Five Years Later, Star Trek Finally Makes A Fan-Favorite Couple Official

Warning: contains spoilers for “Girlfriends,” appearing in Star Trek Celebrations!

After five years, Star Trek makes one of its fan-favorite couples official. Star Trek has had many great pairings over the course of the past 60 years. Fans cheered when Commander Riker and Counselor Troi rekindled their love in Insurrection, and cried when Worf watched his beloved Jadzia die in his arms. Other loving Star Trek couples include Paul Stamets and Doctor Hugh Culber, and Seven of Nine and Raifi.

Star Trek: Lower Decks, which premiered in 2020, was the eighth entry in the franchise, and the second animated series. Essentially a workplace comedy set in space, Lower Decks followed the adventures of four ensigns as they worked their way through the ranks. While made by some of the same people behind Rick and Morty, Lower Decks had a very respectful tone, and playfully rewarded Star Trek fans for their deep knowledge of the lore. Lower Decks ran for five seasons, but continues to live on in the hearts and minds of fans.

Lower Decks introduced some of the franchise’s best characters in years, including Beckett Mariner. Voiced by Tawny Newsome, Mariner was reckless with plenty of attitude to spare. Mariner has had lovers throughout her life, but none captured her heart as much as Jennifer, a crew mate aboard the Cerritos. The seemingly mismatched pair hated each other at first, but sparks soon flew, and now their relationship has been made official.

Star Trek: Lower Decks’ Best Couple Are Now Official

Fans Learn How Mariner and Jennifer Finally Got Together

In the story “Girlfriends,” appearing in Star Trek: Celebrations, written by Ashely Cooper and drawn by Jack Lawrence, the Cerritos crew is enjoying some downtime, including Mariner. Jennifer comes to her and says they need “to talk.” The two were still in their on-again/off-again phase, and Mariner becomes convinced Jennifer is ending it for good. Panicking, Mariner enlists Boimler’s help: she convinces another friend to pick a fight with Boimler, and she will save her friend to impress Jennifer.

However, matters go quickly off the rails, and as soon as they do, Mariner finds out the truth: Jennifer did not want to break up with her. Far from it. Instead, Jennifer wanted them to officially become girlfriends. Mariner is relieved, but first she and Jennifer must break up the massive bar fight that has broken out. After order is restored, Jennifer and Mariner decide to officially date.

Mariner and Jennifer Were Star Trek’s Most Unlikely Lovers

Beckett Mariner was a complex character, seemingly full of contradictions. She was an officer in Starfleet, an organization known for rigidity and adherence to norms and decorum. Yet Mariner regularly flaunted Starfleet rules and regulations, oftentimes in front of superior officers. As a result, Mariner was still an ensign, whereas some of her graduating class from the Academy had already made the captain’s chair.

Mariner had lovers before fans met her in Lower Decks’ pilot episode, but the show rarely dwelled on this topic, instead focusing more on her strained relationships with her parents and the dynamics with her crew mates. At the same time, Mariner cares deeply for those around her, and while she may seem to make a mockery of Starfleet, she actually believes very much in its mission. Mariner simply sees the mission as becoming too weighed down in bureaucracy and rules.

This puts Mariner at odds with some of the more rigidly minded crew of the Cerritos, including Jennifer. The two despised each other, but soon found common ground. Lower Decks teased a romantic relationship between the two, but complications would arise, namely Mariner temporarily leaving Starfleet. Yet Jennifer and Mariner continued to see each other, leading to the story “Girlfriends.”

Mariner and Jennifer Sh’reyan, Star Trek’s Most Underrated Couple, Could Get Back Together

Image via Paramount+

Just where exactly “Girlfriends” takes place in the Star Trek timeline is not clear. As Lower Decks progressed, the two broke up and made up several times. Mariner leaving the Cerritos for a while compounded these problems, and in the show’s final season, Jennifer transferred to another ship, the Manitoba, which was largely crewed by her fellow Andorians. It was a bittersweet moment for the two lovers.

Yet “Girlfriends” is still an immensely fun story, and one that fills in a gap in Star Trek lore. Becket Mariner and Jennifer Sh’reyan were one of the most underrated couples in the franchise, proof that love transcends gender and species. The two may have appeared mismatched, but their love was real, and Star Trek has now shown how it became official.

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