WARP FIVE: Dawnn Lewis on Freeman and Mariner's Mother-Daughter Starbase 80 Fears

Welcome to Warp Five, StarTrek.com's five question post-mortem with your favorite featured talent from the latest Star Trek episodes.

In the latest episode of Star Trek: Lower Decks, we, along with the U.S.S. Cerritos crew, unravel the mystery behind Starbase 80's "curse."

In Season 3's "", Captain Carol Freeman transferred Ensign Beckett Mariner to Starbase 80 after she her daughter was the one who badmouthed the Cerritos and her command to the Federation News Network. Upon enduring Starbase 80, Mariner resigned from Starfleet. In an alternate timeline, as seen in the Season 5 opener, Freeman learns that her daughter helms the Cerritos, with the alternate Freeman losing command after "one too many mistakes" and forced to run SB 80. Now, with "Starbase 80!?," the mother-daughter duo must confront their individual traumas with the starbase.

StarTrek.com had the opportunity to talk with Dawnn Lewis about Freeman's Starfleet career across five seasons, her relationship with Mariner, SB 80, and more!

On Starbase 80's Infamous Reputation

Does Starbase 80 deserve its label as the "worst starbase in the quadrant"?

According to Lewis, "It's in pretty bad shape; it really is. It definitely earned its reputation."

Throughout the episode, the starbase's chief engineer sends Freeman and Ransom all around the facility, engaging in some subterfuge, to get a handful of necessary repairs addressed.

However, Lewis offers, "But by the end of the episode, by the end of the engagement, what you hope is that you've left someplace better than the way you found it. But no, it definitely has very extreme challenges."

On Freeman's Trajectory Across the Series

As captain of one of the least flashiest ships in the fleet, Freeman has had her work cut out for her. The most demerited officer in the Federation and serving under her command was revealed to be her daughter. She was framed and placed under arrest for collaborating and destroying Pakled Planet, during a time she was vying for a promotion to admiral and a new command. Her authority and the Cerritos was turned into an exposé ridiculed on FNN. It turned out to be who planned to replace all California-class ships and their "second contact" missions with his drone Texas-class ships, whose code nearly killed her and her entire crew.

With nearly 50 episodes with her character, Lewis views the captain's Starfleet career and command of the Cerritos as a "double-edged sword."

"Yes, it's an uphill battle, but when she was finally given the opportunity to take that promotion and go work somewhere else, she turned it down," explains Lewis. "Because it was more about the family that they created."

"It was more about being part of something, being part of the Cerritos that held her heart more than it held her aspirations, which says a lot for her as a leader, which says a lot for her as a teammate of sorts, when you've got somebody pulling for you, you work better, you work harder. So yeah, advancement is great, but being a part of something that matters is often even better."

On the Other Freeman's Fate

With their nav systems down and no other place for repairs within their proximity, Captain Freeman echoed her crew's apprehension of seeking help from Starbase 80, especially her curiosity between the alt-Captain Freeman's fate.

Bringing it back to "," Lewis comments on Freeman's discovery, "That was part of Captain Freeman's extreme dilemma. It's like, 'Wait a minute, why is everybody else on this starship? And how did my doppelgänger get sent to the pitts of space? What could I have possibly done?'"

"And no, and I don't believe she, in my opinion, she never really gets a satisfactory answer," Lewis adds. "So that actually haunts her, which probably propels her into being the best that she can be in her own dimension in where she does exist. As the episodes go on, you continue to see Captain Freeman get deeper and deeper into the weeds with her crew getting her hands dirty, not just giving orders from the bridge, but actually jumping in to get things done."

We see this in Freeman's willingness to help SB 80's chief engineer whereas Ransom wanted to leave him hanging for sending them on a fool's errand. The captain tells her first officer, "The Cerritos isn't the flashiest ship, so it's easy for Command to ignore. You know what, I haven't exactly been fair to [Starbase 80] today."

Freeman's realization echoes her daughter's as Mariner finally sees that the starbase isn't cursed, "Getting kicked off my ship and being transferred here? That was my rock bottom. Being back made me feel like I was still that person," to which the starbase's liaison assures her, "Hey, this isn't rock bottom for anyone. Starbase 80's for second chances. That's why I love it."

On Witnessing Mariner's Growth

Carol isn't the only Freeman who has her fair share of trials throughout the series. Following , and her internal conflicts with Starfleet, we see the lieutenant j.g. actually enjoying herself and the missions they take on this season.

Lewis is proud to see her fictional daughter accept her promotion and not fight her or the system anymore. For Freeman and Mariner, as well as the series overall, Lewis credits one specific person, "[Their stories] are really powerful in the way Mike McMahan writes and has developed our character arcs, and the way he's developed the show, it is really, really smart."

Reflecting on Freeman and Mariner, Lewis sees the growth beyond just the pair, stating, "That's what we see in [all] the Lower Decks crew this season."

"Everybody's thinking about, 'Okay, well maybe I should be thinking about what's next after being a lieutenant,'" continues Lewis. "'What do I want to do? Where do I want to be?' It's like when you become a junior or a senior in high school, when you are a freshman, you're not focused on that. But when you're in your junior year and senior year, and you've experienced your classmates for a while, and your teachers, and you've gotten a deeper sense of responsibility and self, you start to expect more from yourself and more from the people around you."

"And I think Captain Freeman really sees that between herself and the Cerritos, they've helped each other grow," remarks Lewis.

On Seeing the Fandom's Reactions

Lewis admits she's been following along with fans' reactions with each new episode stating, "I love reading all the comments."

Having recently been at conventions in Nashville, Chicago, Las Vegas, Jersey, with Dallas and San Francisco coming up, she can't wait to get Lower Decks fans' feedback in person, touting their love for the show and the characters, "They mean a lot. I really appreciate them."