In just three weeks Paramount+ debuts the second season of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. Following up on last month’s teaser trailer, today they released a brand-new trailer offering many more clues about the new season.
Watch the trailer
In addition to the first dialogue from Chief Engineer Pelia (Carol Kane) and a whole lot of the main cast in action, the new trailer offers the first look at the crossover episode featuring both live-action and animation, with Star Trek: Lower Decks’ Tawny Newsome as Ensign Beckett Mariner and Jack Quaid as Ensign Brad Boimler on the U.S.S. Enterprise.
[International version available on startrek.com]
Strange New Worlds stars Anson Mount as Captain Christopher Pike, Rebecca Romijn as Number One, Ethan Peck as Science Officer Spock, Jess Bush as Nurse Christine Chapel, Christina Chong as La’an Noonien-Singh, Celia Rose Gooding as Cadet Nyota Uhura, Melissa Navia as Lt. Erica Ortegas, and Babs Olusanmokun as Dr. M’Benga. Season 2 also features the return of special guest star Paul Wesley as James T. Kirk and new addition Carol Kane in a recurring role as Pelia.
The official description for season 2:
In season 2 of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise, under the command of Captain Christopher Pike, confronts increasingly dangerous stakes, explores uncharted territories and encounters new life and civilizations. The crew will also embark on personal journeys that will continue to test their resolve and redefine their destinies. Facing friends and enemies both new and familiar, their adventures will unfold in surprising ways never seen before on any Star Trek series.
Mariner and Boimler on the Enterprise, plus a new poster for season 2
Paramount+ sent out an image of Mariner and Boimler’s arrival in the transporter room. The crossover episode was directed by TNG vet Jonathan Frakes, who described it as a “flat-out comedy.”
Live-action Mariner (Tawny Newsome) and Boimler (Jack Quaid) of Lower Decks arrive on the Enterprise in Strange New Worlds season 2
There’s a new poster featuring the main cast:
Season 2 will premiere Thursday, June 15 on Paramount+ in the U.S, the U.K., Australia, Latin America, Brazil, France, Italy, Germany, Switzerland and Austria. The second season will also be available to stream on Paramount+ in South Korea, with premiere dates to be announced at a later date. Following the premiere, new episodes of the 10-episode season will drop weekly on Thursdays.
Season 1 of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is currently available to stream exclusively on Paramount+ in the U.S., the U.K., Latin America, Australia, South Korea, Italy, France, Germany, Switzerland and Austria. It airs on Bell Media’s CTV Sci-Fi Channel and streams on Crave in Canada and on SkyShowtime in the Nordics, the Netherlands, Spain, Portugal and Central and Eastern Europe. The series is distributed by Paramount Global Content Distribution.
Keep up with news about the Star Trek Universe at TrekMovie.com.
“Live long and prosper…Mr Boimler.”
Ahh, you, ga, also live, and…
He’s a glorified fanboy and I love it. I mean in his time Spock is a well-renowned Federation ambassador.
Good point!
Corylea???? I need to know how you feel about Spock and Chapel kissing!!!!
It will depend on the circumstances, which the trailer doesn’t show us. If I’d seen Spock kissing Lelia Kalomi in a trailer before watching “This Side of Paradise,” I’d have thought it was dreadfully out of character, but of course the spores make it all make sense. So we’ll have to see what the reason is!
In my critique of what the show is doing with Spock, I guess I need to remember that in terms of pure canon – this era in TOS had ‘smiling’ and shouting Spock with Captain Pike. I still think he’s far too emotional and not really Spock-stoic as he should be but I can try to head canon it. There’s only so many spore / naked time virus episodes they can do….
The smiling and shouting Spock was during the first pilot, during the time when Roddenberry was giving what we know now as Vulcan characteristics to Number One. Once Roddenberry solidified who Vulcans were supposed to be, and once Leonard Nimoy figured out how to play such a subtle and unusual character, Spock only varied when outside forces mandated it (until the movie era). I think it’s a HUGE mistake for people to take the early production bobbles as canon.
I am not thrilled with how SNW is handling Spock, but the showrunners warned us up front that they were going to take those production bobbles as canon, so I was prepared for it. Not happy about it, mind you, but prepared. The funny thing is that they aren’t taking Number One’s behavior in “The Cage” as canon; they’re making her normally emotional. The showrunners are trying to have their cake and eat it, too.
And yes, I agree completely — episodes like “The Naked Time” and “This Side of Paradise” only work if Spock is his stoic and strictly controlled self 95% of the time.
The showrunners are doing so much right in SNW that I’m overlooking the mistakes I think they’re making with Spock. Usually a mistake with Spock is hugely important to me, but SNW is such a breath of fresh air that I’m holding my nose and accepting their more emotional Spock for the sake of the rest of it.
None of this is a slam at Ethan Peck, by the way, who is doing a nice job with what they give him to play. He doesn’t write the scripts, so if they give him emotion, he has to play it. Sadly.
That’s my thinking as well. Context is everything. But in this case, I am aware of the reputation of the people running this show. And I can’t trust the context to add up.
I haven’t been wild about most of the post-Voyager Trek except for SNW, which I think is really excellent. I’m wondering if we owe that to Henry Alonso Myers, who is co-showrunner on SNW but not on any of the other new Treks. SOMEthing is making SNW better than most, and Myers might be it.
Also liking Prodigy.
LOL, such a great exchange! Up there with Data and McCoy talking to each other. ;D
Dude!!! Spock and Chapel are kissing!!!
LOL yeah, but they already did first season. But, I know, that was different. But I always assumed once they did feel something because of it, they were going to get together next season. It’s really a question of far they will go?
I’m excited too man! Loved that they kissed! 😎
I don’t care if it breaks canon or not. Old Chapel sucked! And this one is hot. Even Vulcans notice lol.
Hee! Cute!
Hey there! 😀
Good to see you around lately!
Thanks! Good to see you, too!
Not sure how I feel about this version of Spock, but they sure have chemistry in the trailer :)
Great!! Maybe there’ll be some bumping of the uglies, too!!
I’m smiling. And smiling more.
Made entire household watch the trailer. And then played the opening titles.
Just shows how much I’ve missed this show.
We have up and downvotes now?
I know that several regulars here had thought it might be a good idea. Curious to see how the experiment pans out.
I’m not a fan of upvotes and downvotes. I guess we’ll see how it works out.
I noticed that. Wonder what changed managements mind about that?
Star Trek is turning into a Joke. Why can’t we get Star Trek that takes itself seriously? Like Picard Season 3? Lower Decks as a separate show that is a comedy and isn’t really canon is fine. To combine that with now what is your flagship Trek show? This is ridiculous. What are they gonna come up with next? A Star Trek boy band on the show? Ever wonder why there are so many Trek fan productions now? Because if we were getting great Trek, there would still be fan content, but not to the quality and extent we do now. Fans take it serious, and really produce some authentic “style” Trek, with serious plots and characters that ACT LIKE THEY ARE IN STARFLEET. Right now, its the fans that are making real Star Trek. Paramount left us no choice.
There are probably hundreds of words that you could use interchangably with “serious,” but Star Trek has never been as serious as its fans seem to think.
That’s how I know you haven’t watched every Star Trek episode there is.
Please re-watch all of TNG, DS9, VOY and ENT and then count the # of episodes that *aren’t serious.
“That’s how I know you haven’t watched every Star Trek episode there is.”
You’re right, I stopped watching Lower Decks.
If you think comedy or frivolity is the sole purview of post-Enterprise televised Star Trek, that’s your business. I wouldn’t say it around people, but you and I both know there’s little danger of you doing that.
See my post above, but off the top of my head, I counted at least 17 non-serious episodes (and there are more, as I didn’t count every Ferengi episode from DS9).
So what? The vast majority of the eps in those series are not comedy sitcom eps, whereas on Lower Decks, every ep is a cartoon sitcom.
I mean, that’s like saying that because Jeanne Moos reports a couple times per month on CNN of humorous political stories that means that we need to treat Veep as a serious political drama instead of a comedy since Jeanne Moos does that 14 times a year on CNN? That’s insane, LOL
Um… that’s the whole point of Lower Decks, to be a fun comedy based in the Star Trek universe. Complaining that Lower Decks doesn’t take itself seriously is like complaining that water is wet.
With that being said, you absolutely do not have to like Lower Decks as it is not a show for everybody. BUT, and this is a big but, it is still Star Trek, and it is still canon.
and it is still canon.
AND THAT IS THE PROBLEM HERE. I now have to believe that everything I see in LDS happens in the future history of Star Trek. I do not like that or respect that, and I never will.
THE SHOW IS SET ON A SHIP THAT HAS DIFFERENT MISSION PARAMETERS AS AN ENTERPRISE OR VOAYGER!
THEY DEAL WITH THE SH1T THAT THEY DON’T!!!
It is perfectly reasonable to assume that stuff like that happens in starfleet
I don’t have a lot of issues with the concept, but the implementation as a silly sitcom with annoying and unprofessional Starfleet officers, combined with the force-fitted comedy canon appearances, well that’s where it fails big time for me.
Hey, I just think you hit the nail on the head about why I don’t like or respect Discovery, even post-jump forward. Earth drops out of the Federation along with other founding races and all the warp drives explode because a kid trapped in a holodeck is having a protracted temper tantrum? Hard pass.
I like DSC, but yeah, you do bring up a great point there.
and no shade to you for liking DSC!
For what it’s worth, I distinguish between the tone of a series and its role within canon.
I wouldn’t care to see their antics on a ship like the Enterprise (particularly back under Picard’s command), but I can believe that some elements of their experience are “true.” Officers pranking each other. Petty squabbles that potentially have real consequences. Sure the vibe on the Cerritos is silly, but it’s also known throughout the fleet that it’s kind of a joke ship. Then take all that and heighten it by virtue of being a comedy series at heart, rather than a drama, and I dunno, it feels like it could fit in.
Within canon though, it’s not that bad. Pakleds blowing up their own planet (presumably) because they didn’t understand something they stole. A (sigh) rogue AI starship causing trouble. A Klingon envoy goes on a bender and steals a shuttle. Those all feel plausible and like they fit in to canon to me.
The crying Kelpian kid destroying the galaxy thing is still a huge eye roll for me although I generally like them being in the 32nd century. And Earth rejoins the Federation in season four at least.
Oh, I’m totally in favour of them being around. It just felt kind of weird going from almost, kind of, recognizable Trek to what feels more like Gene Rodenberry’s Andromeda than what I think of when I think of Star Trek
OK fair enough. And I never seen Andromeda but know the basic premise is similar to Discovery’s.
And ironically, it’s a big reason why I’m looking forward to the Academy show, because I have a feeling that show will be trying to get the 32nd century to feel more ‘Trek-y’ like its 23rd and 24th century counterparts now that the Federation is pulling itself back together.
When Andromeda came out I was like “oh cool! It’s Star Trek but it has Hercules as the captain!” (I was young and stupid)
Then I watched an episode or two and was just… not impressed.
Similar story for Earth: Final Conflict, although it wasn’t as bad
I actually did watch Earth: Final Conflict, at least up through season three. I never watched the last two. But that theme song is still a banger today lol.
I didn’t even know Andromeda was on because I wasn’t living in America at the time and heard nothing about the show until maybe after the first season. I did plan to watch it but by then it was nearly done and a lot of people online was yelling to stay away so I did. It was even made by a Trek and DS9 veteran.
(ahem) (yells) DISAPPOINTED!
I actually tried to get into Andromeda when it first started. VOY was ending and I was feeling serious Star Trek withdrawals. I gave Enterprise a small chance but I hated it for being a prequel and gave up on that fast. But then I read about Andromeda and was created by Gene Roddenberry and I thought wow this sounds like the closest I would get to Star Trek again. I was genuinely excited about it.
I think I got through four episodes before I gave up. I at least got through a dozen episodes of Enterprise at the time. But the special effect’s looked so cheap and dated. I really appreciated how great they locked in Star Trek after that.
And the acting and dialogue was dire. Just bad all around. When season twi started I thought maybe I was being too hard on it and tried to give it another chance. Nope, it waa even worse. 🙄 Got through two episodes before calling it quits for good.
I wish I had that kind of will power for Discovery. 😅😒
Have you ever seen Earth: Final Conflict? I do think that was a decent show but it was clear they didn’t really seem to know where they were going with it and just kept changing things up.
Caught a few episodes on TV but it was after it first season. I don’t know which one but I had no idea what was happening and didn’t really have the urge to keep watching it. And many people said it waa pretty ho hum but did sound better than Andromeda.
Yeah like I said, it’s a decent show overall and I thought the first season was really fantastic. But it was clear they didn’t have a real direction to go in and started replacing a lot of the main actors which I read was due to money, so I just lost interest by then. I think even Majel Barrett had left then who was the one who found the original manuscript and helped get it on air. She even had a small recurring role on it.
And then in the fifth season, an entire new race of aliens showed up or something because they had lost the original alien actors and just decided to reboot the entire story in its fifth season lol. And not the way DIS did it in its third season, just basically tacked on a new species after developing the others for four years that was suppose to lead into some kind of war. OK, I’m going into a tangent now lol.
In other words, it wasn’t worth getting invested in. But still sounded better than Andromeda. ;D
It didn’t really seem like the kind of show I could’ve got into. And it just sounded like all those low budget sci fi syndicated shows in the 90s trying to hang onto Star Trek’s coattails. This one and Andromeda literally using Roddenberry’s name.
And judging by the constant casting change up it was exactly that. The only other successful sci fi show in this time was Stargate and that probably helped being a spin off of a big film first. Saw the movie but never any of the shows yet.
Given the context of that kid’s life, I can’t blame him for being upset. Yes it’s silly that a kid caused that but what it tells me is that the Kelpians are a powerful species.
Yeah, I guess. I just wish they could’ve came up with something less ridiculous but it is what it is at this point.
OMG don’t get me started!!!!
Temper tantrum?
Way to show no empathy for a vulnerable young child whose mother dies in front of him in literally hellish circumstances, leaving the child completely alone.
But then it sounds more as though you read the Cliff’s Notes nasty reviews than read the episode Stockworth.
I know that I’m an outlier in liking how The Burn took a very TOS high-risk scenario and actually showed up the price of failure.
It’s not real. Relax. I don’t think he was trying to offend anyone.
Great post!
Don’t let the self-appointed sheriff here influence your passion.
That was the last great season Tom of DSC, that was a truly great Star Trek concept.
At some point you have to move on and stop taking swipes at me. You take every chance you can get to insult me. Any little opening you can find as you just did here. I understand if you’re still upset with me and I am being patient. But it’s really out of bounds here and I’m asking if you would just stop. Please look at it from my side. I would appreciate it.
Dude, everybody can see when you try to put pressure on TG47 when you don’t like what he’s saying. This has happened several times recently. He does not need you to calm him down or make fun of him for confusing fiction with reality.
It is what it is, so I would appreciate it if you would please stop trying to hide behind our long-term disagreements here when I simply give some positive reinforcement to someone who’s being put pressure on to behave a certain way by anyone here, including you. Thank you!
Yeah, I don’t think even TG47 buys that. And I just gave him my opinion, which is what we do here. I didn’t call him a name. He’s a big boy, he could disagree with me on his own , correct? You just found another way to insult me and everyone can see it.. You been doing this for months now. Six months to be exact. In another thread you said you would spill soda on me and I don’t remember that having to do with telling TG47 to relax. These things make me feel very uncomfortable but I am being patient. I would just appreciate if you can just not do things like that. It’s mentally draining for me.
I really really appreciate it.
I don’t understand what is happening here
Sorry, but I have to butt in here.
Dude you are the *last* person to call people out considering you spent months taking swipes at me for daring to have a different opinion to you. You literally drove me off this site for weeks because you became a cyber bully. It’s not nice when the shoe is on the other foot, is it?
You can dish it out but you can’t take it. The minute that somebody responds to you the way you respond to others, you’re the first person to cry “oh I’m being attacked and I don’t like it”. Why don’t YOU stop needling people for not sharing your narrow world view? Why don’t YOU look at something from another person’s point of view?
Grow up.
You haven’t responded but I would like to think your silence just means we can move on for good. Dude I’m not trying to hurt anyone or make anyone feel bad, I just need to do it for my own well being. I really hope you understand that. If so thank you.
I only responded because you addressed me. But no worries, I have no intention of responding further to you. If I see some misbehavior though that leans towards bullying of anyone here, including you, I’m going to certainly give some positive reinforcement to that individual, and I appreciate you understanding the need for that without getting defensive about it. Thanks!!
I’m just happy to move on.
I did, in fact, watch the episode. The only new Trek entries I’ve skipped are Short Treks and Prodigy.
And sure, “temper tantrum” was unkind, but the point stands. I didn’t buy into a child’s emotional outbursts (valid or reasonable as they were) as being causative for a galaxy-spanning disaster.
I don’t even hate the concept in and of itself. We had warnings about the dangers of warp drive back in TNG’s “Force of Nature.” Su’Kal’s story just didn’t click for me. It didn’t feel like it earned that level of disaster.
Yeah I agree, it was just dumb. Some kid crying crippling most of the galaxy was just something a ten year old would come up with.
But I know others liked it. I just think it was beyond stupid and ruined what I thought was at least an OK season up to that point.
Another reason I won’t miss this show when it’s gone.
I HAVE watched it all. I can quote lines of dialogue, I can recite the entire script of Wrath of Khan from beginning to end………..crazy stuff most Trek fans aren’t able to do. THAT is how much I know Trek. Don’t assume.
You, uh, realize the “you haven’t seen Star Trek” comment wasn’t directed at you, right?
Good for you! That still doesn’t make you a gatekeeper.
did you learn the Script for wrath of khan for a fan play?
if not, why?
Yes it has.
lol ok
Lower Decks is canon and always has been. Get over it.
Not only is it canon, but as silly and fun as it is, it actually takes Star Trek itself quite seriously.
LMFAO. Sure it does!
It absolutely does. I don’t care for the show, and it doesn’t necessarily take things that happen in-universe seriously, but thinking that Lower Decks doesn’t take Star Trek seriously is (and I typically hate this sort of thing) not getting the show.
I have watched every ep. No, it does not take Star Trek seriously.
Here is just one example — it turned Tasha Yar’s tragic death by Armus into a “Messing with Sasquatch”-like commercial — i.e, “Messing with with Armus” where Mariner and her jack-ass friends F with Armus for laughs. That’s pathetic, and shows a blatant disregard for Star Trek history.
wait by that logic, American Dad isn’t realistic to American Dads?!?!?!?!?!
is everything a lie? a work of FICTION?
So you actually like that scene in Lower Decks?
where they prank call an insignificant character in my scifi show hellz yeah!
It made about as much sense as the DS9 heist episode, Scotty smacking his head, Checkov being the chief of security walking into the Gally “did someone fire a phaser in here” After that alarm went off, phasers in the Gally, Tuesday, the game that made people cum, lizard babies, Bigger Spock, Kirk being a horse for little dude, space hippies, masks, pregnant Tripp, I could go on.
You’re just not getting it. None of those examples trashed the death of a great Star Trek character.
But by all means, like what you want to like.
Funny because Tasha Yar told me that that she personally thought that scene was hilarious.
Armus appreciates your support.
Hey Armus, I’m touching you stuff
LOL! Armus is a jerk!
Lol, whatever.
Only live-action is canon, as said many times, so that argument is null and void. But honestly, I can’t even accept SNW as canon, nor the JJ movies, or Discovery. But here in SNW, where is Doctor Boyce? Do you even know who that is? A TRUE fan would know who that is. Where’s Lt. Tyler? The characters on Pike’s Enterprise somehow were left out of this series, and instead of honoring that canon, and making it authentic, using The Menagerie as a base-point for the crew and lore of Pike’s time as Captain. Instead they replaced the lore characters with an androgynous helmsman, a Doctor that WASNT on Pike’s Enterprise, and a Nurse Chapel, also not in Pike’s crew, who can’t bring the class and elegance Majel Barrett Brought at the time. I was a helmsman in the Navy. NEVER would I speak unless spoken to, and you repeat the order given. NOT “you know I got this.” I would have been removed from duty for my unprofessionalism. This is fan fiction.
Throwing out the ‘true fan’ trope, I see. You’re fortunate the mods have a lot more tolerance of gatekeeping then they used to.
Who says ‘only live-action is canon?’
There is no basis for it. If Paramount and Roddenberry Entertainment say it’s canon so it is.
Seriously, Gene Roddenberry’s short-lived position on TAS had more to do with IP issues while Phase II was under consideration in the 70s.
Richard Arnold was never the authority on this question, and was removed from any agency in speaking for the Roddenberry estate early in TNG’s run.
Good thing Starfleet isn’t a military organization then. If it was, Riker would’ve been kicked out of the service for how he talked back to Jellico.
Also, you don’t have to like any nuTrek, but it is canon, full stop.
That’s blatantly false. The animated shows have been deemed canon by CBS/Paramount. Even Roddenberry begrudgingly admitted that TAS was canon (after he denied it – because of his own ego). Stop gatekeeping, it’s not a good look.
No, no, no, that was Rodenberry’s lawyer, Richard Arnold. Rodenberry himself never came out on record saying that TAS was canon.
It’s very CONVENIENT for people today to make this claim so as to justify LDS being labled as canon, but there is no actual cited quote from GR himself ever that went back on his rules that animated Trek is not canon, including TAS.
*sigh* I’m not sure why you can’t wrap your head around this. TAS is canon, LD is canon, Prodigy is canon. CBS/Paramount, the writers, the creators, the executives have all said so.
You DON’T HAVE TO LIKE THEM! You can straight up hate and loathe them. But THEY ARE CANON. This is simply not an arguably point, as it is a statement of fact.
You did not read my post. I was refuting your point about what GR was on record of doing…and I am 100% correct in what I said above on that.
Oh I did, and while I was mistaken about Roddenberry, I’m responding directly to the second part.
It’s not a convenient excuse. The animated series (all of them) are canon – regardless of what Roddenberry said decades ago.
Sure, but that’s a convenience backed up by BS.
Just because something is decided by a recognized authority, it doesn’t mean it’s right. That’s why we all have brains so we can sort through the BS.
Leonard Maizlich was GR’s evil lawyer. Richard Arnold was his petty vile toady who rode roughshod over the Pocket Books entries for far too long.
Thanks, kmart. I got my slime balls mixed up.
A. Just because you don’t like a lot of the modern shows and movies doesn’t mean they’re not canon (but you’re entitled to not like them). And yes that includes Lower Decks and Prodigy as well, so get over it. You’re gatekeeping.
B. This show takes place several years after The Cage, so a lot of those just transferred, left Starfleet or died. But it would be cool if one or two showed up in an episode.
C. Starfleet is not the military although I do agree they can be a little more serious at times.
I want to be clear that this isn’t snark: if Starfleet isn’t a/the military, why do they have courts martial?
Yeah obviously it’s a quasi-military for sure. I have spoken on this many times myself and yeah if you are the one fighting the wars then that makes you the closest thing to it at least.
And I always made the point it’s really ridiculous not to believe there is one in the future, even just as a self defense force when you have everyone from Romulans to the Borg trying take over half the galaxy.
But we can’t just assume they have to behave in the way militaries do today 400 years in the future. It looks like Starfleet burrowed some things from it, but relaxed on others.
Been a fan since ‘71. “The Menagerie” is my all-time favorite TOS episode; I know full well who Philip Boyce was; Starfleet is not the U.S. Navy; and you, sir, are not a gatekeeper who gets to say, based on their mastery of trivia, who a “real” fan is or isn’t.
The characters you list were all in The Cage. SNW takes place *years* after The Cage. (Pike commanded the Enterprise at least ten years and The Cage was very early on in that period.) Lots of people can have come and gone, especially an older one like Boyce (retired?) or a younger one like Colt (promoted?)
(You might as well ask what happened to Dr. Piper or Yeoman Smith from Where No Man Has Gone Before, and The Corbomite Maneuver takes place only about six months later.)
Erica Ortegas is supposed to be an homage to Jose Tyler, whose surname was originally supposed to have been Ortegas.
Now I see why you’re so angry… you come up with this “only live-action is canon” nonsense, and then they come up with Mariner and Boimler… in live-action. Hahaha, good luck circunventing that with some kind of stupid rule! LOL
If he doesn’t like the show, that’s fine. But I don’t understand why people are so bothered with the animated shows being canon??? It makes no sense to me. LDS and PRO should be looked at equally as every other show. And people want to know it all connects to the same universe. And thanks to this crossover with SNW, it will seal the deal to some who can’t just let go lol.
Frankly — and I mean no disrespect, honest — as a fan of fifty years’ standing I have a difficult time understanding this obsession with “canon” with people who are old enough to legally drink.
“Only live-action is canon, as said many times”
No one from CBS/Paramount or has said that. In fact they have said Lower Decks is canon, as is Prodigy.
This reads like a parody of a gate-keeping uber-nerd.
“Worst. Episode. Everrrr.”
100% agree; Lower Decks=canon!
Of course it is! I would be highly upset if it wasn’t. I think most fans would.
Please go watch Profit and Lace and come back and tell me Star Trek is always serious. To name one example of many.
No one, under any circumstances, should watch Profit and Lace.
LOL!
That’s actually one of my all-time favorite episodes, but then me being transgender could be the reason (I also love Turnabout Intruder).
That’s…an interesting take. As a cis dude, I’m certainly not going to tell you how to react to that episode, but…I have to admit a bit of surprise you don’t find it insulting.
Nice! Another trans person on this site!
preach!
Everyone is misunderstanding me. I never said you can’t have an episode with humor. But the show, in-universe, has to take itself seriously. The characters, under normal circumstances, the characters have to take their position on the ship seriously, their orders, and especially decorum is completely missing from this show. It treats those vital elements as something to be tossed aside.
Everyone is misunderstanding me. I never said you can’t have an episode with humor. But the show, in-universe, has to take itself seriously.
Dude, I think they all get this, but the lazy “the exception is the rule” argument is all that most of them could come up with on short notice to refute you….well, I take that back, some instead personally insulted you and some tried to gatekeep you — I guess those dudes were too lazy to even respond with anything substantive…LOL
Dude, or maybe they simply disagree. IDIC and all of that. :)
Who says?
The whole point of Lower Decks is that it’s a workplace comedy, within the Star Trek canon, about a “C-list” ship. The kind of people who wouldn’t make it on the Enterprise, but that Starfleet still needs to do the routine business of running things.
Here’s the thing: It’s not that the characters don’t take Star Trek (or the Federation / Starfleet) seriously. In fact, it’s the exact opposite!
To set up comedic potential, everyone on the Cerritos has to take their jobs very, very seriously.
If they didn’t, it wouldn’t be funny to watch their schemes fall apart, or heartwarming when they succeed despite themselves. That’s just basic comedy writing 101.
They know they’re on a C-list ship and want better for themselves. They all get jealous when people get promoted to “better” ships or positions, or that the USS Vancouver has those cool new tricorders, or that senior staff have access to nicer replicator menus than they do. They sleep in bunks in a hallway, with zero privacy – even lower deckers on the Enterprise had shared rooms. All of that is ambition-fodder for character-driven plots.
They all have goals and aspirations, sabotaged by their personal issues – Boimler wants command, but is highly neurotic and obsessive. Tendi wants to be a respected science officer, but isn’t assertive. Mariner is secretly great at most things, but also easily bored and has big problems with authority. Rutherford is seemingly the nicest guy in the world, but also rarely stands up for himself, and as we learned, had a dark past.
Meanwhile, we never see our characters do things that are really, hideously wrong without suffering consequences. When Mariner crosses a line with her mom, she DOES get exiled to the worst space station in the Federation, for one. It wouldn’t be a Star Trek show if the basic tenets of the universe were ignored. The Cerritos might be a C-list ship, but they still follow Starfleet protocols.
That said, there’s nothing that happens in Lower Decks that couldn’t happen in any mainstream episode of TNG, DS9 or Voyager, albeit as a B or C plot. The creators are all deep Star Trek fans who know the lore, and that’s what makes most episodes a treat. The difference is that it’s played with an emphasis on laughs, but the Trek in every episode is true to the same values.
I find it interesting that The Orville started as a parody/homage to TNG, and over the last little while has become more of an homage with a lighthearted tone. I think Lower Decks fits right into that mold.
It’s funny, I read the dude’s post, and nowhere in it did he claim that Star Trek is always serious?
I understand your frustration, honestly. But personally I don’t take SNW all that seriously. It’s geared towards being rather ‘lite’ fare, imo. I enjoy it, but I think it lacks the gravitas of prior Trek shows, and alot of that has to do with how the crew interact. Way too casual. Just one guy’s opinion.
SNW is not nearly as goofy as this person, you, or the trailers make it out to be.
The promotional material however has highlighted its light heartedness to appeal to those who hated Discovery for how self serious it was early on.
They’re trying to make it look fun, which it is, in addition to being serious, dramatic, heartfelt, and somber when it needs to be.
It’s also the one thing Picard and Discovery never have been: incredibly well written from top to bottom.
This! All of this!
I have watched every ep of this crapfest — and yes, it’s silly, annoying, poorly written, relies way too much on cheap gimmicks, and disappointing.
I could not agree with you more.
Yeah but SNW is definitely the goofiest of the new live action shows. But I don’t think that’s a bad thing. They just want things to feel a little more upbeat and fun. Pike is the ultimate dad Captain and there is nothing wrong with that. But you’re also right they definitely had serious moments last season with the Gorn stuff, the episode with the kid and losing Hemmer. And the the season finale definitely felt tense redoing BoT. So it can definitely feel more serious and even dark at times, but I like that the show can just be comedic and silly and not apologize for it.
So you’re telling me that “Memento Mori,” “Lift Us Where Suffering Cannot Reach,” “All Those Who Wander,” and “A Quality of Mercy” were ‘lite’ fare and lacked gravitas?
Personally, I did like 2 or 3 episodes of season 1, especially the one with the child that has to sacrifice his life to save his world by becoming their A.I. That was straight out of TNG. THAT felt like Star Trek. But it was more misses than hits unfortunately, and what they did to the Gorn was pitiful and uncreative.
So? Again, the exception does not prove the rule.
Is that all you got?
“Is that all you got?”
It’s 40% of the show (and, I would argue, shortchanges “Ghosts of Illyria.”) This would be an odd reaction from most people.
No, it’s not. Only a handful of eps with comedic-centric eps. Saying that any ep with some comedy makes that a sitcom ep like Lower Decks is silly and not credible.
I mean, we joke around once or twice at my workplace nearly every day, but I am not going to claim that my workplace is analogous to The Comedy Store, lol
THE EXEPTION DOES NOT PROVE THE RULE. Every ep of LDS is a comedy cartoon sitcom, unlike the vast majority of Star Trek eps.
“No, it’s not.”
I’m not a mathematician, but even I can put x over 10.
The person you’re initially responding to (who is listing episodes that he or she feels have seriousness/gravitas) is talking about Strange New Worlds.
Your obtuse, process over substance response is not compelling
It’s ok to say you weren’t following the conversation you were trying to engage in, rather than doubling down. Here’s some assistance.
That person named a series of SNW episodes they believed had gravitas in response to someone saying that SNW was too light. They named 40% of the show’s episodes that have aired so far (and it’s not like the other 60% are slapstick or farces, there are some that are merely not as “heavy” as the others.) The whole “exception that proves the rule” thing doesn’t really work when you’re talking about so many exceptions.
I’m not interested in compelling you.
Ah, OK, I see where you are going with this. I was responding more in general to the body of that persons posts today then on this specific one.
Yeah, my bad for making the wild assumption that your response to a particular comment should have been taken as a response to that comment.
Your workplace makes me sad :( We joke around ALL the time at my work. We also get our work done, and get it done well; but we’re not drones, we know how to have fun.
Beyond that, Trek should be fun! Trek is not Battlestar Galactica (fantastic show FYI) or Breaking Bad or what have you. One of the biggest complaints about DS9 when it first came out (beyond people feeling that season 1 was boring), is that the show was too dark and wasn’t as fun as TNG.
That’s bizarre how you kind of personally insult me on this — I was the one who said we have some fun at my workplace?
Jesus, that’s just weak, LOL
I was just pointing out the episodes that were very self-serious, but all of season 1 definitely took itself seriously. Even Spock Amok, which was a straight up body-swap comedy, had it’s basis in Spock’s ongoing struggle b/w his Vulcan and Human sides – something that is very Trek.
So I guess all I’ve really got is that all of season 1 of SNW took itself and Trek seriously. I imagine that won’t be enough for you though.
I was just pointing out the episodes that were very self-serious, but all of season 1 definitely took itself seriously. Even Spock Amok, which was a straight up body-swap comedy, had it’s basis in Spock’s ongoing struggle b/w his Vulcan and Human sides – something that is very Trek.
I agree, so I am not sure where you are going with this?
Fine, but that was the dude’s point — why then does it need to mix with the more serious shows?
Just let it stay in it’s silly cartoon sitcom world. This crossover is not necessary nor warranted.
Well, I appreciate that at least SOMEONE on here can see what I see with this show. We might not agree on everything. But Star Trek touched the hearts of millions by being (overall) a serious sci-fi adventure show, and showing that we will get past our current agenda-driven divides. But modern Trek uses all that modern agenda in their shows. I watch Trek to ESCAPE from 2023, not watch a sci-fi show to be lectured on current political and feminist issues for the main characters. (we have to remember, when Trek wanted to address a topic, it used the ALIENS as the ones having the problem, while our crew had their shit together overall.
Okay, now you’re confusing me. On the one hand you’re complaining that modern Trek doesn’t take itself serious and is just one long joke. On the other hand, you’re complaining that modern Trek is commenting on our current state of affairs too much – a decidedly serious topic. Which is it?
Beyond that, Trek often used aliens for its social allegories, but far from always. The first interracial kiss on TV was b/w two HUMANS on TOS. DS9’s Far Beyond the Stars spoke directly toward racism and racial injustice, specifically with humans. DS9’s Past Tense dealt directly with income inequality in human society. TNG explored human prejudice in The Wounded. The list goes on, but (hopefully, albeit unlikely) you get my point.
Also, is there a problem with feminist issues? And in what way has modern Trek lectured us on said issues?
I am with you on this one…not sure where Chris S is going with that. And I like the modern take take on feminist and humanist and diversity issues.
Hey, we can agree on something! After all, IDIC is a fundamental tenant of Trek ;)
Well said! :-)
….for a supposed ‘true’ fan, you’ve really missed the mark on this one. Take yourself back to the 60’s when it first aired. I bet a certain type of person felt ‘lectured’ by seeing integration on the bridge or an interracial kiss.
“I want to escape 1968, not be lectured on current political issues.”
Sheesh..
So you’re upset the show feels too light and fun. But then you’re upset when the show tackles serious and contemporary issues? So it sounds like you’re going to be mad no matter what they do.
Ah, now we see where the true issue is, which has little to do with canon or the show’s lack of gravitas or that Kirk gets stuck in a revolving door. The upshot is that you don’t like its politics. Fair enough, and you have my sincere thanks for at least sparing us the griping about wokeness. But it’s either weightless fluff, or pushing an agenda when all you want is an hours’ respite from the travails of daily life. You can’t have it both ways.
Yeah SNW is a lot more fun and silly at times, which is why it’s perfect to crossover with Lower Decks. The Gorn episodes are super serious though lol. It can definitely be a bit more serious but I don’t mind it at all. It’s a big reason I’m enjoying the show so much personally.
And I think after how serious DIS and PIC came off in their early seasons to the point someone was going to get a heart attack over it, it probably was decided this would be the ‘lite’ show.
Well, for my part I don’t take any of Trek all that seriously, airing as it does on a planet where the dominant species remains armed to the teeth, millions suffer unnecessarily on a daily basis, and the ice caps are melting. It’s a fitfully cool TV/movie franchise, not Holy Writ. On occasion it’s terrific, which is great. Mostly it’s mediocre-to-good, which I enjoy as best I can. Occasionally it’s awful, which I try to forget and move on. As Leonard Nimoy once said, in the great ocean of human experience, Trek ‘‘tis but a drop.
Same. As much as I love Trek, I still see it as, wait for it, just as a TV show. I remember I got a lot of people upset over this basic fact lol but yeah that’s all it is regardless how much people obsess over it. It’s a very (at times) well written, intelligent and thoughtful show, but it also has a lot of ridiculous sci fi hokum in it from meeting the Greek God Apollo to turning into salamanders after you reach warp 10.
I love nearly all of the shows, I consider all of them my children, even the ones I still have trouble with (looking at you Discovery). I just joke some are a bit better behaved than others. But I still care about them all; the classic shows a bit more so having grown up with those. But for all the NuTrek haters out there, you have to remind them there are tons of bad episodes and really dumb stuff that has been done with all the old shows, from TOS through ENT that people endlessly complained as well. None of them are flawless.
Yep
Decaf.
I’m 58, grew up on TOS, visited the Federation Trading Post in NYC, currently have five boxes of Trek ship models to build in my garage (have only completed the Defiant with lighting so far), built my first fiber-optic-lit 1701 in 1981. I have been a Trekkie my whole life.
Chill.
Shhh… 🤫
I think one issue with the newer Treks is that they seem to struggle to compartmentalize certain elements, particularly comedy. In older Treks, they would have a character to go to for a quip, like Tom Paris or Garak, or a wacky episode, like Neelix or Quark. Now though, they spread it around more to various characters to where it doesn’t quite hold together at times, in my opinion, as a “workplace drama in space,” as I saw Trek once described. It leans more towards a parody.
Or it’s like someone said of the Marvel movies, that there’s so much quipping and cutting off earnest moments with humor that it comes across as something where all the characters are in college. That, and the odd obsession with catchphrases doesn’t help.
It leans more towards a parody.
Well said. Lower Decks is a parody, and it should never have been labeled as canon by CBS.
Welp it is canon, and a LOT of people like Lower Decks, so just get over it.
Nah, I am perfectly fine with not getting over it. :-)
Alright… to each their own I suppose. Arguing about the canonicity/non-canonicity of the animated series (which again, they are canon) just seems like an odd hill to die on.
Nope. The Orville is a parody/homage. Galaxy Quest is a parody/homage. SNL and In Living Color sketches about Trek are parody. Episodes of Futurama that reference the “Star Trek Wars” are parody. MAD Magazine’s “Star Blecch” is a parody.
Lower Decks is a workplace comedy that happens to be set in the Star Trek universe. And that’s an important difference. (Trust me, I’m a comedy writer.)
A parody is a comedic exaggeration of the characteristics of a genre, style, actor, or writer. For instance, the Onion article “Bunch of Phonies Mourn J.D. Salinger” parodies his work by being written in the style of Holden Caulfield’s first-person narration from The Catcher In The Rye.
When someone…inserts…dramatic PAUSES…in! their! speech!, they’re parodying William Shatner’s delivery. (In fact, most comedy impressionists are doing a parody of the person they’re imitating – exaggerating their most recognizable traits.)
By contrast, Lower Decks takes the reality of the Star Trek universe and Starfleet as a given. The uniforms are Starfleet uniforms, not fast food uniforms with space badges. The ships have nacelles, and not, y’know, Oscar Meyer hot dogs. They have phasers and photon torpedoes, not mustard and ketchup cannons. They have tricorders, they go on away missions, they do the usual Starfleet stuff like building new science outposts, etc.
There might be comedic aliens (the Pakleds, the Dooplers) but there are no parodies of the Vulcans, Klingons, Orions – we might see characters’ or species’ characteristics in a comedic light, but they’re not exaggerated beyond what we expect or know.
It’s Star Trek, through and through, that’s just written to emphasize the comedy, the same way that you could say that Silicon Valley and Halt and Catch Fire are both shows about technology startups — and in theory could both exist in the same universe — but one is about comedy derived from petty human foibles, and the other is about drama derived from petty human foibles.
Honestly, I really think most people on this site could benefit by watching a broader spectrum of television shows, or reading, you know, reviews and comparisons of shows, so you can understand Star Trek as an IP in the context of the entire entertainment landscape.
It’s OK if Lower Decks isn’t your thing! But, y’know, given how well Star Wars has been doing with turning animated characters into live action, don’t write it off :)
A voice of reason. Man, this thread jumped the rails…
Thank you. Again, remember the prime directive of the internet: Never read the comments.
Not sure that I entirely agree, but that’s a very interesting take.
Boy bands were considered for Voyager, but the opted for pro wrestling instead.
I think you mean Enterprise.
Definitely Voyager. I quit watching the show when the promo for next week’s episode featured space wrestling and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. I was a teenager and was like “wtf is this? This ain’t Star Trek” and stopped watching the series altogether.
I probably wouldn’t react the same way now, but man did that feel weird to see.
No I mean the boy band thing. That was suggested in season 3 of Enterprise by the clueless executives at the time.
But I agree that VOY episode is awful. I actually just listened to it being discussed on The Delta Flyers recently where Wang and McNeill raked it over the coals. I still kept watching the show though. ;)
Gotcha! I missed that part of Enterprise lore.
I softened on Voyager when I got older and less reactionary. Teenage me couldn’t stand The Rock or professional wrestling. Adult me can find joy in them both.
I wound up really liking the series, and was sad to see it cancelled just short of 100 episodes.
That said, the network executives did NOT know what to do with it. I hold that it would’ve lasted longer (and been better) if it had been first run syndication rather than on a single network.
No worries!
I’m glad you gave Voyager another chance though lol. I was never into wrestling and I knew who the Rock was at that time, I just didn’t care either. It really did feel like they squeezed in that episode for wrestling fans which was another mandate by the clueless executives.
Star Trek should’ve never been put on a network or at least one that really understands what Star Trek is. It was the same issues when the original was on NBC, but back then there was literally no other options.
I won’t lie to you guys but I actually dig Tsunkatse! 😁
No it wasn’t a great episode but I was a wrestling fan back then I was so excited to hear the Rock was coming on Star Trek. But then he was only in two scenes. But the episode was still fun for me.
Plus I liked it because it was that episode that introduced both Jeffrey Combs and J.G. Hertzler who would both go to play two of favorite characters, Shran and Martock.
It’s not my favorite or anything but I do like it.
Up until 2021, I had seen that episode literally just twice since Voyager started. But in 2021 when I did my grand rewatch of the franchise and naturally watched that episode again, I was so surprised to see both of those actors on it lol. And this episode premiered after DS9 was already off the air but I didn’t remember either being in the episode until two years ago. It’s amazing the longevity these shows have given so many actors over the years. And they both reappeared on Lower Decks recently. :)
I could never forget Jeffrey Combs. 😂
But I do need to go back and rewatch that one eventually
Hertzler and Combs were both on prior to Tsunkatse, but I will forever stand with anyone who digs Shran and Martok.
Martok is the quintessential Klingon. They perfected them with his character. And Jeffrey Combs is great. I got to hang out with him and Casey Biggs at a convention I was volunteering at ~20 years ago. Super cool dude.
Jeffrey Combs is one of my absolute favorite Trek actors. I adore his characters so much. Especially Weyoun, Brunt and agimus.
I guess you didn’t like “A Piece of the Action” or “Trouble with Tribbles” or even the funny bits in STIV:TVH. I love it when Star Trek has comedy once in a while. Even Picard Season 3 had a lot of levity.
Situational comedy is different. Marvel is the master of one-liners and snarky dialogue, especially in tense moments that are unnecessary and out of place. In the episodes you mentioned, the humor comes from the SITUATION and their reaction. Just like in Star Trek 4 The Voyage Home. Fish out of water scenario. Makes from some really funny moments. But it should be organic. There is a difference between those types of humor. Trek has stopped to the “cheap laughs” that plague Hollywood now.
I love it when Star Trek has comedy once in a while
That’s the issue. This series is a cartoon sitcom on every single ep, not just once in awhile.
You sort of just unintentionally made Chris S’s point for him.
Dammit, that is THE POINT of Lower Decks – to be a comedy. Ugh, not sure why this is so hard to understand.
Then CBS should not have stipulated it was canon. I don’t agree that a science fiction series that is presented as a potential future in space for all of us should be comedy. Never have, never will, and no, I will not get over it — my opinion.
Picard season 3 was oddly the funniest season of that show lol. I laughed so hard in the finale it was unreal.
But yeah, Star Trek does comedy and quite a bit of it when you add up all the episodes. I have never had an issue with those episodes at all (unless they sucked and yes a few of them did). But I think shows like SNW and LDS is great for it! I would’ve loved if DIS just did a comedic episode…like once!
Feel better now?
Get a load of this guy….
Gatekeeping/bullying?
Grow up child.
Personally insulting the dude because you happen to disagree with him?
I kind of agree. This isn’t for me. The entire trailer felt too jokey.
I think SNW is amazing and season 2 will most likely be equally amazing, but… I do agree this trailer is not a good trailer (read carefully). It’s kinda messy. The first trailer for season 2 was made a lot better.
The crossover piece made me cringe, frankly. So not needed….what were they thinking?
Didn’t the season one trailer also feel pretty jokey too? It seems to have the same tone to me as that one, but I haven’t seen it in a long time.
Too bad you feel that way. I, who have been a fan all long as I can remember (I am 56), actually love this. Trek has never taken itself “seriously”… Even in the days of TOS, there were funny episodes. That is the beauty of Trek… it can be ANYTHING. It is great that they are doing a crossover like this. I guess you have to be less closed-minded to enjoy things.
The only time I found that Trek too itself seriously was with all those fan made shows like Phase 2, etc. I think They took Trek TOO seriously and it was overly dramatic. Trek is supposed to be fun.
But to each their own.
Hey PMW67, great to see a few more ‘TOS babies’ representing here.
I recently found out that ‘TOS baby’ is a term coming into use for those of us who were exposed to TOS as young kids before there was anything else.
While I loved 90s Trek at the time, I have to say that I have truly enjoyed the way we’ve seen the Kurtzman era re-embrace some of the most trippy ideas reminiscent of TOS/TAS and run with them.
Robotic attack flower petals!
Body swapping Vulcans!
Spore reconstituted bodies!
Attack tribbles!
Even Caitians and Kzinti are back!
What do you mean “Why can’t we get Star Trek that takes itself seriously, like Picard season 3?” We did get Picard season 3. Like always, we have some serious Trek and some goofy Trek. Devil in the Dark is great and all, but sometimes I just want to watch The Trouble with Tribbles.
And Lower Decks has always been canon. They made that clear from the beginning.
Its a vulgar cartoon. Its not canon. Roddenberry is spinning in his grave…
The guy who wanted Ferengi to have giant codpieces? Word.
Complain all you want, but it is canon, full stop.
Yeah – Roddenberry would never be vulgar. He certainly wouldn’t cast his girlfriend while still married or sleep with cast members, or let a cast member be fired after being assaulted…
I never cared at all what Roddenberry thought. He didn’t own the franchise and he’s been dead over 30 years now so they can do what they want. Others have to get over it already.
Oh come on. Roddenberry would have happily taken the money and did.
Don’t gatekeep me on a show I started watching as a young schoolchild in 1966.
Or try to resurrect false claims from Richard Arnold about Roddenberry’s position on things when I and others here are old enough to remember that these were false.
You are very much coming across as though you’re one of the bitter fans who paid money in the 70s to buy ads to keep TAS off the air.
characters that ACT LIKE THEY ARE IN STARFLEET
What does that even mean?
It means exactly what it says. In general, we want to see characters who we would credibly believe would be an officer on a starship several hundred years from now.
What is so hard to understand about that?
Because what does it mean to be in Starfleet exactly? Starfleet is a confusing organization, simultaneously portrayed as a civilian exploration and science organization, and as a hardened military organization. There are episodes where characters defy orders and are disrespectful toward their superiors, and get barely a slap on the wrist. And others where they get dressed down to the point they end up in the brig. There are episodes were a crew member not only fantasies about his cremates, but creates an entire holodeck fantasy around it, a clear violation of trust and privacy, and doesn’t even get a stern talking to. There are episodes were the entire senior staff takes a break from a galactic war to play a game of baseball in the holosuites against a bunch of self-serious Vulcans, and episodes were this same crew fight a gritty battle at a communication outpost in the center of that same war.
So the question stands, what does it even mean to “act like they are in Starfleet?” Because even Trek doesn’t have the answer to that.
Which is all why I capitalized “in general” on my comment.
When characters are loud, annoying jack-asses who consistently do stupid shit in every ep, that is not “in general,” but that is what we get every week on LDS.
“characters are loud, annoying jack-asses…”
…are everywhere. And if you want to talk about characters who do stupid shit in every episode, TOS kind of full of that, because that’s the way TV was written then. Characters had to act like idiots on occasion to advance the plot.
Still doesn’t help. I was an Air Force officer and my fellow officers exhibited all kinds of behavior. There certainly wasn’t any sort of behavioral standard and I never met anyone who wasn’t credible.
Yeah, noted real organization that actually exists Starfleet.
LOL. Have you ever watched a Star Trek series? There is always bits of comedy, action, drama, suspense, etc. Data playing in a pile of hay? Drunk Troi? TOS had some pretty ridiculous things going on. Strange New Worlds season 1 showed they were going to take the opportunity with the episodic format to explore different genres. It keeps things interesting.
Ummm…go actually watch some REAL Star Trek and not Terry Matalas fanboy wet dream that was PICARD S3.
(And seriously have you watched TNG S1 recently when asking “Why can’t we get Star Trek that takes itself seriously? ” with episodes like “Skin Of Evil” and its Metamucil monster?
Oh please, Star Trek has never been above being able to poke a little bit of fun at itself. Even TNG, which was arguably the most self-serious of all the Trek shows, could have some fun with itself. Hell, the 2nd episode of the entire series was the “Naked Now,” an entirely unserious episode. And then you’ve got DS9, which as dark as it could get, had some straight up comedy episodes!
Off the top of my head, I can think of quite a few episodes across all of Trek that were far from serious:
TOS –
I, Mudd
Mudd’s Women
The Trouble with Tribbles
A Piece of the Action
Spock’s Brain (though I think it was supposed to be taken seriously…)
TNG –
The Naked Now
The Outrageous Okana
Q-Pid
Rascals
Sub Rosa (similar to Spock’s Brain, this was probably supposed to be taken seriously…)
DS9 –
Every Ferengi episodes – with shout out’s to Little Green Men and The Magnificent Ferengi (which is the closest Star Trek has gotten to a straight up farce).
Trials and Tribbleations
Take Me Out to the Holosuite
Badda Bing Badda Bang
VOY – oddly enough for a show that was often referred to as TNG-lite, it doesn’t have too many funny episode, but a couple that popped into mind.
Bride of Chaotica
Tinker, Tenor, Doctor, Spy
ENT –
Unexpected
A Night in Sickbay
Furthermore, your argument that modern Trek doesn’t take itself seriously is doesn’t hold water. Discovery can take itself way, way too seriously at times, and honestly hasn’t had any comedy-esque episodes that I can think of. Strange New Worlds had one comedy episode is season 1 in Spock Amok, whereas the rest of the season definitely took itself seriously. Picard was a serious show across all 3 season, with moment of levity mixed in. Hell, I’d argue that as silly as Lower Decks is, it actually takes itself very seriously, especially in its reverence for all things Trek. It has fun with itself and Trek-lore, but it never makes fun of itself or Trek.
You may not like modern-Trek, and that’s totally fine, but to argue it doesn’t take itself seriously is just flat-out wrong.
Add DS9 “You Are Cordially Invited…”
I think that there’s a lot more Voyager that I wouldn’t necessarily call “funny,” but also isn’t really “serious.” Delete the wife.
I agree modern Trek can take itself seriously. The problem, however, is that sometimes it undercuts the drama with comedy. Like in the Picard finale, for example, I think they probably would’ve been better off leaving out the “threesome” joke between Worf and Riker. When you’re about to go into the grand finale of the Borg hellscape where all of humanity and the Federation is at stake, might want to lean in on the seriousness of the situation, you know. Think back to “The Best of Both Worlds.” Not a lot of nyuk-yuks going on during that crisis.
I would actually say that makes things a bit more “real.” As in real life, people absolutely diffuse tense situations with off-color comments.
And, the more that I think about it, there are plenty of episodes that are light in tone but serious in content (“A Matter of Honor”) or just ridiculous (“Sub Rosa,” “Masks,” “insert additional S7TNG here.”) The serious/comedic split is a false dichotomy.
Voyager did a few more comedic episodes:
Someone to Watch Over Me
Spirit Folk (really hate this one though)
Live Fast and Prosper
Message in a Bottle
Body and Soul (maybe this one isn’t considered comedic overall but the Seven/Doctor stuff is hilarious)
TNG also had a few more:
A Fist Full of Datas
Menage of Troi
Captain’s Holiday
There is probably another episode or two I’m forgetting but yeah all the classic shows had some comedic stuff going on. I always point out DS9 had the most comedic episodes out of all the shows even though it was also the darkest. Another reason why it’s my favorite show in Star Trek.
And yes SNW had one official comedic episodes, but a few others were definitely funny too like the episode with Captain Angel (title isn’t coming to me).
I’d say the second Harry Mudd in Discovery had some funny stuff.
I was actually just thinking about that one as it’s the most “comedic” (or unserious, or what hav you) of all of DISCO’s eps. If anything, DISCO takes itself more seriously (for better or worse) than pretty much any other Trek show.
Seriously?
Star Trek is turning into a Joke. Why can’t we get Star Trek that takes itself seriously…Lower Decks as a separate show that is a comedy and isn’t really canon is fine. To combine that with now what is your flagship Trek show? This is ridiculous.
EXACTLY — 100% AGREE
And it’s brain dead that the only response you are getting here is people pointing out a handful of comedic eps on the live action series. That is MEANINGLESS, because the vast majority of those eps are not sitcom eps, whereas EVERY FREAKING EP of Lower Decks is a cartoon sitcom. That’s saying that the exception proved the rules — that’s complete BS.
I honestly don’t understand your complete hate for comedy shows (or at least Star Trek comedy shows – no idea if you like other comedies). What’s wrong with Star Trek being fun, and being able to poke some fun at itself? You also seem to not like the animated shows in general (you’ve mentioned TAS a bit, but not Prodigy directly?), which I also don’t get? Do you just not like animated shows? Or do you think animation isn’t/can’t be for adults?
Regardless, I can respect you not liking a show for whatever reason, but the hate you have for them (and specifically LD) just seems extreme.
With the episodic format, I don’t mind the occasional conceptual deviation and playing with other genres.. it just has to be good and work within the framework of the franchise.
I wasn’t going to pile on….but don’t watch Trek’s IV and V.
Row row row your boat, gently down the stream….
Bourbon and beans! A fart joke in Trek :)
Go cry a river and then swim around in it until you realize that you’re the one being ridiculous.
Wait I just realized, you’re just being a troll. Definitely just stay in it.
Gritizens, it occurs to me that your comment here would make a good story concept for an ep of Lower Decks. ;-)
I think the characters in modern Trek don’t act as if they’re in the kind of Starfleet we had in TOS and TNG because the backgrounds of both the creative team AND the audience have changed. I’ve heard a lot of people talk about the difference between TOS’s Kirk and SNW’s Pike, complaining that Pike doesn’t act like a traditional captain.
I think the main reason for the difference in captaining styles is the difference in the amount of military service in the writers and the audiences. A large percentage of adult American* men in the 1960’s had served in the military, so they all understood military chain of command. And while few women had personal military experience, they had husbands, fathers, brothers, or uncles who had been in the military, so they’d heard about it.
Rodenberry and Coon were both definitely in the military, as were Nimoy, Doohan, and several others. It was part of the shared cultural background.
A far smaller percentage of today’s American audience has been in the military, and military culture is foreign to a large percentage of the audience and to a large percentage of the writers. Lately, most people’s experience with authority is with parents, teachers, and bosses at work. So Kirk acted like an excellent military captain, while Pike acts like an excellent father. Different backgrounds produce different tales and different characters.
I like the more spit-and-polish approach of Kirk, but that’s because I’m old. :-) I understand that Pike is written for modern audiences, and I think he’s actually quite wonderful, given the time in which he’s being written and performed.
*I’m talking about Americans because that’s mostly who makes the show.
That’s a good point. Although, I would venture to guess that many a good military fiction has been written by people who did not serve in the military, either. I mean, I could be wrong, but I don’t recall reading much about TNG and DS9 writers being ex-military. Yet I think they did a pretty good job carrying on that tradition.
So it really just comes down to research, doesn’t it? Write what you know, and if you don’t know it, learn about it.
But it’s not just the writers; it’s also the AUDIENCE. The TOS Writer’s Guide says explicitly that although Starfleet is only a QUASI-military organization, military touches were put into TOS to make it easier for the audience to relate to the show. But now that most of the audience does NOT have military experience, the military aspects of Starfleet are being de-emphasized — again, to make it easier for contemporary audiences to relate to the show.
I’m not sure I can agree with that, since there are still war movies being made every year; not to mention all the military themed video games out there. Someone is relating to all that discipline and peril being shown, and I doubt it’s all veterans.
I have to agree with all of this.
There was a more military/top down element in the classic shows because of that. Today a lot less people (thankfully) are involved with the military today so the way they talk/chain of command stuff just isn’t there although I felt it a lot more in season 3 of Picard. But that’s probably due to Matalas trying to get back to the classic feel of the older shows again.
I think when there’s no emergency, it’s best if everyone feels free to add their own ideas to the discussion of possible courses of action; you get more ideas that way. But when there’s the kind of emergency where every second counts, there isn’t time for debate, and people just need to follow orders. I think that kind of hybrid style could blend the best of the old and the new, and I think it might be fun for the actors to play and the audience to watch — easygoing crew exchanges ideas and then suddenly snaps into military precision when an emergency comes along.
Well, to each, his own. I trust this season will feature its share of serious moments, as did the last, but if it comes down to it I’ll take well-made, lighthearted fun over a pretentious slog that relies on nostalgia because it ultimately had little of value to say, any day.
Classic Trek had the crew meet the white rabbit from Alice in Wonderland and TNG had them become Robin Hood and his men. This kind of kooky inventive fun is so much more in keeping with what came before than the villains out for vengeance doing various space 9/11s we’ve been stuck with for decades.
Star Trek is cool because it doesn’t care about being cool. No need for terrorism, leather jackets, etc etc.
It doesn’t need to flatter its viewers that the thing they love is Very Serious and Dark and Important.
I kind of get what you are saying. I’m not happy about how the bridge crew talk to each other on SNW. It is way too formal, especially with superiors. However, everyone has their own command style and I view it as a command structure less navy and more like a scientific expedition going to the stars. Even though, I’m a fan of Kirk/Picard/Shaw command structure.
LD/Prod are canon. We have to accept canon even when our heads have something better.
Star Trek has many flavors. You don’t have to like them all.
I wouldn’t be surprised if the writers had interviewed and researched with actual captains of expedition crews for scientific missions as well as the military. I had heard from the actors (through casual chat in conventions) that they had to take classes on things like learning about different cultures before they take on the role.
We also had actual military personnel commented on Trek forums and reddits multiple times (when debates like this break out) that even in real life the chain of command is not as uptight and always serious as some may portray. No army can survive in a constant state of fight-or-flight. There’s a reason why they invite comedians over to aircraft carriers or foreign bases to perform.
The fact is, what audiences think a profession is like is very often not what the profession is actually like. And yet the tropes are so entrenched in our culture that we are in disbelief if it is portrayed realistically. Just look at all the ER shows or how hackers work in NCIS.
“Like Picard Season 3?”
God, no. That nostalgia-stuffed, self-serious maundering is not something the world needs any more of.
SNW is so much better, more energetic, more clever entertainment than all that.
Got bad news, Lower Decks is absolutely canon! I’m seriously looking forward to that episode because you know they are going to be playing it legitimately as straight as they can while whatever calamities follow Mariner and Boimler are going to be the source of any humor. SNWs has already hinted that it can have a lighter side, think Enterprise Bingo. I openly expected to hate SNWs due to it being so different from TOS, but the characters and writing has won me over hard, the same way LD did. So lets give this a chance and trust that the writers will pull off what me be one of the most memorable Trek episodes in a long time.
Yep fully agree on all counts! I wasn’t sure if I was going to love either show (I thought I could like SNW, I was just nervous since Akiva Goldsman was running the show and I thought both DIS and PIC was mostly horrid under his watch). But they both proved me wrong. And I think a BIG part of that is that neither show takes itself that seriously and just a lot more fun to watch. I even said I could see Enterprise Bingo being a thing on LDS as well. I don’t see much Enterprise Bingo on DIS or PIC though. ;)
LDS actually brought me back to why I fell in love with Star Trek in the first place because it was actually about exploration once again and it was fun to just see characters having normal lives and doing things on their down time. I thought the humor might throw me off but just the opposite in fact. And I’m one of those weird freaks that love the B stories in Star Trek. You didn’t get much of any of that in DIS and PIC.
LDS and SNW really are the two shows that feel the most connected versus the other NuTrek shows because they are lighter, episodic, actually focused on exploration (a big deal for me ;)) and feel like total comfort food for a lot of fans. It’s really the animation element where it might throw some fans off but if LDS was a live action show, its tone would probably be a bit closer to SNW outside of the Gorn eating people lol.
Fans take it too seriously.
For starters, we are looking at two minutes of a 10-hour series, we have seen 4 total minutes.
With that being said, This trailer is a marketing department trying to get new people to watch a show. so they pick the fun moments of what they are given.
Who’s to say that Spock and Chaple kissing isn’t because of some “Naked Time” esq space anomaly, entity, bacteria, tech, spiritual, or magic thing they encounter? Even this Spock wouldn’t do the cheer that we see him do in this trailer so there is definitely something going on.
As for the Lower Decks odds are the Characters won’t be written as exuberantly as they are in Lower Decks simply because this isn’t that show. It is more than reasonable to assume they will tone down Boimler and Meriner
Could you not be a thief of joy?
“Allamaraine, count to four,
Allamaraine, then three more,
Allamaraine, if you can see,
Allamaraine, you’ll come with me…“
Well, this escalated quickly…
This is unquestionably one of the dumbest comments I have ever seen here, and I have seen a LOT of dumb comments here.
Am I the only one who has picked up on the flagrant gatekeeping here?! I thought we were past this about five years ago. It’s this toxic crap that gives the fanbase (and the SW fandom) a bad name.
This is out of control. Closing off this conversation.
Did they color Jack Quaid’s hair?
Well, I don’t think it’s NATURALLY purple. :-)
Yes, you can see in the still photo that it’s purple. Dark purple, but certainly not a natural shade.
it doesn’t look lifted enough to be a wig, they could have color corrected it in post
It’s wigs. Tawny confirmed it on Twitter.
Yes! It’s purple!
Can’t wait! So very psyched for Season 2 of SNW, since I adored Season 1! Wheeeeeeee!!!
Here’s hoping I don’t just explode from the excitement before then. :-)
It looks like an exciting season. I detected a slight purple tinge in Boimler’s hair.
Two curious things about the poster:
(1) Chief Engineer Pelia (Carol Kane) does not appear in it.
(2) Chapel is shown separately from the rest of the crew, and in black & white.
Yes, I was wondering about Chapel. I’d say that was ominous, but we know she survives to TOS (albeit as a much more subdued character).
Yeah, I was actually quite confused about the whole poster, but in particular the b/w Chapel.
Black and white? Captain Proton crossover confirmed.
Nurse Chapel’s different appearance on the poster could be explained by her being a civilian, not a member of Starfleet. Her standard “uniform” is all white, too, rather than the colored tunics of the rest of the crew.
Pella is recurring, not a regular. As for Chapel – no idea.
maybe they’ve ‘body checked’ canon again and kill Chapel off. They’ve certainly apparently killed Spock. They’ve got a guy named Spock on this show but clearly not the same character.
He looks acts and talks like Spock
Interesting poster with Chapel being pushed away from the crew and in B&W. Is she going to leave for Starfleet Academy? No Engineer.
The article doesn’t say anything about when the show will premiere in the Nordics, the Netherlands, Spain, Portugal and Central and Eastern Europe.
Honestly, the time when you could make the rest of the world wait has passed. Not making it available internationally seems really outdated and feels like a huge middle finger to those who have to wait.
I really hope it’s just a few details that have to be ironed out and that it will indeed be available all over the world at the same time.
I’m guessing it’s just the latter. The shows still seem to be a mess with international distribution but trust me, if Paramount had their way everyone would get it the same time.
Unfortunately, in this age of super-connectivity, it is very short-sighted for studios to still stagger TV show releases. If fans want to see a show, they will. There are many not-so-kosher ways to watch something. Example, SNW is not available for streaming yet in many countries, and there are no immediate plans to have it released there anytime soon. But fans are completely up to date with having watched the episodes already. Go figure.
Indeed. And when they do eventually release the show in the later regions, the ratings will be bad because people have already watched it. And so they think people in that region aren’t interested in Trek. Immensely short-sighted.
This is going to be a pure delight. Related, this is going to be a slow month waiting for this!
I tend to get the feeling I’m one of the few people who is worried about SNW season 2. To be honest, this trailer just reinforces that feeling. Season 1 wasn’t perfect, but it was so different (and so much more like “old” Trek) that most of us just took it and enjoyed it after suffering through Picard and most of Discovery. But I feel like that may not be the case this season. Many of these scenes make me think they decided to push things TOO MUCH and it may get the opposite reaction. Although it’s probably just me, I’m not a huge fan of what I’ve seen so far – especially with a lot of the Spock clips.
The one good thing that I felt from this trailer is that maybe Kirk ISN’T going to be a big part of the season. I really hope he’s not for multiple reasons. Previous trailers have made me feel otherwise, but this is the first one where I felt like Kirk is truly just going to be a guest star and not a primary component. I hope I’m right.
All that said, even though others have voiced concern, the Lower Decks crossover is actually the least of my worries. It’s clear that it will probably be an episode that will divide people, but I have a “strange” feeling there will be A LOT more episodes that will split up the fan base.
Trailers are generally not all that representative of the season. The stuff that plays well in a trailer isn’t the deep, emotional stuff that takes a lot of set-up, because there just isn’t TIME for set-up in a trailer. So trailers usually have funny bits, explosions, and kisses. Kinda like this one. :-)
Given how good Season 1 was, I’m trusting that Season 2 will be well-written and Trekkian. If it turns out not to be, we can complain THEN.
I completely agree with you in regard to the trailers, and I can’t argue that the marketing team picks out certain imagery to try and connect with the “larger audience”. But it’s more than just the trailers. I’m just saying the trailer reinforced my hesitancy in getting excited by the new season.
Before the trailers (and this one specifically), I had already been reading the quotes that have popped up multiple times about this season being different “in ways never seen before in a Star Trek series.” And it’s not just that official publicity line that is pushing this concept. I’ve seen multiple interviews that also leaned that direction. I admit that they took a few risks in season 1 (such as Spock’s romantic interactions and the Gorn), but it feels like they are being extra risky this season. And especially when the episode they point to as an example of what they were going for this year is “The Elysian Kingdom”, then I really start questioning what we’re going to get. Elysian Kingdom ranks in the bottom two episodes for me from season 1. That and “All Those Who Wander” made me question if SNW has longevity if those two episodes were really THE BEST you can create when you only have to make 10 in a season.
Yes, this is all judging the book by the cover (and maybe the previous cover), but I still think I have some decent reasons to be concerned.
Ah, interesting. I agree on “All Those Who Wander;” I thought that homage to the movie Alien was creatively bankrupt and not at all Trekkian. The other one I disliked was “The Serene Squall,” since I think space pirates are a stupid idea to begin with. Space is ENORMOUS. However big you think it is, make it a thousand times bigger, because space is just incredibly vast. To think that something that is mostly empty can have pirates waiting around for someone to wander by with something worth stealing … it just doesn’t make sense.
On the other hand, I loved “The Elaysian Kingdom.” I believe in the power of stories to illuminate our lives — as witness how seriously we all take Star Trek right here. :-) So I thought that having an alien make a story come to life in order to entertain its newfound friend was actually a nifty idea. And it was just really FUN, in the same way that “Mirror, Mirror” didn’t make all that much sense but was just so much fun that we were all willing to go along for the ride. :-) Sorry to hear that you didn’t enjoy that particular ride, but seeing Ortegas as a swordsman and Pike as a cowardly traitor and Number One as the Huntress and Hemmer using the Power of SCIENCE … it was just adorable. Well, to me, anyway.
I tend to take the shows’ depictions of Vulcans way too seriously, and I don’t like a lot of what they’re doing with Spock and T’Pring. Why are the Vulcans kissing, rather than stroking fingers? Why are they taking leave of one another by saying, “Good-bye,” rather than “Live long and prosper”? So I do have some feelings of concern about SNW, yes. But I have not been thrilled with any of the post-Voyager Trek, and SNW feels mostly like real Trek to me. I’m willing to overlook some flaws and disappointments for that feeling. :-)
No, it’s not just you. I more-or-less enjoyed season one, with some exceptions, and a few episodes it some tremendously high notes. (I loved “Lift Us Where Suffering Cannot Reach.”)
But what with the idiotic Lower Decks crossover, Boimer prattling on like a puerile idiot, Spock making out with Chapel, yet more lets-visit-the-21st century-savages, and “you know I’ve got this,” I’ve got a real sense of trepidation. I think this may be like going from season 2 to season3 of TOS, or going from Connery to Roger Moore.
@Michael Hall and Chris S: Starfleet may not exactly duplicate the US Navy, and real-world militaries may have their differences, but in no universe are professional military officers going to routinely babble like incoherent children or confirm a command with “you know I’ve got this.” This is just not what confidence-inspiring leadership is about, even in civilian life.
And while Trek has had its occasional comedic episodes, they were never the focus of the series — and a lot of the ones cited above (“Sub Rosa,” “Outrageous Okona,” “Night in Sickbay,” etc.) routinely get cited on worst-of-franchise lists.
Am with you on LIFT US, and that Connery to Moore comparison was sufficiently chilling to curdle my sperm. Hope it proves anything but true.
I do think that most post-TOS humorcentric Trek shows were lesser forms, but find most of the humor in the original to be very effective, especially in A PIECE OF THE ACTION. I think De Kelley noted that Shatner was overlooked as a master of farce, something that was largely overlooked till later in his career.
Most TV trailers, and for some reason especially Star Trek series trailers, do not really represent their shows properly. I don’t love what I see in the trailer, but I also know they are cobbled together to show the most outlandish and cringe moments to get reactions. So I’m not too worried about the actual season.
Jack and Tawny look incredible as their live action versions of their cartoon selves, Boimler and Mariner. The uniforms seem to have translated well to live action too. Glad they didn’t go crazy with Boimler’s hair.
YES!!! They look perfect. I’m soooo excited for this episode and reading the comments in other places this is definitely the episode most fans are excited about!
Also happy they didn’t go too far with Boimler’s hair.
Why does every season, of every show need a completely new uniform? Or in Discovery S2’s case, the same show, having two different uniforms for different ships. Amateur hour.
OK, I’ll bite…what’s different about these from S1?
I’m not sure if Emily is referring to the Lower Decks uniforms, but I think they have tweaked the neckline on the tunics and the undershirts have a higher collar. It could be assumed they are going to gradually tweak them more and more to subtly be more remenicant of TOS as the show goes on.
Emily, did you by chance not recognize the Boimler and Mariner are wearing a live-action version of their 2383 Lower Decks uniforms?
Of course I did, but they’re running around in Lower Decks uniforms whilst the Titan crew (the Lower Decks Titan) is running around in the grey FC uniforms. Why is there never consistency these days? Same with Discovery S2.
Easy. Different types of ships and etc., have different uniforms. If another war came around (like what happened in LD itself), the grey top uniforms of the Dominion War era will be the ones on the ships seeing the bulk of the combat. The Cerritos won’t be seeing combat that much if at all normally and their role in Starfleet is something else entirely. They’re more of the diplomats to the Titan’s battleship.
Also it’s the same with the Vancouver. They had the same style uniforms because their role is more scientific. They shouldn’t be seeing combat either under normal circumstances.
Yes everyone had the same style of uniform during the Dominion War regardless of what type of role their ship normally had but the keywords there are during the Dominion War. The war so huge that everyone was seeing combat. The 2380s is different though. They’re in a more peaceful time again and before that they very clearly had different style of uniforms depending on the posting since you still see starfleet officers in the TNG style uniform during DS9 itself. Voyager never made the uniform change to the grey top uniforms because they just weren’t in the alpha quadrant and didn’t have to. So it was always different ships will have different style of uniforms.
Lower Decks = Canon.
OMG My fifty-something fanboy is going BONKERS over the lower decks crossover.
Season 2 looks incredible; pure “FUN” Trek and … LOWER DECKS live!
YES!
Yeah it looks amazing! 👍
Lower Decks looks like it will be getting it done in live action bringing the laughs in the 23rd century.
I C-A-N N-O-T W-A-I-T!!!!! 🤩
Really looking forward to live action Lower Decks. Most of the the voice cast resemble their animated counterparts close enough, would be great if that is the next TV movie after Section 31!!
Now would you look at that! I love it. Looks like so much fun. I can’t wait. Sweet baby Boimler, I can relate.
Boimler is to precious for this world, he must be protected
YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
LOL agreed!!!
👍👍👍👍👍👍
Boims is awesome and he was one of the few characters I wasn’t a big fan of in the first season but that’s changed today.
Plus I always felt a little bad for him when Paris kicked his ass for mistaking him for a Kazon.
Lord, yes. I am so glad this poor kid stopped living his life like he’s five minutes late for a job interview. He was starting stress me out. XD
I can not wait to see these two fanboy/girl it up being on the original Enterprise. They HAVE to make the ship sound to keep their geek cred up.
By the way, why does every trailer have to start a cold open and then “the X trailer starts now”?
All I can think of is, “I heard you like trailers so I put a trailer in your trailer.”
Because the trailers appear in social media feeds, and you’ve only got a few seconds to catch the attention of someone endlessly scrolling.
I’m not sure if this is a reason for the phenomenon you’ve described, but I for one appreciate the slight delay in starting the actual trailer (or whatever other content is about to play). When these videos load on social media, at least for me, the first couple of seconds are of lower quality as the buffering catches up. Then, around the 3-second mark, we hit crisp, clean HD.
Looks like a ton of fun. Can’t wait! I hope this series gets bolder every season with the kinds of stories it can tell and how it can tell them. I’m an old Star Trek fan who actually wants this franchise to “explore strange new ideas”.
Explore strange new worlds/ideas, sure. Destroying canon or beloved characters – not interested. I’m questionable of the treatment of Spock and the official introduction of Kirk into the show. Even Uhura and Chappel are on an edge of going the wrong way in my mind as well. And let’s not even rehash the Gore… Overall, I’ve liked the concept of the show, but I’m worried this season may push the limits of fans willingness to accept that this is still the Star Trek we know.
I have been reading since last season some people take issue with Spock’s characterization. I think some feel they have made him too jokey or too much of a punch line. I’m fine with it personally but I understand why it might bother others. And I will happily take this Spock over the emotional rage monster we got in the Kelvin films (and I generally liked Quinto as Spock).
Sadly it is what it is with the Kirk thing. That too makes no real sense in terms of canon, at least knowing Pike this soon. Oddly it wouldn’t feel very out of place meeting Spock because it was always implied they met each other sooner before Kirk joined the Enterprise. But I didn’t really think they would first meet on it lol.
“Destroying canon or beloved characters”
They haven’t yet.
I cried when I saw Newsome and Mariner… kidding kidding.
I appreciate the novelty a bit but I truely hope they minimize the time travel in SNW as much as possible. Those stories are always so lame, there is a frontier to explore.
I am worried instead of getting the Enterprise as Yellowstone in the Wild West / Horatio Hornblower in the age of exploration, we are getting the Enterprise in a cartoon. I appreciate TOS was a mix, and I am okay with SNW as a mix, but I really am more into the exploring strange new worlds, colonization, etc. then more lame TNG rehash stories (everything time travel post Star Trek IV it’s been done too much).
It’s like the return of Wesley Crusher, with a super annoying sit-com, sidekick. LOL
Wesley Crusher, whatever his flaws, at least had some genuine brainpower, and we saw him actually learning command skills and growing as an officer. We’re seeing nothing like this with Boimler.
Wesley Crusher didn’t have purple hair.
Boimler may not be a space Mozart, but he is very intelligent. He also has been growing as an officer, even if he has been a bit too bold lately.
I know I’ve asked this before, but I’d surely love to buy one of these posters…..
Well, someone’s starship gets the s**t kicked out of it this season…
They can’t even release a trailer without trying to push canonical controversies. One of the bigger problems is Spock / Chapel. They have to take an offhand allied to idea from TOS, and can’t leave it as a flirtation. It’s really annoying to see them put it out there like this in the trailer. Maddening.
I know right? How dare they make a background character (who was only there so the creator could spend more time with his mistress) into an actual three-dimensional character with a history that is validating the flirtatious looks between two characters10 years into the future.
I don’t mind fleshing out characters. What I don’t get is manufacturing things that weren’t there, for no good reason. It makes their relationship in those older versions nonsensical, and makes Spock look like he’s being a monumental A-hole.
A culture based on “logic” (which is really a specific kind of pragmatism, but that’s a different conversation) is going to produce lots of monumental “A-holes.”
Yep….
True but it is what it is at this point. It bothers me a bit too but I have learned to accept it. Once they had them kiss last season it was obvious it was going to be a ‘thing’ in the future.
My reaction is the opposite.
Chapel needed redeeming as a character, and this show is making sense of something unsettling in TOS.
I always felt Chapel’s moments in TOS where she was painfully mooning over Spock were some of the cringiest ones of the entire show.
Without any history or context, they seemed inappropriate. As a child, I really disliked her as a character because her interest had a quality that I would now categorize as a bit ‘stalkerish.’
Viewing the TOS episodes from the perspective of someone who had known Spock when he had not yet become as closed, and had at some point had a failed connection with him, makes the moments in TOS comprehensible and Chapel à sympathetic character.
I also feel that the show’s effort to make the Gorn something less entirely ludicrous and meme-worthy is also a positive development.
Chapel was comprehensible in TOS this just seems like a taste issue. And the Gorn now are still a meme, just a different meme: they’re a ripoff of the xenomorphs. Again, a difference in taste. Both elements simply tied to the era in which they came about.
TG47 agree completely. In TOS Chapel was a pretty underdeveloped character, almost a blank slate. I’m fine with them doing whatever they want with her in SNW and I agree that what they have done has (for me) added layers to the character’s appearance in TOS. That’s obviously what their intention is and it’s good to see that it’s landed with people like you and me, even if not everyone is on board with it. Hoping for more of the same in season 2.
Beautiful, but so jam packed in just 10 episodes. This is why we need a longer season.
You know what this crossover needs? agimus. Everything always needs Jeffrey Combs.
For me I really like the idea they want to delve into Chapel’s backstory and update the Spock Christine dynamic. It never seemed to make any sense that she was ” in love” with Spock in TOS unless the two of them actually had some sort of previous relationship on which to build on. She was a Starfleet nurse, not some 15 year teenage girl. Now it looks like we will get the rest of the story.
As for the rest of the trailer, I may not be a huge LDs fan (I prefer Prodigy), but I really want to see how the crossover episode works and cant wait for S2 of SNW!
I like it to, the character rocks and it definitely enhances TOS. For me they’ve got to have it where Chapel gives up on Spock though and gets engaged to Professor Korby, decides to leave the Enterprise.. only to come back when he goes missing. I figure they’ll eventually have Korby show up, that being why she is a civilian and all that.
Part of it was the ’60’s writing style and interpretation of women “fawning” for men. Besides, the main reason there’s even a question of Spock and Chapel’s relationship is due to a single episode – “The Naked Time”. Considering that the whole point of the episode is that the main characters are infected with a virus that makes them appear intoxicated, it’s completely believable that someone (male or female) could exhibit deeper emotions that they’ve bottled up inside. And for the record, there’s still plenty of women and men who fawn over people in authority, celebrities, athletes, etc. without even having a relationship with them in real life. Chapel at least had interactions with Spock, so it’s quite possible she had a crush. It’s just that “The Naked Time” blew that a bit out of proportion.
Actually this is a good point about Spock and Chapel but it still feels a bit too in your face and the T’Pring stuff doesn’t make sense at all with the rest of the crew knowing who she is. The real problem is there is just soooo much time between now and when TOS is suppose to start that they are obviously going to get heavily involved. And then how does Roger Korby fit into it? So she met him AFTER she developed feelings for Spock? It’s very very messy but hey I’m curious to see how it all ties in and IIRC I think they mentioned he will be referenced this season and maybe introduced.
It’s a reboot but the producers are too cowardly to admit it.
I agree. If they call it a reboot less people would be pointing out this stuff.
I never cared about the original Chapel though, so I don’t care at all what they change with this one.
And plus…she’s hot!
100% on just call it a reboot
It’s at least a positive step that they finally admitted they are breaking canon in some places. Well I think the show runner said ‘bending’ canon, but it’s the closest they will admit to it lol. What bothered people like me is when they tried to play us like morons and acted like they weren’t really changing anything, you just had to look at things in a very veeeeery particular way. And that was really eye rolling bullshit.
I think if they said they were changing canon but because they felt it was important enough to the story or character, most fans would be OK with that and everyone would move on. And it’s not the first time this happened. Obviously Star Trek has retcon things all the time, but a few has definitely done it that really broke canon like Dark Frontier for example. That episode involved Seven’s origin story how she was first abducted by the Borg. But it made no real sense because humans didn’t encounter the Borg until Q Who, but her abduction happened a decade before that.
But the producers at the time acknowledged it and flat out said yeah it didn’t coincide with Q Who but they felt the story they came up for Seven was worth telling anyway and decided to ignore it.
And guess what happened? No one cared because they simply stated the obvious and yeah they changed canon because they thought they could better develop a character over it. Maybe if they were changing canon every two weeks, it may bother some fans lol. But most people DO understand we’re just watching a TV show. Treat your audience like adults, maybe most will surprise you.
I’m glad you named a more recent example than “TOS didn’t know what it was for the first half season or whatever while they figured out the world” which most people use to conflate figuring stuff out to breaking canon. Part of Trek’s fun has been in how remarkably well it HAS held up all these years. Obviously not all the time and in every way, but **for the most part** it’s been able to track until recently. Everything since the SH era started feels flagrant in its disregard, and the whole “waaaaah too much canon to work within we need a clean sheet of snow!” coupled with the heaps of actual changes in so short a time just proves the point.
Nobody told them to put Chapel on the Enterprise with Spock and Pike. Her mooning over Spock in TOS makes more sense if she’s a recent addition to the crew. Alas, Academy Award winning screenwriter Akiva Goldsman is a huge original series fan and wants to show the world that he could make Trek better than ol’ Gene Roddenberry and Gene Coon ever could.
Yeah I can’t disagree with any of this. They have created a lot of their own problems by A. adding a bit too many TOS characters and B. putting them on the ship so soon. I really like this Chapel but it doesn’t remotely make sense to canon. I think it would’ve been better to introduce her the last season or maybe the last two which still feels like a stretch but better than five seasons lol.
It’s really hard to buy things like everyone is shocked Spock had a fiance in Amok Time when the woman was hanging out with him for several years on the ship (and literally got engaged in the first episode). Now I guess the producers will say that’s just ‘bending’ canon but like everything people will see it a different way. And I like T’Pring, so I understand WHY they are doing it, but if you want to make a prequel, then you have to have some boundaries and just don’t cross it. Either that or come up with a creative way to have her around without it feeling so obvious they just tossed canon out of an airlock.
Another great example of this was from a different prequel show, Better Call Saul. The producers on that show wanted Saul to meet another main character named Gus on it (I won’t bore people if they never seen it) but sadly decided they couldn’t do it because it was made clear on Breaking Bad they had never met. And they stuck to that rule for the entire show and Gus had became a major character as well. Their stories ran parallel and even crossed over a few times but they did a great job keeping to the original BB canon. And I would say that for the show overall.
But on SNW, they threw T’Pring on the Enterprise where she met most of the characters by episode 5 lol. They couldn’t even stretch it out for one season. And now Spock and Chapel are making out like teenagers although it was clear on TOS she only joined the Enterprise to look for her fiance. Yes she had gained feelings for Spock, but the point is it was unrequited feelings. No way can anyone buy that now. In fact, I wouldn’t put it past them to have Spock, Chapel, Kirk and La’an all end up on some bizarre double date lol.
They should have started it with Discovery. I think the reaction would have been much different to that show if they had.
Just say “we start now – we are on Discovery and we will ‘rediscover’ Star Trek for a new era.”
They want to redo the Kligons? Fine.
New ship designs? Fine.
Bring in Pike and the Enterprise, etc…ALL FINE if you simply call it a reboot.
The world is fine with a multiverse and several different spins on the same characters. Look at all the Spiderman and Batman iterations. Then if you are really fancy, you can do a Spiderman bringing in all the universes and acknowledging the elephant in the room.
But making these wholesale changes and trying to shoehorn it into existing continuity is trying to have your cake and eat it too, and they simply either don’t have:
* the skill to execute it well
* the self-control to NOT do all the changes they would want but conflict
And you just end up with a mess
Now that I have watched the trailer. Heads up! I’m going to be gay.
Ooh medieval world? Sounds fun.
Bradward Boimler could surprise me. He’s so cute. I love him. That whole trailer could just be Jack Quaid and I’d be happy.
Part of me hopes the medieval world they go to is Hysperia but I also know there’s more than one.
Watching it again, it’s not medieval, it’s ancient China. Oops. It went by too fast for me to notice the first time.
Quaid is certainly blessed with plenty of the good genes from his parents.
This looks fantastic! I love how great Boimler and Mariner looks.I am so excited to see them and easily the highlight of the trailer.
But overall this looks like it will be another fun and zany season. It looks like lots of time travel will be involved (or at least with two episodes) and just as I predicted, we’re getting a Spock-T’Pring-Chapel love triangle. Not TOO excited about that since none of it makes sense in canon but it is what it is. I did like his “I just got some” dance move though lol.
But overall very excited. I think it all looks great, very fun and comedic. Like many I loved Picard season 3, but this show is a lot more fun and upbeat which is why I love it. And my Kahless, soooo much more bright and colorful lol.
Man, the costume designer really knocked it out of the park with those LDS uniforms!
Yes, they’re stellar.
I hope the crossover between Strange New Worlds and Lower Decks opens doors for crossovers with Prodigy.
Kate Mulgrew has said she wants to do a live action Prodigy episode as well. I think the LDS crossover is opening the door for all the animated characters to show up in live action.
Prodigy might be a bit harder though, since the crew are all aliens. Dal, Gwyn, and possibly Jankom would all have to be done with a lot of alien make-up, while the others would all have to be CG. I’m not sure if the voice actors would want to get into all that make-up, and I’m not sure how much a CG Rok-Tahk or Murf would cost.
Oh man. This looks fun.
I could personally do with a little less jocularity from the bridge crew on SNW. I like Ortegas (and Melissa Navia does a great job), but I wish the quippy jokes were toned down like 10% OR there was more backstory given to explain why a bridge officer is cracking wise while doing their job. Covering for a past incident? Masking a deeper thing? I dunno, doesn’t quite sit right with me.
That minor quibble aside, this looks great. If it’s as good as the first season, this will be my favourite year in Star Trek production since 1994-1995
I’m really tiring of Ortegas’ incessant high school attitude. I don’t blame the actor, but the writers really need to flesh her out more. The rest of the trailer has some good moments. Paul Wesley shows some good gravitas as Kirk.
She’s a pilot, and a great one.
It’s not only male pilots that get to act cocky and quippy. Just drop that idea TonyD, it comes across as steeped in unconscious bias.
We’ve seen both cocky and sober serious pilots in Trek, Top Gun, SW and other entertainment – much like one sees in real life.
And they can be absolutely like that, and it’s totally tolerated in the real military. I knew one like that who went on to become a wing commander.
Frankly its just as annoying when a guy does it. I’ve never been able to get thru something like Top Gun just for that reason. So please don’t presume that I’m being sexist or biased. Whether that happens IRL or not is not the issue for me; I find it off putting, one dimensional and not at all entertaining within the context of the show. She showed way more range in the S1 finale and I’d just like to see more facets to her character than that same one note over and over and over again.
I like her but too much Silly Tilly vibes for me, just less annoying.
Well, as said, Ortegas is remarkably like a guy I worked with who went on to command a fighter squadron beyond.
Took me aback when I first met him, and his colleague of equivalent rank was a very outwardly contained Sulu kind of pilot.
But everyone thought that the jokes and bravado were all part of the package of a hot shot pilot, which he absolutely was.
Silly maybe. But totally acceptable. Also nothing like Tilly’s awkward physics nerd/boffin energy which is a completely different but also acceptable thing among military scientists. Anyone who can do a fast track Phd while keeping up their officer training requirements gets a certain kind of respect.
As others have said upthread, the reality of people in military organizations is very different than what many would expect.
My sense of working alongside military is that they are much more clear on the difference between formal communication and informal. They know which they’re using and when. The switch between the two can be striking for civilians, but it doesn’t mean that the informal moments are unprofessional.
There are rumors that we will see an animated Pike and I think I know how it’s being set up if true. I have a feeling the animated portions will just be the bookends of the episode and we’ll see Mariner and Boimller animated until they land on the Enterprise. And this trailer makes it clear they are going back to the Cerritos (or however they got there) and since Pike and La’an are beaming with them, maybe they will show up animated then in the next scene.
And I have a feeling they won’t reference the animation at all, it will just be organic to the characters since they all are part of the same universe. I mean Riker, Kira and Janeway never mentioned they were suddenly animated on PRO or LDS so I think this will be the same deal.
I think you’ve called it correctly Tiger2.
It at least makes sense. When people were freaking out if it was going to be a Who Frame Roger Rabbit set up, it’s no way you could’ve avoided it. But now seeing these clips, I think that’s how they are doing it and you’re not even suppose to notice Mariner and Boimler going from animated to live action. And yeah, I can’t think of a single franchise that ever pointed out the difference on its own UNLESS that’s part of the itself like Roger Rabbit.
that’s part of the story itself…
Oh and btw, if I came off a little too harsh with the ‘relax’ line in a different thread. please accept my apology. That wasn’t my intention obviously but yeah tone can be hard on the internet at times and I’m from the hood. ;) But you know how much I respect you here and love talking to you even when we disagree lol. You’re one of the people I come here to talk to. :)
I expect, then, we’ll see a 2D Cerritos alongside the 3D Enterprise.
OOOOOHH YEAH THE CROSSOVER IS HAPPENING! BABY!
As Sisko once famously said IT’S REEEEAAAAL!!! 😎
So so excited for this! Watching Boims fanboying over Spock already tells me this will be the greatest episode of Star Trek ever conceived (was that a little too much? OK, yeah maybe too much). Ok I think I will like it! 😀
And it’s now confirmed Mariner’s sleeves are rolled up and Boimler hair is indeed purple Thank god for that or we would’ve been looking at a canon fail on the level of white Khan or a spore drive or the Orc Klingons.
After how amazing Star Trek has been lately and Picard season 3 the epitome for me I’m really excited about SNW now and can’t wait to see our lower deckers meeting those old scientists. But everything in the trailer looks great.
But I hope Boims doesn’t let slip how Spock dies…twice. 😆
LOL I can see Boimler trying his best not to break the Temporal Prime Directive and just spewing everything that comes out of his head to the Enterprise crew. This episode just looks like it’s going to be so much fun even with those few seconds.
And yeah Star Trek has been on a roll lately. I haven’t wanted to seriously throw anything at my screen in over a year now. ;)
The crazy thing is we know LDS will be up right after SNW since they confirmed both will premiere this summer. So it’s already been a pretty good year when you start with SNW S1, LDS S3, PRO 1.5 and Picard S3. YMMV but all of these have been generally loved by the fan base as a whole. And now we may get another three great seasons of Trek this year when you add Prodigy..
It’s a great time to be a fan! :)
Yeah bro, it’s been a great year for sure. And to make it even better Discovery isn’t on this yeat at all! 😁
I kid for the six Discovery fans here. But the rest has been good. I noticed I been mostly talking about the crossover episode but I’m looking forward to all of it. Excited to see real Klingons again and people mentioned they are supposed to be going back to Rigel 7. That’s pretty cool too.
I still like LDS and PRO over this show, but this season could even beat those. I doubt Picard season 3 unless Worf shows up! 😅
LOL good point about Discovery. ;D
I really believe the only reason why we have a two month gap between shows is because DIS was originally suppose to air after Picard and we would be watching that now if it didn’t get cancelled and required reshoots.
Again, I am looking forward to that one a little more. Still very hesitant about it, but either way it’s done now. I just hope it goes out with a bang at this point.
And maybe Worf will never show up in SNW (but if Boimler and Mariner are showing up on it…c’mon), but however that doesn’t stop Colonel Worf from making an appearance one day! ;D
I forgot all about good ole Colonial Worf! He could definitely show up on SNW! 👍
And I was in the middle of replying to you in that big thread but it didn’t go through because it got shut down! 🤣
I’ll just write it here but you mentioned Majel Barrett found the manuscript for Earth Final Conflict. Was that the same deal for Andromeda? Did she find some old script or was something he was actively working on before he died?
Did they try to get anymore of his shows on the air after his death?
I just checked after I saw this post and saw a moderator finally shut it down. It was getting out of hand maybe twenty minutes after it was posted lol. Why I love TM. You come for the engaging and intellectual discussions among your fellow peers, but you stay for the bitterness, infighting and nerd rage. ;D
To answer your question, I don’t pretend to know that much. I do remember it was similar to what happened with Final Conflict and Barrett found a draft of the show.. But I have no idea when he worked on it. It probably was in the 60s or 70s though. I don’t think he was working on anything else by the time TNG got on the air. That show was pretty much his last project before his death AFAIK. But he certainly made it a great one!
And I think those were the only two projects they tried to get on the air, but maybe there were other pitches. Hopefully someone who knows way more about Roddenberry can answer that, but I’m guessing those were it.
And yes now I want to see Colonel Worf on SNW lol. Actually I do remember when DIS came around, do you remember they offered Dorn to be in the pilot of that show? He confirmed it but said the money and part was just too little. And many actually assumed he would be playing either that character or maybe a new Worf relative. Why else would you want such a known actor in that franchise who is famous for playing only one iconic character? But if so, I’m really happy he turned it down now considering he may have been in that weird Klingon Discovery make up with four nostrils, strange customs and a bald head…ugh, no thanks! ;) Maybe another reason he turned it down at the time too.
Now we got the true Worf back in Picard and it was glorious!!!!
I did remember hearing Michael Dorn being offered a role on Discovery. So happy he dodged that bullet. No one would want to see Worf look like some weird looking alternative Klingon who can’t even talk right. 🙄
Like seriously, what were they thinking?? 🤮
And thanks for the info about the other Roddenberry shows. I was just curious did Roddenberry come up with Andromeda after TNG was on air and was trying to make more shows thanks to TNG success but guess not.
Sorry this is soooo late, I just seen it. But yeah I’m happy Dorn didn’t take it either. Sure he wouldn’t have been Worf but even an ancestor version probably would’ve took some people out of it if he looked like the DIS version.
Although Roddenberry had no other projects after TNG, I do wonder if he would’ve tried another Star Trek show after TNG if Paramount asked him to make another one and what it would’ve looked like? I don’t think it would’ve been anything like DS9 either.
Trekyards did a great breakdown of the LDS characters and their uniforms. They really do look great if people want a closer look:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G_8ChRUSCpM&t=1s
Really excited for this. :)
Awesome! 👍
I hope they don’t include that take of Spock saying “Live… Long and Prosper…”, it was clear he messed it up. Surprised that made it into the trailer.
What are you talking about? It was waaaaaaaaay better than Boimler’s! I’m guessing that took 20 takes until they just gave up. ;D
That trailer was a bit of a mess, really badly put together, especially towards the end where they just blast visuals and generic sounds at you.
I wonder if they hastily put this trailer together because a few days ago the cat accidentally got out of the back (regarding the LD uniforms) anyway…
I doubt it. The show returns in 2 and a half weeks. It’s already cutting it pretty close.
I’m wondering if the writers strike impacted Henry Alonso Myers role in cutting the trailer.
He’s very supportive of the strike and unwilling to separate some of those kinds of narrative choices as an EP from writing.
Goldsman has acknowledged that he’s not a super visual director.
It’s possible that the trailer storyline was roughed out but that Kurtzman himself had to step in to quickly do the editing when it wasn’t getting finished.
The opening of that trailer seemed like they were hell-bent on recreating the shuttlecraft scene in INSURRECTION — and it doesn’t look much better, either.
God, I wish they’d have some space scenes where the ships were bathed in harsh bright direct sunlight, even if its backlit, like the FALCON as it comes in at the end of STAR WARS.
Agreed – after “nebulas, nebulas everywhere” in Discovery, and the super-soft lighting fog-wash rendering in Picard S3, it makes me wish they’d have taken the same approach to space lighting that they did in ST 2009 – it was dramatic, but more-or-less realistic. SNW so far has been a mix, but I do wish they’d lay off the “space is full of clouds” thing.
Well, except for the KELVIN opening, which often looked like it used physical models (so much so that I spent awhile trying to find out if there were any used, since the old ILM modelshop — Kerner Optical — was credited but not allowed to discuss their work on the film), I found 09 to be overly painterly, but you can certainly render space scenes digitally in a successful way.
ROGUE ONE’s stuff looked startlingly like the original STAR WARS films and was a total win for me (when I have Disney+, I leave the movie cued up to the space battle so I can stream that part whenever I feel the need), and GRAVITY and a couple of recent Russian films have also done awesome jobs of doing the high-contrast look that emulates the real thing while also being dramatic as all-get-out.
Yes, I believe a focal point of the VFX there was to make it look as close to the OT as possible (to the point of reusing footage of Gold and Red Leaders in the rebel fleet). I certainly wouldn’t mind seeing that style being used with Trek.
Quaid looks like an ultra-dweeb version of Dale Cooper with that goofy smile.
I’m not really a fan of Lower Decks but I have to admit what was shown in this looks at the very least a good dose of fun sprinkled on top of some serious.
The medieval world… Could that be Rigel VII?
I thought it was medieval too. But then if you look closer, it’s more like the Mongolian hordes which I’m nervous about now.
Is La’an going to have the opportunity to meet up with Khan relations?
The three emperor sons after Genghis give a lot of scope for story. The Khans rules for a couple of centuries, there may be something unexpected and not necessarily cringey.
I’m all for a cool Samarkand deep cut for example.
That’s not why I’m nervous. Also idk but Khan Noonien-Singh was from India and not China, of course his ancestors could have left China and went to India but. Also I’m just assuming it’s another planet and not time travel to ancient Earth. It also may not even be related to her or her ancestry.
I’m just kinda nervous because it’s like ah great is this gonna be another post pandemic thing that just feeds the racism of the people that blame Asian people for covid.
Look, I live in a mostly white, heavily conservative neighborhood. These things effect me in my day to day life. Am I being paranoid about Trek doing that? Yes! Absolutely! But that’s something that people need to know about me. I’m paranoid all of the time, especially when it comes to media.
Bold of them to put the objective worst moment of the season in the trailer.
Wait did I miss something or is Neelix in the trailer too?
The candle is back?
I didn’t see Quark in a dress (thankfully).
None of the trailers for this season have done a single thing to make me more excited. Here’s hoping the actual episodes are going to be better.
Thought: I actually like the hair styles of Boimler and Mariner in live action way more than in the animated forms. For one thing, hers looks so much better, I feel like it suits her more, and it made me realize that in animated form, the lack of details just makes it look like someone tried to take a straightener to it.
And with his, I like the shade of purple more and then the hair style being less cartoony makes him look even better.
Personal headcanon: Boimler was going through the trans experience of not being able to pick a new name for himself. He couldn’t choose between Bradley and Edward so he decided to combine them and came with Bradward and made it his name when he came out and transitioned.
And then Edley became his new middle name.
What’s wrong with me saying this? It’s not like I typed up the full list of Trek characters I think are trans and said it was canon that they are. And the middle name part was a joke. I also didn’t even get into the full extent of what I think about Bradward either.
OMG!!! Spock and Chapel kiss???????
Yep. You’ve asked that a few times now, you weren’t seeing things. Isn’t that great!!
Here’s some speculation/a canon question ….
In TNG, I believe Picard mentions that he attended the wedding of Sarek’s son. It’s never outright stated to be Spock. Just kinda implied.
Is it possible that maybe, just maybe, we could end up with a flash-forward where Spock and Chapel are married at some point post-TOS movie era? That they take the long way round and find each other after everything.
Since the show is titled “Strange New Worlds” this is gonna be indeed a Strange New World.
My theory: Lower Decks and TAS and Prodigy take place in an animated 2-D parallel universe, which Pike and his crew are gonna discover by accident.
by the way: is it only me who has the impression, or does the Enterprise in a few scenes look altered and a bit closer to the TOS-version? Maybe she will be gradually changed to look that way at the end of the series?
Nope, they confirmed long ago both PRO and LDS takes place in the Prime universe. I don’t see McMahan wanting to make his show in a parallel universe when the point was to fill canon after Nemesis ended. Same for Prodigy and why have Janeway back for fans if it’s not the original character from Voyager? I think after the Kelvin movies, they have soured on the parallel universe versions outside of a visit to the MU.
For the record, I’m not against the idea, but if you’re going to do something like that, make it clear up front like they did with the Abrams movies or a lot of people will feel cheated.
Man, some of the fans on this site need to chill. You all know it’s a tv show, right?
Enjoy it, don’t enjoy it, whatever. But relax. It’s not life or death, don’t let it affect your blood pressure. Too many fans have a real unhealthy view of this stuff.
I see a lot of people wearing the STLD animated tunic at Las Vegas and on the cruises, while nice, its not really a uniform I would want to wear. This live action version is fantastic looking, I would buy that.
I’ve noticed a lot of talk on this site about Ortegas — ie, whether she’s too immature or unprofessional in a quasi-military organization like Starfleet.
I’ll say this as a retired US Army officer who had officers of Erica’s rank under my command — I love this character, my only regrets about her being her haircut and the fact that we haven’t had an Erica-centric episode yet of SNW.
Erica punctuates every sentence with “Sir,” “Captain,” or even “Skipper”; she breaks the tension with her quips; she loves what she does and is damn good at it; etc.
I respect that she’s not everyone’s cup of tea, and I can easily imagine some officers not liking those aspects of her that some fans here find annoying. But, at least to me, if I was still on active duty, I’d like to have someone like Erica working for me.
It takes all kinds of personalities for a team to operate, and so Erica is nicely balanced by the more serious demeanor of Spock or La’an. Of course, Uhura, Chapel, M’Benga bring their own quirks and qualities to the table, as well, all of them guided and moderated by Pike’s fatherly command presence and protected by the beautiful USS Enterprise. I love this team, and so seeing them in action is always a joy,.
Some folks go on like all Starfleet does is spit out graduates who all deliver Picard level speeches for even the most insignificant activities of Starfleet life. I’d doubt that’s a reflection of reality in Trek, as much as some would wish it so.
Someone pointed out a while back what when the Navy posts photos of carrier or submarine operations, while they tend to look all spiffy and professional, what you’re seeing there are people who are mostly under the age of 30, and a good number of those are closer to 20. What you don’t see is that there is personality involved, while these personnel work hard, they may play even harder, and that sometimes service life can be very hard on those with families. I don’t take any exception to how Erica, Mariner and Boimler are portrayed, I wouldn’t mind a little more of that.
I didn’t serve, but my oldest gave the Navy eight years as a submariner. So I got to observe some of this from a distance as a military parent. Thank you for your service.
You bring out a very valid point — these are junior officers we’re talking about, some of which are war veterans (Mariner and Ortegas). Young war veterans can be a little rough around the edges, but still proficient and professional.
I’ve never had an issue with how Rutherford and Tendi are portrayed as junior officers, as well as Ortegas.
Thankfully, Mariner and Boimler have evolved as characters over the course of LDS. They were completely unbelievable as quasi-military officers in seasons 1 and 2. However, the showrunners seem to have toned them down (as well as the show, in general), so that this feels more like a “Trek” show with characters more believable as junior officers (albeit lovingly quirky).
It struck me how much I’ve grown in my love of LDS that, when I saw them in live action form in the trailer, I love replaying that scene, and hope that Tawny Newsome and Jack Quaid can truly bring their characters to life in live action, as opposed to just providing the voices.
I cringe whenever Tilly opened her mouth on DSC. She’s completely unbelievable as an officer. Enough said.
Kurtzman gets a lot of hate on fan sites, but, let’s praise him for taking risks and thinking outside the box — Prodigy is designed for kids but is beloved by adult fans (to include me)….Lower Decks is an animated comedy with a lot of Trek heart …. SNW and DSC season 2 brought back Pike, Spock, Number One, and our beloved Enterprise …. a lot of his risks have been bearing fruit, and so it feels like the last year of Trek has been mind-blowingly awesome, especially with Season 3 of Picard fresh in our minds yet.
“Risk is our business,” and while some of NuTrek has been disappointing, the franchise seems to be firing on all cylinders at the moment. Let’s pray to Sisko and the Prophets that he can keep this up.
Forced to say this trailer makes the show look REALLY bad. The trailer for the 1st season was actually good. Made the show look like it could actually have something going for it. Which is what trailers are supposed to do even if the final product, as it was in this case, doesn’t. If I was not a Trek fan I would not be looking at this. My son isn’t a fan (he’s neutral to Trek) but I have gotten him to look at some based on some of the trailers. I shared this one with him and he said, “no”.
Well you still have Prodigy to look forward to if this season sucks again for you! :)
You weren’t forced. You wanted to, because you hate everything, and always have. No joy in anything. You’ve been like that for years on this site. It’s so tiresome.
This trailer is fantastic, btw, and so many people I know are talking about it. Even my son, who is not a Trekkie, said it looks cool.
Incorrect. If I am being honest in speaking about the trailer I am indeed forced to say it. Just as I am forced to the ground by gravity. I may WANT to float around but gravity forces me to Earth. Just the way it is.
And no, I don’t hate Everything. I like TOS. I like DS9. I like Enterprise. I even like Voyager and Nemesis as well as the TOS films save for IV. There were many positives in the KU films, too. And in that very post you were responding to where you said “you hate everything” I flat out said I liked the SNW S1 trailer.
Seems to me you either have a problem understanding the posts you respond to or you just have an ML31 problem and are willing to lie about me.
So far I see two possibilities for the crossover: Time travel, or a holodeck episode on the Cerritos. It would start animated on the Cerritos, then become live-action for the holo-experience, and go back to animated in the end. Holodeck could be an adventure, training program or perhaps a hitherto unknown device prepared by Pike, only to be found by the Cerritos crew.
I am critical of Boimler’s hair though, where is his quiff? And what have they done to Jack Quaid’s eyebrows? Is he going to have an eyebrow-lifting contest with Spock?