I always kind of love stumbling into the Trek Streaming Wars, in that I feel I split the difference between the factions. I often agree with the criticisms lobbed at the new shows by the anti- contingent, but I absolutely love said shows, flaws and all.
(Maybe Flawed Trek is exactly what I want. If they ever make the perfect Trek show loved by all on TrekBBS, I'll be the one screaming at the rest of you about how it's not Trek unless it has worse dialogue and more plot holes
)
Seriously though, the biggest criticisms I'm aware of regarding Kurtzman Trek are:
- Serialized season-long plot arcs which don't go anywhere interesting.
- Focus on galaxy-wide epic stakes to the detriment of character development.
- Use of flashy camera tricks (like the camera constantly moving, turning upside-down, etc) which don't actually add anything of value to scenes.
- Very heavy tone which focuses on emotionally broken characters.
In contrast, Lower Decks is:
- Episodic
- Focused on four low-level characters and their everyday lives
- Apparently uses a very straight-ahead scene composition typical of modern animation
- Has a light tone with flawed, but apparently not broken, characters
They are about as in opposition as possible - save both of them are aping something which is broadly popular in different sections of TV at the moment.
I love this write-up. The initial episodes of "Picard" struck me as soooooo different than Disco that I was stunned when all the same Disco flaws manifested at the end of "Picard's" season. Though I am decisively pro-streaming-Trek, my one true disapointment is their consistent inability to land a season arc. And once this problem manifested across three seasons of two shows, that meant it likely came from Kurtzman, so odds are good it'll be a problem with every season of Streaming Trek for the foreseeable future. I will probably have to get used to it, just like I had to get used to the sexism (and other flaws) of Berman Trek.
So, that's a reason to be properly THRILLED for Lower Decks -- it looks like it's NOT trying to do the thing the top producer is worst at! (Though I guess I can't exclude the possibility. If our four lower decks heroes are single-handedly saving all sentient life in the galaxy in episode #10, I may just flip out.
)
I don't think so. You're an exception, but look at everyone else. It's too neatly sorted. Almost everyone who likes DSC/PIC also likes Lower Decks? Almost everyone who isn't interested in Lower Decks doesn't like DSC/PIC? You don't think that's a little weird?
If Lower Decks looked like it would be exactly the same as those other two series, I could see it. That's not the case. This many people don't have their opinions line up so exactly. I've never seen that here before, ever.
Even among various series forums, look at the backgrounds of the posters. No one likes the same exact combination of series and movies from before (or after).
I dunno, I think there could be a good-faith dislike of all three shows. It's easy for me to imagine someone who doesn't like adult animation and also darker/edgier serialized dramas. They're both more modern forms with some bite in their sensibility, and plenty of people's tastes just run in a different direction.
And as a longtime fan of adult animation myself, I know the people who HATE it are abundant (and that's fine, it's not for everyone).
