Summary

• Beckett Mariner proves she's a great captain in Sons of Star Trek #4, showing her true leadership potential.
• Mariner's pain and grief shaped her troubled past and reluctance to accept promotions in Starfleet.
• Despite her wit and humor, Mariner's inner fight may one day lead her to become a captain in the Prime universe.

Warning: contains spoilers for Sons of Star Trek #4!

Star Trek just confirmed how Beckett Mariner’s story needs to end. One of the main characters in Star Trek: Lower Decks, Beckett Mariner, is the heart and soul of the Cerritos. 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 to Dukat 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, asg 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

When Star Trek: Lower Decks premiered in 2020, it was unlike any other Trek show, and with it came new types of officers. Beckett Mariner, voiced by Tawny Newsome, was one of the many ensigns aboard the USS 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 the Lower Decks season four episode “The Inner Fight.” The one–two punch of losing a dear friend from Starfleet Academy, as well as the horrors of the Dominion War, deeply impacted Mariner.

Mariner came to believe that being promoted up the ranks would take her away from why she ed Starfleet in the first place, and her mother and father were proof of this.

“The Inner Fight” also revealed that Mariner in fact ed 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 ed 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 of Sons of Star Trek is 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, and Sons of Star Trek #4 gives fans a glimpse of what that might look like.

Sons of Star Trek #4 is on sale now from IDW Publishing!