Ups & Downs From Star Trek: Lower Decks 3.2 - The Least Dangerous Game
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- Опубліковано 12 вер 2024
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"The bartender rips your arm off and kills you with it. It is not an honorable death since, technically, you have died by your own hand." my favorite quote of this episode.
It was a great line but I always thought it weird the writers decided Klingons didn't like suicide in DS9. Wasn't Worf gonna kill himself after his spinal injury in TNG? And it makes sense on some level with the "coward's way out" stiff upper lip stuff we believe now (probably influenced by a Judeo Christian ethic), but like you go back and warrior cultures around the world through most of history are totally fine with a warrior deciding to die by a warrior's hand (their own). Even noble under some circumstances. And yes I know humans vs Klingon ethics and history, but Klingons aren't real and are written by human writers.
@@rubaiyat300 What do you mean by "Klingons aren't real..."?
@@rubaiyat300 I'd think it's not just that the person is "killing their self", but that it's happening while the person was still fully capable of being a warrior. In Worf's case, the injury was considered a permanent crippling, to where he would be unable to fulfill any of his "warrior duties". In this case, it's a supposedly fully functional warrior getting killed by a bartender, either low-born or undercover warrior. THAT is where the "dishonor in dying by one's own hand" comes from, not merely JUST dying by one's own hand.
Or the pun was simply too delicious to pass on.
@@rubaiyat300 "Dying by your own hand" in this case means you pulled the pin and threw it instead of the grenade. It was a stupid death, thus not an Honorable one.
@@midniteoyl8913 There you go. This one, they get it. Great line to end the episode on.
Sorry Sean, but I have to disagree with your initial down. I think the whole point of skipping over the backstory for the first episode is that this is "Lower Decks". These characters usually miss the major action. That's the point. I feel that episode 1 barely showing us that, and moving quickly on is the point of the satirical nature of this series. Is it disappointing? Sure. Is it supposed to be? I really think so.
We got to see the full effect of that not being in the loop thing was in I, Excretus. When Freeman, Shaxs, T'Ana and Ransom did their Hollo projection. Look at all of the crazy shit that was being described in that scenario and the commander was basically telling Freeman absolutely nothing that was going on. As he was talking about Borg, Q and Jem He'dar. So to me it kind of stands to reason that our crew isn't going to really be dealing with the Fallout from The Trial
@@bemasaberwyn55 the fallout from the trial is Ransom riding herd over Mariner.
The entire point of the episode is just how much extra BS she puts herself through by not listening and automatically assuming she's always right. She needs to be a maverick *strategically*, not just all the time.
Exactly, the writing formula is the A storyline is the C Storyline and the C is the A. The entire show mimics the TNG episode “Lower Decks”. I’m fine with not seeing the trial or ever finding out what happend to Shax. The Trans Dimensional sphere for Season 1 episode 2 was also never explained or mentioned after it went inside Captain Freeman. That’s the Gag, we’re are the lower decks.
@@darklordofsword you're right.....but I was more talking about things like the "a" plot (working after being on Trial)
@@good_teanice_house6789 EXACTLY. Or as Boimler stated in season 1 "the senior officers don't ALWAYS have time to brief us"
I really appreciate that they took the five seconds to address the question of how it is the Chancellor of the Klingon Empire would have time to lend voice to a tabletop RPG. Leaning into it being a Ferengi deepfake really adds the cherry to the top of that cake.
Imagine the reaction of Martok and Klingon empire to this, and how Ferengi deny any connection to it shamelessly.
@@randomdude8202 “You have besmirched the honorable image rights of my client! We will be eviscerating you and your families… in court.”
@@randomdude8202 "Cowardly Ferengi! I will rip you limb from limb! I shall bathe in your blood! I will - wait, are you recording this?"
@@randomdude8202 Oh, the Ferengi are nice enough to pay him a small bit of royalties.
I love J.G. Hertzler doing Martok. You can tell he had a lot of fun doing it.
Re: The Billups thing. Asexual doesn’t inherently mean aromantic (speaking from personal experience here), and they DID include Ransom commenting about how they didn’t want to make a king out of him, so I think that Down is a tad unfair.
And if they don’t start putting out official Bat’leth and BiHnuchs boards, THEN MARKETING HAS NO HONOR!
Marketing never had honor to begin with.
Agreed he missed the point was that there's no romantic or sexual connotation with the kisses that's just how they greet people.
Hear hear.
as an ace, sometime it's just nice when you can do things that were sexualized in your culture without the sexual context and baggage. like it's nice to be able to kiss and cuddle with no expectations of sex. affection? hell yeah. sex? no thanks.
I actually laughed the most at the "Control yourself, Andy. We wouldn't want you to accidentally become a King down there." line
Yes, the three branches of government: Sentient Volcano, Super Computer and Telepathic Baby. Seems like a solid system to me.
It’s so perfectly Star Trek
😂 yes
"It provides checks and balances. How dare you question our form of government." 😂😂
I thought we were an autonomous collective....
Honestly, I have to disagree about the "down" for more of the story not being about Freeman's trial, or the investigations, or anything related to it. In the end, this show is called "Lower Decks" for a reason. It's not about the captain or bridge officers. It's not about the chief engineer or the doctor. It's about the grunts charged with changing out the holodeck's filters and cleaning up after the ... um.... mating rituals of endangered space creatures. The simple fact is, there really was nothing they could do, and the frustration over that was the point of the story.
exactly. for all intents and purposes, the bridge crew members are just side characters in this show.
Literally: lower decks
Not a show about the bridge crew.
Exactly.
And the rush through of “everything happened while you were busy” puts us alongside the Lower Deck crew - we don’t get to see everything, just as they don’t, and get to live knowing that cool stuff happened off-screen
I don't necessarily disagree with the first Down, but... that's the show, my dude. The Big Stuff happens offscreen, with characters who have to deal with The Big Stuff. The Lower Decks crew doesn't deal with conspiracies and stuff on the Captain level; they just deal with the fallout and don't get the Upper Decks info (especially now that Mariner isn't her mom's right hand anymore)!
Yeah, the whole first episode is a troll. And that’s the point. Lower Decks don’t get in on this stuff
It also points to the idea that Starfleet wouldn't take this idea that a Starfleet captain would blow up a planet at face value, they did their due diligence and tried to find the most probable reason, which they did. The whole trial was a show trial that was meant to lower the Pakled's guard to uncover their ruse, nothing more.
Brilliant observation! Thank you! Lower Decks isn't about all that "important people" stuff. You're right! It's supposed to happen off screen.
Lower Decks characters don't have protagonist privilege, which isn't all bad! It seems like a lower-stress existence, at least.
Some don’t seem to get that’s the whole point of the show.
"You eat breakfast and gain a +3 to stamina!" Martok f'ing rocks, dude.
In all seriousness, I would pay for a app that was nothing but Martok screaming stat buffs for doing mundane self-care tasks.
@@KentuckyKaiju "You shaved your ass! +5 to shitting!" My God, it's magical.
@@explorinjenkins349 “It was an honorable movement.”
@@KentuckyKaiju "You brushed your teeth and combed your hair! +2 to Charisma for the day!"
You know we could totally do that make a deepfake of martok with the same AI as they used to make val Kilmer voice in the top gun sequel plus this it would be great to add to the board game also.
If they followed Freeman's trial, it would just be another Star Trek show. It's supposed to focus on the lower decks crew and how things affect *them* - which is what we got. How the trial affected our 4 guys.
Also, were the aliens this week based on the white haired / orange skinned aliens from The Apple?
Plus I feel like it was part of the whole joke that every one but becket and her friends knew that it was going to be OK, because they completely trusted in the system and it worked. The fact that there was this whole epic story line behind the scenes is part of the fun and very on brand for the lower decks not being informed about it.
I think they were based on the aliens from season 1 of TNG who ran around everywhere and tried to execute Wesley
@@KalEL224 The Edo were definitely the primary cultural influence! 👍
I was wondering about their physical design - down to the hair style. It reminded me of the people on Gamma Trianguli.
Definitely a mix of the people from Gamma Trianguli VI and the Edo.
@@KalEL224 that was what i thought too!
The cliffhanger being resolved immediately and off-handedly is the joke.
One you missed;
The crewmate who became the captain of the Inglewood is described as "the guy who gets stabbed with a spear on a primitive planet". That's a DOUBLE reference to both a TOS episode and to the crazy crystal people from season 1 "Temporal Edict" because that's the same Bolian crewman who caused the whole problem by mixing up the cases and got a spear through his shoulder.
NO BODY DIES FROM A SPEAR WOUND IN THE 2380S
Umm... disagree about dragging out the freeman story... because it is "lower deck" the epic stories that you were talking about would have been about the upper deck. The show is about how the lower decks viewpoint. "measure of a man" would been upper deck.
Agreed. A random pair of ensigns on "The D" would have been like;
"Hey, did you hear that Lieutenant Commander Data was on trial to find out if he was property or not?"
"No, that's kinda messed up. Did you hear that Guinan got a case of the good Bolian Schnapps in this morning?"
"Sweet! Let's head to Ten Forward after we clean this antimatter injector grease off of our uniforms!"
Exactly. Part of the point of the entire series is that the lower deck crew are just along for the ride - a bit like being shoved into the trunk of a car just along for the ride.
I felt like Boimler"s story is similar to TNG Tapestry. Picard who was more bold and adventurous eventualy became Capitan. Whereas when he was cautious he went unnoticed.
(edit) Also both adventurous versions of the characters were stabbed in the chest.
Yes! I got that vibe too!
Re:Billups. Keep in mind that, along with the asexual thread, there’s also been hints that he does desire basic affection (in the general sense, not a sexual one). He’s carried himself with a bit of loneliness and isolation at times and really seems to light up when others enjoy his company. There’s also the conversation we only catch a piece of in ‘First First Contact’ where he’s a bit emotionally frayed about a server seemingly being affectionate towards him in way that he claims is *different* from what would be typical for the role (take that however you will).
My thought being that it can be entirely consistent for Billups to be completely ace but also appreciate a genuine gesture of physical intimacy such as a hug or even a kiss as long as it’s all kept chaste. No contradiction necessary.
And they mentioned “don’t e one a king down there”
Well there us that part where if Billups loses his virginity, he can then become king of the Renaissance Planet.....
I don’t think he’s asexual at all. He just loves engineering more than being royalty and has taken a vow of abstinence. I like that he got a little excited.
As an asexual, myself, I won't say Billups is or isn't an ace.
That said, this would be consistent if he were and I appreciate the more nuanced portrayal.
Ye he could just be ace-romantic or possibly Demi
I loved that Kranch said his species practices catch and release 🤣
When you think about it, the talking Volcano has the wisdom of eons, The supercomputer has vast knowledge and intellect, and the psychic baby can really understand the needs, hopes and desires of the people. Pretty good team
"Tendi in the Towel" is gonna get lots of fanart. Calling it now.
See, I adored the fact that they set up this epic cliffhanger and then it turned out the entire episode was basically the B-plot to a full on Trek episode happening elsewhere. That's the joke. I thought it was hilarious that they hand waved away this entire epic resolution, which the main characters missed out on entirely because Mariner insisted on running off and doing her own thing. It was a gag. It was hilarious. If it had been an epic season long thing it would have been Discovery or something, not Lower Decks, which exists to, as you might say, take the piss out of the greater Trek. They poke fun at all of the tropes of Trek and honestly I felt like waving away what would have been an epic story arc on *any OTHER Trek* show and then shrugging and blithely moving along *was the funny part.*
Isn't it possible Billups was excited about being pampered and not having to do the elevator work rather than the physical stuff from a sexual way? Asexual doesn't mean unexcitable after all. He's basically getting a free vacation. He might also know what Ransom is doing and is intentionally saying things that will get a rise out of Mariner?
Right!?! I know a couple people who are asexual, and they still enjoy being pampered at a spa.
The thing that got me about this episode was pretty simple: Ransom endangers the entire mission and the lives of two fellow officers because he's testing Mariner?! He SHOULD get in deep shit for that. There's a reason he's trained to do one job and engineers another. Bridge officers have been portrayed as questionably competent throughout LD, but this goes beyond that to just straight up psychiatric level stupidity.
He was very clearly power tripping because it was Mariner we've seen before that he's actually a good mentor. It doesn't forgive what he did but he at least he admitted it
Seems to me like Ransom is making the exact actions necessary to quickly become an average Starfleet Admiral.
Yeah that really bothered me
It's a sitcom. Most sitcom characters could be arrested for so many, many, many things.
@@Pandapeep True, though due to the nature of this show, it's likely that he did get reprimanded by the Captain. We just don't see it because we only get the junior officer perspective. She also sees that having them paired off is actually yielding positive results for Mariner, and he did strengthen relations with the planet, as well, so she's probably willing to let it slide.
I think the way they handled the season 2 cliffhanger going into the season 3 pilot is very typical of how legacy trek, especially TNG, do cliffhanger season enders that immediately get resolved during the next season premiere.
You're out of your mind staring this video with a down. Episode 1 was perfect. The season is only 10 episodes long. The captain's trial played out just the way it needed to.
Agreed. If this was a twenty some odd episode long season like 90's Trek was, I'd love to have seen episode one turned into a multi-episode arc. As it is, I think it plays out just like it should. If anything the wrap up adds to the comedy of the episode since normal Trek WOULD have played it out more.
The summation of how Captain Freeman was vindicated sounded like a better story than the episode 1 that we got. Also, they could have made a joke about the Trek trope of moving on and not talking about something significant ever again, but they didn’t
He's always nitpicking for the sake of nitpicking. Maybe he gets too many "you like this too much" comments and feels the need to overcompensate? I though it was pretty on-brand that a Star Trek cartoon centered around parody of other Trek would just act like the previous episode didn't happen... like MOST of the shows do. Probably the only way Chief O'Brien didn't go bat-$#!+ crazy!
@@brianbohn2658 I agree. It’s kinda Sean’s thing. He nitpicks for the sake of nitpicking. I think he’s worried about having an all “ups” episode.
Think you are still missing the theme/point of Ep 1 (and even the whole series) -our protagonists are 'lower decks' they are routinely overlooked and left out.
In 'real' trek; the trial, investigation and covert operations would have been front and center -done by the protags (capt/cmdr/etc), in lower decks our mains are at best supporting characters in their universe.
In universe; while all the in universe main characters were doing high level and important work/missions -from their perspective; Mariner and co. just stole a starship in a childish rescue attempt.
Also: affection and human contact is not inherently sexual -think that is a your personal bias thing...otherwise getting hugged by a friend or kissed by a family member would be...weird.
exactly!! it was very much in tune with lower decks theme. it would have been odd if lower decks were part of the team that helped prove Freeman's innocence.
I agree. I don't get his dislike of the slideshow story last week. I loved it and it completely fit with the show being lower decks.
Exactly, and since this show is a parody, skipping over it entirely with no acknowledgement is the whole point. It's the same joke as how people don't stay dead.
How did you miss the most obvious parallel to K’ranch - the Hirogen in Voyager?!
There's also the Taureans, they used massive spears.
and the differences: Boimler wasn't on the holodeck, there were no safety protocols (to disable or enable), he was willingly participating in the "killing game" and was not unaware of the circumstances caused by brainwashing by some neural inhibitor.
Fun deep cut: when Boimler and Tendi are talking at the bar, he can be seen in the background clearly propositioning others to be his prey. He approaches a Vulcan ensign and two of the orange-skinned people who tell him 'No' before getting to Boimler and Tendi.
Oh, I knew he was going to ask Boimler something he'd regret.
Oh I don't know. There was Billups being "forced" to couple just after finding out his mother just "died", then there is Billups having fun at an almost vacation situation...not being "forced". The scenarios being so black and white, it's not a breaking character type. He's having fun compared to mourning his dead mother and leaving the life he loves.
Yeah, I thought the rule was that if he had sex he became king of his home planet, but he refrained to remain in Starfleet. There is a big difference between that and a little bit of diplomatic kissing. With or without tongue.
I love that the hunter is a conservationist. In the real world, most hunters (as distinguished from poachers) are conservationists. It's a lovely tie-in to real life.
Someone should tell the Hirogen about that philosophy.
Behind the scenes says Kranch got his name from combining ketchup and ranch.
@@KentuckyKaiju They were kinda getting there in "The Killing Game".
Like Elmer Fudd being a vegetarian who only hunts for sport
Yet the fact that he’s still dude-bro enough to take a second selfie was just the icing on the cake of that joke; the cherry & sprinkles too! 😆
I'm 95% sure towel clad Tendi was explicitly meant to provide rule 34 inspiration.
All things considered, still not as hornily written as the "decontamination procedures" in ENT.
@@philtkaswahl2124
It was neat how the scene was really sexy yet completely unsexualized whereas Enterprise was like: "Hey...look...hey..hey...DO YOU SEE WHAT WE'RE DOING!?"
@@JeanLucPicard85 Yup, felt like a completely natural part of the interaction while the decon scenes just felt forced.
1. (6:25) *_"Tendi in a towel."_** ~* It always amuses and impresses me with how the ST:LD writers & animators work-in these lightly touched fan-service moments with Tendi. You can almost hear the fan-fiction writers and fan-artists throughout the world leaping into action every time it occurs. *;p*
2. *_'But why would Tendi need a towel?'_** ~* To cover/answer such questions... *;)*
- a.) *Sonic Showers ~* Yes, the common method for cleaning oneself aboard a Starfleet (if not most others) starships is a Sonic Shower, which uses sonic vibrations to cleanse the body and hair (if any). Obviously, no water is involved.
- b.) *Still Available ~* However, water showers/baths are also still generally available too, if desired; at least, on most Starfleet vessels.
Thanks for uploading this, *TrekCulture.* :)
Tendi in only a towel? Sonic vibrations being applied all over her body? What's this over/under on how many fanfic videos have already been created for that scene?
Down 1: Lower Decks wouldn't be privy to those situations. I think it was a way for Mike McMahon to return to the obscurity of the Team Lower Decks which puts a little distance between senior officers we normally see and the lower deckers that we rarely see.
This exactly! Mike himself said that this season was going to be about the B-stories!
With Divana moving to science officer track from medical officer track, Divana's the only one of the four not identified with a senior officer. Boimler is attached to Freeman; Mariner to
Ransome; Rutherford to Billups; and Tendi's connection to T'Ana is broken. Wonder what they'll do with her....? My guess is Section 31.
The natives' coloring reminded me very much of The Feeders Of Vaal. All they needed was a little face paint here and there.
Also, don't forget the metal antennae that comes out of the side of their head.
yeah, they also have the dark orangish skin and light colored hair thing going on.
yeah, the natives are totally the feeders of Vaal from TOS ... orange skin, white hair, flower decor and sacrifices in a volcano.
I guess they updraded goverment a bit, adding a sentient baby and a computer, cause volcano was not enough 🤣
A mix of them and the Edo.
I was honestly worried that there would be multiple episodes dealing with the trial and am thrilled that it was over in an episode with a lasting consequence with Ransom and Mariner. I would have absolutely hated the season being forced to revolve around Freeman being in court. It would have been so limiting.
Me too. I really dislike court case episodes.
I much prefer episodic S.F. seems to want this to be more collections of long plot arc. Sitcoms almost always reset to the default at the end if each episode and are rarely about "character growth" (and even TNG had minimal growth in the crew which is why it's an easier rewatch than later series that were more arc bound)
I would have liked it to be a sort of Rascals-like arc, where they would try to (as rag-tag civilians) travel to different planets & get in silly situations whilst trying to free Freeman...
that would have been rather fun I think...
felt the trial to be rather a meaningless fluke here... generally, the third season has slightly lost the thread... still best show in current ST, but not as tight/interesting of a story as the first two seasons..
Glossing over the big details and withholding information is exactly what happens to lower deckers! Also, having the trial would be SUCH a downer. They're called "courtroom DRAMA" for a reason!
@@GraceSerenityK accept, I was not kind of wanting them to "show the trail", more, to showing the life of mariner and her friends as outlaws in the universe of the federation...
not saying this is against the shows character the way they did it, but, I did want them to do something more with it..
the first one was slightly too much easter-eggs, a little too boring... whilst the last one was a little too... mundane maybe.. very little progress in the universe I feel.
Why does Tendi look hot in a bath towel?
Because she does
Cos Orion
Tendi is always hot
Does Ransom have any Scottish ancestors who were groundskeepers?
Also, not only did the aliens in this episode were reminiscent to the aliens of Edo, they were also similar to the followers of Vaal from the ST: TOS episode The Apple.
I did NOT see the selfie coming. I thought that K'Ranch would end the hunt with "tag, you're it" but the episode's way is actually better.
I always have the captions turned on and for some reason, seeing "K'Ranch" and hearing "kranch" I kept saying "Kool Ranch" in my head.
I love the Cetacean Ops scenes in Lower Decks. It feels like it’s being setup as a running gag that will become a major plot point in the future.
Have you also noticed the strange similarity between the Bolian crew and the Lower Decks crew? The woman on the left is Bolian Mariner, the one on the right is Bolian Tendi. I'm not exactly sure whether the guy on the left is Boimler or Rutherford, though...
Boimler. Bolian Rutherford is on the right.
What I love the most about Lower Decks from the 1,000,000 km view is that there's so much biting humor and at any given moment it could descent into cynicism or pettiness or by lessening one character just to sell a joke. And it never does that, not without also redeeming or otherwise setting thing aright in the same manner within the same context. That's the genius.
The cetacean ops officer Matt and Kimolu need a solo episode dealing alien whales 🐋 second contact
I'm imagining an episode that's entirely set in cetacean ops. Every once in a while one of the regular cast comes in and Matt and Kimolu just try to bring them into whatever conversation they were just having.
Sort of like the episode of Pinky and the Brain where we get to hear Pinky's thoughts and it totally justifies his response to Brain's "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"
@@jessodum3103I like how us Jess think 🤔 but also have both get into hilarious whale of a fun Star Trek adventure also referencing ST 4 whale probe
I don't think Matt and Kimolu are aliens, but I'm sure they have some form of expertise that would come in handy with that.
Love it! Starts off with a DOWN because of the previous episode and because he didn’t get the premise of the show. 🤦♂️😂
Actually, the Delanians represent several different things. One is, obviously, the Edo. But they are dressed like the villagers of Gamma Trianguli VI, and the symbol on the stones is that of the computer from For the World is Hollow and I Have Touched the Sky. And lets not forget the name of these people the Delanians? Could that be referencing the Delaney sisters from Voyager?
I feel like the talking Volcano is close enough to a reference to Val for me, too.
I was thinking the same thing. Was this the planet that the Delaney sisters from Voyager came from?
@@APBCoins_Cards The Delaney sisters were human.
@@williambell3304 Also the orangish hue of their skin.
@@kcollett Wouldn't be the first time Star Trek changed the looks of an alien.
The prey storyline reminded me of the Hirogen from Voyager. Including the face paint.
LD is a show about the lower deckers, it makes all the sense we don't get to see what happened in the courtroom or the investigation about the bombing
He reprised his role as martok in Star Trek online in several missions! I highly recommend.. there needs to be a list of the 10 best Star Trek online missions
Are the "Delaneians" a reference to the Delaney sisters from Voyager?
Jesus, that Shaxs cosplay... So unexpected was it that I nearly choked on the bite of food I'd just taken... 😂
The Boimler as prey thing reminded me of an ep of DS9 where O'Brien helps an alien named Tosk evade hunters.
Edit: Should've waited until the end. Should've known Sean would include that reference.
Another reference: They quoted the original soundtrack of "Predator" by Alan Silvestri the entire Chase scene. Loved it!!!!
I want that Klingon game. Like right now.
I liked how they wrapped up the cliffhanger from S2 so fast. These guys are in the LOWER DECKS, they aren’t going to be involved in everything and can’t fix it all.
First contact before the Vulcans? What about the Carbon Creek episode with T’Pol’s ancestor and crew crash landing.
And technically Quark went back in time with Nog and Rom
The El-Aurians were there long before that and the Q were on Earth in at least the 1700's. Apollo and his gang might hold the record for first contact though.
Do you think this is when Quark sneakily set up the later release of the Klingon VHS board game? ;)
Of course Klingon first contact predates Vulcan: we have plenty of evidence in literature. After all, we all know Shakespeare is best experienced in the original Klingon...
Am I bugging or has no one mentioned how the Delanians instantly makes one think of the Delaney twins???
Shawn, you totally missed the reference to the Delaney Sisters when name dropping the Delanians. UGH!!!!
I thought the exact same thing.
An additional "Cetacean Observation": The crewman in a blue uniform wearing white boots as Boimler exits the Jeffries Tube is a reference to Bashir momentarily wearing white sneakers in "Birthright, Part I". At least, I assume it is ... These writers have an eye for Trek minutia like this.
The bleeped out swearing had me snort laughing!!! Tawny's delivery has always been on point! The personality she gives to Mariner is absolutely brilliant and perfect!
K'ranch pulling out the selfie stick and claiming they're a "catch and release" society cracked me up. So many good lines in that encounter... "The hunted always claims they're the hunter" ... "Next time you declare yourself to be the hunter, don't just stand there."
Why would they celebrate her actions from last week? Mariner refused to listen to everyone around her, stole a ship and got caught. Actions that literally were literally pointless because just like everyone around her said. Stat fleet worked it out.
Plus her being under ransom like that is the direct results of her actions from last week
The down at the beginning sort of loses sight of what the show is all about. The fundamental theme of the show is that the crew on the lower decks ensigns are just so darned far out of the loop that the larger happenings of Star Fleet or even of their California Class ship. The other part is that they are extremely casual about the utter craziness that the ship has to deal with.
it was like watching an amalgam of Joe Vs. the Volcano, Predator and D&D, i absolutely loved this episode
what got me is when they comment that a sentient computer, a talking volcano, and a psychic baby being overkill it explained that it is a system of checks and balances.
Sean... I'll say it again... YOU are the biggest reason I watch this channel!
I took the game with Chancellor Martok and the "Chancellor Gowron Expansion Pack" to be references to the Star Trek: Klingon PC game.
I thought so too!
With the first down I can see both sides, yeah it would have been cool to get more of this story but we viewed it from a lower deck ensign point of view who don´t get to see many important moments so actually that was quiet fitting. Also Tendi in a towel, such a nice scene.
Boimlers screams are just hilarious!😂
IMHO that was the whole point of them not following the Freeman court-martial...the Lower Decks officers would not get to see or participate in such things. I know a lot of fans wanted to see it and let it take longer to resolve but I totally get why they didn't focus on it.
Handling the Freeman trial stuff offscreen last week is exactly how they handled Shaxs’ return. The lack of explanation IS the joke. I don’t see why he’s harping on it.
The music during the hunt was completely evocative of the Predator movies done by Alan Silvestri. Very heavy percussion and sharp brass.
I love these Easter Eggs! Great stuff as always Sean. I also love how all the promo posters for Lower Decks are nods to the original cast films. Love the series!
I love Tendi in a towel. I really like that she pushed Boimler in the right direction. They are pretty cute together in that their awkward personalities and drives for achievement meshes pretty well together.
Pause, isn't there a Vulcan's lay low on Earth episode of enterprise? With Jolene Blalock pulling a Kate Mulgrew double role with 2 as an ancestor... move.
That rambled a bit but still, I think you could infer what I meant. Right?
Carbon Creek
I saw the Star Trek Klingon VHS board game at a charity shop a few years ago and nearly bought it until I realised I haven't had a VHS player for over 15 years.
Don't forget the great music callback, with very clear influence from Alan Silvestri's Predator score during the hunt. Made me cheer!
Hey Sean! It was great to meet you in Las Vegas!
I loved the gag about how the psychic baby, the evil computer, and the sentient volcano provided a system of checks and balances.
The paid DLC at the end was hilarious
I marked out, I had that game on VHS with the Galron actor stealing the Enterprise-D. I wore the hell outta that tape/game. It was pretty easy though. The best is the end of the game, he screams moving his body in a circular pattern as they use explosion scenes from "cause & effect" so good haha.
As someone old enough to have bought the 'Star Trek: The Next Generation Interactive VCR Board Game - A Klingon Challenge' new in 1993 when it came out, when I saw them playing the game I jumped out of my chair cheering. It's such an obscure yet wonderful reference and it really hit home for me as a lifetime Trek fan. I still own the game to this day.
And kudos on the Steven Rhodes t-shirt! There's actually a board game of the same name that's supposed to be pretty fun. 😁
Now...when you say 'half a season'... what did you mean by that? Might get a few 30 min episodes out of it, but compared to a non-30min episode...maybe 1 for an hour long, or 1.5 and a carry-over...
And, you're right. Tendi looks pretty dang cute in that towel!
Lower decks is so much fun! Cheers from the Pacific West coast of Canada.
I want Tim Allen to play a Starfleet Captain in something. Jussayin. The Collective appreciates your efforts in this matter.
The show is about the lower deckers, not the bridge crew!
Yeah, I thought that was funny as hell… trials over.
The Elevator also looks like the drug dispensing device from the first season TNG episode about the two planets were one is a drug dealer and the other one a drug attic’s.
Sean, the first down, I have to remind you that this is "Lower Decks", it's where we **don't** get to see what happens on the bridge involving the senior staff, so we're left wondering, just like the enlisted to Lt. Junior Grade ranks, as to what happened, because we're not privy to that information, which is all aprt of the theme of the series, we're watching the grunts, not the elites... :P
Well said, it's fits with what we already know about the show like bringing Shax and no one batting an eye (except Rutherford lol), it's just what happens to the upper deck officers, and your just supped to go with it
And yes, the Galaxy Quest reference, I got that one right away, because "Never Give Up! Never Surrender!" is easily translated into any language... :P
I’m going to disagree with you Sean on the down at the beginning of this. Lower decks is about the lower decks. Leave the upper deckers to their own devices. Lower decks! Lower decks! Lower decks! Unity!
This ep was great fun all around. But we also get some questions, character development, real thought behind the goings-on. -- I really liked both Boimler's and Mariner's subplots. I do wish that Rutherford and Teen got more to do, but I'm guessing they will in later episodes. -- I think I might want to skinny-dip with the cetaceans in cetacean ops.... :D
The crew definitely do but remember dolphin's and to some extent some whales are the only other species that we know of that does certain things for fun
K'Ranch validates my condiment choices.
I'm betting good money the final sacrifice scene is an homage to Joe Versus The Volcano. Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan both wear white flower leis in the scene leading up yo jumping in the volcano at the end. Love that movie.
I literally said "take me.....to the volcano!" Lol
My only argument for your first down is that yes we would love a deep dive of the big adventure, but it would not be the view of the lower deckers. Remember before, their lower deckers not the main bridge crew. They aren't ever told or get to do the adventure/deep story things.
Now I need that “lets Summon Demons” shirt!
Oh, that cosplay is the best. I would've never thought of that as an option.
I have a comment relating to the Latinum Up… my contention is that after the Latinum Up is called all subsequent Ups should remain in latinum status. Otherwise the first latinum up gets negated and forgotten. Looking at subsequent ups you’d never know there was once a latinum awarded. (And yes same for the superlative Down)
Agreed. The Ransom, Mariner plot line felt like a backslide for both characters. Last season, Ransom recognized Boimler's leadership, and he was heroic in piloting the Cerritos to save the Archimedes. The sky diving scene saved that plotline. I did like seeing Bold Boimler. But the best part was seeing the interactive Klingon board game! That made my day...
While I'm up: Billups is never stated to be asexual! He has decided not to have sex, so that he can stay in Starfleet, but that is 1,000% not the same as being asexual. I'm all about asexual representation in Star Trek, but please stop conflating "avoiding sex for Starfleet reasons" with "no desire to have sex." It actually makes it less interesting to me if he IS asexual--someone who wants to have sex but can't because there are literal stakes for his life is way more interesting than someone who doesn't want to have sex and that is a beneficial plot point. Again: I am ON BOARD for asexuals in Starfleet. But you decided Billups was asexual; the show never told you he was.
You know, I seem to remember Ensign Barnes making a joke about how him talking to women is his "Final Frontier." So that tells me he is more socially awkward around women than asexual.
One of the points of a sitcom or episodic TV is to get back to your starting point each episode. You have your characters established and then put them in situations which are comedic.
I actually had slight issue with the use of springball as the sport they were playing. The court shown is a DS9 reference, but is actually the raquetball court that O'brien built. Springball uses a different style court and is played with hand paddles.
DOWN!
Just kidding, any reference to DS9 is an up. 😁
ABSOLUTELY agreed on it feeling like a Season 1 episode. You articulated my impression of this episode perfectly.
As great as it would have been to see everything that went into freeing freeman, that's not what the show is about and that was the point. It lower decks. We don't always get to see the big picture.
The comparison to the Edo from the TNG episode "Justice" is clear, but based on the orange skin color my mind first went to the The Children of Vaal from the TOS episode "The Apple".
I realized half way through the week that S2E1s conclusion was the ultimate Deus ex Machina scene. Star Trek has always been accused of using this trope too much so I thought this was a typical homage for Lower Decks
Just because Billups is Asexual doesn't mean he's averse to touch or affection.