimler at the Command Conference — Boimler at the party realizing he misses his friend, Mariner

Boimler enters the ballroom and is astounded by the sight. All around him, famous Starfleet captains, such as Captain Elizabeth Shelby and Captain Exley are socializing, but Boimler quickly realizes that as incredible as the party is, it just isn't fun without Mariner.

Back on the Cerritos, Rutherford believes he's just going to have to get used to the fact that he was a better engineer before his injury, and Tendi tells him that he never finished the model at all before his injury, as they always stopped at the warp core before starting over. She tells him that whenever they worked on the model, people would leave them alone, allowing them to enjoy their time together with no interruptions. This makes Rutherford realize that the notes he left on the model parts are nonsense instructions simply meant to make the build process slower, making him find confidence once again. Rutherford then gets the idea to detonate the model's warp core, as a make-shift explosive, to open the hatch above them and escape the Dooplers. As they escape, the Dooplers lament that Tendi and Rutherford don't like them.

Meanwhile, Mariner is having a few drinks at a bar, when Boimler enters, orders a prune juice spritz and sits next to her. Mariner is confused why he's there, and Boimler admits that while the party was everything he thought it would be, without Mariner there to make fun of famous admirals, it wasn't as good. Boimler then apologizes to her for transferring to the Titan without saying goodbye, and that he was concerned that Mariner would have tried to talk him out of it. Mariner and he begin to reconcile, and as they enjoy their time together, Mariner thanks him for leaving the party to hang out with her instead and apologizes that she ruined the party for him. Boimler tries to write it off that the party isn't as special as they make it out to be, but both know that to be wrong.

On the bridge of the Cerritos, the Dooplers continue to multiply, much to the frustration of Freeman. Losing her patience, Freeman angrily berates the Dooplers, saying that they are too easily upset. As she angrily says this, one pair of Dooplers get angry, and recombine. Realizing that embarrassment is what makes the Dooplers lose control of their multiplying, and getting angry gives them control back, Freeman orders the crew to insult and scold the Dooplers. The crew immediately goes on the offensive, making the Dooplers recombine rapidly until they recombine completely on the bridge. The emissary, furious at the way he's been treated, leaves the bridge for his quarters. The bridge officers breathe a sigh of relief, and Freeman calls Ransom, Shaxs, and Dr. T'Ana to get ready for the party.

Brad Boimler and Beckett Mariner at a bar — Boimler and Mariner reconcile

Back on the station, the bartender tells the downcast Mariner and Boimler to cheer up, noting that they're not the first people to try and crash the party. She then taps a spot on the countertop, and Mariner and Boimler are astonished to see that James T. Kirk and Spock visited the bar together as well in the past and carved their names into the well-worn wood. The bartender tells them that the two tried to crash the party in the 2260s and ended up in her bar (with Kirk doing most of the drinking). Star-struck that two legends shared the same barstools that they're now sitting on, Mariner and Boimler cheer up, realizing that the bar is more historic than most realize.

Freeman and her bridge officers approach the bouncer at the party and are prevented entry. She is shocked to hear that she's not on the list, and she angrily tries to get the attention of Anderson to vouch for her, but he ignores her. Ransom suggests that they should probably just leave, but Freeman stands up for her ship, noting that despite the fact that their ship is not as important in status, they are still Starfleet, and still important; they're the best at what they do, and will be entering the party.

Later, a disappointed Freeman and her bridge officers, having ultimately been denied entry, are sitting on some steps outside the bar in which Mariner and Boimler are drinking and having krada leg skewers from the nearby Mr. Krada Leg. Mariner notices them and invites them to enter "Kirk's old bar" with her and Boimler. Pleased with the invitation, Freeman accepts. At that moment, the Doopler emissary approaches Freeman and thanks her for her help in recombining him, noting that he needs to work on his confidence. As his meeting doesn't start for another hour, he asks if she knows a calm place where he could relax. With a devious look, Freeman says she does and contacts the Cerritos' Transporter Room 2.

Freeman has the Doopler emissary beamed directly into Ballroom Alpha, where the party is still going. Having been transported right next to Anderson, he gets offended by the sudden beam in, tells the emissary that the party is private. The emissary becomes embarrassed and once more starts to dooplercate, filling the entire room in a matter of moments.

Mariner+Boimler, Kirk+Spock — Mariner and Boimler leave their names next to Kirk and Spock

Back at the bar, Tendi gives Rutherford a new model kit of Deep Space 9. Rutherford is ecstatic that it comes with both Jadzia and Ezri Dax, and they promise never to finish it. Freeman approaches Mariner and Boimler, and says that everything worked out, noting that the people she actually loves to socialize with are there, and Mariner calls it the best party in the quadrant, before coercing Boimler to say that he's her Number One. Mariner drags Boimler away in an armlock, teasing him about being her sidekick and will have to grow a beard, while the amused Freeman enjoys her drink, and notices that both Mariner and Boimler have carved their names right next to those of Kirk and Spock on the counter.

On the outside, constant, multiple flashes of dooplercation light can be seen coming from what is presumably Ballroom Alpha on the starbase.

Log entries[]

Captain's log, USS Cerritos, 2381

Memorable quotes[]

"After a long day of working on the ship, nothing relaxes me like building a smaller version of the ship."

- Tendi

"Your boyfriend has it right."
"Ugh!"
"He's not my boyfriend."

- Malvus, Boimler and Mariner

"There's no need to feel embarrassed."
"Thank you, you're very kind. Wait! That's what someone says when there is a reason to be embarrassed!"
"Okay, I'm just not gonna say anything. We can just be silent."
"… She's giving us the silent treatment! THAT'S EVEN WORSE!"

- Freeman and the Doopler emissary

"Okay, I'm sorry I left you on Ceti Alpha. I really thought there was life there."

- Mariner

"I'll send you the location, but you still owe me."
"I owe a foot up your ass!"

- Malvus and Mariner

"Your pagh is weak, and it disgusts me!"
"I don't even know what that is, but I don't like your tone!"

- Shaxs and the Doopler emissary

"Okona is in there?!"
"He's the DJ."
"What? He's not even Starfleet! This is outrageous!"

- Freeman and the Bouncer

"Our ship might not be the biggest, and we might do the missions nobody else wants, but we are still Starfleet. My crew deals with just as much *bleep* as Picard's or any other. We might be California-class, but we are the best at what we do. I'm Captain Carol Freeman, this is my crew, and you are letting us into that party!"

- Freeman to the Bouncer

"Boimler's my number one, now he has to grow a beard!"

- Mariner

Background information[]

Title[]

The title was announced on StarTrek.com via their ongoing LD Season 2 photogallery on 6 September 2021. [1]

Production[]

Key cards, split screen — The split screen segment

This is the third episode to feature a split screen presentation of events for the audience that is not some form of communication between the characters seen. This happens as Rutherford and Tendi insert the key cards to initiate the warp core ejection on Rutherford's model of the Cerritos. This form of presentation was previously used in DIS: "Such Sweet Sorrow, Part 2" and ST: "Children of Mars".

Continuity[]

This is the second episode of the series to not include a teaser before the opening titles, after Season 1's "Cupid's Errant Arrow".
In the barbershop Mariner and Boimler drive through, three Bolian barbers are seen. This continues the tradition of Bolian barbers, after V'Sal and Mot on Star Trek: The Next Generation (the joke, of course, being that Bolians are generally bald).
This episode reveals that Starbase 25 has a Quark's Bar franchise making it the third establishment to appear after the one on Qualor II in "We'll Always Have Tom Paris" and the one on Freecloud in PIC: "Stardust City Rag".
The bouncer who wouldn't let Freeman and her bridge officers into the party, along with a bartender and server seen working inside the party are the same species as Em/3/Green from TAS: "The Jihad".
This episode featured the return of two "legacy" characters from Star Trek: The Next Generation, who had non-speaking, in-person appearances: Elizabeth Shelby from "The Best of Both Worlds", and Thadiun Okona from "The Outrageous Okona".
Okona is seen holding a piece of hardware nearly identical to the damaged guidance system he brought aboard the USS Enterprise-D during his original appearance.
Shelby's alien first officer resembles the original design of the Kelpiens.
"Kirk's old bar" had numerous images or portraits of various characters, including those of Arex and M'Ress, appearing on the wall, with many images replicating or resembling frames taken from the episodes in which they originally appeared.