One of the things that I don't like are that there are too many Trek (the franchise) references. I'm fine with a lot of them, and I like the Easter Eggs, but it doesn't come across as realistic to the characters to randomly bring up names, or especially stuff that they maybe shouldn't know about. As a Trek fan I can get it, and can chuckle or smile, but it doesn't work to make the characters believable enough.
I love all the fan service. I love almost everything about the show. My one quibble is the jokes are delivered so fast, I miss many of them. But then that allows for more entertaining multiple viewings, so maybe that's not a bad thing either.
I mean, I can see that, but I feel like there would be those fan obsessed over different Starfleet personnel, technology, ships and the like. I highly doubt that humanity is going to outgrow its fetishization of bigger than life stories and personalities.
That it leans on so many set pieces and terms from TNG. But I get it, much of the show's audience grew up on TNG. I'm just that weirdo that grew up on TOS reruns when my folks tuned out of TNG at season 1 and never looked back.
If it was just Boimler then that's one thing (and I think would be keeping with his character), but it's also Mariner and even Tendi. That's too many characters that act that way or have the same fixations for even what could be considered obscure Trek history. It's one of those winking at the audience things, but it's too much. My hope is that as the series progresses they tone that down and let the characters and the series stand more on it's own.
Mariner is the one I expect it from even more. She grew up with Starfleet officers as parents. It was part of her. It reminds me of military families I know who know various historical naval or army officers, battles, and events. Boimler is a total nerd. Tendi is harder to explain. I highly doubt they'll tone it down. This is real Trek by real fans, doncha know
But Mariner is also a person pretending to be a rebellious slacker so why should she be showing off her in-depth knowledge of Starfleet history, etc. like that? Boimler, who is the A-student, ambitious career officer, this fits him more. I could rationalize that Tendi, who really likes being liked, saw the dynamic between Mariner and Boimler and has went overboard reading up on arcane lore just to fit in, but it would be nice to have a scene of her up at night doing that. McMahan is definitely a fan. There's a lot about Lower Decks I appreciate. I like the Cerritos, I like the characters for the most part (the ensemble character development is the best of any CBS Trek thus far), I like the TNG aesthetic, and I do like many of the callbacks, especially the use of aliens from TAS (Lower Decks is a great opportunity to explore the aliens that it would be hard or expensive to do in live-action, so hopefully we'll get more Gorn, some Tholians, and others in future seasons), but there is a danger of being too inside baseball as it were. I would prefer that the flood of Trek stuff be the icing on the cake and not the cake. They've got a good kernel of characters and have carved out a neat, unexplored part of the Trek universe, and I think the series can be distinct without turning on the Trek nostalgia spigot.
It's a bit too in-your-face, fast-paced and screamy. I guess it's how you gotta roll in these times. Still really like it though =]
Mariner definitely got a taste of senior officer reality (The pointless meetings! ) Spoiler Perhaps that's what's waiting for Boimler next season aboard the Titan
Mariner is rebellious but not automatically a slacker. She embodies that old adage of a soldier shouldn't stand when they can sit, don't sit when you can lie down don't lie down when she can sleep. Mariner believes strong in Starfleet but not in the BS bureaucratic tape. So, Mariner would have no issue sharing knowledge-she imply isn't going to apply it in a "meaningful" way. Then it is doing its job.
Watched the opening of the first episode. Felt like Family Guy. I like Family Guy. So I watch Family Guy. I never went back. Womp womp.
A little too much screaming. Once in awhile it's funny, but, EVERY ep has at least one screaming scene.
I feel this is a problem with the franchise in general right now. TNG is very much so a strong tethering point. I'm not sure what can possibly break that mold, but I do hope it happens with one of the new CBS AA shows.
I mean, at its worst some days it feels like Trek assumes TOS doesn't exist. For example, Rank structure derived by bars is only in TOS and the first movie. Everywhere else (including works that should predate TOS like ENT and DISC!) the pip structure from TNG is used. Gold at least is used for command in ENT and DISC if you wince, but everywhere else, it's red thanks to TNG. The Navigator station has been MIA since TOS also, replaced by "Ops". These are little things... but details like that matter to fans like me. It feels like it's been a long time since there's been an installment truly connected to the Original Series. I'm hopeful for Strange New Worlds, which bills itself to be exactly that.