Spoilers Star Trek: Lower Decks 2x08 - "I, Excretus"

[SolarisOne]

Meh. This one didn't really make much of an impact for me at all. I didn't dislike it, but it bored me, like "Veritas" last season. But then the very next episode after that was "Crisis Point", which is my absolute favorite modern Trek episode ever, so I have hope for the next one this season.

 

[jackoverfull]

Nice little episode but not as interesting as the previous couple of ones for me, I give it a 7, perhaps a bit more.

The main issue is that this episode requires A LOT of suspension of disbelief, the whole situation seems very unlikely and the resolution quite unreasonable as well.

The nice things are the myriads of references and the ending, which hopefully will have lasting effects.

 

[cooleddie74]

I liked the fact that the holographic Mirror Universe was TNG Era even though no Terran Empire exists on that side of the dimensional barrier by 2381. The closest we got was the Mirror Defiant-class starship built by the Resistance to the Klingons and Cardassians.

 

[DEWLine]

How many alt-universes did the 1701-D record evidence for in "Parallels"?

Some of those might be alt-Mirror'verse variants.

 

[fireproof78]

I liked the fact that the holographic Mirror Universe was TNG Era even though no Terran Empire exists on that side of the dimensional barrier by 2381. The closest we got was the Mirror Defiant-class starship built by the Resistance to the Klingons and Cardassians.

And a recent comic with Captain Picard.

 

[cooleddie74]

Well, that's not canon but yeah, I thought of that.

 

[jackoverfull]

How many alt-universes did the 1701-D record evidence for in "Parallels"?

Some of those might be alt-Mirror'verse variants.

precisely: with so many alternate universes some of them are bound to be similar to the mirror we know of.

 

[UssGlenn]

even though no Terran Empire exists on that side of the dimensional barrier by 2381.

The Next Generation Mirror Universe Comics have the Terran Empire territory pushed back to the immediate areas around Earth's Solar System, but the Empire has not surrendered. But there would be no way for humans on DS9 to know that so there is no conflict with what we saw on screen. Mirror Kira never outright states that the Empire was eliminated, just that "his empire was no longer in any position to defend itself against us."

 

[Kevman7987]

Good thing Borg babies don't try to assimilate people, especially with the way Boimler was strapping them to himself.

I disagree with the whole 4 sexes for Andorians thing. I feel that is an incorrect extrapolation of what Data said in "Data's Day". Data said an Andorian marriage involved 4 people, not 4 sexes. Data would have explicitly mentioned there are 4 sexes if that were the case.

 

[cooleddie74]

Fair enough. Maybe PIC or PGY will touch on this in future episodes. That the Terran Empire is still in existence though heavily weakened and near defeat, and that eventual and complete collapse comes not long after as per David Cronenberg's comment in DSC Season 3 that the Terran Empire fell centuries before.

 

[jackoverfull]

Well, centuries before could mean the 26th century or something from his point of view.

 

[Enterprise is Great]

I gave it a 9. Definitely my favorite episode of the season. I actually laughed out loud a couple of times this week. Usually I’ve just been smiling in amusement.

The holodeck training scenes was a clever way of putting in the usual Easter eggs.

 

[cooleddie74]

Well, at least now we know that Boimler wasn't really going to be turned into a Borg this season.

 

[fireproof78]

Fair enough. Maybe PIC or PGY will touch on this in future episodes. That the Terran Empire is still in existence though heavily weakened and near defeat, and that eventual and complete collapse comes not long after as per David Cronenberg's comment in DSC Season 3 that the Terran Empire fell centuries before.

That would be interesting to explore. More MU is welcome from my point of view.

 

[thribs]

Good thing Borg babies don't try to assimilate people, especially with the way Boimler was strapping them to himself.

I disagree with the whole 4 sexes for Andorians thing. I feel that is an incorrect extrapolation of what Data said in "Data's Day". Data said an Andorian marriage involved 4 people, not 4 sexes. Data would have explicitly mentioned there are 4 sexes if that were the case.

But Jennifer’s name is consistent with her being a Shen in the novel canon. That implies there are 4 sexes.

I don’t quite understand the Naked Time challenge. Was it just not to join in as that would be pretty easy if I knew people could watch it publicly

 

[Charles Phipps]

8.

It was ridiculous even for a LD episode but I laughed and smiled more than I cringed and that's a pretty good metric with this show. Alice Krige's cameo as the holographic Borg Queen was a fun surprise.

Really? I felt this was one of the most realistic Star Trek's ever made. It's just an office evaluation after all.

Nice little episode but not as interesting as the previous couple of ones for me, I give it a 7, perhaps a bit more.

The main issue is that this episode requires A LOT of suspension of disbelief, the whole situation seems very unlikely and the resolution quite unreasonable as well.

The nice things are the myriads of references and the ending, which hopefully will have lasting effects.

What's remotely unbelievable or unlikely?

 

[UssGlenn]

I don’t quite understand the Naked Time challenge. Was it just not to join in as that would be pretty easy if I knew people could watch it publicly

I assume it's to find a cure before succumbing yourself. I assume the Holodeck would fail you before anything too private happened. Although it didn't stop before the assimilation, but that might be a unique situation because he got to 100% first, and thus was "off script".

 

[Charles Phipps]

According to my questionable Russian friend who may have been taking me for a ride, he said that there was once a debate in the “early” Soviet Union military that the concept of ranks themselves were inherently anti-communist. That everyone should just have a job and there should be no hierarchy whatever. This got smacked down hard but I think that some fans have shades of this with the idea of being upset at Lower Decks having so much class division between the senior officers and youngest officers (we still haven’t met the Ceritos enlisted that Wesley used to order the equivalent around with–imagine him ordering around O’Brian).

I for one have no real problem with it because Starfleet is a place that divisions are enforced and I wouldn’t be surprised if there was privileges separated from them as a reward system even if that doesn’t fit the Federation as a whole. You stay on your diet until you earn it!

But i admit it is far more likely Captain Freeman instituted this reward/punishment system because she is the worst captain in Starfleet. The “what do you call the lowest ranking member of his class that graduates med school?” rule still applies as she’s STILL a Starfleet Captain but I think this episode confirms that outside of the Cerritos, she has a reputation. Apparently the only worse place in Starfleet to serve is Starbase 80 (“STARBASE 80!”).

 

[TimeIsAPredator]

New here?

No just can't help point out nonsense even when I know it's futile

 

[fireproof78]

No just can't help point out nonsense even when I know it's futile

I know the feeling.