Spoilers Star Trek: Lower Decks 2x03 - "We'll Always Have Tom Paris"

[NCC-73515]

804 per Memory Alpha.

800 per Wiki and Paramount.

"It's always Christmas in the Nexus" made me snort.

When was that?

I don’t think it’s actually Boimler.

I think both copies are incomplete, that's why the computer doesn't recognize just one XD

Hahaha, I think there was a minor Threshold retcon (correct me if I'm wrong). Instead of a nonsense "evolution jump" it's a celerity-induced accelerated somatic mutation rate.

A very deep reference to that real, published fake paper! XD

It's funny that they suddenly have VOY computer sounds for this VOY-heavy episode
Boims hums a small part of the VOY theme, but oddly non-VOY (but VOYesque) music plays whenever Paris appears... they did use the real theme in PIC, why not here?
Returning from the dead seems almost as horrible as the admonition! XD

 

[Skipper]

Note to myself: it's bad manners to ask one how is returned from the death.

 

[Seven of Five]

My first 10 of the season. I really enjoyed the whole episode and laughed quite a few times.

Boimler geeking out over the VOY crew was fun, especially with his little collector's plates. I love how he calls Voyager VOY like we all do to save time.

"This is how we kick ass in the Delta Quadrant!"

The planet that Tendi and Mariner had the girl trip to had a Quarks! Right around the time Mariner also mentioned she served on DS9! My DS9 fanboy heartbeat skipped a bit faster at those callouts.

My husband, who isn't a Trek fan, actually laughed along a couple of times when he was in the room. Our biggest laugh by far was Dr. T'Ana finally getting snug in her overdue box. We have two cats, whose jobs are to be in any size box that is in the house, the second it's opened.

 

[TimeIsAPredator]

When was that?

It's in the nightmare Rutherford has. One of the Shaks blurts it out

 

[NCC-73515]

Ah, thanks, too much talking over each other! XD

 

[valkyrie013]

So.. When is the album of Klingon acid punk music going to released?

 

[Saul]

When was that?

When multiple versions of Shax show up to Rutherford you can hear one in the background say it.

(edit: Ah, someone else explained it)

 

[Turtletrekker]

My favorite part of that scene was when one of the Shax asked "what was up with T'Pol's hair that one season?"

 

[Amasov]

I liked this one and laughed a few times, but, something about the show feels off this season. So far, it's not as strong as last season.

I was kind of disappointed that Shax was back. It's not that I didn't love his character, but, to bring him back and just hand wave it by making a joke out of a Trek trope? That didn't quite land for me. I was hoping Kayshon was going to take his place and we'd have a bit of a different dynamic.

These are my initial thoughts. I have to watch it a few more times before I record my podcast episode about it, so, my opinion might change.

 

[El Maestro]

Boims hums a small part of the VOY theme, but oddly non-VOY (but VOYesque) music plays whenever Paris appears... they did use the real theme in PIC, why not here?

If I had to guess it’s a copyright thing. The composer or someone representing them owns the copyright on TV themes in most cases so they would have to pay royalties to use it. PIC probably had a greater budget so they sprung for it but LDS doesn’t have the same budget if I had to guess so they had to cheese it a bit by using Harmon muted trumpets to make you think it was the VOY theme.

 

[Amasov]

Apparently (According to Memory Alpha) the start of Lower Decks is only 2 years after the end of Star Trek Voyager.

Voyager was 2371-2378

LDS = 2380-

Star Trek Picard is in 2399,
The Synth attack on Mars is on April 5th, 2385.

So it hasn't occured yet.

Not to mention that Paris was demoted then promoted again at the end of season 6. So, three years?

 

[Mark_Nguyen]

Huh. Tom’s not wearing his wedding band in the episode, though they did make sure Will was still wearing his.

Is Tom taking advantage of being away from B’elanna on this Starfleet USO tour..?

Mark

 

[Kamen Rider Blade]

Not to mention that Paris was demoted then promoted again at the end of season 6. So, three years?

Sounds about right.

Huh. Tom’s not wearing his wedding band in the episode, though they did make sure Will was still wearing his.

Is Tom taking advantage of being away from B’elanna on this Starfleet USO tour..?

Mark

I think it's a Animation Error, kinda like the mistaken rank pip that turned out to be a piece of corn.

 

[Mark_Nguyen]

Most likely yes. Or, maybe he’s having the band resized. When I became a dad my lifestyle changed dramatically, and the ring I put in in 2009 certainly doesn’t fit the same way anymore - I wear it on a different finger these days. Tom is notably trimmer here than he was by the end of “Endgame”, to be sure…

Mark

 

[Turtletrekker]

Huh. Tom’s not wearing his wedding band in the episode, though they did make sure Will was still wearing his.

Is Tom taking advantage of being away from B’elanna on this Starfleet USO tour..?

Mark

He never had a wedding band. It was actually tasty, tasty corn. Or maybe a Cheerio?

 

[Mike McDevitt]

I'm in appreciation of the WAY the writers are using the reset button. Lower Decks isn't using Simpsons or Archie comics time, they are consciously choosing to use linear time in a medium that is not bound by it. D'Vana and Beckett have worked together for "over a year". Time is genuinely passing for the characters, it's life that keeps playing the same notes.

Here's to bad boys, bad girls, bad non-binary babes, and bad Bynars!

 

[Super Grover]

enjoyed everything about 'Girls Trip!" We don't see a lot of thirsty Mariner. Not sure I agree with bringing Shax back, after they went with the effort of establishing Kayshon in the previous episode. Rutherfors's trauma at him being back was a nice touch. The Tom Paris stuff was great, not overdone, though I would have liked to see a little more. I think the Cerritos was punishing Boimler for leaving in the first place. I wish there was more of "Those Old Scientist," guys around to make cameos, and that made me really sad that Rene Auberjonois isn't with us anymore; because he would have been down for an Odo cameo for LD especially since he did it for Family Guy years ago.

 

[Argosy]

A fun episode, but I think I appreciated it more on second viewing. Shax coming back threw me off a bit first time around and whilst I get the joke, I feel it maybe cheapened last season’s final episode for me. That said I thought Rutherfords mind whirring through the different ways Shax could come back was fun, the tiny Dyson Sphere explanation made me laugh.

For me it’s beginning to walk a fine line on having a little too much going on each episode, I think either the Boimler or Shax thing could have had a little more space to breath. All the T’Ana moments were gold.

 

[Nerys Myk]

I wonder when the the first Klingon Acid Punk band will appear at a con?

 

[Crewman6]

Terrifically good episode. One of the series' all-out best. I may have enjoyed this episode more than any other.

This is Trek comedy done right.

And I'm so glad the producers finally listened to me and starting mixing up the character combos. Tendi/Mariner great, Tendi/Rutherford is complete death. Tendi/Rutherford has no friction, no conflict, no juice, no comedy. They're exactly the same. They need to never be together again.

The episode wisely downplayed Tendi's most annoying aspects and just turned her into a recognizable person. Comically high-strung, but not in a completely absurd, way. Mariner's worst aspects were also toned down and she came across as engaging and cool, instead of how she is also ofter overplayed.

It was still big and funny and silly, but with just a whiff of subtlety so it wasn't annoying. I really hope they manage to keep this delicate balance going forward.

And the Boimler subplot was just a delightful, deeply silly goof that escalated nicely. I was a little less of a fan of the Rutherford story as the meta-ness of it bordered on fourth-wall breaking, but it was also well-executed with some legit laughs.

Clever use of lore/legacy elements like Bonestell and even Tom Paris that felt organic (or at least organic enough) not to feel like box checking.

Really, all around great. It's episodes like this that give me hope and keep me coming back even when the series so often shits the bed. More like this PLEASE.