I get why long-time Trek fans can be mixed on it. The significant deviation from the traditional style into a comedic cartoon really alters the tone and vibe, and if that’s not your thing, it’s not your thing.
But I’ll also say this. No media in all of Trek loves Trek and Trekkies more than Lower Decks. It expands on the lore respectfully while still hitting tongue-in-cheek, self-referential meta humor that rewards long time fans. It manages to succeed as a comedy that stands on its own, while also having some of the most quintessentially introspective, thought-provoking Trek episodes in the entire canon.
If you’re a holdout Trek fan who isn’t completely unable to enjoy a cartoon, I seriously encourage you to give it a chance. For all the praise it gets, the show never comes across as though it’s trying to prove it’s the “next great Trek.” Instead, it feels humbly grateful to be part of the series. It’s a love letter to Trek and all its fans, and if you love Trek, it’s hard not to be won over by the end.
I just want to tack on that Tawny Newsome looks destined to be Trek’s next Jonathan Frakes - dipping in and out of Trek projects and leaving entertainment excellence in her wake.
(P.S. Dear Tawny and Jonathan, please don’t have done anything deeply horrible to someone while I composed this. Thanks.)
Mike McMahan, the creator of the show, got the gig in part because he ran the parody Next Gen season 8 Twitter. Which was also a hilarious love letter to Trek that could only have come from a real fan.
I get why long-time Trek fans can be mixed on it. The significant deviation from the traditional style into a comedic cartoon really alters the tone and vibe, and if that’s not your thing, it’s not your thing.
But I’ll also say this. No media in all of Trek loves Trek and Trekkies more than Lower Decks. It expands on the lore respectfully while still hitting tongue-in-cheek, self-referential meta humor that rewards long time fans. It manages to succeed as a comedy that stands on its own, while also having some of the most quintessentially introspective, thought-provoking Trek episodes in the entire canon.
If you’re a holdout Trek fan who isn’t completely unable to enjoy a cartoon, I seriously encourage you to give it a chance. For all the praise it gets, the show never comes across as though it’s trying to prove it’s the “next great Trek.” Instead, it feels humbly grateful to be part of the series. It’s a love letter to Trek and all its fans, and if you love Trek, it’s hard not to be won over by the end.
Near perfect summary.
I just want to tack on that Tawny Newsome looks destined to be Trek’s next Jonathan Frakes - dipping in and out of Trek projects and leaving entertainment excellence in her wake.
(P.S. Dear Tawny and Jonathan, please don’t have done anything deeply horrible to someone while I composed this. Thanks.)
Mike McMahan, the creator of the show, got the gig in part because he ran the parody Next Gen season 8 Twitter. Which was also a hilarious love letter to Trek that could only have come from a real fan.
Its okey dokey in my book!
This review works almost as well for The Orville.