Lower Decks For The Uninitiated

General Discussion

After watching and loving Lower Decks, I was curious if non-Trek fans would enjoy it. So I got my wife to watch. Not a Trek fan but alive long enough to have soaked up knowledge of Kirk, Spock, TNG crew, etc, just from pop culture. She loved it. After we finished watching it, we started watching TOS and TNG episodes so she could get the references when we rewatched. Her main complaint with other Trek was that there was no Mariner. Fair.

So then I decided to see if my 18yo son would like it. I wasn't expecting much. He has almost zero Trek knowledge. He ended up loving it as well. The only Trek reference I prepped him for, was before watching the last two episodes of season 4, we watched TOS The Corbomite Maneuver, cause that Balok joke is too damn funny if you have the context.

Bottom line: I was surprised non-Trek fans enjoyed Lower Decks so much.

in LowerDecksby Techno_Core

96%

dplafoll

🍰

Lower Decks is two shows, simultaneously.

First, it's a parody of Star Trek, like Galaxy Quest or The Orville. It leans into tropes, plays around with expectations, and makes fun of the franchise in a positive manner.

However, it's also a damn good kickass Star Trek show at the core. That's what makes it so great: it makes fun of Star Trek while also being good Star Trek.

LD is made by people who love Star Trek and know how to write good comedy. So, they made a great comedy show and a great Star Trek show at the same time. Being a fan helps with the references; however, good writing means you don't need those references to understand what's going on and the humor involved.

All that means that LD is probably the very best "Intro to Star Trek" show you could watch if you've not gotten into the franchise before.

broooooooce

Damn, say it louder for the bitches in the back!

faeriechyld

Yes! It's able to make fun of Star Trek bc it's coming from a place of love and reverence.

I'm not even a huge Trek fan but it's making me want to go back and watch some of the old series.

Ok-disaster2022

I'll be honest, the Orville just didn't stick the speculative fiction aspect of Star Trek very well. They were just in the cusp, but just couldn't land the ending.

XnygmaX

I swear the writers for this show are top notch. They even did a couple comic issues and even those were amazing. They even explained why the panels always explode in Star Trek and give a background reason as to why.

Jump_Like_A_Willys

It's fun and well-written even ignoring the references. The references are just an added bonus to trek fans.

CuddlyBoneVampire

Lower decks is somehow ultra referential and can completely stand on its own at the same time. For the uninitiated the references become mysteries to be solved by entering the canon and from there they are hooked.

Techno_Core

Yes, that's what I was curious about, given it's ultra-referential basis, does it work for the uninitiated, and it does!

Excellent_Light_3569

Same. Showed it to two of my best friends who don't really know much about Star Trek besides the absolute bare bones basics, and they loved it. We now quote and discuss the show amongst ourselves all the time.

wmartin2014

LD was my initiation into Trek. It's a great starting point. And the show evolves as you watch other Trek. I can watch a series and go back and rewatch LD for the joke scavenger hunt and pick up on new things. Very fun.

Hello_its_Tuesday

I had only seen the J.J. Abram’s Star Trek movies and watching Lower Decks made me fall in love with the franchise and try to watch all the older series

ob12_99

Make sure you get her to watch Strange New Worlds, particularly with the Lower Decks crossover episode. Tawny in that Starfleet uniform might be the prettiest thing I have ever seen...

ExplorerSad7555

She IS aesthetically pleasing.

DanGarion

After watching the whole show through I decided to watch it with my then 10 year old. Watching the episodes with her and sometimes discussing certain things that aren't "nice" or are a bit over the top. She now loves the show (has probably watched it 4 times through) and she even dressed as Chief Medical Officer T'ana for Halloween...

She is now watching Enterprise with me (which I had never watched).

Toonyloo

Lower Decks was actually my first Star Trek show. It made me want to watch the test of Star Trek because it did such a food job sucking me into the universe.

Daztur

My middle school son has literally zero knowledge of Star Trek (a whole lot of jokes fly over my head as well) and he loves it.

namewithanumber

People make way too much of "the references".

Like maybe there are people out there watching the show and literally only getting enjoyment out of recognizing a TNG reference or whatever, but mostly it's just a solid Trek show with the spirit of OG trek.

Techno_Core

Yeah but since I get all the references, I don't have the context to judge so I was curious how non Trek people would take to it.

pinupcthulhu

Can confirm: I had almost zero knowledge of Star Trek (save for some memes) before starting LD, and I love it!

Now that I'm working my way through various Star Trek shows, LD gets even funnier. I died when I looked up the joke of Mariner confusing a Ferengi with a Bolian, for instance. It's a great intro to Trek, imo.

ihphobby

Some people call Lower Decks a 'parody' but it isn't a parody. It's just a different way of telling the Trek story. It's becoming its own show with its own characters and it's adding to canon like any other Trek show.

It makes fun of it but loves it at the same time. I call it the Victor Borge of Trek for a reason. It's light-hearted enough that you can appreciate it as a workplace comedy instead of just a sci-fi comedy.

AntonBrakhage

I think you'll get more from it the more you know about Trek.

But like all well-written material, it is also capable of standing on its own merits.

misslolas

I have shown 4 non trekkie friends who absolutely love it! There are references they don't always get but they're quickly explained/funny enough on their own to not really need much knowledge

battlships

I feel like LOW is a really good starting point, it tells you enough about the world that it makes you wanna know more, but it also has its own stories to tell.

Nagito_K0ma3da

I wasn't that big on Star Trek when I started watching LD.

Now I'm a full blown trekkie and I've been catching myself referencing stuff from LD, TNG, and even the original series. I have my parents to thank for that.