Lower Decks Has Become A TV Show About Growing Up

Recall that Starfleet is a career. The four officers may like working together and clearly operate well as members of a crew, but they will always be beholden to the demands of their job. They happen to work on the same shift, but there’s every reason for the Cerritos’ senior staff to transfer any one of them to new shifts based on their expertise. They could live on the same ship and still not see each other for days — or even months — at a time. 

It was easier, of course, for Mariner, Tendi, Boimler, and Rutherford to spend time as friends when they were ensigns and their work was menial. They slept in the same hallway and were in constant close contact. Now that they’re all lieutenants, they are put in charge of missions, work on larger projects, and have their own quarters. The fact that they’re not constantly conversing pulls into sharp relief just how much their friendships relied on their physical nearness. They may not have noticed it themselves — they would be too busy — their friendships are starting to loosen, to require work. They are moving from 20s friendships into … late-20s friendships. 

“Caves” is a story about their friendships being challenged. Boimler, Rutherford, Tendi, and Mariner have now acknowledged that they have adventures, intimate tales, and even other friendships that they don’t tell each other about. This suddenly reveals that they’re not as close as they were only a few months ago. And it distresses them. 

They’re growing up.

Their friendship is something worth fighting for. And, as such, it has become the central theme of the show. They may have a sucky job, but they have each other. That must be maintained.