Star Trek: Lower Decks (animated series)

Rawr

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120888041#Comment_120888041

I see… : D

pixelburp

Be warned: for those like myself who have a very shallow reservoir of tolerance for

Spoiler Warning

Musicals

Episode 9 will be of that format. I'll see how much they commit to it before I decide whether to skip it.

eadrom

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120888353#Comment_120888353

Wrong show thread ;-), but there’s a trailer floating around for that and wow… looks like they fully commit! Like full musical dance numbers going on. No idea why from the trailer.

Looks and sounds like a crazy idea but so does a lower decks crossover episode. Can’t wait to see it.

pixelburp

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120888460#Comment_120888460

Whoops! Who'd have thought it: too many Star Trek threads to keep track of 😆

breezy1985

First 8 episode titles are out.

Some are a little spoilerey.

https://www.cygnus-x1.net/links/lcars/eps-LD4.php

Stark

Well I'm intrigued by episode one. Quite a lot to make fun of there I'm sure.

Frank Grimes

Last place I would have expected to see a nod to Garth Marenghi's Darkplace.

pixelburp

"Parth Ferengi's Heart Place"

Well holy shít. As if I didn't already love this show.

If there isn't a Matt Berry reference to Clem Fandango I'll be very upset, may even be tears

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121036314#Comment_121036314

Hopefully it points to a Matt Berry voiced Ferengi.

Clem Fandango has already been in Star Trek so maybe the actor could also make a cameo (not sure this show ever references Disco though)

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121036602#Comment_121036602

Oh I'm hoping that Matt Berry Ferengi references K'lm Son of Dango nearly destroying the Klingon empire

AMKC

The latest trailer just came out,

https://youtu.be/Bx9QfFGsCfw?si=l_8WXPzrrj3WDUtB

Looks fun.

Can't wait.

ItHurtsWhenIP

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121052875#Comment_121052875

I'm actually after re-watching seasons 1 through 3. Quite a bit of that trailer seems to be from those. The new bits look gooooood though. 🤞

The reason for the re-watch was because when they first aired I usually watched them after a few beers at the weekend and didn't give them any heed. I treated them like South Park or Family Guy. Watch once, laugh at whatever I found funny and move on with life. During the recent SNW crossover episode there was the Space Koala in the credits and I was like "Where the hell did that come from?". So I said I'd watch them all sober and really watch them.

So Season one was OK. Fairly funny, but Mariner was very annoying and took some getting used to.

Season two was hilarious and Mariner had mellowed sufficiently so she was less annoying.

Season three was again very funny, and they seemed to have hit their stride now and all the characters were well developed. There was a real heart to this season.

So now I come to my ultimate question ... Is this Trek?

Yes the characters are all extremely ... animated ... but it is a sci-fi comedy.

I'm an old timer, that grew up on TOS and loved Roddenberry's idealistic vision for the future. This was always being portrayed by the crew of the Federation Flagship, or other very significant situations (DS9 and VOY). But realistically there are always others behind these prominent people, who support them and do all the menial stuff, like second contact.

The Great Bird of the Galaxy may not have been happy to have a show focus on these people, particularly for comedic value, but I think it is realistic for this to exist in Roddenberry's universe. So yes. To me it is Trek.

Inviere

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121054347#Comment_121054347

It's a parody of Star Trek. I think the show is absolutely brilliant, and effortless to watch. It's too zany though for me to consider it as existing alongside canon shows. However it is still more Star Trek than rubbish like Discovery could ever hope to be, and is written so so well by people who obviously have a love for Trek too.

flazio

Well what is "Trek"? Ask 50 fans get 50 different answers. Comedies have heart and characters people care about. Think Friends, Scrubs, Brooklyn 99, Fraiser.

Star Trek has always had that element of cheeky fun, Kirk and McCoy ribbing Spock at the end of an episode, that knowing "we'll never speak of this again" look between characters. Different episodes of different shows will land differently among different fans. Lower Decks gives us characters we like and enjoy. Little knowing references. The title sequence shows you if it gets too real the Cerritos is getting out of there at warp factor yeet.

Whether it's Trek or not, it's a fun show, Like The Orville once was, and I'll continue to enjoy it.

AMKC

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121054821#Comment_121054821

Comedies have heart and characters people care about. Think Friends, Scrubs, Brooklyn 99, Fraiser.

How there you mention such rubbish overrated shows here. Heart lol. They have about as much heart as a lump of ice.

The last 3 you mention have been totally forgotting about thankfully and the same with that first rubbish show you mention too.

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121054960#Comment_121054960

I don't know much about Brooklyn 99 but the other 3 are still huge. Friends and Scrubs are even still picking up new fans. Frasier is the only one I like but no denying the rest are not massive.

And seriously learn to fuking quote. You have been asked to do this before and it makes reading your posts an absolute shtshow.

ilovesmybrick

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121055179#Comment_121055179

And Frasier is literally getting a new spin off next month, not exactly forgotten about! Brooklyn 99 is fun, and managed to avoid dropping in quality too much over the years. Early seasons of Scrubs are still decent enough and I was a big fan back in the day, but I will say after rewatching it over Covid the last few seasons began to really drop off in quality.

Inviere

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121054821#Comment_121054821

To define Star Trek isn't an easy thing, short of broad statements like "a show that sets out to explore the human condition." I don't think any true definition of what Trek is, would preclude Lower Decks from being considered as part of it. That said, tonally, it's very clearly a parody of the shows that have come before it. That's fine, in fact, it's better than fine....the show literally walks all over modern "true" Star Trek to be fair. Again though, I don't see a universe where any of the antics of the main cast tally with what has been established by other shows. I'm fine with that though too!

pixelburp

Is Lower Decks Trek?

Of course it is.

And just a broad point I consistently see better character writing in ostensible comedies that so-called dramatic fiction. Comedy writing seems to force to consider the folly and subtleties of being human, dramatic fiction too often susceptible to Big Emotional Moments and drama.

Inviere

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121056911#Comment_121056911

It's as Trek as the original Animated Series, just a lot, LOT, better. God that was an absolute slog to get through.

Comedy certainly has a place in Trek, I think all of the different shows embraced it in some shape or form.

breezy1985

It's as Trek as TNG is. The same TNG that people said "is it Trek ?"

With the exception of the BermanTrek run all Trek has been very different. Even TOS and the original series movies are nothing alike. I think its pointless to watch one type of Trek and worry if it matches up to another canonwise (as in I don't watch TNG and worry if crew are sleeping in corridors)

Inviere

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121057888#Comment_121057888

This is the first official 'parody' of Star Trek though, so it's naturally going to stand out in that sense, and draw fire from certain types.

a_squirrelman

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121054960#Comment_121054960

🤔 Everyone likes different things, all those shows have huge followings.

Evade

While not agreeing with AMKC some series with huge audiences are terrible

pixelburp

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121067694#Comment_121067694

Friends is a really weird watch in retrospect, even beyond the Ross-Rachel pop culture obsession. And very very pre 9/11 in that late 90s pocket of American culture.

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121067694#Comment_121067694

I would say most series with a huge audience.

It's why I always got a giggle from the "no one is watching it" comments regarding poor shows.

Rawr

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121057888#Comment_121057888

+1

Certainly there's a lot ways to look at Trek. But for myself it's always enough for something to under the Star Trek brand to be counted as "Trek" in my head...the only other factor I consider is: is this show any good?

For example, I do consider Discovery to be "Trek". It just happens to be very bad Trek that I don't want to watch anymore, but that doesn't rob the title of Trek from it. Lower Decks is "Trek", with the added bonus of being very good Trek that I enjoy. It's all about the enjoyment...or lack thereof.

ilovesmybrick

Yeah, agree with @Rawr, it's all Trek. Some better than others. Never particularly warmed to TAS, even as a kid, and I don't see myself rewatching Discovery again, but then again these things change. Wasn't a particular fan of Voyager or Enterprise but got into them around 2007 or so again when they popped up on Vimeo (think it was Vimeo). Enterprise I definitely warmed up to more as the years went on. Not sure that will happen with Disco though.

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121073239#Comment_121073239

I still Enterprise mostly sucks but I did warm to some of the characters. Voyager I like less and less as time goes on and only rewatch the hand full of good episodes which funny enough really are some of Star Treks best.