First Impressions

Discussion in 'Star Trek: Lower Decks' started by Damian, May 19, 2021.

  1. Damian

    Damian Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

    Joined:
    Nov 2, 2017
    Location:
    United States
    I did this for Discovery, then for Picard, and I figured I'd do the same for Lower Decks. Part of it is I freely admit I can be a bit OCD about things and it'd drive me nuts not to do it for Lower Decks as well.

    So, I've noted before I don't do streaming (I still have cable....I know, so old school) so that means I have to wait until each show comes out on Blu-Ray before I see them. So I just got my copy of the Lower Decks today (I just bought the standard edition). So far I just watched the premier episode. I try not to binge watch the new shows as they come in since I like that there's some Star Trek I haven't seen yet so I want to savor it for a while.

    This show will take a little getting used to. I already new it was more akin to a sitcom than dramatic sci-fi like the normal live action shows. So I was prepared for that, or so I thought. I guess I wasn't quite as ready as I thought I would be. Star Trek has always had bits of humor, and even the occasional humorous episodes (like the Ferengi oriented episodes of DS9). The first episode of Lower Decks had plenty of humor, and at times was even a bit silly and low brow. That's ok too, after all, I watch South Park and It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. But I guess I wasn't quite ready to see that applied to a Star Trek show. But I don't hate it. It's just something I'll have to get used to as I watch more episodes.

    The animation was well done. It definitely had a TNG-era feel to the set design animation, and I noticed even the credit type was the same as that used for TNG. I also liked that the show gives us a look at the other members of the show we rarely see in any detail on other shows. Occasionally you'll get a 'lower decks' episode, I recall one in TNG and one in Voyager for instance. But this will give us a look at that in more detail.

    And I'll try to take the show in the spirit as it's presented, that is, not take it too seriously. I get the impression it's not really meant to add deep, significant stories to Star Trek continuity, but just more or less to have a little fun (that's not to say there won't be those moments, but I don't expect it to get deep into things like Discovery and Picard do).
     
  2. Tuskin38

    Tuskin38 Fleet Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Jul 24, 2011
    IMO, Episode 1 is the worst episode of the season, it gets better as the season goes on.

    The showrunner has said that the events in Lower Decks are exaggerated compared to the live action shows because it's a comedy cartoon.
    It is canon, but yeah don't take it 100% seriously.
     
  3. Vger23

    Vger23 Vice Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Apr 19, 2014
    Location:
    Enterprise bowling alley
    The real joy of LD is the massive amount of franchise-love and references the show throws at the fans. It’s really a lot of fun.

    I don’t care about the stories or characters because the entire thing is admittedly ridiculous, and there are a few episodes in the middle of S1 that are downright horrific (makes the premier episode you just watched look like “The Doomsday Machine”)...but the last 3 episodes are really quite good.
     
    Richard S. Ta, Qonundrum and Damian like this.
  4. fireproof78

    fireproof78 Fleet Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Apr 11, 2014
    Location:
    Journeying onwards
    Episode 1 was my favorite and Mariner's character is one I really like. I think she can be taken seriously to a point. Still fun but more than just laugh and forget.
     
    Damian likes this.
  5. MakeshiftPython

    MakeshiftPython Commodore Commodore

    Joined:
    Oct 10, 2013
    Location:
    Baja?! I haven't got anything in Baja!
    The second episode “Envoys” is what sold me, particularly the ending with Ruthford finding joy in his profession while Tandi is admiring a pulsar star on her pad. Even though the show is mainly sold on comedy it can really handle little beautiful moments that shows what Star Trek is at its heart.
     
    eschaton, Cyfa, BillJ and 2 others like this.
  6. BillJ

    BillJ The King of Kings Premium Member

    Joined:
    Jan 30, 2001
    Location:
    America, Fuck Yeah!!!
    I was sold when I saw the opening scene and credits. It showed so much love of Trek went into making the show.
     
  7. Qonundrum

    Qonundrum Vice Admiral Admiral

    Binging or one ep at a time are both great ways to do it. :D

    LD uses more of a parody take to humor than just making it part of the story flow, with winks and nods. Many of those worked for me, but a few were excessive. Most were nicely done, and the one with the Vasequez Rocks was brilliant - one of many... Many old comedy tropes are employed yet feel fresh and not corny.

    There's also a feel of Rick & Morty as well as Futurama. Not in the way that makes me think "Sigh, I'd rather watch those" but "Nice adaptations while doing something fresh!" (YMMV, of course.)

    I forgot the timeframe until a later episode mentioned 57-something-something-something-something. So it's a little while after VOY ended.

    I adore how they're exploring people deemed throwaway secondary characters. The "second contact" motif is also new and led to a number of really good scenes.

    There's a mixture of TNG and TOS with maverick behavior. It's exemplified in Mariner (real-worlds' experiences) and Boimer (book smarts, plus he's got a cool name and I like the purple hair, but I'll keep mine teal...), with both having moments of greatness as well as making mistakes. They make for a great double act.

    The blu-ray extra involving casting is largely a real joy to watch. Highly recommended viewing.

    It is about having fun, with little nuggets of things to ponder and remain open-ended enough. The balance of all these combinations is so beautifully done.

    And, dang, if that finale (no spoilers) didn't have me dropping my jaw in how great it was... on top of a number of great episodes. The show's a winner.
     
    Richard S. Ta, danellis and Damian like this.
  8. Bry_Sinclair

    Bry_Sinclair Vice Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Sep 28, 2009
    Location:
    Scotland
    I love it, watched it three times since it became available on Amazon Prime here in the UK.
     
  9. Damian

    Damian Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

    Joined:
    Nov 2, 2017
    Location:
    United States
    The 2nd episode was better. I liked the little nod to the shape shifter alien from "The Survivor." A nice little tribute to the first animated series.
     
    Richard S. Ta likes this.
  10. The Wormhole

    The Wormhole Fleet Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Jul 23, 2001
    Location:
    The Wormhole
    There's a hell of a lot more TAS tributes coming.
     
    Richard S. Ta, BillJ and Damian like this.
  11. BillJ

    BillJ The King of Kings Premium Member

    Joined:
    Jan 30, 2001
    Location:
    America, Fuck Yeah!!!
    They should head back to Phylos and see how 50 foot tall Spock is doing.
     
  12. fireproof78

    fireproof78 Fleet Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Apr 11, 2014
    Location:
    Journeying onwards
    Lower Decks could hit A- range for me if it did something like that.
     
    Richard S. Ta and F. King Daniel like this.
  13. tomalak301

    tomalak301 Fleet Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Mar 2, 2003
    Location:
    San Jose, CA
    I really liked the first episode, but there were things that I found annoying as the season went on. Still, It's probably my favorite first season of any of the news shows, so I would say my first impressions were good, then it was mixed, then after the season ended it was back to good. I am planning to rewatch Season 1 before season 2 starts so maybe the second impression will be better.
     
  14. Cyrus

    Cyrus Vice Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Feb 10, 2002
    Location:
    Los Angeles
    I think it’s OK. I never got used to fast and loud talking characters and the hectic pace which I guess is normal for animated shows. I will probably never love it but it is kind of entertaining so I will keep watching.
     
    Last edited: Jun 10, 2021
  15. USS Firefly

    USS Firefly Commodore Commodore

    Joined:
    Jan 7, 2013
    I gave up after episode 5. I guess It just isn't my kind of humor
     
    ichab and garakvsneelix like this.
  16. dupersuper

    dupersuper Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

    Joined:
    Jul 24, 2020
    Peck could voice him.
     
  17. Mrs. Silvercrest

    Mrs. Silvercrest Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

    Joined:
    May 25, 2019
    My husband and I just started watching Lower Decks season 1. I admit I get most things from the library. Then if we really like it we buy it. We still use DVD player no blue ray yet for us. So far we really do like it and it is so funny with all the inside jokes. And the characters are really likeable. We still have the second disc to watch and can't wait for the library to get season 2. It does make me think of The Orville in a lot of ways, though, it is not Star Trek it makes me feel like it is...
     
  18. garakvsneelix

    garakvsneelix Lieutenant Commander Red Shirt

    Joined:
    Feb 2, 2020
    For me, it ended after 10 minutes... but nethertheless, I understand, what people see in it.
     
    ichab likes this.
  19. Tuskin38

    Tuskin38 Fleet Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Jul 24, 2011
    IMO Episode 1 is the worst episode of the season, I'd honestly give the other episodes a shot.

    If we all stopped after the first couple episodes or season because it wasn't great, TNG would never have been successful.
     
  20. garakvsneelix

    garakvsneelix Lieutenant Commander Red Shirt

    Joined:
    Feb 2, 2020
    It's not nessecary a thing of 'great' and 'not great'. It's more a thing of 'my type' or 'not my type'. Even the worst episodes of a favourite series will have something that make it to an episode of a favourite series. When I find any series interesting, I'm very willing to give it its time for development. But when there's just no interest, there's just no interest.

    A good example is maybe something like 'Breaking Bad': While there should be no doubt, that 'Breaking Bad' was very good in that, what it wanted to be, I never really watched it, just because it was not the type of series I'm interested in. I've seen some highlight episodes, yeah, and they were quite good, but I never felt for watching more of it. Not my thematic, not my kind of series (e. g. I always find it a bit harder too find my way into a serial than into a series like DS9 oder B5, that start as procedurals and are developed into a serial over the run).
     
    Last edited: Jun 30, 2021
    Tuskin38 and Michael like this.