Take Three: Star Trek: Lower Decks

Star Trek: Lower Decks: Season 1, Episode 3 “Temporal Edict” (B-)

I think this episode was enough to tell me that, while this show is indeed enjoyable, it’s probably not something I need to be watching. The goal is to mock the kinds of storylines and concepts that have been solidly established in previous “Star Trek” series, and I think I prefer watching them in their original serious context. Ransom fighting a literal giant with his bare fists and winning was probably the most absurd part of an already exaggerated half-hour, one that found pretty much everything going wrong, which is the general theme of this show. Bringing the wrong gift to an alien race and accidentally offending them enough to start a war was definitely a problem, though it seems the greatest threat they posed was some irritating graffiti. What was more entertaining is that it was Brad whose unintended spilling of the beans prompted Captain Freeman to ban buffer time, and he was the literally the only one who found the new protocol helpful and gratifying since he was able to get so much done. Freeman punished him in the perfect way, naming the new guideline mandating taking shortcuts after him so that, generations down the line, everyone could learn about him as the laziest and least rule-abiding crew member in the history of Starfleet. It was strange that, for once, Beckett wasn’t the only hassling him, but she had her hands full trying to one-up the first officer who stabbed her in the foot and then put her in the brig for refusing to roll her sleeves up. I’d be happy to encounter this show again at some point in the future, but I’m happy to part ways with it for now.

Round Two: Star Trek: Lower Decks

Star Trek: Lower Decks: Season 1, Episode 2 “Envoys” (B+)

I thought I’d give this show another shot even though it’s not necessarily my kind of fare, a bit more slapstick than the comedy I tend to go for, even if I do like Star Trek generally and ultimately enjoyed the last CBS All Access effort, “Star Trek: Picard.” What I like most is the energetic annoyance Beckett so enjoys dishing out, especially when it’s directed at the hapless Brad. He’s such a stickler for following the rules, which made him understandably furious when Beckett decided to tag along on his fancy mission and derail the whole thing, starting with her buddy-buddy friendship with the frightening Klingon general. I think what I found funniest from their misadventures in the Klingon district was her telling him that she wasn’t about to speed-walk since they were both going the same speed. Giving him a win by pretending to mistake the Ferengi for an ally was a good chance to boost his ego, even if she had to suffer the indignity of being the butt of jokes, something I imagine she didn’t mind at all. Sam pulled out all the stops to try to spend more time with D’Vana, and he quickly realized just how bad a fit he was for the bridge when he failed even the easiest simulations (I liked the reference to the Janeway Maneuver) and medical when his bedside manner was the absolute worst. But tapping into his cyborg components to defeat all the Borg in the humorously-named Smorgasborg simulation was impressive, and it was good that he decided he’d still rather be in engineering. It was sweet to see that he and D’Vana did get to spend time together marveling at different things while in the tubes. I may well end up continuing to watch this show.

Pilot Review: Star Trek: Lower Decks

Check out my one-minute take on every new pilot, which is embedded below and you can also watch by subscribing to movieswithabe on YouTube.