Spoilers Lower Decks General Discussion Thread

[Rahul]

I always thought "Lower Decks" was one of the best TNG episodes. One of its highlights was the sparring session between Worf and Sito Jaxa, the Bajoran ensign. That was "mundane" yet highly intriguing.

To be frank: "Lower Deck" was a fantastic episode! I'm just not sure it would make as a good concept for an entire series.

The same way "Data's Day" was fantastic episode. Yet an entire series, in which every episode would be "Data's Day" sounds equally hard-to-impossible to get right.

 

[Rahul]

I too was hoping for a hour-long drama, but this will likely be great, and I am sure to watch.

Oh no, I'm completely fine with a half-hour animated series set in the Trek universe! That's actually the good part of it!

I just expected it to be a more family oriented, broad format. Like "Short Treks", just animated. There have been a lot of good, complex animated series, from Batman TAS to various Star Wars shows. I was expecting something closer to that. But I'm not entirely unhappy that it's something completely different!

 

[J.T.B.]

Though I'll probably never watch it, I will be interested in the approach they take. If characters don't really have decision-making power to affect the big plot, there are only so many options to make it interesting.

• In conflict with or rebelling against an authority figure like countless workplace sitcoms.
• A collection of outlandish or eccentric characters who have to get along and work together.
• Characters who are always getting involved in their own schemes on the side.
• "Ordinary" characters who inadvertently fall into adventures despite themselves.

Any others?

I think it would have to undermine the lofty rhetoric of an idealized Starfleet to some extent. And that would not be bad, IMO.

I'd also be interested to see what their idea of the "lower deck" is. As someone who had been a boot, seaman and junior petty officer in the TNG era, the idea that a group of ensigns were the lower deck was good for a laugh. Will this offer a glimpse at the misty netherworld of Starfleet enlisted personnel? Maybe, but I doubt it.

 

[JD]

Well I have no interest in this because I’m an adult and don’t watch children’s cartoons. More dross from Kurtzman that will further denigrate Star Trek.

Not all cartoons are for adults, I sure as hell wouldn't let kids near stuff like Archer or Rick & Morty. That days of cartoons only being for kids are long, long, past.

 

[Nyotarules]

No complaint yet about crossing Gene's "vision?"

Yeah they will be naked love instructors in it ....

 

[Rahul]

Not all cartoons are for adults, I sure as hell wouldn't let kids near stuff like Archer or Rick & Morty. That days of cartoons only being for kids are long, long, past.

Well, I think Star Trek in general, but an animated series especiall, should be "family friendly". As in, it's perfectly fine to be aimed at adults. But there absolutely shouldn't be anything inaporpriate for children in it.

Like, IMO it's perfectly acceptable to show children something that's a little bit too complex or complicated for them. They will (or will not) enjoy it regardless. But there shouldn't be any fucking gore or hyperviolence in it.

Those things have their legitimacy - the aforementioned Rick&Morty, which is clearly an adults-only show, or for example Battlestar Galactica, where the gore and nudity were perfectly reasonable and legitimate for the material. But a franchise IP like Star Trek simply comes with inbuilt expectations - for example dads watching it with their kids. I don't want gore in a Pixar movie either.

 

[BillJ]

I sure as hell wouldn't let kids near stuff like Archer or Rick & Morty.

I've let my eleven year old watch both.

 

[TheGoodStuff]

Well, it is getting publicity for Star Trek and getting the name out there. Frankly, I'd rather they try different things within the Trek universe than just one show going.

Star Trek has always attracted some great writers, producers, effects people, etc. because it's been an inspiration to them. The universe has millions of stories and billions of beings to showcase and talk about, and Trek has always done that well, for the most part.

What one person may not like, may be someone else's can't miss classic and get them into watching more Star Trek. And that's never a bad thing.

Publicity and popularity aren't necessarily good. Someone might watch this comedy and hate everything else in the franchise, it doesn't necessarily equate to a plus for the whole franchise.

Of course Trek has attracted creative people but they have largely all kept to a similar idea of what the show is supposed to be.

The Batman movie franchise has attracted a lot of talented people: but when they decided to turn away from the darker, brooding theme and go down the campy/comedy route (Batman & Robin) it bombed.

I'm all for Trek being creative...so long as it is still recognisable as Trek. This will need to be handled very well because recent news has me feeling like the Trek cash cow is about to be milked harder than ever before.

 

[Ovation]

the Trek cash cow is about to be milked harder than ever before.

That is its primary purpose. Commercial entertainment is neither a charity nor a public service agency intended to "improve the human condition".

 

[137th Gebirg]

TAS was officially decanonized for a long time. Not because of anything about the show, but because there were copyright issues involved that could potentially have cost CBS money if they referenced the wrong thing without permission. The copyright issues were legally settled years ago, though, and CBS has treated TAS as canon ever since.

I thought it was a pissing contest between Gene and DC Fontana. It sounds to me that you’re describing Gene’s feud with Franz Joseph over the Tech Manual and Enterprise blueprints.

 

[mdtauk]

If this cartoon becomes someones one and only show they take an interest in, that is an additional Trek viewer and fan, which is the point for CBS trying to bring in new audiences, new subscribers, etc

 

[dinzy]

I am having a hard time guessing what the plots could be like with worker bees on an uninteresting ship, but I'm game. I think they are just describing the origin story and somehow the cast will end up having things to do that drive the silly stories.

 

[Greg Cox]

I am having a hard time guessing what the plots could be like with worker bees on an uninteresting ship, but I'm game. I think they are just describing the origin story and somehow the cast will end up having things to do that drive the silly stories.

Think about any number of other workplace comedies: TAXI, CHEERS, WKRP, THE OFFICE, etc. The humor comes from interaction of the characters, not sci-fi adventure plots where they have to defeat the Klingons or save the Federation or whatever. That could be one way to go, that doesn't involve lower decks folks from having to be big STAR TREK heroes in every ep.

 

[137th Gebirg]

B5 did an episode like that with the two janitors and it stood out in my mind as being one of the better ones.

 

[Firebird]

FANS: "Trek is too boring and safe, it needs to do something different."

PRODUCERS: "Here's a half-hour animated series for adults doing a comedic take on Lower Decks-type characters from a Rick and Morty writer."

FANS: "WAAAAAAAAAAAAA, that's too different, Roddenberry's vision" etc, etc, etc.

 

[Tuskin38]

FANS: "Trek is too boring and safe, it needs to do something different."

PRODUCERS: "Here's a half-hour animated series for adults doing a comedic take on Lower Decks-type characters from a Rick and Morty writer."

FANS: "WAAAAAAAAAAAAA, that's too different, Roddenberry's vision" etc, etc, etc.

I got called a Star Wars fan for liking the idea, and asked if I confused DS9 for TLJ.

Like really?

 

[James Swallow]

This immediately made me think of Starship Regulars...

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[TheGoodStuff]

That is its primary purpose. Commercial entertainment is neither a charity nor a public service agency intended to "improve the human condition".

I don't recall saying it wasn't: you're stating the obvious. However, it can lead to stagnancy or alienating a fanbase. We have enough people here who lament the Trek burn-out that happend in the late 90's/00's because of too much Trek.

Heavily milking a franchise can have negative long-term impacts for short-term profit.

 

[Starfury]

Milking the cow is not the problem. I want that milk. And I want plenty of it. It's delicious. But they have no Idea how to milk this cow. They are somehow milking her out of her ass. That's why everything they put out tastes like...

Ah, that's too easy. Not going there.

 

[Groppler Zorn]

I wonder, if this animated show is successful, and the Picard show is successful, and subsequent series of DSC continue to be successful, whether we’ll see a Star Wars-esque saturation of the market with Star Trek too?

In the UK I can go into a clothing store and buy Marvel and DC comics T-shirts, Star Wars clothes, and Harry Potter branded items.

Will we finally see the same level of mainstream acceptance of Star Trek following the success of a half hour animated comedy show?

Also, “cooking with Neelix”.