The Shuttle Pod Celebrates The Debut Of ‘Star Trek: Lower Decks’

Shuttle Pod 84 – ‘Lower Decks’ Is Here!

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Brian, Kayla, and Matt catch up about the latest goings on with the CBS Star Trek Universe — including Discovery season 3, Picard season 2, and what 2021 will probably look like for Trek content. Then the crew review “Second Contact” the first episode of the highly anticipated animated comedy Star Trek: Lower Decks. And they give their (spoiler free) impressions of the next three episodes.


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Regarding access to “Lower decks” in Europe, the second season of “Short Treks” is still not available, we only have the first season on Netflix in the “trailer” section of Discovery

In a nutshell, Star Trek: Lower Decks is fantastic but not bold enough you usually expect from a Star Trek show. This is not your typical Star Trek show. The humour is descent but it’s not laugh out loud funny.

I’m not saying Lower Decks is a bad show. It could have done more. It’s still impressive anyway even by Star Trek standards.

I thought i was laugh out loud funny. I literally laughed out loud numerous times during the pilot episode. I loved it!

Thanks for the heartfelt coverage!

I thought I was a big Trek fan, but I didn’t know about cetacean OPS, so thanks!

First of the CBS AA Trek shows I had no problem sitting through twice. Trek’s longevity has always been dependent upon the rewatch factor.

I’m really struggling here ShuttlePod Crew.

I generally really enjoy your podcast, but I was really put off early in this one to the point that I just wasn’t enjoying it and bailed about half way through.

I did enjoy the review of Lower Decks, and very much appreciate the heads up that the series calms down as it goes on.

What really got right up my nose was the very brief discussion of what we can expect in terms of live-action production.

At this point I’m sure Matt would recognize that I’ve got a bee in my bonnet about the complete blind-spot that both ViacomCBS and American media reviewers have about the differences in the Covid situation between Canada and the United States. I’ve commented and provided links on other threads over the past month.

I keep expecting Trek reviewers to call CBS and Secret Hideout on this blind-spot, but instead we keep getting the kind of (at best) uninformed comments that production can’t start.

Frankly, Brian’s comments about not being able to build new sets for SNW just came across as ignorant, however unintentionally.

As someone who lived for several years in the United States, I am aware how deeply American exceptionalism runs, and how hard it would be to internalize that what is impossible in California is already happening in Ontario and BC. But it is, and as someone concerned about the viability of both the Star Trek franchise and ViacomCBS, I’m exasperated that no one in the pool of Trek commentators is tracking this.

Yes, crews can work in Canada, and if they don’t CBS Studios will have to justify why not as the flexibility on tax credits due to Covid shutdowns only goes so far.

The two countries trajectories have been going in opposite directions for a couple of months and the reopening of film and television production and preproduction has been an advancing reality for more than a month. Ontario, with about 15 million residents has had less than 100 new cases per day for nearly a week.

It’s not a new story. Greater Toronto was among the last areas in the country to reach the stage where film and television production, preproduction and post are permitted. If anything, the restart was two weeks later than expected. Netflix already is restarting some projects.

From media reports the biggest issues are the increased costs from crews working in small groups, quarantining out of country workers and producers, and insurers unwilling to insure production against further Covid-related shutdowns.

TG, I understand you are passionate about this issue, but it is not our role to “call out” production companies on how or where they do things. Also I find your entire attitude towards the Shuttle Pod crew, who put in a lot of time and effort into this, to be pretty rude.

Tony,

If I wasn’t a struggling, but regular listener, I wouldn’t have posted my point. It was a sincere statement.

I do appreciate that they are volunteers putting in time, and noted on an earlier thread that I understand that would like to refocus their time so that they’re concentrating on reviews. I think it’s great.

I think that this is the first time that something someone has said has bothered me to the point that I didn’t finish listening. This is despite having some very different views on some of their Discovery and Picard reviews.

It’s because iI’ve been a loyal listener that I pressed on until about the 40 minute mark, but my annoyance just got in the way and I had to stop.

I don’t expect the ShuttlePod or TrekMovie to “call out” production companies, but I do expect them to do there best to avoid reinforcing factual errors, even if they come from statements by network heads.

If you’d rather hear that kind of feedback through a feedback form, fair enough, but I wouldn’t call it rude.

Geez, it’s the guy’s opinion – – you should be thanking him for participating. Your comments make you sound like a Paramount/CBS tool…

I will add one thing to what Tony said. You’re correct that we had missed just how open Toronto is now. So yes, You’re correct that sets can built now, but there’s so much more to a production that also involves US based people. It’s not so simple.

Thanks Matt. I appreciate the response.

I agree that it’s complex, and I noted that in my last paragraph.

If one of the ShuttlePod Crew had said something along those lines in the podcast, or that while it seemed California was doing well in the early weeks of Covid, but now the situation has changed, I would have had a very different reaction.

Really gotta’ say, I don’t think he was rude at all. I mean, a rude Canadian? My god, man!

Nomad is in the closet.

Anyway, good episode. But I thought Shuttle Pod wasn’t doing reviews anymore? I’m not complaining since I love those guys’ take on new Trek, just wondering.

I have a suggestion for another Shuttle Pod Trek topic based on the new movie news: What classic episodes do you think could be expanded to a great movie?

Kind of a special situation since we are not getting any new Trek outside of Lower Decks until October. Good Review and IMO, Good New Show.

We’ll review something if/when we want to :-)
But we’re not compelled to do it weekly.

Thanks for the topic suggestion, that’s a good idea.

Just listened to the podcast here in the UK. As ever an enjoyable listen and I really appreciate you and the rest of the “crew” giving your time to these podcasts, which have aided my getting through lock-down. I’ve been working my way through TNG and Enterprise on Netflix and would love to hear a podcast on Enterprise, which in my view ended way before it’s time. There was so much potential, it’s such a shame it ended the way it did.

I appreciate you folks offering the perspective that the show calms down a little after episode 1. I’m happy to hear you like the direction its heading. I also watched a little mini interview on twitch with the show creator and you could really tell his love of the franchise. Very cool! I’ll probably resub to all access once Discovery starts up again and just binge watch lower decks in between disco releases :)