Star Trek Brings Back One Of Its Oldest Enterprise Running Jokes

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Warning: SPOILERS for Star Trek: Lower Decks Season 4, Episode 7 - "A Few Badgeys More"
Summary

In the latest episode of Star Trek: Lower Decks, the USS Cerritos is chosen to investigate a mysterious disappearance due to its proximity to Bynar space.
The trope of the Enterprise always being the closest ship to unfolding events is a long-running joke in Star Trek, disregarding the speed and resources of other starships.
"Being the closest ship" is a convenient plot device that allows the show to focus on the main characters and move the story forward without having to provide complex justifications.

One of Star Trek's longest-running jokes about the Starship Enterprise returns in Star Trek: Lower Decks season 4, episode 7, "A Few Badgeys More". After Starfleet Command receives a partial distress signal from a Bynar ship, Captain Carol Freeman (Dawnn Lewis) and the crew of the USS Cerritos are called upon to investigate the ship's mysterious disappearance, which resembles the disappearances of other starships across the quadrant. Optimistically, Lieutenant Beckett Mariner (Tawny Newsome) opines that Starfleet must be seeing the value in the California-class Cerritos to trust them with the mission.
Mariner's theory makes sense, given events in Star Trek: Lower Decks' previous seasons. The California class is designed as a workhorse vessel that provides support to more prestigious starships, but the Cerritos has proven itself worthy of taking on more than just boldly going where others have already been. In Star Trek: Lower Decks season 3 finale, the Cerritos bested Admiral Buenamigos' (Carlos Alazraqui) automated Texas-class USS Aledo, and Lower Decks season 2 saw the Cerritos battle the Pakleds alongside Captain William Riker's (Jonathan Frakes) USS Titan. The real reason is much simpler than that: they're the closest ship to Bynar space.