Spoilers Star Trek: Lower Decks 1x01 - "Second Contact"

[Kelso]

I'm pleased to say that I liked this a lot.

It isn't perfect, but I didn't expect it to be... especially in the early episodes. They haven't quite figured out how to laugh at and with the world they're in without breaking it. The Orville has struggled with the same thing- especially early on. A show like Red Dwarf doesn't take its world seriously, so they don't have to worry about it... and Galaxy Quest is about a group of goofy incompetents, so they're allow to portray the characters as goofy incompetents. But for LDS and ORV, shows that want to have it both ways, it's a balancing act. How do you convincingly portray a group of characters that I can believe are qualified to man a starship, while also making those characters hilarious?

LDS gets it right at times and gets it wrong at other times.

I'm still not terribly wild about the animation style, but the show more than makes up for it in their interpretation of the Star Trek world. The ships, equipment, uniforms, etc. are all wonderful. It's great to see 24th century Star Trek on screen again.

I like the characters a lot, particularly the lower decks foursome and the captain. The X.O. and security chief are a bit too doofy for my taste from what I've see so far.
Hopefully, they'll figure those two out.

I could also do without the cursing and nudity, but at least it is kept to a PG-14 level.
I'm hopeful, though, and looking forward to the next episode.

Oh, and bonus points for the Monkees reference!

 

[bookworm8571]

I like the cat doctor and the Orion and the guy with purple hair. The captain’s daughter is obnoxious.

 

[BillJ]

The captain’s daughter is obnoxious.

I think she's supposed to be. We're going to watch her and Boimler grow into capable officers.

 

[Awesome Possum]

If others got upset by the "8 year old " reference then fair enough....but why you seem so defensive about my post you quoted is puzzling.

I'm not the one who is being defensive and I'm not sure what any of this has to do with the show.

 

[Makarov]

I really enjoyed it, some scenes were a bit much but it's a good starting point. Loved the nostalgia too

 

[fireproof78]

Insulting the intelligence of viewers is rather odd way to have a discussion

 

[Commander Richard]

- Stardate 57436.2 - About half-way through 2380. Fits that there's only about "half a season" (10 episodes), if Season 1 covers 2380.

I haven't found any agreement on where the Earth year fits into the stardate system but I always figured that 41000.0 isn't necessarily January 1st. The Federation is too Earth-centric enough as it is. Maybe it's in September when TNG actually started, putting "Encounter at Farpoint" in 2363 and "The Neutral Zone" in late spring of 2364. Looking at it that way could still put the show in 2380, but closer to the beginning of the year. If the show runners know about this debate and want to avoid it, then they've done a good job.

 

[Kelso]

Huh. If you go on a Star Trek forum and claim that you're too mature and intelligent to like the newest Star Trek series you're met with a negative reaction. Who could possibly have predicted that?

 

[Locutus of Bored]

I wasn't expecting much, so it turned out to be a pleasant surprise. It was a lot of fun and got several laughs out loud from me. I think the line that got the biggest laugh was Mariner calling Boimler her "cha'DIch."

 

[Awesome Possum]

seemed a defensive attitude to me to be told dont let the door hit me on the way out because I called the show rubbish.

for the record, I will watch the rest of the episodes latter down the line, with the audio off, if only to see what new logos they have come up with.
I just hope the next person who thinks the show was rubbish wont have people upset.

If you don't like then you don't have to watch it. Why subject yourself to something you don't like unless you just want to complain and have people respond to you? There are plenty of shows I don't like and I don't waste my time worrying about them and telling people who do like them that they're wrong.

I haven't found any agreement on where the Earth year fits into the stardate system but I always figured that 41000.0 isn't necessarily January 1st. The Federation is too Earth-centric enough as it is. Maybe it's in September when TNG actually started, putting "Encounter at Farpoint" in 2363 and "The Neutral Zone" in late spring of 2364. Looking at it that way could still put the show in 2380, but closer to the beginning of the year. If the show runners know about this debate and want to avoid it, then they've done a good job.

From what I've seen it takes place two years after Voyager ended.

 

[cooleddie74]

If a person doesn't like something and thinks dumb people with short attention spans would like it then they need to keep that opinion to themselves. Tear apart the show itself but don't associate enjoying a flawed show with low intelligence.

Yeah, parts of this series are dumb. But so were parts of TOS, TAS, TNG, DS9, VOY, ENT, DSC and PIC. It's a lighthearted cartoon that takes the piss out of the seriousness with which Trek often presents itself, not a Louis Malle film at a movie festival.

And even that would be a subjective thing to judge.

 

[Cyrus]

Technically I don't think this was a pilot, I believe it had already gone directly to series before they even started work on it. A pilot is not just the first episode, it's specifically the episode, usually the first, which is made to sell a show, and hopefully get it picked up to become a series. If the show is already becoming a full series before production starts, then it's not a pilot.

yes, technically the only Star Trek series with an actual pilot episode was TOS, and it had 2 of them.

The other shows basically had a pilot script. That is how CBS has operated with Kurtzman Trek. First they approve development of a pilot script and if they like it they order the series. This shows confidence in the production people that they can deliver if the concept and scripts are good.

And this makes the silence on Section 31 series very curious. They had approved development of the pilot script and Kurtzman seemed confident it would get greenlit and go into production after Discovery season 3. But now it has been leapfrogged by SNW and maybe even Discovery season 4 in the production pipeline on the Canadian side.

 

[Commander Richard]

From what I've seen it takes place two years after Voyager ended.

Works too. Quick math put "Endgame" in 2378.

 

[JoseNoodles]

Because Trek’s only purpose now is to serve as comfort food for a dying fan base.

Well that's why I hope shows like Lower Decks and Prodigy bring in some new blood. Especially Prodigy, which is supposed to be aimed at kids. Unless it goes the way of The Clone Wars and it becomes apparent that mostly older fans are watching it. Then it will have failed in its primary mission, even if it is successful in terms of ratings and merchandising.

 

[fireproof78]

I did not think actual grown adults on the internet would be actually personally offended by my quip, but guess I was wrong.
Still I am sure anyone with a negative opinion of the show will be lambasted in some form or another.

If the quip was meant in humor then it failed rather spectacularly.

And people who like the show will also be lambasted. Such is the nature of the internet.

 

[Awesome Possum]

Well that's why I hope shows like Lower Decks and Prodigy bring in some new blood. Especially Prodigy, which is supposed to be aimed at kids. Unless it goes the way of The Clone Wars and it becomes apparent that mostly older fans are watching it. Then it will have failed in its primary mission, even if it is successful in terms of ratings and merchandising.

Based on what I've seen elsewhere, Discovery has brought in some new fans and Lower Decks has gotten a pretty positive reaction from what I've seen.

 

[JirinPanthosa]

This is...way better than I expected.

 

[Awesome Possum]

How would I know if I liked it or not unless I watched an episode ?
I clearly stated I would not knock it without watching it, and clearly stated I wanted to enjoy it.
and clearly stated I was willing to overlook it was a cartoon.

However I did not like it, thought it was rubbish and too over the top.
hope that clarifies things

Good for you.

 

[eschaton]

For me the funniest elements of the episode were Rutherford and his date continuing to flirt throughout the zombie virus attack, along with the scene where Boimler gets...suckled...by the spider-cow thing. When the alien repeated "you'll spoil the milk" I laughed out loud.

There were some other funny moments too, like "Banana hot" and "Computer, show us the warp core" but they tended to be more one-off things. And I'll freely admit most of the jokes did not land for me.

Still, the show had heart - more heart than Discovery or Picard TBH - which made up for many of the jokes not being that amusing.

 

[Nerys Myk]

If a person doesn't like something and thinks dumb people with short attention spans would like it then they need to keep that opinion to themselves. Tear apart the show itself but don't associate enjoying a flawed show with low intelligence.

Yeah, parts of this series are dumb. But so were parts of TOS, TAS, TNG, DS9, VOY, ENT, DSC and PIC. It's a lighthearted cartoon that takes the piss out of the seriousness with which Trek often presents itself, not a Louis Malle film at a movie festival.

And even that would be a subjective thing to judge.

Time to listen to Leonard Nimoy read Variety's review of TOS from back in the Sixties again

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