Spoilers Star Trek: Lower Decks 1x03 - "Temporal Edict"

[Charles Phipps]

I choose to believe the Boimler Effect is the basis for a ruthless Section 31-esque paramilitary group.

"Do anything to save the ship!"

 

[Jedi_Master]

I enjoyed this one quite a bit - it added depth to three characters (Boimler, Ransom, Cpt. Freeman) and poked a few holes in the "alien cultures must be respected at all costs" trope.

 

[Ometiklan]

That Brad was able to easily adapt to the tighter schedule to the point of asking for more work while everyone else on the ship, including the senior staff (with the possible exception of the First Officer), where running around frazzled suggests the scheduling wasn't unreasonable and almost everyone on the ship is incompetent.

I had the opposite opinion that Boimler is just a clockwork machine. His fatal flaw is Boimler makes horrible decisions when he is left to his own devices but thrives in an environment of strict orders as well as minimal self-reflection.

Which is TERRIBLE for someone on the command track.

I think you're reading into things a bit too seriously, it's supposed to be comedic. Anyway I read it to mean Boimler is hyper competent and the rest of the crew are average.

Pretty much the opposite of Mariner. I was pleased to see Brad save the day instead of her for once. Suspect the series will finish with both learning off each other.

I think the lesson, as stated in by the Captain, is that not every method works for everyone. Some need strict instructions, some need freedom to decide and act on their own. This is reinforced by what Mariner says down on the planet - (paraphrasing) regulations are to help guide those who don't know what to do in a given situation. In the end, the Captain agrees with Boimler and realizes she needs to trust her crew enough to use their own talents and decision making to respond appropriately to any given situation. As Starfleet officers, they might not always succeed, but they are well trained and competent at their jobs.

Right now Boimler thrives on strict directions and requirements - the rest of the crew do not and likely react in differing degrees to over-management. Rutherford and Tendi seem to be more flexible/aware during the attack than many of the other crew, so maybe they take slightly better to strict orders. And after all, these lower deckers are still learning, still working on how to take orders before they can give them.

 

[hbquikcomjamesl]

I see that my previous observations about martinet tendencies in the captain were not unjustified.

And putting an entire crew on a relentless schedule of what appears to be mostly make-work, especially at a pace that has them literally running into each other, is a recipe for disaster. "Buffer-time" is both a hedge against the unexpected and an opportunity to disengage with one task and wrap one's mind around the next.

On the other hand, they certainly shouldn't be drinking on duty, even if it's synthehol.

The doctor is of course Caitan. Unless either the Eeiauoans or their parent species, the Sivaoans, have made it into in Starfleet (which, if the ending of Kagan's Uhura's Song is any indication, they probably have, long before the TNG/DS9/VOY/LD era). And with a Caitan as CMO, there's certainly plenty of potential (potentially in a comedy) for the subject of the "Caitan B-plot" Alan Dean Foster added to "Slaver Weapon" in STL10 to be made canonical.

 

[Qonundrum]

Another episode that:

• has the perfect blend and tone
  
• explores post-first contact neatly, complete with terrific comedic mix-up misunderstanding begging for more
  
• explores another new idea with earnestness
  
• feels too fastly paced but leaving us wanting more and wishing it had more time to breathe despite being fun in its own right
• has Boimler drooling over Roga Danar's hair (like who doesn't?)
• showed Mariner being as imperfect along with everyone else and how everyone complements each other beautifully (even Boimler!)
  
• sufficient number of bleeped jokes and the bleeps add TO the fun
• plenty of bleep-free jokes that work wonders
  
• knows when to keep farcical elements in use and when to shelve them to deal with the serious issues, again with earnest
• a "Spock and Spock" quote
• it was largely hilarious seeing Mariner electric-guitar up a diplomatic fiasco a scene* but Shaxs coming in at just the wrong moment and thinking it was Boimler's ukulele causing the fracas, which couldn't have produced THAT amount of noise, is promptly trashed.
  
• O'Brien!

So many nods to the old shows, but not feeling overdone (yet). Danar's is the closest, but the way it's woven in somehow manages to work and not because I resemble Boimler's remark.

What @Jedi_Master, @Ometiklan, and a few others above said.

The episode almost pushes the references (most are good, a couple get excessive), but stays on the right side. Ransom, however, is usually over the top in the wrong direction. Unless we're supposed to cheer rather than feel bad.

* yes, the sound vibrations would not go through space. I didn't care. The scene was hysterical and comedy does come from doing something off the bulkhead wall like that.


9/10