Star Trek: Lower Decks

Moopsy.

I want the merch for this!

Edited by CharlesPhipps on Sep 7th 2023 at 3:27:53 AM

Author of The Rules of Supervillainy, Cthulhu Armageddon, and United States of Monsters.

Do we know who Shax was merged with? I don't recognize the female of half the his merger.

One Strip! One Strip!

Shaxs merged with Ensign Barnes, the Trill that's regularly seen at the helm and most prominently known as the ensign that Rutherford dated in the Season 1 and 2 premieres (and who old Rutherford made cry when he went crazy).

Ah.

Alright. That's a mystery solved.

Anyway, now I got a theory:

The fact that the Klingon and Romulan ships that get attacked both have members of the crew (lower decks in fact) plotting to take out the captain and take over isn't just a joke. It's a plot point. The mystery attacker somehow knows if the ships have any treacherous crew members and is for some reason attacking them based on that.

It's far-fetched and I admit it's more likely that it's just Peanut Hamper, Badgey and that other AI launching their evil plan, but I'm sticking with it until proven wrong.

Hopefully, this'll go better than my Pah-Wraiths theory in Picard Season 3.

One Strip! One Strip!

I forgot Vulcan lady from that "Lower Deckers on other ships" episode was going to be joining the cast. Glad to have her. Honestly, I think Lower Decks is my fav of the new Trek. It's just so flavourful, you know? These characters pop, and I love the weirdness, like the Doc's really weird Holodeck programs, and acknowledging that Voygaer ran into the weirdest stuff, (and might just be straight up cursed).

By my count, we have four extant plot threads going on the reappearance of the Breen, that ship that is going around attacking other ships, Badgie, who got picked up by someone or something at the end of last season, and Boimler's transporter clone working for Section 31. Some of these may end up being related to each other, but I do hope that they don't forget about or drop any of these.

I like to think that Moopsey's are very popular pets with silicon based life-forms, they're that cute.

I'm pretty sure they're alive and will be use in the future, if you don't see a dead body never assume a character died in a TV show.

Good thing that they all got promotions on "Twovix", they're not Harry Kim after all.

Finally up to date on Lower Decks including the first two episodes of Season 4.

Did they switch writers for S4, it feels different? More... mean spirited somehow? Compare the DS9 episode with the VGR one for example. The later is much more about poking at the silly things about Voyager episodes.

That said I was worried that they were going with acknowledging the meme of 'just transport duplicate them and unmerge one to keep everyone' and they didn't thankfully. Still what they did do wasn't... amazing? Hmm.

eta: It really feels like they should have discussed Kim and is long term ensign-ship and him being an upper decker despite it given the themes of the episode.

Edited by dcutter2 on Sep 11th 2023 at 11:29:04 AM

It was basically them getting a lot of references out of the way now cause apparently the rest of the season won’t have a lot of them.

And considering how the resident Cat Doctor reacted to her shots? The hybrid cat man wanting to create a Twovix army makes sense when they learn what became of the OG. Or the shit she does for role play on the Holodecks.

Every accusation by the GOP is ALWAYS a confession.

I wonder where they are taking T'Lynn and her desire to rejoin Vulcan High Command, is she going to have a plot arc of accepting VHC are dicks and she's better off in Starfleet, or are the main cast going to have that attitude, try to convince her and have to learn to accept her and her goals for who/what they are?

Tried to watch s4 of lower decks on prime but it have not come out. Is it a location thing?

Cupcakes are coming, Darling!!

Where are you? I know in the UK it's been moved to Paramount+ only.

In Canada, it got moved from Crave to Paramount+ only too. Although I did get the Prime channel instead of going to Paramount+ itself.

Not Three Laws compliant.

Sweden,have watched lower decks on prime before and s1-3 are still there but no s4.

Cupcakes are coming, Darling!!

Most of modern Trek has been partial to TNG and VOY, the visit to Deep Space Nine last season was seen as a make-up episode to prove it isn't being ignored. So the Voyager episode lacking VOY cameos isn't a big issue, though it might have been nice to see someone at the museum grand opening. Picardo would have been perfect because like, Visitor and Shimmerman, being animated meant they can side step being much older than the character.

I did get quite a good laugh over Boimler getting a room flooded with nacelle light, the show excels at slice of life problem. I was also thinking there has to be some screen or filter he doesn't know about.

I do like the show is acknowledging their characters maturing and allow them to be promoted. It doesn't match real life and there are different career paths but Starfleet does allow officers to go from ensign to captain within 10-15 years, more than 4 years as an ensign indicates a problem like with Mariners insubbordination or Harry Kim's Limited Advancement Opportunities.

Do you not know that in the service one must always choose the lesser of two weevils!

I think one element of the difference between the DS 9 and the VOY callback episodes is that DS 9's legacy is a long and involved plot and a ton of character development and not that much weird shit. Granted, I think the episode would have been funnier if it used the Dosi instead of the Karemma. The Dosi mostly get ignored, but their thing about being extremely aggressive but scrupulously ethical merchants leads to a lot of great comedy potential that isn't really used.

But Voyager? So much goddamn bizarre shit happened on that show over the years that having an episode of callbacks makes sense.

Not Three Laws compliant.

Personally I always loved the Chaotica episodes on VOY thus is good to see him back, and although the episode does pokes fun on VOY most absurd plots and antagonists I didn't feel it to be mean.

The promotions do open new story opportunities, I wonder if they'll take them up or just have them being more or less the same with more pips and different quarters.

Be interesting to have either Mariner or Boimler in command of Jennifer for an away mission and having the handle their personal feelings there and address the sunken ship.

Joining the Maquis is not as easy as just joining a club. It means be part of guerrilla fighting force at war with one major power of the Quadrant, killing people, become a target for Cardassian retaliation etc., and you still would have to follow orders, be discipline, and experience a lot of hard and difficult situations. Heck, you’re better on Starfleet for that matter they’re not at war with anyone. The Maquis acted out of desperation not just rebelliousness Not to mention is a crime to be part of them thus whether you do jail time or you resign your Federation citizenship and live in exile away from your family and love ones.

All those stuffs are things Mariner hardly would be willing to do no matter how much critical she can be of the Federation. Besides it has been shown her criticism is more from the mouth out, part of her façade but is not something she truly and deeply believes, quite the opposite she secretly admires Starfleet and the Federation even if not admits it. In the first seasons Mariner, I think, was presented more like the parody of the typical self-entitled, spoiled millennial hipster who pretends he/she hates the society and system they live but hypocritically still benefits from it. In fact I think she was something similar to this hilarious SNL sketch. She got more mature with time tho.

Edited by TVGuy on Sep 12th 2023 at 7:30:42 AM

I'll add Australia to that list. Anyone know where it might be still on Prime video?

I think the show has been heavily implying that most of Mariner's problems stem from a massive amount of untreated trauma and PTSD because the ship councilor is a bird-brain.

I don't think we can put that all on Migleemo. Mariner's served on four other ships and Deep Space Nine, so her push people away and avoid help thing has worked on more than just him.

I wonder if there's one big moment that broke her that we'll eventually see or if it was just lots of little things like losing her friend to a shapechanger in Cupid's Errant Arrow.

I've never gotten any sort of PTSD vibes from Mariner, Shaxs sure, but Mariner plays up her badass cred just to screw with people.

Mariner is more of a 24th Century equivalent of the bored rich kid, someone whose parents are connected enough she never had to fear failure. That doesn't mean she doesn't have other issues, but because of her personality she needs a hardass like Ransom to order her around more than a therapist she can easily ignore.

Do you not know that in the service one must always choose the lesser of two weevils!

So S4E3