Star Trek: Lower Decks

(in case you've never seen a picture)

Federal Farmer agrees!

Beep, beep, muthafuckas!

Like I pointed out l last season, they often show his credits when Mariner is talking trash about some unnamed person or when there was one time his name popped up just as they were showing a garbage floating in space. I think this is intentional.

Yes, it might be intentional. Likely as a friendly gag or, probably, a nod to the crybaby Trek nerds who think Kurtzman raped them.

Kurtman is one of the Executive Producers of Lower Decks. I doubt anyone working on the show is going to be malicious in making fun of him without risking their job.

30 Rock used to do it to Lorne Michaels all the time, and 30 Rock was basically the Lower Decks of SNL. #hottake

This one is by far the best one.

Okay, no one wants to comment about the gag at the end of the episode? Anyone? Bueller? I woke up my dog, I laughed so hard #JusticeForTashaYar

Kinda nice to see the show expanding the roster of background characters and that Boimler being the butt of the joke is what ends up saving the day. Also nice callback to the Orion episode of Mariner remembering Tendi's first name.

"Pakled Planet" of course it is...but I like how they've woven them into the show as the show's most pervasive threat and expanded their lore too.

I was waiting for others to comment on the episode, but yeah... that ending was awesome, and I likewise had a serious belly laugh from it.

Boimler saving the day is why Boi-iner is gonna happen.

The end gag was pretty good, "What stuff? Stop that!" and "I am a skin of evil... augh!"



But the part that made me burst out laughing was "GET OUT OF MY CHAIR!!.... Go clean up airlock seventeen, Packled did something unspeakable in there."

I didn't miss Mariner calling Tendi Davana (spelling probably incorrect) which she's never done for the other characters and told her she was pan, so.....

Ship jokes aside, I feel this is the closest the show's gotten to an episode that explores the friend group dynamics for all four characters. It's nice that Boims didn't ditch his friends to advance his career and it was sweet Tendi got them all the same assignment so they could get a small piece of the action while chewing the other two out for being whiny dicks. Plus, it was fun seeing Mariner be the Boimler of the group for a while.

I do have to say overall, I'm vibing with Season 2. I love callbacks to past Trek lore, like the Redshirt gag and the Skin of Evil thing, but I really love when it does it's own thing to add to Trek lore more. It's what I'd wanted from Enterprise and was overall disappointed with from season 4, improved writing (mostly) aside.

Here's hoping they'll give us an extra episode or two next season.

Also, thanks for being the one place I can make shipping jokes without people being butthurt, which is 95 percent of the reason I stayed at Wordforge after Enterprise ended.

I dunno... seemed like Boimler got a date to the Winger Bingston show with Ensign Castro near the end of the episode. Could be cute if that ship sets sail

(That said, I kinda want Rutherford and Barnes to work out if only to give Tendi motivation to better herself and work out her insecurities... though we all know the next Red Alert will sink that ship again )

Good ep! Lots of nice touches here - particularly Boimler's actual leadership versus the "give the crew a speech" thing the Redshirts tried. Though his imaginary Captain speech was pretty good too - though it looks like the speculation that we'd see future Captain Boimler commanding his own Galaxy-Class ship was just his imagine spot here with a "makeover" from Jennifer. Looks like he might have a shot with Ensign Castro, though (note, she's the one who got mentioned in S1 as being Lower Decks royalty due to having served on the Enterprise-E)!

Boimler's makeover with the padded uniform is a subtle jab at the 90s shows as all the male uniforms were padded there.

When the Kzinti officer slouches to show Boimler's poor posture, it's the same slouch the Kzinti on TAS used to do all the time.

Ransom is taking note of what the Lower Deckers are doing - a far cry from S1. Is it just because he's keeping closer tabs on Mariner now the mom/daughter thing is out? Or is he genuinely coming to respect the Lower Deckers?

The Armus prank call was fucking hilarious.

That was one of the most entertaining episodes of the season so far.

The Armus prank was funny but I'm surprised no one pointed out what was easily the best bit of the episode:

"I need to learn to blow something brass."

This season has been solid. This episode was all around entertaining, but the Armus joke at the end was hilarious.

The Armus joke was definitely a cherry on top. A really good episode overall, with Tendy being my favorite as always. Mariner's constant injury from the "junk" collected was funny to watch, and it was nice to see Boimler grow a little, and not be a brown nosey Starfleet wannabe type, or at least not as much. I don't like Pakleds, so not a fantastic episode, but easily 7/10. This has been a very good season so far.

Anyone think the Romulans are the ones backing the Pakleds?

Nope, I reckon it's Badgey or Peanut Hamper.

Romulans would be a bit stale at this point. Don't have them revert to villains just before Romulus goes FOOM! just to make us feel less sympathetic.

Also, yes, it was good to see Mariner being the butt of the slapstick for a change. Also explains WHY she hates ACD with such a passion knowing this sort of crap happens.

Let's imagine ACD on the E-D. Picard's Kurlan Naiskos just HAS to have some weird shit going on - when he said it represents the many voices in our heads, maybe it telepathically brings them to the fore (but only on a special day for the Kurlans)? Data's lab has Lal and Lore's bodies in it, creepy! (and did they ever transfer Graves' memories out of the computer after The Schizoid Man?)... Barclay has Moriarty in a little holocube. And let's not even think about what Guinan might have in her special reserve.

I didn’t notice this, but apparently those glowing tube things seem across a lot of science fiction shows up in every lab they visit in this episode.

Orions would make sense thematically, or MU Mariner.

That prop was originally made for The Incredible Hulk, and has been used in countless shows and movies since then. Including V, Buck Rogers, Knight Rider. It was made by a company called Modern Props.

I watched that video earlier which is why I brought it up here.

I believe that they had something similar to that in Forbidden Planet as well.

Holy shit Billups backstory

Also, fuck licorice

A clear send up on the Lxuanna Troi stories to get Troi married off

Was anyone surprised that Billups was a virgin?

This is one time I wish Mariner faced A Consequence™ for that peak Blue Falconry. Was legit mad for the little homie Boimler...but also, why the hell would Random listen to Mariner on this? But the dude really has grown a lot this season, moreso than most of Voyager or Enterprise's cast did in a full series run.

As shitty as Mariner's shit was this week, that too is keeping in the characterization regarding her abandonment issues. Unlike the later 90s Trek shows, I do trust that the writers will address this before season's end.

So are Tendiford gonna be a thing eventually, or...?