Warning: contains spoilers for Star Trek: Lower Decks #15!
There is a new starship in the Star Trek universe, and it is a hilarious callout to one of the franchise’s best movies, one fans may have missed. Lower Decks regularly lampooned the tropes that made Star Trek what it was, and in issue 15 of its comic series, it drops one of the funniest yet.
Star Trek: Lower Decks #15 is written by Tim Sheridan and drawn by Vernon Smith. Boimler and an away team escape a planet under attack by a mysterious adversary. They board a shuttle, ready to head to the Cerritios.
As the shuttle leaves, fans see Boimler christening it the “Bunty,” a reference to the Bounty of Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home.
Boimler’s New Ship Lovingly References One of Star Trek’s Best Movies
The Bounty Just Might Be One of Star Trek’s Most Important Ships
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, directed by Leonard Nimoy and released to commemorate the franchise’s 20th anniversary, was a massive box office success. The film was the capstone to the “Genesis Trilogy,” which ended with Kirk returning to the rank of Captain, and leading the Enterprise on a new mission into the final frontier.
A crucial aspect of The Voyage Home was Kirk and company’s return to the Federation to stand trial for stealing the Enterprise. Meanwhile, a mysterious alien object has attacked Earth, causing massive environmental damage. KIrk, Spock and the rest of the crew learned it was searching for a humpback whale, which was extinct in the 23rd century.
Some Star Trek fans jokingly refer to The Voyage Home as “The One With the Whales.”
In the previous film, The Search for Spock, the Enterprise was destroyed, and Kirk and company took command of a Klingon Bird of Prey. They took the ship to Vulcan, where they began refitting it for a trip to Earth. At the beginning of the film, Kirk nicknames the Bird of Prey the “HMS Bounty.”
The Bounty would go on to become one of the most important starships in the Star Trek franchise. The crew took it back to the 20th century, where they rescued two whales and brought them to the 23rd. The Bounty traveled through time to save the Federation, and it is now in the Fleet Museum.
The Voyage Home succeeded for a variety of reasons. One, the film is big-hearted, and one of the best representations of Star Trek’s ideals. The Voyage Home is well-written, well-acted and well-directed. The humor does not hurt either, particularly where it involves the Enterprise crew dealing with both the Bird of Prey and 20th century Earth.
The Bunty Is Boimler’s Latest Effort to Look Cool
Nevertheless, It Is Still a Hilarious Star Trek Reference, and On Point for Lower Decks
Needless to say, the Bounty has a reputation in the Star Trek universe, which makes it fair game for a send-up from Lower Decks, and the comic does not disappoint. Boimler wanted to create a homage to Captain Kirk, one of his heroes, by not only taking the shuttle, but using it to save the crew.
Needless to say, the Bounty has a reputation in the Star Trek universe, which makes it fair game for a send-up from Lower Decks, and the comic does not disappoint.
If this is the case, then Boimler failed miserably. He misspelled the ship’s original name, leading to a crack from Mariner. The sight of an alien shuttle with the words “Bunty” painted on the side is hilarious, and keeps Lower Deck’s trend of poking gentle fun at Star Trek going strong.
Star Trek: Lower Decks #15 is on sale now from IDW Publishing!
