Star Trek Lower Decks Season 1 Review - THE FUNNIEST FRONTIER?
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 8 ก.ย. 2024
- Star Trek Lower Decks has finished it's first season and with it the first season of Trek's first animated series in over 50 years. But how did Star Trek's first comedic show hold up to the rest of Star Trek?
More Info On the Black and Female Rep in Modern Star Trek
✔Black Tribbles Podcast - www.blacktribbl...
✔Women at Warp Podcast - www.womenatwar...
✔Official Star Trek Podcast episode on the topic - www.startrek.c...
MY STUFF
✔ Patreon: / jessiegender
✔ PayPal: paypal.me/jess...
✔ Instagram: / jessiegender
✔ Twitter: / jessiegender
✔ Facebook: / jessie.gender1
I think Lower Decks is telling a deeper story here. It's about how people who do big deeds to save society get all the attention, but it takes a lot of unappreciated work in the background to keep it going.
As a retired military officer, one of the aspects of the show is the envy senior officers have for the junior officers. The time it was OK to make mistakes and have fun that is gone when you have to be a leader, present an image, and always be expected to make the right decision.
You are not wrong about the underrepresentation of flawed Black women. As a Black woman that is what I love the most about the Star Trek series. Even Captain Sisco charater as a Black man was unique and countered any stereotypes that a lot of people had and still have towards Black men. Star Trek is all about focusing on development and the exploration towards the great beyond, even towards social issues. Star Trek will always be dear to my heart because of this.
As a comment to underline the Awesomeness of Star Trek, Mariner, Raffi, et al (AND the Black lesbian couple in the TNG pilot. They are holding hands when we see Officer Skant Man.) holding follow the great tradition started by Nichelle Nichols. Never forget Whoopi Goldberg "MAMA, There's a BLACK LADY on TV and she AIN'T A MAID!" (Excuse me if I voiced that wrongly from the actual quote, that's how I remember it.)
Thank you, Gene Roddenberry, for making a show that includes everyone.
Sisko was awesome on his days off from being face-meltingly amazing.
Weirdly I already miss these characters, bring on season 2
I'll say one thing for Lower Decks, even with it's shortcomings, it still entertained me more than a lot of the "Picard" episodes and I usually found myself wishing Lower Decks could get full 44 minutes episodes to have more time to grow
I don't think the pacing would work in a 45 minute format.
@@Reggie1408 i agree, but it would allow the characters to breathe
I just wanna say that I LOVE this show as a non-Trekkie. This is honestly the very first Star Trek series I've really enjoyed and wanted to watch every episode of.
If your non-Trekkie friends weren't laughing their asses off at this show, it wasn't the shows fault for too many references, it was their lack of humor.
A lot of what they reference is generic enough Star Trek for non-Trekkies to get just by being generic nerds, or was in enough context for the jokes to land without having seen that specific episode of whichever Star Trek series. Let's face it, Star Trek is such a huge park of general pop culture, and referenced enough in non-Trek shows, that even us non-Trekkies know some things.
Your example of Boimler rambling off five straight obscure references in the "trial" landed with me without me being familiar with the specifics. The joke was written well enough that I understood the preposterous nature of his references and the downright silly events he was referencing without having seen the show.
There were a couple times I did look things up after the show to understand the context, but those were very few and never effected my ability to enjoy the show.
For example, Q's cameo at the end of "Veritas". Q was a character that was too deep a reference, forcing me to google him and see what he did in Star Trek. Yet I still laughed at the joke of him showing up, messing with the bridge crew, and especially Mariner's response of "Not now, Q!", completely blowing him off. The show used him in such a way it was obvious he was some kind of magical, extra-dimensional being and that's really all I needed to find his scenario funny.
Honestly, sometimes I think, for Lower Decks, you can be TOO MUCH of a Trekkie to laugh at the show. Because I love this show, I've been watching various videos of people reviewing it, and sometimes they get SO into the technical details of the greater Star Trek universe, that it hinders their enjoyment of episodes. They are focusing on the background bits that they got "wrong" or could have been better from a Treknical standpoint that it's almost as though they forget that it is a cartoon, and a pure comedy on top of that, which does give them more leeway than live action does.
All in all, I think this show is perfectly balanced to be funny for both your standard Trekkies AND your Rick & Morty/[adult swim] adult cartoon fans.
If it's walking a tight rope between Trekkies and non-Trekkies, it hasn't wobbled yet.
haven't seen it yet, but if there are q jokes, i hope they also point out he sucks at air traffic control
On O'Brien, we Irish people are used to being underappreciated and get get shit done. It's our thing. We are all O'Brien.
I hear you. I find it very disappointing when I flip a switch on something and the expected results does not happen. It is embarrassing and wasted a lot of unnecessary time.
Well, hundreds of years of practice led to eons of it once it became a future-scape. At least Deep Space Nine fleshed out how awesome Miles O'Brien was, is, and will ever be. He broke the Irish barrier!
6:05 "Whatever... THIS is."
Preeeeeeeetty sure that's a salamander spawn of Paris & Janeway!
It's come to collect on child support!!!
It's ANTHONY!
Also possible that it's some other poor soul who tried to break the Warp 10 barrier.
@@artemisiatheta7549 It's BOTH, Ensign Anthony has quantumly swapped places with Janeway's Spawn, who is also named Anthony!
His siblings are similarly baffled that their brother has become some lanky balding ape thing.
ironicly, if you have seen the episode; the more weird creature in that scene is the dog :p
@@S1nwar But Dog is such a GOOD GIRL!
As someone who worked on the show, it's nice to see your positive reviews! We all worked super hard on this show and even though it might be a new take on Star Trek it was made with love!
It definitely shines through. You all did such a wonderful job and it was a true joy to experience. ❤️❤️❤️❤️
What did you do? :)
"When you get to hell, tell the pah-wraiths that Shaxs sent you! Special delivery straight from Bajor!" We will remember the leader of "Bear Pack" Shaxs Standee who had the best day of his life in his final moment.
My biggest issue with the season is the character pairings were more rigid than I expected, so I'm happy that Season 2 seems to be addressing that, we're apparently getting a Mariner/Tendi storyline fairly early.
beats crusher and troi doing sexy exercise while discussing a sex ghost
@@luciferangelica _Nothing_ beats Crusher and Troi doing sexy exercise while talking about banging a first, LOL.
For a show that was utterly reviled by a lot of people and even met with hesitation by those willing to give it a chance, it certainly turned things around to result, IMO, overall the best 1st season of Trek and the best of the modern Trek shows far.
Agreed
Yeah, I couldn't work out where the initial hate came from. Maybe some people really don't want us to have nice things...
@@deaks25 I think a lot of people were put off by the pilot and first few episodes, it was a lot more out and out silly comedy than the second half of the series came to be.
I haven't enjoyed a Trek show this much since DS9.
I can't believe Shaxs' death bought more tears to my eyes than Data's death (both times)
This show is doing something right
My jaw DROPPED
As someone who watched very little Star Trek before this show, I can honestly say that my inability to catch the references didn't harm the experience. If anything, they made me actually want to go back and watch more Trek. Great review!
i would watch the morn show
Mornings with Morn.
That would be a terrible series. None of the other characters would be able to get a word in edgewise.
@GozerTheTraveller The comebacks
They could make it a silent series.
Include the old timey title cards for dialogue.
By Grabthar's hammer, such savings! They could just have a text crawl for thirty minutes...
@@user-zh4vo1kw1z no offense, but that i think i'll pass on
The small 'in depth' nictpicks with the show comes from viewing the story through the rose colored glasses of an hour long show with time and space to explore the wider elements....it's the one casualty of a shorter runtime for each episode...and the split age groups the show is aimed at....a balance i think they achieved skillfully
This is going to sound very gatekeepery. But we long time fans who have watched Trek for years. Deserve a show with obscure references, background easter eggs and dramatic irony. All the better that is an animated series.
I can agree with that. For me, the best parts of the first 8 episodes were 'member berries'. It wasn't until the last 2 episodes that I really enjoyed the show for itself. I'm actually looking forward to going back and watching again. What I'm not looking forward to is STDs return. My hate watch begins again.
Between Disco, Picard, the upcoming Prodigy series and Strange New Worlds, I feel like there is absolutely space for Lower Decks to be mostly "for the fans". All the other shows have more than enough opportunity to reach newer fans.
That's as maybe, but LD was my first star trek and I loved it (and it inspired me to finally start on TNG)
@@billymanners9629 excellent. I always tell people to start with TNG. Classic Trek is great. But there's a level of hokeyness newbies are unprepared for. There's a Haunted House episode for crying out loud.
it adds charm
I've loved Lower Decks is been the Galaxy Quest of Star Trek. A loving homage/roast its been refreshing after the seriousness of Picard and Disco. Not that I don't love those too.
Galaxy Quest- the third or fourth best Star Trek movie ever made...Unfortunately, there will never be a sequel. :(( Alan Rickman....
Tendi ThetaSigma The 5 greatest Star Trek films, in no particular order:
Wrath of Khan
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World
Galaxy Quest
Forbidden Planet
The Voyage Home
@@photoklarno I'm not sure if you're making fun of what I wrote or not...but, Galaxy Quest really was voted to be, by fans in 2013, the seventh best Star Trek film out of thirteen.
Tendi ThetaSigma I just think these movies are the ones that best encapsulate the spirit of Star Trek.
Master and Commander even has strange new worlds and the French are totally the Romulans.
@@photoklarno Okay :) thank you for clarifying. I wasn't sure, but I do have to agree with you on that point :-D
Not a fan of Star Trek Morn. He's too much of a Mary Sue.
I mean, it might be more tolerable if he *EVER* shut up.
your mom is a mary sue she's literally named mary sue, after your great grandmothers on her side the family. betcha didn't think i knew that, huh?
Morny Sue
I immediately loved Lower Decks. At no point did it feel like a new show that needed to prove itself, to me - in terms of recreating the aesthetic and feel of TNG and that era, what with the visuals and the soundscapes and the tropes and the style of the dialogue, they smashed it out of orbit. As soon as the theme played, I felt like I should be humming along. It felt, from the opening scene, like watching an episode of TNG that I hadn't seen before(which happened last year when I binged in preparation for Picard, there were a few episodes that either were banned where I am because seriously you did NOT discuss certain specific issues if you valued your job, or were arbitrarily cancelled because the fucking football couldn't keep within its time slot and got to ride roughshod over the rest of the tv schedule, and so I watched for the first time on Netflix despite having grown up with the show), but with the sense of self-referential humour of Galaxy Quest. This was like a show that I was just late onto the bandwagon for, because it already had such a firmly established place.
However, there are two things I find concerning, and I believe they're the result of it just not being thought through rather than any deliberate, malicious intent: racism and heteronormativity.
When you casually refer to anonymous members of a different race by the name of one famous member of that race(Spock and Spock), and pivot a plot on the assumption that exaggerated negative stereotypes about a race are universally true but then "fix" it by assuring the audience that while everyone agrees that those negative stereotypes are generally true, the individual displaying them this time was faking it and is in fact One Of The Good Ones(Quint), that’s still racism, champ.
And when you make a choice to generally avoid addressing anyone's sexuality but now and then sprinkle in a sex-based joke and _every single one of those_ (except possibly the existence of the Bear Pack and even then, Shaxs was apparently straightened out) is male lusting after female or female lusting after male, you’re still establishing a baseline assumption that everyone is straight if you check and that's heteronormativity, my dude.
This is not to condemn Lower Decks, far from it. I hope they course-correct because it is mostly amazing and doing a great job of avoiding the ingrained toxicity of the past.
I wholeheartedly agree with your thoughts, Jessie.
My history with Star Trek started out strong, but has encountered a few wobbles over the years.
I grew up with the movie era, which never took itself too seriously; and TNG, which balanced entertainment and storytelling. DS9 and VOY carried on with that same tradition, but they also started taking the route of more overarching season-wide tales rather than remaining episodic - which was all well and good until I missed an episode and then was lost the next time! Fortunately ENT initially returned to a mainly episodic trend (not counting the Temporal Cold War stuff) before seasons three and four. So all was well for me, especially when I started watching TOS and TAS in the gap after Enterprise was (sadly) cancelled, which kept the fires of interest burning.
The Kelvin-verse was again, a bit of fun, and I had no issue with the films overall. Also we saw a heck of a lot of fan-work in that gap, which were all excellent expressions of passion.
Unfortunately the most serious wobble in my interest and investment in ST came with DSC (a good concept but poorly written) and PIC (a poor concept AND poorly written). That was nearly my jumping-off point, and so LD was the franchise's last chance to reel me back...
And it has. Thankfully!
Well rounded characters, thoughtful writing, some moments to tickle the ribs or to shed a tear (whatever will T'ana do without Shax?), and a return to making Star Trek entertaining.
Roll on season two.
I was shocked by the end of the season finale. I LOVE it! Where are they taking this???
I am very saddened by the loss of an irreplacable element in the show. They are NOT afraid of breaking eggs for THIS omelet.
just saying...they found ways to bring back Tasha...I think they are playing a long game. Edit: by 'they' I mean the people running lower decks production.
@@MousePounder Of course. What I love is that we FINALLY actually see the Titan on screen, in canon, and in all its glory. Damn, those Luna class ships look FINE!!!
thanks, for that, from someone who hasn't been able to watch it yet
@@luciferangelica You are welcome...I kept it general ljust for those who are of an overly-sensitive nature....looking back, it could have been interpreted in several ways. Hope you enjoy the episode :)
@@dashfatbastard oh yeah, that's what i meant, what kind of ship they got, which jessie already mentioned, not these chodes teasing that someone dies
Well, Lower Decks is done for now. I'll see you all in the next season! Much as I enjoy Star Trek, Discovery just isn't speaking to me. But I hope all of you sticking with it find something to enjoy.
Lower decks had me constantly laughing ,fanboy squeeing and even just breathless. It has easily had the best first season of a star trek show since TOS (The old scientists)
"TOS era" was a double take for sure
I have a thought in that I wonder if Boimler will grow a beard between season 1 and 2?..... And it'll be a terrible beard that should never have seen the light of day.
All wispy and patchy and shit....
I loved season one of lower decks, and episode 9 was hilarious but episode 10 really paid off the world building work and just made it all come together.
Favorite line (paraphrased): 'I hate it when a ship comes in for repairs and comes out all sovereign class.'
I will say only this. If Star Trek: Morn becomes a reality, it's better damned well be a silent film kinda thing! LOL
I was thinking something similar. It's centered on Morn but he doesn't say a word, a la Gordon Freeman. I don't know how long they could pull that off, though.
I love all the Easter Eggs as a Trekkie. I would not enjoy it if they got rid of them.
(Surly Mode) Bradward Judas Boimler....
(Surly Mode off) I've loved the animation more than anything else given the quality. Sometimes there's so many 'if you aren't paying attention' moments you miss things like the worried look on a particular character or the fact that Mariner and Tendi both have different body designs.
I do want to see them address Tendi's Orion-ness a bit more. Maybe even deal with the fact that Orions are supposed to have super-powerful pheromones. Mariner, Tendi and T'Ana are still my favorites.
Oh, and I have a sense that even some of the references may even go over the heads of Trek fans. Also, I would love to see a Kelvin-based series even if it doesn't focus on the Enterprise.
*Bradward Judas Boimler....*
What a smeghead.
@@Seal0626 An absolute smeeeegggheeeaaaddd....I've wondered if anyone would get the reference :)
Strictly on paper Mariner should be a Mary Sue: Known and loved by everyone, good at everything. And yet her character actually works. After 1 season I feel like she has more of a personality and a story arc than Michael Burnham after 2 seasons. Absolutely loved this season! It was surprisingly endearing and just overall enjoyable. I really hope that we can look forward to many more seasons of at least this quiality.
A potted plant has more personality than Burnham.
On Picard when they showed that old Romulan warbird I nearly fainted! Now imagine how woozy I feel watching THIS show!!!
Pity In Picard, that clunker Picard was on destroyed the romulan ship....a sorta "screw you, classic fans" sorta jib it gave me.
My jaw DROPPED when Shaxs sacrificed himself. It made me realize LD isn't fucking around when it comes to advancing the show and the character arcs. It can't be an accident that "security chief dying in season 1" happens in both LD and TNG. Thankfully Shaxs went out with a bang instead of a whimper. He died laughing, saving everyone else's lives, on the best day of his own life. (Poor Yar!)
Re: The downfall with eastereggs....it might help if you think of this as a non treker seeing this for the first time...it's meant to bring in new fans and imagine the sense of delight as they get drawn in and discover the original references in the older episodes and that lightbulb moment when the original reference becomes the easteregg for the Lower Decks viewer.....a Trek timeline goes in BOTH directions
I grew up on TOS reruns, then TNG and the rest. I always felt that the philosophy was, at least to some degree, meant to show us what we could aspire to. Kirk’s love for life was clear, but his willingness to sacrifice everything so people he never met wouldn’t loose theirs, that shaped who I am. Some commenters have said its good to break from the toxicity of the past. Rodenberry the man was aware he had flaws, we all do, but his philosophy was that we can rise above ourselves. That's the most emportant part of what makes Trek Trek to me. The season 1 finale illustrates this point. Morality also has ben at the hart of Trek, doing the morally correct thing is something we humans struggle with, its always easier to do nothing than to stand up and stand out. There are still lessons to be learned from what came before imho. To be clear, I’m not judging, I just wanted to share my feelings about Trek in general. Thanks for reading.
The various obscure references might be off-putting to non-fans, but in fairness, this wasn’t written for non-fans.
i think they are only off-putting if you watch it with someone who gets all the references and is laughing about them or telling you why they are funny. I had the same problem with infinity war and endgame. the only marvel movies i care about are the guardians ones. but when i watch infinity war or endgame alone its totaly fine. but when i watch it with some one who gets all the things and is constantly telling me about it, it realy is off-putting.
Time the fans get the loving again.
I am so looking forward to Star Trek: Non-Commissioned Officers
i would watch star trek: o'brien any day
I do get it. Star Trek has a very detailed and complicated universe and it might be a bit intimidating to new viewers. But I do think that Discovery could have been inviting to new viewers without flushing away years of established continuity. I think Trek can be made accessible to new viewers while still keeping all the stuff that makes Trek wonderful in the first place.
As someone who isn't as familiar with all the star trek lore, I've really enjoyed lower decks. I definitely don't get a lot of the deep lore jokes, but I recognize them and it makes me want to see what they mean, and when I notice some referenced piece of lore while watching other Star Trek series it clicks with me more than it probably would have if I hadn't watched Lower Decks. So I'm not as worried about the longevity issues when it comes to this show
About it catering too much to existing fans: I think that was probably its mandate. Tptb knew the Kelvinverse, Discovery and Picard had been polarizing. They knew the #1 complaint was that they’d thrown away the aesthetic, the canon and the spirit of the TNG era. The franchise didn’t need to reach NEW fans with Lower Decks, it had to reel the existing fans back in, and signal to them that the stewards of the franchise have not forgotten them. LD gave us tons of references that purposely left new viewers scratching their heads. What that accomplished was to make existing fans think “maybe this is just for us.” I remember that being a major concern in the fandom back in the Nineties. I had endless exchanges at TrekBBS about whether all the canon was alienating new viewers. I think it was precisely that concern that created a sense of community. That’s exactly the complaint they NEEDED to resurrect for the benefit of the entire franchise. I think they did it purposely (and expertly).
9:40 Lower Decks has ORION in crew! That's real diversity!
and some of them haven't pirates for at least _five years!_
The problem with a big wish list for LD is time: the entire first season lasted some 3 hours, total. It can't go many places with this time budget. Personally, I think they did (from what I saw - not much, but I follow comments and reviews of the show) an improbably good job of telling good, complete stories in that short amount of time. Besides presenting the characters, setting the tone etc.I'm not sure there'll ever be time for societal allegories in this show (hope I'm wrong), just the perils of making your way in the world when you are at the bottom of the ladder.
Also, about the references: those were the authors geeking out, I think. As the series goes on, they'll get over it and develop their own mythology to play with.
As for the future of the franchise, I think they are going into an interesting and effective approach, by doing many shows, each one different in tone from the other. Whatever your tastes, there'll be a ST for you down the line. Time will tell.
Honestly it's probably better that Lower Decks is avoiding the "Topical" Societal Allegories.
For one, those can often be the storylines that age the poorest, dating the show because of changing societal climate have altered the expected norms of the audience.
Two, it can lead to disbelief shattering changes to the established nature of the setting just to try and make the allegory in the first place.
I know Picard has gotten plenty of flak for the Federation backing out of helping the Romulans evacuate from the coming Hobus Supernova explosion, which supposedly was included as commentary on Brexit and Trumpist Nationalism.
It grates because that kind of selfish tribalism is entirely contradictory to the enlightened idealism that the Federation and Star Trek as a whole is suppose to stand for.
@@DonaldWWitt OTOH, one could argue that, while you're absolutely correct in pointing out the dating factor in those topical allegories, it can be argued that those are the most important contributions Star Trek has to offer for the society as a whole.
I don't know, man, I think there's a place for them, I just don't think STLD has time do it right in 20 minutes episodes.
Maybe we can see more of them in SNW or DSC?
@@sergioaccioly5219 Perhaps, then again I feel the more timeless, always pertinent allegories are better...
@@DonaldWWitt I think there's room for both. The question then becomes if both typs os social messages (the relevant at the time and the timeless) should be presented in the same show. Or if the caretakers of the ST franchise should take advantage of the multiple shows they are producing right now to segregate these two approaches.
Personally, I'll confess that I have no opinion on this specific matter.
In 10 episodes, we managed to get so attached to a character who we only got snippets of (knowing that he was interested in the doctor on board the Cerritos) that we ACTUALLY cared when he got his badass good guy moment. What other show(remember each episode is under 30 minutes) has managed to do that? Now with regard to your point about the "in jokes" I did want to point out that both my coworker who I got hooked on LDS(so much so he's watching DSC rn as well) and my former fiance (who watched season 1 of Picard with me and has watched each episode of LDS with me as well) Both of whom have laughed so hard at this series
I agree it was so weird at first. But then they really went all in and I think it was the best first season of any of the star trek shows. I demand 7 seasons! Please
First time channel viewer here. Your dissection of this show was impressive. I have become a subscriber. Thanks for your hard work and sharp point of view.
I'm a non-trekkie who is friends with trekkies and dates a casual trekkie and I never felt like an outsider watching lower decks. I think there was maybe two jokes that were lost on me. But maybe I absorbed a lot more Star Trek than I realized. I loved it!! I already watched it twice.
I love that you had the theme from the animated series playing in the background. You rock!
I didn't hate this show. The last 2 episodes were quite good, and I tentatively look forward to season 2 as the characters did eventually start to click with me, but I found most of it to be the definition of 5/10. No strong reactions one way or the other. It occasionally made me chuckle and occasionally made me mildly annoyed.
Most of the references I didn't find funny. Not because I didn't get them, but because they just involved mentioning a thing from a different show, not to joke or comment on it, but to be like 'Hey, remember this thing?'
But it's certainly been interesting hearing your opinions on the individual episodes as I do try to understand what people like about things that don't appeal to me. I think a big part of it is a different sense of humour. There were several times you mentioned laughing really hard at something I didn't even realise was supposed to be funny.
I'll keep watching it though. Like I said, I think it started to grow the beard by the end and maybe I'll get more enjoyment out of the next season.
I love Rutherfords voice so much, he sounds so sweet and adorable (which he is!). Rutherford is absolutely perfect and not to bring back an ungodly era of the internet but he truly is what a middle school me would’ve called a “cinnamon roll”
"It didn't construct before it decided to deconstruct" ... Very concise way to put the whole BvS thing!
On your comment about accessibility to new fans - I actually think that out of the current batch of shows, Discovery is actually the most accessible to a new audience, and I would even go further as to say that Season 1 is actually built for easing in a new audience to the Star Trek universe. I say this because my little brother came into learning Star Trek through Discovery, and I have also been watching a reaction channel made of people who are not Trekkies watching the first season of Discovery and they are actually learning the ins and outs of the universe through characters and stories, and in fact, some story twists like Voq/Tyler and Mirror Lorca truly work because a new audience has no pre-existing knowledge to even speculate on what is happening, whereas fans like us immediately suspects Tyler is Voq and that the story is heading to the Mirror Universe. Discovery actually allows its audience to learn along with its characters really effectively. And with where Season 3 is going, that's another "reset" of sorts that allows for a whole new audience to jump in with the show and explore the world.
But then again, my Dad also isn't a Trekkie and he seems to really enjoy Picard even without knowing everything that came before LOL
I will be showing my little brother Lower Decks, I'm curious to see how he will react to it.
I also think though with Strange New Worlds and Prodigy, and perhaps especially Prodigy, we have more chances to entice in new viewers. Strange New Worlds being episodic could work to its advantage, especially if they are exploring new planets and new cultures, allowing both old and new fans to learn together. And Prodigy, by its nature of being directed at a younger audience, I think has to be accessible so that young fans will take to learning the world, and as Alex Kurtzman recently commented on a podcast interview, he recognizes that a 50 year franchise needs new blood and new fans, so he certainly seems to be aware of each show's accessibility to a new audience.
Star Trek Morn? Is this an after dark kind of thing, with alcohol, witty conversation, sexy people, and sexy candles?
By the way, did you notice that many of the women are shown with gray hair, not in an idealized youth?
Lower Decks really grew on me. First episode I hated Mariner and Boimler, last episode I was holding back tears at the prospect of them never seeing each other again.
Jessie, you are funny! I had blast watching it (at the time of typing this I am actually still watching it)
My only real disappointment was the lack of focus on Rutherford and Tandy. Lower Decks is one of my favourite TNG episodes and it got it so right because it balanced out the character focus. We already knew Alyssa and Seeto has a backstory. But the characters all felt more fleshed out by end of the episode.
Solid review! Really love your channel wish I had found it a long time ago! Look forward to your Disco reviews!
I also don't think not getting new Trekkies is a problem since I got into Star Trek from Next Generation way after it was over. I was not born until 1992, so I got into the show through the DVDs (when I was a preteen). Until Discovery, I always watched Star Trek when a show was all over. Then through Netflix. We always get new Star Trek fans who watch classic Star Trek series or their parents/other relatives bring them into the universe.
i used to hate tos as a little kid in the 80s. it was just another boring thing my dad watched, like westerns and football, but i started watching tng, when it was still running, as a teenager in the early 90s
@@luciferangelica Weird, me too - I loved TNG, but even the look of TOS made me roll my eyes and groan with boredom.
You know what? I'm not that much of a Trekkie.... I DO enjoy Scifi but more from a Godzilla pov (hence the profile icon.) and I still loved this series.
I was able to watch on it clips through youtube because... well, money's a little tight so I can't afford EVERY SINGLE STREAMING SERVICE.
Anyways, my brother-in-law is like a Super Trekkie and I was thrilled to discover that this had a dvd release. I got it for him as a Christmas present and he was gracious enough to share it with me. No regrets!
That dog is the coolest! She’s a golden retriever - they are always the stars of any situation!
Finally watched Lower decks. I am more an animation fan then a a Star Trek fan and there were so many times I felt like " this is suppose to be a reference and I don't get it" and I did feel a knowledge gap sometimes from my casual relationship with Trek over the years. I don't hate Trek, I just have never loved it enough to keep up with everything Trek.
Mariner is a also a spoiled brat, which would be fine if most of the characters didn't entertain this as a cool character trait and rarely call her out for said misbehaving. Except for the characters (mostly the bridge ones) who we are suppose to think are the stuffy folks that need to loosen up. I left season one wishing she would be called out more and less rewarded by the story for her foolishness. I don't mind her being a brat, I just feel like she needs more negative consequences for her actions.
That being said, I enjoyed the show for the most part as a non-Trekkie fan who is a HUGE animation fan. I just wish Mariner would face more consequences for her behavior and that they found a better way to feed in the references so that the fact I was being left out wasn't obvious. And half the problem isn't the references, it's that the references are borderline meta. Which is a common animation problem right now in a lot of modern series and it ruins immersion for me.
I’ve never seen anything about Star trek prior to this releasing (besides knowing of the arguement whos better: picard or kirk, and spocks “live long and prosper”) and it has honestly inspired me so much to go and watch the original series that inspired it. That and so that i can better understand some of the jokes, which i still found funny but for outsider reasons haha. Great review! Love your videos!
I honestly would respect the character of Mariner more if she would lose and lose horribly.
I don’t care for the character of Rick from Rick and Morty because he can fix any situation. Heroes need to fail to be interesting. Otherwise they don’t grow or learn.
Boimler is a lot like a nuanced version of Rimmer from Red Dwarf.
Lower Decks is easily the best of the new Trek. And to me it shows that each iteration gets better, if we just give it a chance. Glad L.D. Is getting a season two.
Hoping for Strange New World to be the best yet.
Jessie!! Thank you, I’ve been watching your reviews every week and I will continue to do so through Disco3.
I hope the writing staff swap out the constant referencing of past shows and refocus on deeper plots. I get why they laid it on so heavy, really establishing them in the world and giving fans some Easter egg hunts. I loved it. But now we have a good understanding of who our crew is, let’s dive deeper. Like, where did the towel guy go? 😂 or Ransoms tattoo team. I be down for more of that too “IM PICKING UP SCANNING!!!” Hehee
Love LD, love your channel. Thanks for the good times. 👋🏼
Your dissection here is pretty spot on work my own, particularly with the continuity tsunami each episode seems to bring being both a strength and a flaw. The only thing I personally don't really see eye to eye with is the need to see more cerebral kind of material. I get that a lot of people really dig those episodes, and they can be really well done, but in my eyes at least, I'm always easy more interested in character development first, which is why I don't always go out of my way to praise shows like TNG out the gate. It's a great show, but I feel it kinda held itself back multiple times when developing its characters. Which is something Lower Decks didn't do, and I love it for that.
All in all, Lower Decks has been one incredible surprise that I didn't see coming. When it was first announced in 2018, I was kind of a pessimist, thinking it wasn't a good fit, that it likely wouldn't work out, and that I'd give it a pass. The curiosity grew and grew as the premiere got closer, and now... ten episodes later, I'm only thinking how killer the wait is going to be for season two. Not only have I done a complete 180 on what I thought about the show, it's kinda gone _beyond_ what I ever thought it would be. As big a hot take as this is, I thoroughly believe this show to be superior to TNG. After only ten 30 minute episodes, compared to almost 200 hour episodes, that's not something I say lightly. I really believe we're getting something very special here, and it is currently my second favorite Star Trek show of all time, second only to DS9.
I don't know if it'll ever top DS9 in that department, but I kinda hope it doesn't. Number two seems like a perfect fit for Lower Decks, it being based on a ship that specializes in second contact and all.
The only thing I can possibly think to add to your review is the spectacular soundtrack. I want it right the fuck now.
I really like Mariner and Boimler: they are like Kirk and Spock but in novice version. Both have their own set of talents (Mariner is skilled in combat and has experience in the field, Boimler has a lot of book knowledge but little experience) and I think they could end being captain and first officer of their own ship a decade down the line, with Rutherford as chief engineer and Tendi as chief medical officer. Those four are raw diamonds.
I agree that for new people getting into Star Trek there is a lot to catch up on and it can be daunting. Luckily the shows are more accessible than they ever have been before. With all of the original shows on multiple streaming services!
First two episodes I absolutely hated it.....and then it got progressively better, and better.... episodes 7-10 were actually really good.....this is the first new Star Trek show I am actually looking forward to another season.
Lower decks is a considerable tribute to the existing fan base. I find it fun to explain old Star Trek to new Star Trek fans.
I've definitely had a great time watching Lower Decks, it's the perfect mix of star trekness and comedy to really work for me, it is right in the perfect spot comedically to appeal to my sense of humour. I think the references kind of go with the territory on a show like this, if we didn't get jokes hinged on referencing things that have come before it would kind of lose a big chunk of what makes it work as a comedic series in that recognisable era of trek.
I'll be interested to see if you get yourself a Lower Decks style uniform to add to that collection you seem to have.
As someone that doesn't get most of the references, I think it's cute. It makes the world feel more alive.
Fantastic review, i love the Pod Directive and obviously love Lower Decks. Boim me up, get me coffee and end transmission.
ST:Lower Decks best attribute for me was being a reminder of why fans love this franchise. I hate the phrase "Love letter to the franchise" (usually because it's used to excuse bad/lazy writing) but honestly, that is the best way to sum it up for me. It was just fun Trek.
Mariner's comment of "what, is it the 2260's" and Ransom's Kirk Punch or the 'Janeway Protocol' were great fun and the fact that it Easter-Egged everything was great.
It struck the right balance of in-jokes and interesting characters in interesting stories. And it could easily follow the Orville and loosen up on the in-jokes for Season 2 because the ground work has been laid.
I'd still say DS9 has the better first season, mostly because Lower Decks only had to fill ten episodes instead 20+, but it's still great.
Also: yes! Give me that Dr T'ana spin off!
I've always enjoyed sci-fi parodies like Red Dwarf, Futurama and Rick and Morty, so it's really cool to see one that takes place in a popular sci-fi franchise like Star Trek.
Hi, I'm the non-trek fan. I have so little knowledge, I did not know what the Romulans were and thought they were Vulcans who were talking about another alien species that was just never on screen.
I still think the show is amazing and am very excited for season 2!!
Rutherford is a La Forge. Give him time. And I think the thing they need to do with Tendi is what happened with Worf in TNG, but that takes time, though given everything that's happened with her so far, I don't think she'll have as long an arc as Worf. I have a guess that part of the point of getting Boimler off the ship (aside from being something interesting to do for 3/4 of a season) is to give an opportunity for Rutherford and Tendi to grow because Mariner no longer has a particular person to focus on. She has people, what she knows, and you can't just decide that one of them is your sidekick.
Definitely agree that this is probably the strongest Season 1 of any Trek series to date. I have an idea of who these characters are, the world they live in, and the logic of the setting, and the narrative priorities of the show runners, things which has often taken 2-3 seasons for many of the other series to get to (if they ever did *looks hard at Voyager*).
I’m also encouraged in that many of the ‘shortcomings’ listed are ones you’d absolutely expect from a series like this.
- It’s an experimental series in being explicitly comedic and the first attempt since the 70’s to bring animation back to the a series that already has a reputation for being up its own butt as far as continuity lockout goes. But in order to sell the series, it also *had* to make it appeal to those same fans since this wasn’t a generally accessible Adult Swim series, but a CBS All Access series that pretty much only Trek enthusiasts are going to be seeking out in the first place.. That puts them in a state of precariousness right off the bat. I think this season certainly accomplished that splendidly, as a real love letter to the series itself, but also acknowledging its flaws and stating it’s intentions of going into a new frontier, narrative-wise. Now that that hurdle’s overcome, they can focus more on the general audience accessibility question and not feel they have to lean so much on continuity gags just to prove to us, the fans, that they really do care.
- In the same vein, I get them wanting to focus a lot of selling Boimler and Mariner’s friendship and placing so much focus on it for this season. As you stated, their personality types are far and away the ones that would have been the most divisive had the writers not *nailed* their character arcs early and clearly, as the ‘stuffed shirt officer’ and ‘walking agent of chaos’ are two of the most generic and easy to screw up character archetypes in television. So getting these two right was essential for the series’ long term viability. Again, I feel that the show has proven itself now to the point that Season 2 can refocus onto some of the other character dynamics in this setting, especially with better integrating Tendi and Rutherford into the group, everyone playing off (and pairing off) on their own adventures, and just generally becoming people we get to know better as time goes on.
- On that note, can I just say just how nice it is to have two characters like Boimler and Mariner who are developing in a way that shows they clearly care about each other but without a hint of the *will they or won’t they* energy? It’s cute enough seeing Rutherford and Tendi doing the occasional flirt-not-flirt thing with each other. We don’t need a central romance for this show to work.
I have a lot of hope for Season 2 to address the things that Season 1 could not, now that the show runners have proven what they need to to sell the show and continuing it.
*Also, am I the only one who wants to see a time travel episode in Season 2 that does so in the 1970’s animation style now that we know that’s the ‘canon’ representation of the Those Old Scientists era?
**Also, am I the only one who wants to see a time travel episode in Season 2 that does so in the 1970’s animation style now that we know that’s the ‘canon’ representation of the Those Old Scientists era?*
Not at all, I've been crossing my fingers for an animated "Trials and Tribble-ations" since Lower Decks was announced, so there's at least two of us!
I was so happy to recognize Eugene Cordero's voice from Steven Universe! 💎⭐
Ok, ngl - I did in fact burst out laughing when you said "like and subscribe", so kudos, Jessie.
Great Review!!..I can't wait for season 2 and I'm definitely looking forward to Discovery season 3
As a very casual trek fan who's info is mostly from the jj abrhams stuff and cultural osmosis from fandoms and some of the old movies and episodes; i absolutely love this show and hopes it survives the initial massive toxic backlash that seems to still be alive but smaller.
That and the fact im from malaysia so i have a hard time officially supporting this until a dvd set comes out, makes me worried it will face the same issues as infinity train on hbo max with limited official market support it can receive, especially from overseas fans.
I am so glad that you mentioned Lower Decks as much as you did during your reviews of Discovery. It would have never been on my radar otherwise.
I am not really into this animantion style so I probably would have skipped it had you not praised it so much. 😊
Now on to season 2!
I’m so glad! Tell me what you think of season 2
People criticize this show for being a Rick and Morty clone humor, but out of Disco, Picard, and Lower Decks, this seemed more like Trek of old, in a static storytelling instead of story arching. This is what I'm liking, in which I don't have to remember a long story with tons of details. It's to compare a fancy desert to a bag of potato chips. This time instead of slowly eating a desert, I can take in a bag of chips and be done with until I can eat another fresh bag episode. I wonder how they're going to pull off season two since first season ended on the Titan Incident. I'm going to miss that Bajoran officer, he seem like he had some Klingon in him. Perhaps a carbon copy of Worf? I'd be amused if Worf takes over.
It seems to me that Lower Decks has been for Star Trek what the Harley Quinn animated series has been for DC: a fun, deconstructionist but not destructionist (is that a word ?) sort-of parody/exaggeration, borne out of deep love and knowledge of those franchises. And I loved every second of both. I don't know if it was a coincidence to see them come out basically at the same time, or if truly is a trend (considering Marvel's upcoming MODOK series, which seems to have a similar premise), but I'd love to see something similar from other beloved franchises (I'm looking at you, Star Wars !).
Another thing. I've been very out of the loop as a Star Trek fan. I found out about this channel only a few weeks ago,so thank you thank you Jessie, without you I would have never heard of Lower Decks, let alone watched this little gem of a series !!!
GOOD MORNING Jessie, I feel you deliver a well explained in depth coverage of season one of LOWER DECKS. I like the uniform and you look good in it, very Star Fleet. I will be watching your reviews of Discovery, lets hope they can make us fans enjoy they writing and storylines without destroying the hope for a uplifting future.
huh, when Tendi says a lot of Orions haven't been pirates since 5 years ago I thought that was a joke about something recent changing in Orion culture, but may that's just her.
You uploaded this while I was rewatching your final review. LoL I'm a dork.
Lower Decks has thus far been the highlight for the current era of Star Trek for me.
I realize this is late, however I hope you read it. Look for a Canadian Facebook comic strip. Lower Decks already existed for a time before someone tried to bring it to screen. This helped work out many kinks prior to tv inception. Not arguing, love the evolution.
I love Lower Decks and it's possibly my favourite Trek next to TNG. I think it's because I didn't know how much I wanted classic Trek until now and it's what I hope the Pike show will be like whenever it airs.
I'm still kind of impressed at the turnaround this show gave me. The first episode had its moments, but I really didn't see it as a sustainable series, but after episode 3 I was hooked and I can't wait for the rest of season 2.
I watched this show after hearing your praise for it, and I really liked it. I am not brand new to Star Trek, but the only show I've seen is Discovery. So, I didn't always get the references, but I still really liked it.
Ok...in the future, they said O'Brien is the most important person in Starfleet...but they ALSO said Boimler was the laziest and most corner-cutting. Soooo...they might be wrong about both.
(I hope not, I love O'Brien)
like, why does star fleet send their best engineer undercover to bust gangsters?
@Kevin McDougall that's fair
@Kevin McDougall as a non-geneer, i'm really not fit to judge
OK, I have ANOTHER theory! The Romulans Star Empire wasn't there to evacuate their home planet because they were busy fighting the Borg. AND THEY WON!!
They even brought back a Borg cube with them!!
26:56 and thats how I felt watching it with my mother who hadn't seen trek since season 4 of DS9 and I had binged every show but TAS in the past few years
The one issue I've had with STLD is that the references where often much more heavyhanded than they needed to be. I hope they ease up on that a little in season two, and keep references either incidental or tangental.
I think that some recent trends in programming have shone a light on something that US-produced series have long suffered from: the need to fill out half a year with programming from the same show. Shorter, more focussed shows let the staff create better programming. And there aren't even major costs associated with this. I hope that shows like STLD, Dark, Money Heist, and others help to light the way. Well, so long as they're not just on Netflix and get cancelled after two seasons...
And on Netflix, if they're going to cancel shows after X seasons, then at least make them arc driven, buy B5 off of Warner Bros, and give us the show we knew we could've gotten!
There are people mad over this full comedy/parody cartoon series which is like watching Family Guy - Trek cutaway scenes or Robot Chicken - Trek mini-scenes. Watch Archer 1999. Tripping The Rift, Red Dwarf, Futurama, The Simpson, even Galaxy Quest. they all take shots at Trek.
It's ok to love Trek and still laugh at it.
Original actors have come back to do voice work on this series so if they are ok with it shouldn't the viewers?
It's like watching Blue Harvest, Something, Something, Darkside, etc. Just have a good laugh.
Also, people should consider seeing what the actors from ST:TNG said on Talking Trek's Comedy With Brent Spiner, Jonathan Frakes, And More | First Contact Day | Trek Lower Decks. Also, see William Shatner talk about and make brutal fun of Trek later in one of the side linked vids. If the actors are ok with it as just a cartoon and not canon or serious which doesn't follow a perfect timeline or go on exact details. It's a total joke like when those other shows and Orville too poke fun of Trek It's an adult comedy cartoon, like Venture Brothers or Boondocks and F Is For Family.
Seeing people get mad at a full comedy Trek toon show is like seeing people hate Star Wars just because the Sequels and High Republic are not what they like.
Just don't watch it if it bothers you. Do like I do and watch the episodes you do like. Skip the rest.
I had never watched any star trek before lower decks, and I still loved it. The show works fine even if you don't get the references (and it's inspired me to finally watch TNG)
I love the old Trek before JJ and Discovery and Picard with their alternate timelines. -- But I wanted to see Lower Decks, and I want to see Prodigy. -- I got the box set for Lower Decks this week, and I'm halfway through watching. I'm enjoying it. It's not perfect, but it's the first time in a long time that I've been able to truly enjoy new Trek. (I watched the first JJ film several times, and then realized why it bothered me.) Anyway, I'm now looking forward to Lower Decks season 2, but I'll again have to wait for it, because, budget. Prodigy, I hope I will get to see show how, but probably by box set.
Beckett Mariner is the Michael Burnham we needed
I agree a few of the references were gratuitous, like in Veritas. It would be cool to see references to things or people in the Trek universe that we didn't see, but sound like something akin to what we could see. Enterprise wasn't the only vessel out there making history! For that matter, there were several other Galaxy-Class ships out there with presumably similar missions to Enterprise. Surely the Odyssey had some first contacts before its destruction in DS9, for example. It would be nice to hear more references to lost ships (aside from Wolf 359 and the Dominion war).
Taking that idea further, they could refer to events or characters that other shows refer to, but never show (a la The Noodle Incident). They could even reference things that happened in the extended universe if they really want to please and/or piss off the nerds and/or the pedants. Star Trek itself does that - refers to real-life historical figures alongside fictional ones.
I’m always fascinated by comedy-genre hybrids because you can use the comedy as a Trojan horse to cover truly deep emotional ground.
Look at the juxtaposition of funny character interactions and gut wrenching moments of development for them in Last Airbender.
Or American Werewolf in London how it effectively used the comedy to bring some realism to the movie all the while the movie had genuinely terrifying moments
I don't get the big love ST:LD has been getting from Trektube. I mean it's okay-ish on average with an awesome finally, and most of the jokes have been old-hat or dude-bro or whoops Boimlers is naked again or all three. The show is middling and leans to heavily on reference for the sake of reference.
Can't wait for the next season.