so i finally took the plunge and watched lower decks

How many cartoon shows like this have taken a stab at Trek (near-)parody? The waters have been tested and confirmed to be safe, so I wouldn’t expect any trepidation before initiating playback in that streaming menu.

 

Parody is always a risk and not automatically assumed to be safe. It's simply a matter of perspective. Whether it is understandable is not the point; it's their point of view.

 

None? This is the first show of its kind.

 

It’s the first Star Trek show of its kind, but also exactly what I thought it would be. Other shows like The Simpsons or Futurama or Family Guy have done Star Trek parody before, so it’s not that great a leap from parody to well-researched canon silliness which can easily be interpreted as parody, especially since it’s just as full of references to famous events and tropes.

That’s why I’m saying that the waters have been tested and confirmed to be safe. What would not have been safe is simply asking the question “Why do animated Star Trek? What can animated Star Trek accomplish that live-action Star Trek can’t even with CGI?” It shouldn’t just be a matter of budgetary savings or portraying younger versions of characters either. What could be a new animation paradigm worthy of the franchise?

 

"Safe" is a matter of personal taste. Most animated features out there I do not consider "safe" and will test them out as such.

 

I tried.

Three eps. and I just couldn't watch it any longer. It just wasn't funny (to me) and didn't feel like Trek. This is the first time I haven't watched all the eps. of any Trek show.

 

It's Ok. First time for everything.

 

For what it’s worth, it took 5 episodes before I fell prey to its charms.

 

I think that's about what it took me as well, although there was enough in those opening episodes to keep me watching. By the last two episode though. WOW!