Thought episode 4 was the best one so far.
As a Trek fan, there’s a lot I dig on this show. For one thing, it makes something much more interesting out of the premise than the TNG “Lower Decks” episode did, with its charisma-free leads and general air of whininess. It’s fun to experience the vibe among the crew who actually keep the ship running while the mannequins on the bridge strut and preen. The inside jokes and easter eggs are lots of fun (especially at the end of episode four, which I won’t spoil).
I think my main problem with it is Mariner. Boimler I get – he’s the archetypal rule-follower who needs to loosen up. Mariner is an equally stock character, the maverick who breaks every rule yet has the skills and moxie to always come out on top. Trek has been trafficking in this trope from day one; this is something a Trek series this self-aware ought to be making fun of, not buying into. And the fact that she’s so hyper-competent actually makes the stories less engaging, as she’s right in virtually every situation, so there’s not much in the way of surprise.
I have to disagree. Mariner is by far my favorite character - cute, spunky, and she has a great voice. Very expressive.
I enjoyed the most recent episode, where she’s promoted in an attempt to drive her off the ship (good to see another Tellarite, too). Does anyone know what was bleeped out of the discussion between the Captain and the First Officer about all the nasty stuff that happens on the Holodeck?
Mariner kind of gets on my nerves as well, but mostly because they need to tone her down some (same as with Boimler). They are just acting too extra at this point. But it’s early and they can definitely do that going forward.
I agree that Mariner is a bit of a Starbuck (“sure she’s cocky but she’s the best [take your pick] in the fleet”), but I also think she’s the most consistently funny character. Boimler needs his whining toned back about 30%, but they can keep the rest. “Space, the FUNNEST frontier?” while he was doing chores got a genuine laugh from me. The rest of the lower decks crew are a little placeholdery right now, but they all have potential.
Shaxs is the funniest of the senior officers. The rest are pretty meh, but they’re also not the focus of the show.
She is a devout Quaker who loves her family? 
I’m surprised at how good it is. It’s very Star Trek-ish, which is fabulous, much more so than Picard or Discovery - with interesting sci-fi stories and a generally upbeat tone. The humor isn’t bad. For a show still early in its run, it’s a nice dose of real Trek.
I’d agree Mariner is TOO capable, but on the whole it’s a minor problem so far.
Tawny Newsome, who you might have seen in “Space Force” as an astronaut. That show sucks ass but she’s good in it.
I also love that they’re taking full advantage of the animated format for the scifi action sequences. The action in the most recent episode was really cool and would have been prohibitively difficult/expensive to do in live action.
Yes, or even with CGI. The ginormous colony ship was cool.
Finally had a chance to watch the first few episodes. Clearly the people making the show have a love for Star Trek. Almost every frame has an Easter egg which I really enjoy. Also, just seeing the Next Gen era of Trek on screen again makes me happy. I just wish it were funnier.
It has that pitter pat cadence to its dialogue that almost every comedy these days has that TV writers seem to think work as jokes but aren’t jokes. The main character is annoying and not funny (the obnoxious yawning in one episode was where I was like, “yeah, she sucks”). I smirk and chuckle when I watch but rarely really laugh.
It is no where near as bad as I feared going in but I want it to be better.
Of course, meanwhile on the vlogs/tubes/etc you have some members of the “Fan-Owner” faction who, as in every previous iteration, are breathlessly going “it has failed, they’ve ruined it, they hate Trek, this is the end, they’re CANCELLING the fans and the fans are CANCELLING them” etc.
Which is somewhat amusing in its own merit. You’d think that by now they’d be accustomed to the producers coming up every couple of years with a variation that comes up short of their ideal. Heck, a lot of the variations and even of seasons or arcs or films within the variations have started or ended up weak or said “canon? what canon?” or had issues with storytelling or filmmaking or characterization or just general things to shake our heads at (Cumberbatch = Khan? Really???). Heck, Roddenberry was not immune himself. By now I see it as part of a perverse charm about the derivatives: “what will I find wrong with this one?”.
So far this is fun. Not a masterpiece for the ages, but I don’t expect that.
"Don’t you give me that sarcastic Vulcan salute! Beckett!"
“Stop that! It doesn’t look cool when you do it! …damnit, it does.”
I’m waiting for my opportunity to sarcastically Vulcan salute somebody.
“Our specialty is Second Contact. Still pretty important. We get all the paperwork signed, make sure we’re spelling the name of the planet right, get to know all the good places to eat….”
Episode 5 is another fun one. And it introduces one of my new favorite Trek species. (Spoiler image.)
Episode five was fun, and goes some way toward redressing my issues with a hyper-competent Mariner. It was funny to see her off her game and gradually losing her shit, even if most of the Boimler/Barb material was kinda cringey.
I echo the previous posters praising the animation above. The TNG style works great in this medium, and the show is visually striking and simply fun to look at – the first thing any animated series needs to be, in my view.
Anyone else feel a weird pang of nostalgia at the flashback of Mariner in a First Contact-era uniform?
Lower Decks is, for the first time in a long time, a ST series that makes me think “I’d like to live in that universe.”
Even with the sexy people in rompers who murder you for just going on the grass?
Was just thinking: the main characters are lieutenants and ensigns, and they show senior officers from time to time, but they barely even mention petty officers (“the most important person in Starfleet history, Miles O’Brian”) and lower ratings, let alone anyone before the mast. Surely there is some comedy potential to showing them interacting with the various David Listers on the ship. Or even having an episode starring the latter…
It looked like a lot of fun while it lasted.
ST has never really been super clear about just how many enlisted rank personnel there are or what the hell is going on there. If you carefully watch a hallway scene in a TNG episode, everyone’s an officer. I think they gave up on that a long time ago. I’m not even sure what the enlisted ranks are besides “Chief.”