Spoilers Star Trek: Lower Decks 1x01 - "Second Contact"

[Ometiklan]

I'm able to judge these things pretty quick. I always have. In 1992, all I'd seen was TNG and the TOS Movies. Then I watched TOS itself. And it took me two episodes to realize I liked TOS better than TNG. "Where No Man Has Gone Before" and "The Corbomite Manuever" sealed the deal.

It took me three episodes until I realized I liked DSC as much as TOS. "Context Is for Kings". That one took longer than usual.

I don't need seasons upon seasons to judge things. I've been watching TV for 40 years. I can look at what's there, go with my instincts, and project. I assume certain things will improve or iron out. I take that into account.

Lower Decks, by its design, will never match TNG and DS9 in my opinion. But VOY and ENT were a slog. Lower Decks doesn't feel like a slog. That's why I put LD where I do. And I think time will bear that judgment out. If I turn out to be wrong, I'll say so.

I never get this thought. The idea that "you can't judge something on the basis of only a small amount released." The Shortest short trek or the smallest episode is the *easiest* thing to judge in the world, compared to some 178-hour long series. It's nearly impossible to judge all of Star Trek: The Next Generation, but nearly impossible not to judge an episode you can watch over a bowl of soup.

It's obviously comparing apples to oranges (I prefer apples), but we already compare TNG's 178 episodes to TOS's 79 episodes to Enterprise's 98 episodes. Adding in LD's 1 episode (or "1/2 episode") to the mix doesn't change much.

I think the issue isn't with whether you can judge how much you like you like one episode of a show compared to how much you like another entire series, or even if you can estimate how much you think you might like one show (based on one episode) compared to how much you like another entire series, but whether you can rank the quality of one show based on one episode compared to the quality of another entire series.

Saying you "place" a series in relative position with other series is vague and can be taken as either "comparative quality" or "comparative liking". I think Kpnuts took it as "comparative quality" which is very hard to defend with only one episode. If you meant it as "comparative liking", I think it is more justifiable since you do know what you like and you don't like, but it is still shaky because it is based on only one data point. I didn't like DS9 as much at TNG when it started, but I now think DS9 is the better show. I liked ENT a ton, but fell off kind of quick, and was brought back by season 4's jump in quality. I really liked DSC's and PIC's starts, but there were some rough bits in them that didn't show up in their first 3 episodes in each show. So far, I am loving LDS, and I hope it stays that way.

 

[Lord Garth]

I think the bigger surprise should be "Lord Garth just ranked a Kurtzman Series underneath a Berman Series!"

 

[Kpnuts]

I never get this thought. The idea that "you can't judge something on the basis of only a small amount released." The Shortest short trek or the smallest episode is the *easiest* thing to judge in the world, compared to some 178-hour long series. It's nearly impossible to judge all of Star Trek: The Next Generation, but nearly impossible not to judge an episode you can watch over a bowl of soup.

It's obviously comparing apples to oranges (I prefer apples), but we already compare TNG's 178 episodes to TOS's 79 episodes to Enterprise's 98 episodes. Adding in LD's 1 episode (or "1/2 episode") to the mix doesn't change much.

Obviously you can make a judgement based on one episode.

But I'm talking about ranking shows based on, on the one hand, a 178 hour series and on the other, a 25 minute episode.

 

[Kpnuts]

One, yeah, you could take it as bad that anyone is portrayed as sexualizing other people (even fictional people even within itself a fictional universe).

On the other hand, part of the joke is trying to normalize it in the other direction, to say, "hey, if guys could do this, so can women. why should it be any different because of their genders?

I don't think the holodeck joke was a bad thing at all, as it was or had it been guys starting up a programme full of naked women. But with regards to your second point, I think it works both ways. Yes "if guys can do this, so can women", absolutely, but are guys able to do this anymore these days? I'm not so sure. Which seems like double standards to me.

 

[fireproof78]

Welcome to why I find ranking series so weird. just so pointless.

 

[Vger23]

It was cute and charming, and it kept me entertained. I thought it accomplished what it was looking to do. It's not my thing, but it was enjoyable nonetheless.

It reminds me of Orville and VOY, I guess. Entertaining, but nothing really I'd be excited to rush online and hotly debate. As with those shows, it's fun to watch and then immediately it's forgotten.

I'll be watching the rest of the season for sure, but I won't be all set to go every Thursday as soon as it drops. It will fill the void nicely until DSC begins.

6/10

 

[Tim Thomason]

Obviously you can make a judgement based on one episode.

But I'm talking about ranking shows based on, on the one hand, a 178 hour series and on the other, a 25 minute episode.

Why not? I've seen every episode of Lower Decks released thus far, and should be able to very easily average out the quality of said episode(s) and rank them in comparison to another series (like TNG) that I've seen every episode of.

I mean, I don't generally do rankings, but I would think the smallest of the two (in this case, 24-minute Lower Decks vs. 8000-minute TNG) would be easier to judge and rank. The only conditions would be the "newness" (i.e. that it's only been a couple days, so the episode may have not settled in everyone's minds) or perhaps you want to wait until the other nine episodes are released, which is a separate discussion. Of course, Lower Decks hasn't been released in its entirety... but neither has Discovery or Picard and people rank those.

 

[Vger23]

Also: I hate when the polls don't allow you to see how everyone voted. I like knowing what different people thought.

 

[Lord Garth]

Welcome to why I find ranking series so weird. just so pointless.

I'm weird in general.

But little did I know I'd get so many replies.

 

[Nerys Myk]

Someone should make this into their avatar.

It's forbidden.

 

[fireproof78]

I'm weird in general.

But little did I know I'd get so many replies.

I mean I get people do it. But, maybe I'm weird in that I see no need to stack series against series.

Cue all the replies to me lol

 

[cooleddie74]

I like the Galadonians the more I look at them. They're friendly, smiling purple pigs who like to farm. They'd fit right into TOS or even the reception with food in "Journey to Babel(TOS)."

 

[Kpnuts]

Why not? I've seen every episode of Lower Decks released thus far, and should be able to very easily average out the quality of said episode(s) and rank them in comparison to another series (like TNG) that I've seen every episode of.

Ok.

I think it's weird to compare a 25 minute episode to an 8000 minute series.

I'll wait until Lower Decks ends it's run, then I can compare two different series.

 

[BillJ]

I did notice they made a mistake in Lt. Shaxs rank at the end of the episode in the ships bar. He has Lieutenant pips all through the episode, at the end they gave him an extra pip.

 

[Nerys Myk]

I did notice they made a mistake in Lt. Shaxs rank at the end of the episode in the ships bar. He has Lieutenant pips all through the episode, at the end they gave him an extra pip.

Costume error. It's now officially Star Trek

 

[Tim Thomason]

I did notice they made a mistake in Lt. Shaxs rank at the end of the episode in the ships bar. He has Lieutenant pips all through the episode, at the end they gave him an extra pip.

As a result of his valiant efforts in defending the ship during the Rage Outbreak, Shaxs was given a two-step promotion to Commander.

Unfortunately, he'll get a two-step demotion shortly before the next episode because of some unseen, troubling incident.

 

[Nerys Myk]

As a result of his valiant efforts in defending the ship during the Rage Outbreak, Shaxs was given a two-step promotion to Commander.

Unfortunately, he'll get a two-step demotion shortly before the next episode because of some unseen, troubling incident.

Probably involves a warp core.

 

[cooleddie74]

It won't be a Star Trek wardrobe mistake until they call them by the wrong rank.

 

[Michael]

Animation mistakes are a Star Trek tradition.

 

[BillJ]

Animation mistakes are a Star Trek tradition.

NEVER!!!

Thankfully, there was nothing that egregious in "Second Contact".