Spoilers Star Trek: Lower Decks 2x07 - "Where Pleasant Fountains Lie"

[F. King Daniel]

Did anyone else notice the power transfer conduits in engineering were pulsing the WRONG way, into the core rather than out towards the nacelles?

 

[jackoverfull]

but wouldn't it be more safe to just turn the computer off if you have captured it?

Assuming it’s possible to turn it off without killing it. We’re talking about a sentient being here.

We've already got our first Picard reference with the fact the Daystrom Institute is modeled after the one from it.

By the way, I seem to understand that Picard will make admiral in 2381, so if they want to show the Enterprise with in command they better hurry.

Did anyone else notice the power transfer conduits in engineering were pulsing the WRONG way, into the core rather than out towards the nacelles?

wasn't like that on the series as well?

 

[eschaton]

Then the "can't get it up" scene towards the end kind of just really put me off.

Speaking as someone who didn't lose the V till 23, then couldn't get it up the first few times due to nerves despite having no issues alone...seemed realistic.

 

[Shawnster]

Not asexual or bi? He had both guards in his room...

I took that as his mother did not know his preference and was covering her bases.

I wonder if they survived the synth ban...

Are they synths or are they computers? Are they viewed the same way the starship computers are viewed? Or computers like Landru?

What about holograms? Characters on the holodeck can be pretty realistic. Did the Doctor survive the ban?

My impression is the synth ban only applied to androids similar to Data and did not apply to other machine intelligences. But that's just my impression.

 

[Vger23]

Meh. This one did nothing for me. It wasn’t awful…but it was just kind of there…like one of those TNG episodes you question why it was ever allowed to exist, like “Haven” or “The Outrageous Okona” In a season where you only get 10 episodes at 25 min each, an episode that feels like filler is not my cup of tea.

After a couple of really good episodes, this one continues the LD trend of wild inconsistency for me.

4/10

 

[TimeIsAPredator]

I took that as his mother did not know his preference and was covering her bases.




Are they synths or are they computers? Are they viewed the same way the starship computers are viewed? Or computers like Landru?

What about holograms? Characters on the holodeck can be pretty realistic. Did the Doctor survive the ban?

My impression is the synth ban only applied to androids similar to Data and did not apply to other machine intelligences. But that's just my impression.

La Sirena had EH crew and no one was shocked so holograms seem ok

 

[Tuskin38]

The Alien alphabet in the ship at the end is Ba’ul

https://twitter.com/gaghyogi49/status/1441804079999557645?s=21

Clearly not a Ba’ul in that chair though.

 

[Amaris]

Speaking as someone who didn't lose the V till 23, then couldn't get it up the first few times due to nerves despite having no issues alone...seemed realistic.

Realistic? Yeah, but to me wholly unnecessary. It just seemed like they were aiming for every insecurity they could, and bearing down on tropes that are better left to other shows. The whole episode just felt off, even with Jeffrey Combs voicing the evil computer, I didn't really get into it. I'm hoping next week will be better. We get so few of these in a season.

 

[BillJ]

9.

Good to see Boimler save the day.

 

[DaveyNY]

Realistic? Yeah, but to me wholly unnecessary. It just seemed like they were aiming for every insecurity they could, and bearing down on tropes that are better left to other shows. The whole episode just felt off, even with Jeffrey Combs voicing the evil computer, I didn't really get into it. I'm hoping next week will be better. We get so few of these in a season.

If he hadn't been shy (impotent), he would have been the King by the time Rutherford got to him.

So it seems completely necessary for the writers desired outcome of the story.

Otherwise he would have had to leave the Cerritos and Star Fleet.

 

[Amaris]

If he hadn't been shy (impotent), he would have been the King by the time Rutherford got to him.

So it seems completely necessary for the writers desired outcome of the story.

Otherwise he would have had to leave the Cerritos and Star Fleet.

They didn't have to follow that at all. It wasn't a given, they made it as such.
Like I said, though, hopefully next week will be better.

 

[Reyman]

Agreed. The old "nerd under the thumb of his mommy is a virgin" trope really irritated me. Then the "can't get it up" scene towards the end kind of just really put me off. This really felt off, the whole episode did. I'm hoping it's just them off their game for an episode, because I generally love the show.

I'm willing to bet I'd struggle to get it up too, if my mum had just died in an explosion like that,

 

[Nyotarules]

I enjoyed this episode and I have accepted that Mariner is deliberately written to be a cruel person, if I had a 'friend' like her, I would throw her out the airlock

 

[Sarcastic Vulcan Salute]

Eh, not really. "Federation" is literally the name which, by definition, means a strong, central government with ultimate authority.

The UN is basically just a club and is not a government at all. (though obviously the UFP stole their flag.)

That said, we've seen that planetary governments seem to have quite a lot of autonomy and can leave the UFP at will.

Truth lies somewhere in the middle.

There's nothing inherent in the definition of federation that the central government is "strong" or has "ultimate authority."

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/federation

1: an encompassing political or societal entity formed by uniting smaller or more localized entities: such as
a: a federal government
b: a union of organizations
2: the act of creating or becoming a federation especially : the forming of a federal union.

https://www.dictionary.com/browse/federation

the act of federating or uniting in a league.
the formation of a political unity, with a central government, by a number of separate states, each of which retains control of its own internal affairs.
a league or confederacy.
a federated body formed by a number of nations, states, societies, unions, etc., each retaining control of its own internal affairs.

The UFP seems to be modeled after the sort of federalism in the U.S. where the federal government has its own diplomacy, military, legal systems and other governing responsibilities, but individual Federation planets also have at least some of these things and can act independently somewhat.

Eh, I think it was notable that the Starfleet crew cheered his choice to remain a virgin. No one made fun of him for it.

And if he's not sexually attracted to men or women, it's a thing.

The sense I got from Crisis Point was that he wanted to run off with Rutherford, but was it because of love of engineering or sexual attraction? Seem jury is out.

 

[UssGlenn]

The UFP really seems to resemble a Confederacy more than a Federation, especially early on, but they can't use that term for obvious reasons.

 

[dswynne1]

I do wonder if, had Billups been a woman facing a similar (ie. tricked into losing her virginity in order to become Queen by her father, the ruler of Hesperia), would we, as the audience, be so cavalier about such a scenario, due to actual Billups being male? Hmmmm...

 

[cooleddie74]

The UFP really seems to resemble a Confederacy more than a Federation, especially early on, but they can't use that term for obvious reasons.

Confederation would work better but then the Star Wars Prequels, The Clone Wars and other stories in that universe have the Separatists as a confederation called the Confederacy of Independent Systems which in pop culture doubles down on the negative connotations of that word. But yeah, each member world in the Federation seems to retain almost complete internal sovereignty and cedes its interstellar, defense and diplomatic authority to the Federation Council and President and the Constitution of the UFP and all worlds use the same unifying flag.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

I do wonder if, had Billups been a woman facing a similar (ie. tricked into losing her virginity in order to become Queen by her father, the ruler of Hesperia), would we, as the audience, be so cavalier about such a scenario, due to actual Billups being male? Hmmmm...

There's no way in hell this episode would have made it to air if the sexes were reversed.

 

[UssGlenn]

I do wonder if, had Billups been a woman facing a similar (ie. tricked into losing her virginity in order to become Queen by her father, the ruler of Hesperia), would we, as the audience, be so cavalier about such a scenario, due to actual Billups being male? Hmmmm...

Well the episode was just a spin on the trope of needing to get married to assume the throne. So if it was Princess Billups you just run in and stop the arranged marriage ceremony at the last second. It's just that trope has been done a million times so it's not unexpected and therefore not funny.

 

[fireproof78]

It's still a tropey episode and not that funny either way.