Actually no. In ST DISCO, the ENT crew got the new uniforms first. We have seen in other Trek shows that it takes some time for a changeover to happen fleetwide, what with the spandex to TNG Classic uniform in Season 3 (many background characters continued to use the former) to the DS9 and TNG uniforms being used concurrently, and I think later on in Voyager they started using the First Contact uniform (I have a distinct memory of Janeway in one).
Although if ST: Picard is to be believed, they moved to DS9 inspired uniform sometime before Picard left Starfleet.
Does she? Yes, she’s unreasonably competent but 1) it’s Star Trek and everyone is unreasonably competent, and 2) pretty much all her problems are self-inflicted.
Michael Burnham - now there’s a Star Trek Mary Sue for you.
The season has been strong so far, though not hitting the heights of the last three or so of Season 1. I think Mariner isn’t so much toned down is that they’re able to use her rebelliousness in interesting ways, rather than just repeating the “hotshot breaks the rules and is always right” dynamic that got pretty old last season.
Doctor Kitty needs her own spin-off series. (Possibly co-starring that “blink and you’ll miss it” Kazinti in the bar–how do those two species get along?
Also, “tractor factor.” How has that never been used before?
Another episode with a deep cut into Trek trivia - in “A Private Little War” the script said “Gumato” but DeForest Kelley could not say that word right, so they switched to Mugato.
I’m all caught up now, and have been really enjoying the show, with all the many ST in-jokes along the way. Mariner rules! Also nice to have Tom Paris drop by (no longer an interstellar salamander); it was fun to see Boimler’s epic journey through the ship to try to get him to sign his collectible plate. I think they used every possible variation on the word “mugato” in having the various characters refer to the horned albino ape critters. And who would have guessed there was such a thing as a mugato voyeur (rubbing his horn, ew)…?
I just binged the first six episodes of S2 last night.* I’m not sure if this season is objectively weaker than S1, or if it was just that the novelty had worn off a bit, but I found myself not enjoying quite as much. That’s not much of a complaint, though, as I really enjoyed S1, so even a small fall-off left S2 as the best Trek in a few decades.
I loved Boimler’s speech to the Titan Away Team Action Force Go! about the true meaning of Star Trek Starfleet. It seemed like a barely-veiled swipe at JJ Abrams and the Kelvin timeline reboot by creators who 1) actually watched the earlier iterations of Star Trek, and 2) actually liked those earlier iterations. I’ve got to admit, I found a lot of those elements of TNG, the string quartets and poetry slams and such, to be kind of doofusy at the time, and kind of cringey now. But that’s a small price to pay for a humane view of the future.
Speaking of the Kelvin timeline, in the party episode, the bartender, in discussing Kirk and Spock, refers to one of them as the “blonde one.” Now, to an alien, Shatner might well count as “blonde”. But was that a subtle indication that Lower Decks actually takes in place in an alt-TNG future of the Kelvin timeline? If their Starfleet is the same one that let a random, insubordinate, first-year cadet take command of a starship, it kind of makes more sense that Mariner can get away with all of the stunts she pulls…
I also loved Boimler and Rutherford defeating the rogue Ferengi with a Power Point presentation. And Mariner acknowledging that was a badass move!
*I signed up for a free trial, pretty much just to get Lower Decks. Looking around a bit, I was actually kind of astounded to realize that the entire service appears to have literally nothing else I’m interested in watching.
I’m caught up, too, and still enjoying the show. I love spotting the little touches of Star Trek obscurity (Ooo, look, a Kzin! And an Aurelian! And… er, uh, one of Em/3/Green’s unnamed species!) Great to hear Jeffrey Combs (Weyoun on DS9, among other roles) as the manipulative, power-hungry AI. The Pakleds’ dopey civil war was good fun. Loved the skants joke. Mariner’s and Boimler’s consequences-free high-speed car chase through the space station was just a bit much, though…