Star Trek: Lower Decks (TV Series) No Small Parts (2020) User Reviews

I take back every bad thing I've ever said about this show...

[asp5197 · 10/10 · 8 October 2020]

When it first started, you could copy and paste Mariner's dialogue into Rick Sanchez's and you would barely notice. It seemed lazy. It's definitely a niche market the writers cater to, but they can only rely on inside nostalgia jokes for so long before the show goes stale.

Then came episode 4, the first one that had the Captain and Mariner work side by side. The jokes were funny, the writing was sharp, and you were actually made to sympathize with these characters. Then came Badgey (which is honestly the funniest part of this entire show, and I did not expect such a triumphant return) and I was hooked.

This felt like a true Trek finale in every aspect. It was also everything I wished the Picard finale would be. I really hope Riker coming in to play trombone and kick ass in the last five minutes (and he forgot his trombone) becomes the new norm for all of Trek. Both instances were wonderful, but this was MUCH more satisfying.

It's been a lot of fun watching this show grow as solid Trek. I was ready to write it off after episode 3 but like so many of us loyal fans who kept TNG alive I kept watching. There will always be those who refuse to accept any non Kirk/Spock Trek. Their loss.

Some wishlist items for season 2: get Boimler fired from the Titan for a stupid reason (I don't want parallel storytelling on two ships), give Tendi and Rutherford more to do (I'm still not sold on either one, but they should be the A-story once in a while and allow them to grow), and give the chief engineer more to do.

P.S. As another online review so brilliantly put it, TOS totally stands for Those Old Scientists. Ransom's rules, not mine.

Wow ! What a fantastic episode !

[martinsmarkss · 10/10 · 8 October 2020]

Absolutley loved this episode - not only it was the best ep. of the first LD season but it was realy realy great episode ! Watching this ep felt like watching "real" Star Trek !

Fantastic episode of a great series

[mallowpuff · 10/10 · 8 October 2020]

Best episode of the series so far. I am a big fan of the show and have been since the first episode. I am confused as to why it was rated so horribly from the start. It's not like any other Star Trek, nor is it supposed to be. It's more of a parody of Star Trek, and there's nothing wrong with that. We have Discovery, Picard, and a handful of new ones coming if you want something that more resembles "real" Star Trek.

I am not sure how anyone going into this thought it would be anything like "real" Star Trek. It's an adult/young adult animated series. It's in the Star Trek universe, it incorporates some known characters, and it has the same alien races. That's about it, and I like it that way. It's fun, lighthearted(although this episode was a bit more serious than normal), and easy to watch. Go watch reruns of TNG if you need "real" Star Trek that bad. We all know most of you putting this show down hated Discovery and Picard too.

/rant over

Thank you for this fan service!

[kythia · 10/10 · 20 October 2020]

I liked Lower Decks before this episode, but now I LOVE IT.

Can we get another show about the Titan? Please? Pretty please?

Mind blowing!!!

[thelastcowboy-87248 · 10/10 · 8 October 2020]

Best episode of the season!!!! Dramatic opening and surprises and every corner!!! You will be cheering, tearing and laughing your a** off. Fantastic Job Lower Decks!!! 12/10

Character and parody's justification

[jakebirkel · 10/10 · 10 October 2020]

Filled with callbacks to classic Trek, featuring fan favorites in and outside the series, and ending on a fascinating social critique of Star Trek's mission, Star Trek: Lower Decks ends its Freshman season on a high note. It justifies its parody in terms of story and gives a new spin on the chain of command and the restrictions that holds. Meanwhile, endless optimism and standard satire carry the tone which has solidified itself. This is a good satire of Star Trek while simultaneously embodying what Trek is all about. I cannot wait until season 2.

ANOTHER top tier episode!

[WKYanks · 10/10 · 9 October 2020]

I really enjoyed this once they got past the "hard" bit... not my cup of humor in Trek. Other than that, this is ANOTHER fantastic episode!! Landu?! ... TOS (Those Old Scientists)... HAHA!! So I think we all knew that Boimler was going to reveal the mother-daughter secret. Quite funny watching Mariner become all squared away in an attempt to get a promotion and get off the ship so she can be a nobody again. I certainly wasn't expecting the Pakled but I think it played well here. Nice to see Freeman and Mariner team up again and I like the fact it appears they will be working together in the future. I really got a kick out of Rutherford in this one. His flipping through the different modes was hilarious. I hope they find his or they get another implant thing for him. What's not to like about Tendi??? ... EVER!! She is the most positive thing I think I've seen on TV in, well forever! Ritherfod loses his memory and she makes a positive out of it! I was kind of happy they left the X-comp (Peanut Hamper :-) ) floating in space... I wasn't expecting it to choose not to help for sure. So Rutherford gets to revive Badgy which I think was fantastic and Shaxs of course plays the aggressive stud and delivers him to complete his mission. I was really surprised and shocked to see Shaxs die!!! Damn!!! Bummer, I think the show will be missing a bit of its identity without him. Then we get the Titan with Riker and Troi?!?!?! I didn't think it was possible to keep a secret like that nowadays!! Well done! TNG theme music!! I'm quite disappointed that Boimler got the promotion and now is on the Titan?!?!?! He's got to return, right?!?!?! Good lord, I'm a little long-winded here, but all this happened in 28 minutes!! This series was AWESOME!! HUGE kudos to the creative staff, they really hit it out o the park! (again!)

Best episode of a great show

[bburton-59015 · 10/10 · 8 October 2020]

The season started okay, but as the episodes progressed the writing got better.

This episode was the ULTIMATE CHERRY ON TOP and just blew us away. We got more emotionally invested in this episode than almost any episode of TNG.

A+ to the writers and the cast. Can't wait for season 2!!!!

I had a smile the whole way through

[guillermo75 · 10/10 · 9 October 2020]

Well, except for the hanging download moment, which was edge-of-the-seat stuff, this episode was such a joy to watch that I smiled all the way through.

This finale proved that Lower Decks was a great idea. I can't wait for season 2. I just hope that Boimler keeps his rank somehow.

Season One Review

[southdavid · 7/10 · 15 March 2021]

With adult animation now firmly in it's boom period, it was only a matter of time before someone adapted "Star Trek" for a similar show. "Lower Decks" is that show, one which though I felt was alright, fell a bit short of some of it's contemporaries.

On board the USS Cerritos, a Starfleet vessel primarily concerned with maintaining diplomatic relations with pre-existing Federation members, the crew of the lower decks attempt to balance the drudgery of keeping the ship working with the occasional moments of alien based nonsense that come their way. Two such, Ensign Beckett Mariner (Tawny Newsome) and Ensign Brad Boimler (Jack Quaid) attempt to maintain a friendship despite the latter's timid nature and love for the rules, and the formers wild, freewheeling, scattershot approach.

I don't think this show is going to win you back to "Star Trek" if you feel disenfranchised with the changes that "Discovery" and "Picard" have made to the traditional Star Trek tone. Again, there is swearing here and violence. It feels, to me, like "Rick and Morty"-Lite - not quite willing to go as far or as deep as that show, but still wanting to head for that ballpark. It's not surprising really, when you consider that the driving creative force is Mike McMahan, who worked as writer and producer on both "Rick and Morty" and "Solar Opposites".

Though it improved along the run, so much so that the finale is actually really good, my overall feeling was that it was alright, but not amazing. It wants to have its cake and eat it too, a little bit, in focusing on the ensigns work rather than the bridge crew as it's core idea - but then the bridge crew themselves become increasingly important characters as the show runs on. I know this would be a much harder idea to write, but I think I'd have preferred if they were below decks on the Enterprise, during the "Next Generation" run, and their stories ran parallel to the established events of that show. Not in like a one-for-one comparison, but with the major beats acting like a B story to whatever they were doing. So what does "Q" showing up and transporting people about do to them, or the death of Tasha Yar.

As I said, it's pretty good. Settling into itself a bit more as the season runs on, which hopefully looks good for the second season. We'll see.

What a blast!

[rmurph3 · 10/10 · 9 October 2020]

I can imagine that Lower Decks would be an acquired taste to some, distatestful to others. The show can come across as a bit crass.

This episode shows characters at their worst and at their best, somehow managing to compress the relatively banal comedy of the lower decks crew and comic foil of the bridge officer's apparent cluelessness to unpack it all later.

Qapla' !!!

The best episode, but...

[minxiepinx · 6/10 · 29 January 2021]

...still pretty awful. Role turning up at the end and saving the day was great. I even chuckled a couple of times (haven't really done that during the whole show), but this is a very ordinary series. I like all the references, but it's proven a show can't rely and exist on this alone.

I'm completely surprised that it's received a second series (which I probably won't watch unless there's absolutely nothing else on again). One good thing I will say: it's better than season 3 of Star Trek: Discovery

A Senior Trekker writes..................

[celineduchain · 5/10 · 19 November 2021]

Senior Trekker will stick with her customary five stars for this series. Anything less is unlikely to tip the balance away from the unusually high percentage of top ratings it has so far attracted and, besides, she has no desire to be labelled a "hater".

Star Trek Lower Decks is a (mainly) unfunny Star Trek parody and, as such, does not deserve an actual review but a few observations may resonate with older viewers. Those who have always taken the traditional Star Trek message of tolerance and inclusivity to heart may struggle to cope with a loud-mouthed, insubordinate bully as the lead character.

Irrespective of the race or gender apparently being depicted, IT IS NOT A PERSON, IT IS JUST PIXELS. A whole committee of people came up with Mariner and then spent ten episodes reinforcing that character's least sympathetic characteristics. They did it on purpose. Apparently, the expression used nowadays is "being triggered" and, once that is accepted, this entire venture can be understood as a minor and rather tasteless foray into the culture wars of the day.

Stay safe, stay kind and, above all, please do not give up on Gene Roddenberry's original, warm-hearted creations.

Strong Finish

[tmohong · 10/10 · 11 October 2020]

Great finale, especially the scenes with Riker and Troi. To the person whining that the funeral service on the Cerritos made no mention of the dead crew of the Solvang....seriously?? Never in the history of the Trek series and movies has a crew of one Federation starship paid tribute to the dead crews of other starships like that. Maybe they'll get a toast at the ship's bar. More likely, a shrug of the shoulders. Sucks to be them. Better them than us.

No Small Parts

[Prismark10 · 9/10 · 15 November 2021]

They saved the best till the last. I have found Lower Decks to be wildly uneven.

The final episode of the first series just worked in many different levels.

Mariner has been revealed as the Captain's daughter. The crew are now trying to curry favour.

Meanwhile a race called the Packleds that the Federation regarded as being rather silly. They are not worthy of much attention but the Packleds have destroyed a newly built Starship.

It is for the Cerritos to answer a distress call but their enemy is more than a match. Mariner's unorthodox thinking comes up with an idea of a virus.

The crew also get help from a next generation.

Some genuinely funny moments, some clever parody and even some fan service. This was fun.

finally feels like home

[tkissling · 8/10 · 26 January 2021]

This is not only a Review for the episode but for the first season.

I'am am really dissapointed by Star Trek Picard and Discovery for all it's poor writing and direction. And they just don't feel at all like Star Trek.

Lower Decks on the other hand does feel like Star Trek. I love the TNG era. It is clearly written by people how understand and respect canon. It shows, that you can tell cool stories withouth breaking canon. Unlike DSC it uses Canon and blends in the rich World already created.

I'am really looking forward to the next Season. Unlike DSC, very i checked out after Season 3 and Picard where i'am really worried about Season 2.

The same cartoon format

[Andrew555 · 1/10 · 13 August 2021]

This is just another adult cartoon with the same cheesy humor and jokes. It was innovative when Final Space and Rick and Morty was created, but since then we have seen a wave of bad animations with cheesy humor like this. If you were looking for something different in this, you are going to be very disappointed.

Stop pretending this is Star Trek canon!

[geoleo-50480 · 1/10 · 10 October 2020]

Everyone loves the references of real Star Trek in this show. An entire ship and crew gets blown up and not even get a mention at the short funeral.....