If Mariner was a man, we’d all hate her.

[AlanC9]

And this is especially odd since it is clear that the two are a pair. Rutherford and Tendy are both B-storyliners. Their relationship to Mariner (the obvious lead) is like a pair of Banana Guards. That leaves Mariner and Boimler as the lynch pin for the comedic back and forth-- except the show works hard to prove that they really aren't a pair at all.

But to the extent they are a "pair," isn't it just an artifact of the duty roster? Boimler would be stuck with whoever he gets ordered to man the booth (etc.) with. It happens to be Mariner.

You have had a job, right? Sometimes you're just stuck with people.

 

[cooleddie74]

[*Reads OP*]

No.

 

[CorporalCaptain]

Anyone who thinks Mariner is the strongest or the smartest needs to rewatch "Temporal Edict."

 

[cooleddie74]

Anyone who posts this thread needs to watch LD.

 

[Captain Crow]

, to say nothing of sexual tension. (This last one is probably the worst offense. They don’t have to hook up, but Christ, at least give me some teasing!)

An EVIL platonic friendship not giving you fapping material.


Mariner truly is the worst character of all time.

 

[fireproof78]

Anyone who posts this thread needs to watch LD.

And violate personal assumptions? Pshaw I say, sir.

 

[Jinn]

An EVIL platonic friendship not giving you fapping material.


Mariner truly is the worst character of all time.

The fact that LD doesn't go out of it's way to ship its four main characters in every combination possible is honestly one of the things I enjoy a lot about the quartet's dynamic. They're allowed to just be friends and that's nice.

 

[fireproof78]

The fact that LD doesn't go out of it's way to ship its four main characters in every combination possible is honestly one of the things I enjoy a lot about the quartet's dynamic. They're allowed to just be friends and that's nice.

It's one of the better aspects of LD.

 

[Death Ray]

But to the extent they are a "pair," isn't it just an artifact of the duty roster? Boimler would be stuck with whoever he gets ordered to man the booth (etc.) with. It happens to be Mariner.

You have had a job, right? Sometimes you're just stuck with people.

This is a TV show-- they aren't together "accidentally"

 

[Death Ray]

An EVIL platonic friendship not giving you fapping material.


Mariner truly is the worst character of all time.

I'm sorry if sexual tension offends you.

 

[fireproof78]

In a TV show sexual tension is dumb.

 

[WarpTenLizard]

What universe are you living in where Mariner wasn't an unpopular character? She's certainly become more likable since the first season, but wasn't her unlikable personality one of the biggest complaints about the show when it first started?

If anything, I think the "Star Trek" Fandom has a relatively good track record for avoiding sexist double-standards when judging characters.

Far better than, say, the MCU Fandom, where Carol Danvers is called a "Mary Sue" despite her entire, single movie revolving around her learning she was in the wrong, and Steve Rogers is praised by incels for "never backing down" to anyone who dares tell him what he doesn't want to hear.

Don't get me started on Super Man.

 

[Death Ray]

What universe are you living in where Mariner wasn't an unpopular character?

I am actually surprised to hear all the anti-Mariner sentiments. She's obviously the locus of the show-- who are people tuning in for, then? Boimler? Peanut Hamper? (I'd actually enjoy a Peanut Hamper spin-off.)

 

[fireproof78]

I am actually surprised to hear all the anti-Mariner sentiments. She's obviously the locus of the show-- who are people tuning in for, then? Boimler? Peanut Hamper? (I'd actually enjoy a Peanut Hamper spin-off.)

Boimler, Rutherford and Tendi. Some for the Doctor.

 

[Death Ray]

In a TV show sexual tension is dumb.

You're right. I prefer Mariner's ball-busting cruelty. And Boimler's CENSORED AT REQUEST OF MOD energy? Chef's kiss!

 

[matthunter]

Increasingly clear you're arguing about versions of the characters that haven't really existed since halfway through S1.

 

[WarpTenLizard]

I am actually surprised to hear all the anti-Mariner sentiments. She's obviously the locus of the show-- who are people tuning in for, then? Boimler? Peanut Hamper? (I'd actually enjoy a Peanut Hamper spin-off.)

Literally everyone and everything else?

Hell even now that she's likable, she's still the least interesting character, just like all the "Star Trek" leads before her. How many people's personal #1 favorite character on TNG is actually Jean-Luc Picard? How many people tuned into "Voyager" specifically for Katheryn Janeway? And James T. Kirk is definitely not what made the Original Series so groundbreaking.

People love LD for the same reason they love any Trek series. A handful of characters they personally like, and the tone of the show appealing to their tastes.

 

[Death Ray]

Increasingly clear you're arguing about versions of the characters that haven't really existed since halfway through S1.

Au contraire! I'm re-watching this season's first episode as we speak. I wanted to check in on the Mariner-Boimler thing. In the first 10 minutes she's already punched Boimler in the face and otherwise showed him up as a pussy twice more.

Now let me be clear: this is, of course, a comedy. The question isn't "can the girl be tough and the boy be soft?" I am simply reflecting on how well the writer's handle the gender dynamic, and how that in turn relates to Boimler and Mariner's relationship, since they are clearly the leads.

So I will repeat: Mariner, were she a man, would be instantly unlikable. What she has with Boimler just doesn't feel like a friendship. You need camaraderie to mitigate Mariner's off-putting cockiness, which is why I say she gets a pass because she's a woman character. That fact is what is supposed to make her bullying funny and transgressive. But it doesn't actually work.

 

[Death Ray]

How many people's personal #1 favorite character on TNG is actually Jean-Luc Picard?

(raises hand meekly)
I'd tune Mariner out if the show wasn't so obviously written for her to showboat.

 

[WarpTenLizard]

And Boimler's beta cuck energy? Chef's kiss!

You give away your real issue when you use terms like "beta cuck."