I just realized something else - I think this episode might contain the first mention of Cetacean ops going on an away mission, which reveals a lot about how their Starfleet lives might work.
I still wonder about several things, which I’ve been wanting to make my own post about anyway and probably will soon.
After watching other Star Trek shows, you’ll find the true beauty is the vast majority of Lower Decks completely fits into canon, as “the true Star Trek lore” contains some ridiculous stuff.