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Spoilers Star Trek: Lower Decks 2x01 - "Strange Energies"

Rate the episode...

  • 10 - An excellent season premiere.

  • 9

  • 8

  • 7

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  • 5

  • 4

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  • 2

  • 1 - A terrible season premiere.


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It was a decent episode.

It's interesting to contrast with the Season 1 premier, because the pace of the show has slowed down considerably (and the number of explicit references to earlier Trek has been dialed way back) to the point that this just feels like a regular episode of Trek, despite the shorter length. I also liked that there were coherent character arcs for Mariner. Captain Freeman, and even Tendi which helped to serve as a bridge from what was established at the end of Season 1 and what presumably will be the status quo going forward.

My issue with the episode is...it just wasn't funny. Like at all. It had a nice lighthearted tone, but not a single joke this go around even made me chuckle under my breath. I thought that worked well enough with the A plot with Mariner and the giant Ransom head, but without the humor really clicking the B plot with Tendi trying to "fix" Rutherford just felt absurd (in not a good way) to me.

Still, Trek is back, Lower Decks is back, and I'm happy to see where this goes.
 
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My issue with the episode is...it just wasn't funny.

I don't think every episode needs to be super funny. Plus, humor is subjective. What you thought was not very funny, someone else might have thought was very funny. And that's ok.

For me personally, the appeal of Lower Decks is that it is such a nice break from the serious, dramatic Trek of Discovery and Picard. I like those shows but it's so nice to take a break and just have some nice, fun, light hearted Trek that is filled with nostalgia.

So for me, LD does not have to be ROTFL hilarious every episode. It just needs to be fun and it needs to hopefully tell a good classic Trek story.
 
Mariner's escape sequence. I recognize all of the ships, except this one. It look almost Romulan. But I'm pretty sure it's a new design for the franchise.
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There's also a Klingon D5 from Enterprise in the scene, but it has Vorcha nacelles for some reason.
 
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SOO MANY ships in the background in that escape sequence as Easter Eggs; and they made the Miranda Class look genuinely bad-ass and competent in Mariner's Holodeck simulation =D.

I'm glad it wasn't cannon fodder like in DS9.

And proper use of "Shields" through-out the entire episode, unlike in DS9's big battles.

Althought, the number of Ball Turrets seem kinda low IMO.

Is that a flaw in the fundamental design?
 
I don't think every episode needs to be super funny.
But as a comedy show it is kinda expected. To at least be funny. Not even super funny. But just funny or to have most episodes be funny.

Plus, humor is subjective. What you thought was not very funny, someone else might have thought was very funny. And that's ok.
I remember going to see 'I, Tonya' at the theater. It's a comedy but also based on a true story. There was this one guy sitting in front of me who didn't laugh when the rest of the theater laughed but every time Tonya Harding got punched by her abusive partner he burst out laughing while the rest of the theater was in silence.

So for me, LD does not have to be ROTFL hilarious every episode. It just needs to be fun and it needs to hopefully tell a good classic Trek story.
I do agree it is fun and refreshing compared to how unfamily friendly the other shows are. It's fun to play with all the different concepts in Trek and let loose on it.
 
SOO MANY ships in the background in that escape sequence as Easter Eggs; and they made the Miranda Class look genuinely bad-ass and competent in Mariner's Holodeck simulation =D.
Yeah, figured it out in the Ships thread, that Romulan design seems to be inspired by one from a couple old PC games.
 
Yeah. When I was a kid I watched prime time TV shows that had curse words bleeped out. I knew what was being said then too.
My favorite example is the network friendly version of Snakes on a Plane. Samuel L. Jackson's famous line was turned into "Get these monkey fighting snakes of this Monday Friday plane!!" I still laugh thinking about it.

Overall, I thought it was a good episode. The cold open was awesome. Good start to the season.
 
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