I was greatly amused that one of Boimler’s greatest nightmares was a giant raisin
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Star Trek: Lower Decks
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I get the feeling Jennifer is only really there for Mariner's character growth, and that they won't last all that long. But who knows? Best I'm hoping for is just one episode centered on her, the way Boimler and his gf had that one episode in S1.
jpfriction
(He, Him)
Boimler as a tiny comic relief robot could use its own episode.
I... I think I have a crush on Tendi.
madhair60
Video games
hey just wanna pop my head in and say that I was initially put off by the unbelievably obnoxious cold open to episode 1, but gave the show another shot and was won over by the end of episode 1. I'm now about halfway thru the first season and having a blast, what a great show! it's funny without being shticky, and the characters are likeable and well-developed - quickly, too; the last episode I saw had a running joke they couldn't have done if they hadn't put the work in on character development
This week on Lower Decks: SQUEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!
I never expected them to bring Armin Shimmerman back but I always hoped they would. Hooray!
Ok, so. NGL, both him and Nana Visitor both sounded kinda old in this episode, but they both made up for it with gusto. Also it was kinda weird because some of the episode, it sounded like Shimmerman had his mouth prosthetic in, and other times it sounded like he was speaking unencumbered BUT both quibbles are extremely trivial because WOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!
I also thought, in the meta sense, this week's episode showed the writers are pretty deft and skillfully in the way they kept Mariner busy all episode/off DS9. Because they're clearly not ready to show all of their hand with regards to her past yet, and if she was walking around on DS9 too long, it would leave the audience hanging and upset if they didn't showcase more of her past and potential traumas. So instead, let's have her spend her first meaningful time with Jennifer! Everybody wins. Great writing/planning.
Sprite
(He/Him/His)
That was a great Tendy episode. I like having her meet an Orion whose trauma is the exact opposite of hers, and how that chips a little bit away from her shell. I feel for that guy, too, they kind of gloss over how awful it would be to have pulp novels be your only connection to your heritage. Here’s hoping she can be a little window for him into the real Orion.
ArugulaZ
Fearful asymmetry
Gotta admit, I was hyped for this episode, skipping ahead to watch it, but ultimately I was a little disappointed. I'm not even sure it was the fault of the writers... after its ending, Deep Space Nine became something of an empty shell. Odo's gone, Bashir's gone, O'Brien's gone, Worf's gone, and of course both Siskos are gone. Quark and Kira (both sounding rather off, as was mentioned previously) just aren't enough to carry an extension of the series, even if it's just a crossover with another Star Trek series. Maybe an injection of Garak would have livened things up.
Oddly charming moment: Mariner and her girlfriend phasered themselves and fell asleep in each other's arms. Almost immediately afterward, the lights came back on, but I doubt that bothered them too much.
Oddly charming moment: Mariner and her girlfriend phasered themselves and fell asleep in each other's arms. Almost immediately afterward, the lights came back on, but I doubt that bothered them too much.
What were you expecting here, haha
I'm actually very happy with how the episode played out. I don't think DS9's ending is close to the best ending in the franchise, but the thing I do like about it is the feeling of finality it gave audiences. The war is over, the status quo is forever changed, and everyone involved gets to go their separate ways and pursue whatever'll make them happy. No Star Trek short of The Undiscovered Country gives its cast and setting such a final and gracious goodbye. And I really, really, really don't want the equivalent of Star Trek Generations to come along and undermine it the way that film undermined both TOS and TNG. A brief cameo like this where we stop by and everything is where we left it is A-OK, maybe even ideal in my book. It doesn't mess with the ending whatsoever, and it only serves as a fun trip down memory lane without besmirching DS9's legacy. Anything more would have been incredibly risky and just not worth it.
ArugulaZ
Fearful asymmetry
I guess that's the problem... they couldn't have given us much. Deep Space Nine has very little to give at this point, due to the finality of the ending. I'd say they went there just for the sake of fan wank, but it's Lower Decks, Ensign Kim. Fan wank is part of the job.
You remember when everyone and their mom hated the ending to ENT because the final episode was more about TNG and the franchise as a whole versus being about the actual show itself?
That's kind of how I feel about this. This is Lower Decks. The episode had moments of Quark being Quark and Kira being Kira. But the episode was firmly first and foremost still about our Lower Deckers doing Lower Decker things and focusing on their character journeys/growth. It just so happened to also take place on DS9 this week. That's how it should be. I don't blame anyone for the impulse of wanting a meaningful DS9 reunion (despite disagreeing with the notion) but this show would be a very poor venue for such a thing.
I dunno how I feel about labeling Lower Decks "fan wank" either. There is very obvious that element to the show and it's a strong one. But it's very rarely not in service to something more meaningful. And on the contrary, I think the show actually manages to harness it in ways that's productive and beneficial to the franchise and its setting as a whole. It's been really great to see the Star Trek setting from a different perspective. A perspective that acknowledges all this whacky stuff that happened in the other TV shows really did happen, and how your average joe would react to living in a world like that. It's probably done more to make the Star Trek Universe feel like a place that's lived in than any other entry to the franchise in a long time. Maybe ever.
We always hear Picard or someone else in their shows tossing out one liners being like, "Oh, I remember that other captain from my academy days!" in passing in order to give some dire scenario they walk into additional but cheap meaning. And one of the great things about Lower Decks is that it's showing junior officers networking and moving about and making those connections that later in their careers they'll be all like, "Oh yeah, Admiral Riker, I learned a lot about being an officer when I served under him on the original Titan," or, "Ah yes, Captain Tendi, you'll never believe some of the shenanigans we used to get into on the old Cerritos."
Is this week's Lower Decks the first time in franchise history that they just skip/abbreviate the traditional intro credits for an episode?
The ending of this week's episode had me rolling.
The ending of this week's episode had me rolling.
Since some space opened in our current shows schedule, we just started back in on this, after being kind of “meh” on the first ep but seeing people here say it wasn’t very representative. And indeed we’re liking it better just a few more eps in. Got a lot to catch up on!
Y'know when this episode featured a planet called Shatnaria and then Boimler ends up at Kirk's ranch I thought for sure we were going to be getting a sudden, surprising Star Trek cameo. And we do! But not the one you think.
When Boimler is like, "Even better!" I died. Because it was better! And he's also the kind of personality who would have just in general appreciated Sulu's whole command style over Kirk's. I wonder if this experience will be the end of Bold Boimler.
Sprite
(He/Him/His)
I don’t think I’ve ever been trolled so hard by a show as when I went, “Huh, I guess she’s not violating the Prime Directive” and she said the same thing five seconds later.
I also love how the most recent episode just continues to highlight how The Best Tendi is. Her reaction to Holo-T'Ana's death, the confident smirk at the end which immediately bounces into her usual wide-eyed grin. Of all the characters I think I want her reference in one of the live action shows. Just give us a throw-away line in DISCO or something about standout Orion Starfleet officers which mentions her specifically.