Room for Growth (episode)
Mariner, Boimler, and Tendi clash with their arch-rivals: Delta Shift. The Cerritos engineers go on mandatory relaxation leave.

Summary

Teaser
On the , the lower decks crew bunks are abuzz with activity. Ensign D'Vana Tendi loses a small gelatinous creature she's named Goopy after another ensign knocks over a beaker she keeps it in. Ensigns Beckett Mariner, Brad Boimler, and Sam Rutherford comment on the crowded deck, but know that as the Cerritos is a workhorse, this state is normal. They also say that despite the cramped conditions, it is fun to be in the action. As they talk,  Carol Freeman, who has been possessed by an ancient mask and refers to herself as Minooki, hovers into the bunks, transforming the ship's interior to resemble that of an ancient . Commander Jack Ransom and security chief Lieutenant Kayshon are chasing her, desperately trying to get her to stop. Mariner sarcastically agrees how fun it is to be in the middle of the action while Boimler laments his now transformed violin no longer being in tune.

Act One
"Captain's log, once again, the Cerritos was partially transformed into a temple while I was inhabited by the spirit of Minooki. Starfleet has to come up with a better way to handle these D'Arsay Archive situations. Lieutenant Commander Billups and his engineers have been working around the clock to repair the systems that turned into vines and aqueducts, and I'm worried the additional work has taken an emotional toll." 

Chief Engineer Andy Billups updates Freeman about the repairs as his overworked crew continue around them. Shaxs expresses concern, as Billups and his crew have been working nonstop for a week, and when Freeman confirms this with a medical report from Dr. T'Ana, highlighting their stress levels, Billups reacts angrily, further affirming their concerns. With more work in the future with the , Billups suffers a breakdown when Shaxs tells him it's okay to need a break. Freeman informs him that she's ordering a therapeutic getaway for him and his team and informs his crew about it with their reaction being exhausted enthusiasm. 

Rutherford is packing up for his getaway as Tendi wonders why he's bringing instruction manuals with him. As Freeman will be joining the getaway, the rest of the crew will be in standby with little to do, though they express some excitement for an upcoming lottery for a few vacant rooms on Deck One that have recently become available. As the rooms are penthouse suites, they promise to enter Rutherford into the lottery as he will miss it. As Rutherford leaves, he accidentally bumps into Tendi, resulting in her once again losing Goopy. She chases Goopy into the Jefferies tubes, and upon securing them, she overhears some crew members of delta shift planning to rig the lottery in their favor without getting caught. 

Tendi returns to the bunks, and tells Mariner and Boimler about what she overheard, and confirms that since they've found a way to bypass detection through turbolift airgap terminals they will get the available rooms. Mariner refuses this outcome and says that they will beat them at their own game, hoping to access the terminals first. Unwilling to let them get the rooms so easily, they all agree to the task. 

The Cerritos rendezvouses with a ship called the , and Freeman takes the engineers over where they are greeted immediately by an Edosian named Toz, declaring her mission to be their relaxation. Having mastered the science behind relaxation, Toz gives them some lemonade and wristbands designed to monitor their tension levels, and they all glow yellow to indicate moderate stress. Toz then gives them a tour of the available facilities, which include a playpen of puppies, mud baths with mud from Tellar Prime, and wrecking rooms. Freeman is enthusiastic to try the many available stations, before discovering her engineers repairing a nearby door, much to her annoyance. 

Back on the Cerritos, Boimler is reviewing delta shift's route to the terminals, and finds a more direct route that they can use to get to the terminal first, despite a few tight fits. They approach Holodeck 3 to start their shortcut, only to find it in use by T'Ana. Short on time, they enter, hoping to stay out of sight, and enter a bank. As they look upon the program, T'Ana fires a weapon in the air, scaring the holograms. T'Ana and Shaxs are in the midst of playing out a program as bank robbers reminiscent of Bonnie and Clyde. They quickly come under fire by the law enforcement of the program and engage in a firefight while Mariner, Boimler, and Tendi try to sneak to the access panel they need to enter. In the midst of the shootout, T'Ana deactivates the safety protocols, and Shaxs pauses the program in concern. The two engage in a small argument as Shaxs expresses concern that T'Ana has never showed concern for his feelings in their relationship. Overhearing far more than they wish to hear, Mariner and Tendi quickly open the panel to get out. T'Ana then decides to share a secret with Shaxs that she never told anyone else; how she lost her tail, reinvigorating Shaxs' excitement. Tendi is intrigued and wishes to hear, but gets pulled away before anything more happens.

Act Two
Mariner, Boimler, and Tendi continue to crawl through the tubes towards the terminals. While the journey is a bit tedious, the three are excited at the prospect of finally having their own quarters, as well as seeing parts of the ship that are very rarely ever seen by other officers. They come upon a swamp, and Tendi notes that they're right under the hydroponics bay, and that it aids in biomedical research, and those who grow flowers. They stumble upon a Tamarian defrin root, which can grow without water as long as there are high levels of nitrous oxide. Boimler is concerned about how safe it is to be breathing in such an environment. Tendi notes how Orions are immune to the hallucinogenic properties, but before she can finish, both Mariner and Boimler begin to hallucinate as oxygen begin to lower. As Mariner and Boimler struggle, Tendi guides them both away from the plants and out of the swamp, helping them snap out of their bad trip. 

On the Dove, Freeman has just finished a relaxing mud bath, and is checking in on the engineers, who are in the midst of raking in a sand garden. Freeman is pleased to see them relaxing, before she realizes that the engineers have made a design schematic in the sand that they believe will improve the Cerritos engine efficiency. Even Ensign Meredith is sneaking in a project while getting a massage. Baffled by the behavior, Freeman leaves the room angrily wondering why her engineers (who are in a much better mood) simply won't relax. 

Back on the Cerritos, Mariner, Boimler, and Tendi are a bit lost, as recent retrofits have made their map a bit confusing, but they come upon an open room where gravity is significantly lower. The three jump around, and enjoy the low gravity environment, though they know they can't goof around too long if they hope to beat Delta shift. 

On the bridge, Shaxs detects an asteroid cluster approaching the ship. Ransom orders for power to be rerouted to the deflector dish to protect the ship. 

Back in the low-gravity room, a device powers on, and suddenly, gravity increases dramatically as the walls begin to spin rapidly. Boimler is caught in the gravity well, and Mariner and Tendi both narrowly escape getting caught themselves as Boimler screams for help. Thinking fast, Mariner and Tendi strip out of their uniforms and make a tether with them to anchor themselves. Securing themselves, Tendi manages to reach out and grab Boimler's hair, and Mariner pulls them both in. 

On the Dove, Freeman and the engineers are all enjoying a pedicure which has seemingly finally helped in easing their stress levels. Freeman is pleased with what she sees, asking Rutherford if he's enjoying himself, to which he replies that he is. Toz tells him that he will love the upcoming manicure to which he nervously tries to decline. As he does, Toz discovers that the engineers have all slipped cucumber slices underneath their wristbands, blocking the sensors that monitor their stress. While they try to explain that they were concerned that their own stress was causing her further stress, Freeman is infuriated that they engineered such a workaround in violation of her orders. As she yells at them, her own wristband jumps from yellow, to red, and then to black. Alarmed at this, Toz realizes that they've been treating the wrong patient, and that Freeman is the one in need of the stress therapy and has her taken away for intensive treatment. Toz tells them that as Freeman has been repressing months' worth of stress, she will need to be sent to Earth for a full medical diagnostic if she doesn't respond well to treatment. Billups tries to object to taking Freeman away, but Toz tells him that all of this could have been avoided had the engineers simply accepted their stress treatments in the first place, before leaving angrily. Realizing that she's right, Billups tells his crew that they need to figure out a way they can relax more, and Rutherford comes up with an idea.

Back on the Cerritos, Mariner, Boimler, and Tendi have finally come upon a vent that will give them direct access to the terminal, but as the vent only opens once every hour for ten seconds, they have to wait for it to open. As they think about what they might say to invite others into their room, the members of Delta shift stumble into the room much to their surprise. As the two groups confront each other about their scheme, the two talk about all the troubling obstacles they had to encounter to get to where they are, and they begin to laugh at the various misadventures they all encountered. Time passes, and as the two groups continue to bond, they both realize that despite their previous rivalry, they are not that different, even finding it a shame that when the vent eventually opens, they will be back to being rivals. Mariner suggests that once the vent opens, they could all put their names into the lottery, as it would be an even split, and that no matter who wins, they would get new friends. However, as they discuss this, one of the Delta shift members gets the vent open, and they all rush out, laughing as they leave Mariner, Boimler, and Tendi behind.

Act Three
Freeman is in the puppy play den on the Dove, but despite the abundance of puppies and a couple rabbits around her, she is incredibly agitated. Out of ideas, Toz lights a cigarette, and decides to call Starfleet to have Freeman taken to Earth, but Rutherford and Billups rush in. Toz tries to object, but Billups claims that they found a way to let go of their stress, and they bring in a device they constructed with one of Toz's turbolifts. Freeman isn't thrilled that they continued to build, despite her orders, but Billups says that they get stress relief by engineering solutions to their problems and invites her into their machine. Rutherford claims that ten seconds alone in the machine will equate to an entire month spent on the Dove, and Freeman decides to try it. They shut her in and activate the machine for a few seconds, and even they open it again, she emerges feeling incredible. She claims the experience was better than a thousand massages, and that she feels like a new woman. Toz indeed confirms that her stress levels have returned to their baseline and notes that with one of these machines on every starship, there would no longer be a need for the Dove. Satisfied, Freeman takes the engineers back to the Cerritos. As they leave, Toz angrily demands her assistant to get rid of the machine. 

On the Cerritos, Mariner, Boimler, and Tendi are frustrated that delta shift cheated them out of the lottery, but Boimler quickly realizes that nearby water is actually draining out a vent. Boimler discovers a drain that might bypass the vent they were waiting on. Both Mariner and Tendi express some concern that he might be wrong, but Boimler decides to be bold, and jumps down the vent. Landing safely at the bottom, he calls for them to join him while they express that they need to do something about his new bold attitude. Mariner and Tendi join Boimler, and sure enough, they find themselves by a ladder that leads to the terminal. Having beaten delta shift, they intend to lock them out of the lottery, but after Boimler accesses the terminal, he discovers that it isn't four rooms available on Deck One, but one room on Deck Four instead. Distraught that only one of them can get the room, and unwilling to be split apart from one another, they decide to let delta shift go on with their plan, deciding that they deserve to be broken up instead. 

Later on, the group finds out that not only did delta shift successfully rig the lottery in their favor, but that all four members who participated will be sharing the room together. Distraught that they didn't think of sharing the room themselves, Rutherford criticizes Mariner, Boimler, and Tendi for not considering that the one room could have benefited all of them. He then tells them about a private party that's being held in the room and asks if they can crash it, but the three, tired from their misadventure immediately decline.

Memorable quotes
"Dr. T'Ana's raised some concerns, lieutenant commander. Her medical opinion is that you are 'a [bleep]ing pile of stress."
"I'm fine! The doc just needs to stay in her lane because I don't go down to her sickbay and tell her how to hypo her sprays!"
- Freeman and Billups 

"Ooh, I've always wanted to explore an ethical gray area."
"Yes! Let's go gray area the [bleep] out of delta shift!"
- Tendi and Mariner"The puppy play pen is one of our most popular offerings. For the more deviant among you, we also have kittens. No judgment!"
- Toz 

"Oh, I know what this is. I think this is what people used to use to store their money. It's called a... bonk?"
"Oh, what a boring program. 'Oh yes, hello, I'd like to withdraw some paper with no intrinsic value.' Heh, money."
- Boimler and Mariner 

"What are we doing?"
"The usual! We off these feds, and once our blood's pumping, we'll do the nasty on the counter and make the hostages watch."
- Shaxs and T'Ana 

"What kind of weirdo signs up for a job in outer space just to garden?"
- Mariner 

"Ah, the path to Kamata in spring. Whoop! (chuckles) Gramble, his throat slit by his mistress."
- Kayshon, as he prunes his flowers 

"I'm not Boimler, I'm Antigrav Boy: protector of the lower decks!"
- Boimler, in low gravity

"Oh, engineers. All of them! All of them are all goddamned Geordi LaForges!"
- Freeman 

"At least you weren't in the holodeck for Shaxs' and T'Ana's foreplay fantasy. Ugh."
"Oh man, you ran into them too? We heard them going to town from behind stellar cartography."
"Aww, I knew they were making progress."
"Yeah, they were definitely making something."
- Mariner, Moxy, Tendi, and Asif 

"It would mean being on a different deck, all by yourself."
"We wouldn't get to have days like this anymore. Even with all the peril, it was really fun just being together."
"Yeah, and you know we're only gonna be lower deckers for so long. I mean, in no time Tendi's gonna be a bridge officer, I'll probably get drummed out of Starfleet for calling Ransom a piece of [bleep], and Boimler, you'll be dead because of the whole being bold thing."
- Tendi, Boimler, and Mariner 

"Hey, hey relax, man."
"I am relaxed! I just got back from a spa!"
- Mariner and Rutherford'''

Background information
Title
 The title was announced on  by Paramount+. 

Continuity
 Two additional background characters introduced during LD Season 1 are given names for the first time in this episode, Federov and Moxy.
 The opening scene where Captain Freeman is possessed by a mask and turns parts of the Cerritos into an ancient temple is a reference to the  episode .
 Toz, and another unidentified masseuse, are the third and fourth Edosians to appear in Star Trek, after Arex from , and the Division 14 medical specialist from the Lower Decks episode .
 A Galardonian, a member of Molmol's species, and a member of Addix's species– all species first introduced in Lower Decks– appear aboard the Dove.
 It is confirmed in this episode that Dr. T'Ana at one point had a tail like other Caitians. Earlier in her Starfleet career, she lost it in an unspecified incident.
 One of the Doopler emissary's dooplicates skeletal remains can be seen when Mariner, Boimler and Tendi first enter the area under hydroponics, suggesting at least one dooplicate was unaccounted for.
 Although there is no official stardate within the episode itself, a log by Rutherford on the "Star Trek Logs" Instagram account dated the episode to Stardate 58312.6. 

Links and references
Starring
 Tawny Newsome as Beckett Mariner
 Jack Quaid as Brad Boimler
 Noël Wells as D'Vana Tendi
 Eugene Cordero as Sam Rutherford
 Dawnn Lewis as 
 Carol Freeman
 Minooki
 Jerry O'Connell as Jack Ransom
 Fred Tatasciore as Shaxs
 Gillian Vigman as T'Ana

Guest cast
 Asif Ali as Asif
 Mary Holland as 
 Moxy
 Toz
 Charlotte Nicdao as Meredith
 Artemis Pebdani as Karavitus
 Paul Scheer as 
 Carl Tart as Kayshon

Characters voiced by unidentified performers
 Fed
 Toz's assistant

Background characters
USS Cerritos Dahae
 Federov
 Goopy
 VolisDove personnel
 Addix's species attendant
 Bajoran attendant
 Edosian attendant
 Human attendant
 Human manicurists
 Human emergency attendants
 Merp's species manicurist
 Migleemo's species manicuristDove visitors
 Alien visitor
 Andorian visitor 1 and 2
 Ariolo visitor
 Benzite visitor
 Bolian visitor
 Galardonian visitor
 Human visitors 1, 2, and 3
 Klingon visitor
 Molmol's species visitor
 Orion visitor
 Vulcan visitor

References
Addix's species; air gap; Algonquin; Andorian; Andorian battle cruiser (unnamed); Antigrav Boy; aqueduct; Ariolo; asteroid cluster; Bajoran; bank (aka "bonk"); barf; bat'leth; Benzite; beta shift/beta shifter (aka Betas); black and white; bold; Bolian; bullet; cafeteria; California-class decks; ; caveman; churro; Churrolivia; cinnamon; cucumber; D'Arsay; D'Arsay archive; deflector dish; delta shift/delta shifter; Diane; dog (aka puppy); Doopler; ; Earth; Edosian; EV suit; Feds; flower; Galardonian; gun; hallucination; healing bog; holodeck; holodeck safety protocol; hostage; Human; hydroponics bay; incinerator; kitten; Klingon; ; lemonade; lottery; mani-pedi (aka manicure, pedicure); Maquis; mask; massage; mek'leth''; Merp's species; Migleemo; Migleemo's species; Molmol's species; money; mud bath; navigational deflector; nitrous oxide; Orion; oxygen; palace; paper bag; phaser; possession; quarters; rabbit (aka bunny); ; sacrificial altar; sand garden; spirit; Starfleet; Starfleet Medical; ; stress meter; swamp; tail; Tamarian; Tamarian defrin root; Tellar Prime; temperature; temple; turbolift; viscosity; Volis' species; Vulcan; wristband

Tamarian language Gramble; Jerna; ; Zenrox

External link