Two great Star Trek shows revive the lost art of the gimmicky crossover episode

<em>Lower Decks</em> and <em>Strange New Worlds</em> have a lot of fun blending their styles.

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[Longmile149]

I have nothing of substance to add except a wholehearted recommendation of both shows. Somebody upstream said LD is better than it has any right to be and they’re so right. It’s so good to have an animated show that isn’t trying to be Family Guy or Rick and Morty. Great to watch with a kid and absolutely a blast for long-time fans…and SNW is everything I’ve wanted in a new Trek since…well, forever.

I won’t get to see either new season until they drop on DVD and I grab them at my library, but I’m really looking forward to them both.

Oh, and Anson Mount did a guest spot on an episode of The Greatest Discovery podcast and it’s clear he really loves and gets Trek. I’m super, super happy with how SNW has turned out, and it’s great to have a thing to watch that’s just warm fuzzies and genuine delight.

 

[Kanten]

I hope they do well, up until now it's felt like Picard was the franchise-killer.

Sounds like a quote you hear from someone that didn't get to season 3.

 

[booger1]

Huge SNW fan here. I haven’t watched Lower Decks

Son, stop what you’re doing and call in sick. You wont be moving away from your couch for a serious chunk of time.

Lower Decks is THE SHIZZ

 

[FohENG]

Just watched. Hilarious.

Spoiler

Spock has the creepiest raper-face smile.

 

[DaVuVuZeLa]

I cannot wait for that one. Lets try something new, if you dont enjoy the new stuff you can always go back and re-watch some of the 738 episodes of Star Trek before Discovery\Picard\Lower Decks and Strange New Worlds.

F*$&ING THANK YOU.

 

[chucklepie2]

I cannot wait for that one. Lets try something new, if you dont enjoy the new stuff you can always go back and re-watch some of the 738 episodes of Star Trek before Discovery\Picard\Lower Decks and Strange New Worlds.

Nothing can or will ever beat the Buffy musical episode

 

[panton41]

Nothing can or will ever beat the Buffy musical episode

Weren't there a few shows that did a musical episode back then? I seem to recall Scrubs did as well.

And another show with a rather involved production did a live episode back then, but I forget which one.

 

[Eskimonster]

I´m 48, i never do toons usually. But Lower Decks is hillarious.

 

[panton41]

I´m 48, i never do toons usually. But Lower Decks is hillarious.

I'm 44yo and almost exclusively watch adult-oriented cartoons.

Lower Decks suffered from the problem a lot of shows from an establish production company has in that they try to make the first few episodes more like other shows they also make.

Lower Decks spent the first few episodes being "Rick and Morty, but Star Trek." Same with Solar Opposites. American Dad was "Family Guy with different cast." Same with The Orville. Half the jokes in the few couple seasons of Futurama and Disenchantment were recycled from The Simpsons. Fraiser had the "Cheers in Seattle" problem.

Hell, it wasn't until the third season of Star Trek: TNG that they stopped recycling old Phase II scripts.

 

[Orlowski The Hacktard]

Hopefully we'll see the children of Picard series, at least it's going forwards with Star Trek than going in reverse and where the Orville next season ?

 

[Tridus]

Sounds like a quote you hear from someone that didn't get to season 3.

Considering that calling Picard S2 a dumpster fire is an insult to both dumpsters and fire, it's easy to understand why people may not have continued watching into S3.

Even then, S3 is just Picard abandoning any pretense of having anything insightful to say (as opposed to Picard at his best in TNG) and just goes all in on nostalgia. If you've got TNG nostalgia, it works great.

But if you're new to the franchise and don't have TNG nostalgia? The whole thing is a LOT weaker if it has to stand on its own. Unlike SNW, which can stand on its own and is just enhanced if you're already a fan.

 

[fenncruz]

I'm 44yo and almost exclusively watch adult-oriented cartoons.

Star trek prodigy is also fun and that's a kid-oriented cartoon.

 

[caeldan]

Hopefully we'll see the children of Picard series, at least it's going forwards with Star Trek than going in reverse and where the Orville next season ?

No next season Orville because we are supposed to be getting a TV show about a stoner teddy bear instead

 

[caeldan]

Star trek prodigy is also fun and that's a kid-oriented cartoon.

And unfortunately, the short sightedness of the executives have them canceling and pulling the one new show we have to try and get a new generation of Star Trek fans. And it was actually a solid Trek even for adults.

 

[panton41]

Spoiler

you get 10 eps a year now ....and they waste it on what
maybe when you had 22 or 26 epa year seasons you could pat yourself on back once per 200 or 100 shows
but this is a joke

beginning to see why writers are shoved out on strike and actors are on strike
they are all becoming to high on themselves and over paid

go flip some burgers for a few years and then come back to acting

^ Is too stupid to realize they probably ARE flipping burgers between acting jobs already which is part of their argument.

 

[GreyAreaUK]

I can't get into 'lower decks' since I'm over 14.

We don’t lose our sense of fun because we grow old.

We grow old because we lose our sense of fun.



-Signed: a 56yo Lower Decks fan

 

[pidgin8]

strange new worlds is one of the greatest star trek series ever. its a spin off of discovery which I also loved. I got tired of the same old star trek peace love dope and everyone gets along. the romulans and klingons were always war like and that puts us on a war footing too. I dont give a crap about the klingons not looking like they did in picards day, in fact they looked more like aliens than humans. just putting bumps on a forehead isnt going to convince me theyre aliens..........

Kind of the same. I loved DISCO and enjoying SNW a lot. They both feel fresh and kind of fun, the entire cast is just marvellous.

 

[Doonboggler]

And unfortunately, the short sightedness of the executives have them canceling and pulling the one new show we have to try and get a new generation of Star Trek fans. And it was actually a solid Trek even for adults.

I was so pissed when I heard Paramount had canceled Prodigy. I’m hoping it’s picked up by another studio. Yeah, it was nominally a kids show but it was also some pretty solid Trek.

 

[FishInABarrel]

Weren't there a few shows that did a musical episode back then? I seem to recall Scrubs did as well.

And another show with a rather involved production did a live episode back then, but I forget which one.

ER did the live episode thing, and I think a few other shows did as well.

 

[harlequin69]

There is no shortage of things I wish were different in this world but it gladdens the heart of this 53 year old to see that the internet still gets excited about Star Trek.

 

[sonolumi]

My two favourite modern Star Trek shows, for all the reasons well explained in the article.

No spoilers here:

The episode is everything I wanted from this premise. Nobody was out of character and the warmth & humour of the Strange New Worlds cast (which has always been present) shows that ST:SNW is not far removed from Lower Decks.

There's something to be said for a vision of Star Trek that resolves its plots in an episode, treats its characters as (mostly) functional adults and remembers that a crisis only works for dramatic tension when it is in contrast with the status quo. Strange New Worlds and Lower Decks both ably prove this as the very best modern visions of Star Trek.

 

[FishInABarrel]

You convinced me I should watch Lower Decks.

Another vote for "yes, you should."

I didn't like the first three episodes and actually gave up on it. Much later I decided to give it another chance and, as it turns out, episode 4 was the first one I genuinely enjoyed.

Would you guys recommend strange new worlds to someone who didn't like discovery and whose favourite series are TOS, TNG, DS9, and The Orville?

Yes. My girlfriend and I went into it expecting to hate-watch it because of how bad Discovery and Picard are, but at some point we had to admit that we were actually quite enjoying it. It has much more of the spirit of TNG/DS9 era.

 

[Lorixyz]

I'm so pumped up for the new season and excited to watch the crossover ep! I'm open to all things ST though and one of the few Discovery fans

 

[jason8957]

I'm so pumped up for the new season and excited to watch the crossover ep! I'm open to all things ST though and one of the few Discovery fans

I kind of like Discovery but I don't really think the season long plot model works well.

Also, Sonequa Martin-Green always looks like she is about to start crying. The is the biggest ham of an actor since Shatner, which is OK I guess. I just get tired of so much emotionalism. You'd think she would have learned some emotional restraint from the Vulcans.

 

[caeldan]

I kind of like Discovery but I don't really think the season long plot model works well.

Also, Sonequa Martin-Green always looks like she is about to start crying. The is the biggest ham of an actor since Shatner, which is OK I guess. I just get tired of so much emotionalism. You'd think she would have learned some emotional restraint from the Vulcans.

There's been like two episodes they did with her where it wasn't crisis mode, and she was allowed to be something else and they were actually well done.

That and the few episodes where they look at the rest of the crew and ignore Burnham entirely.

 

[dacushman]

I kind of like Discovery but I don't really think the season long plot model works well.

Also, Sonequa Martin-Green always looks like she is about to start crying. The is the biggest ham of an actor since Shatner, which is OK I guess. I just get tired of so much emotionalism. You'd think she would have learned some emotional restraint from the Vulcans.

While pretty true, I don't think that's the fault of the actor (Martin-Green) necessarily I'm this case. I haven't seen as much of their body of work. Shatner on the other hand hammed up anything he was given. My mind flashes to an episode of Colombo he was in.

I do resonate with a lot of the criticisms of Discovery. I generally try to just enjoy these things for their own sake but with the short episode counts and the fact that they feel the need to ratchet up tension episode by episode and season by season makes me feel like they are trying to give me a heart attack. And the speeches. And the tears. Every episode it's like they are trying to channel Shakespeare. With all that it's tough on the actors I am sure.

(However I absolutely love Doug Jones Saru)

 

[Batmanuel]

That episode was great, and harkens back to an era when shows had breather episodes. This was definitely one of those for DS9: it was in the middle of the Dominion War and right before the final arc.

One of the things I really miss in Discovery and Picard is those moments. I frankly find both of them exhausting to watch because they're always in existential crisis mode, all the time. And I blame the shorter seasons for that in that they simply lack the time to give us a breather episode.

DS9 did give us those, and they were a great chance for the audience to relax and get to know the characters when the fate of the Federation isn't at stake. I really appreciate SNW being willing to devote an episode to a light, silly tone like this. (Also I love Lower Decks so I'm pumped for this.)

The X-Files also had really great non-mythology episodes. Now that we know back badly the main story arc ended, the non-mythology episodes like Bad Blood and Clyde Bruckman’s Final Repose are the ones I tend to rewatch.

 

[Rookie_MIB]

The Lower Decks trailer is also out. "Dude, this is nothing compared to, y'know, that Pike thing we aren't supposed to talk about."

View: https://youtu.be/lCQwncbQx04

OMG. Dammit i just spit my Monster out on to my screen. Hahaha! That was too hilarious. I have to say, both of these shows are excellent. Yes, LD is animated, a bit over the top, but dammit, it's fun and funny. SNW is (IMHO) some of the better Trek I've seen especially as of late. Picard was good. DISCO was ok to good on occasion, but this -really- nails down the Trek feel, with the episodic series and the way they handle it.

 

[FohENG]

I think they’re trying to soften us up with episodes like this before hitting us hard with the inevitable Gorn. I almost forgot about that little bit at the end of episode one with the Gorn attack ship at the border.

 

[redshadow]

Just an amazing episode. Everything you could want in a crossover. I laughed so hard throughout the whole thing.

Spoiler: Lampshading

I loved it when Una's overhears Mariner saying at least they weren't stuck in a dystopian San Francisco in the middle of a riot, and calls out Lower Deck's super fan targeted dialogue. "Anyone notice that their references are weirdly specific?"

 

[bbf]

The Lower Decks trailer is also out. "Dude, this is nothing compared to, y'know, that Pike thing we aren't supposed to talk about."

One of my favorite small moments of the show is when Mariner and Boimler are talking to Pike in his cabin and Pike says "I already know" then turns away from them and the shot goes back to the Mariner and Boimler, it's Mariner's hand movements in a way that I think emulate the shape of Pike's hoverchair and then leaving one hand open next to her face righ when she and Boimler say "So you already know." in a shocked manner.

It's just "so" in character for Mariner.

In my opinion, the show did a great job of integrating the frenetic energy of the animated Lower Decks characters into a live action show.

The only thing that puzzled me was that Boimler was actually quite competent and much more likeable in "live action" form than when he's animated. Also the fact that he's not really all that flustered or awkward when Chapel and Ortega sit on either side of him and socialize with him at the "bar"

 

[Happy Medium]

Just finished watching the episode and I was enjoying every minute of it. The whole concept shouldn't have worked based on how different the shows are but they blended the two expertly. They captured the quirkiness of the lower decks crew in live action.

It's a blink and you miss it moment but Boimler does his power walk and looks as absolutely ridiculous in live action as it does animated. I had to pause the episode many times I was laughing so hard.

The physical work of Tawny Newsome and Jack Quaid in this episode are amazing. If you watch things closely you notice Boimler's power walk, but also his hilarious run, and many many nervous ticks (watch the way he reacts to a certain explosion, it's pitch perfect for the cartoon). Tawny is a bit more subtle (though Mariner generally is less exaggerated than Boimler in the cartoon) but does some amazing work at mimicking Mariner's stances and physical expressions, as well as her very interesting way of sitting down and the way her body language rapidly shifts when she realizes she's getting herself into trouble. Quite honestly, it wasn't a very DEEP episode, but it stands up there with DS9's Trials and Tribble-ations as a crossover episode that really, REALLY loves both source shows. It's not surprising that Jonathan Frakes directed it.

 

[brian_1]

Sat in the third row of Hall H (never again will that happen) for the SDCC premiere. Look, I'm hopeless when it comes to Trek. Old enough to have watched TOS on NBC WHEN IT FIRST AIRED. Couple of things I've missed (parts of DS9 and Voyager--holding out for the HD remaster), but not much. The lore of Trek is in my bones. Even enjoyed Disco and Picard without nitpicking every weakness. But this, THIS--was next level. Laughing so hard I could barely see the screen half the time. So much (well done) fan service & Easter eggs. My wife--no Trek fan and she usually despises animation--loved it. LOVED IT. Despite having no clue on 90% of the insider references. This was a masterpiece and an instant classic, up there with the best Trek ever committed to film. For those of you sceptical about the musical... I share your concerns. But after what I've just seen (twice so far), I'm damnwell going to show up and find out what they do with it. The crew that made These Old Scientists just might pull it off.

 

[Happy Medium]

Sat in the third row of Hall H (never again will that happen) for the SDCC premiere. Look, I'm hopeless when it comes to Trek. Old enough to have watched TOS on NBC WHEN IT FIRST AIRED. Couple of things I've missed (parts of DS9 and Voyager--holding out for the HD remaster), but not much. The lore of Trek is in my bones. Even enjoyed Disco and Picard without nitpicking every weakness. But this, THIS--was next level. Laughing so hard I could barely see the screen half the time. So much (well done) fan service & Easter eggs. My wife--no Trek fan and she usually despises animation--loved it. LOVED IT. Despite having no clue on 90% of the insider references. This was a masterpiece and an instant classic, up there with the best Trek ever committed to film. For those of you sceptical about the musical... I share your concerns. But after what I've just seen (twice so far), I'm damnwell going to show up and find out what they do with it. The crew that made These Old Scientists just might pull it off.

Do your self a favor and just finish watching DS9 and Voyager. Unfortunately, while the actor shots were shot on film, both shows were downconverted to low resolution 480i for the CGI effects and editing unlike a lot of TNG where things were still being composited on film. Unless a fan does it using something like AI to fill in detail, I'm pretty sure we're not getting high resolution re-releases of DS9 and Voy.