Review: Star Trek: Lower Decks “Envoys”

OVERVIEW (SPOILERS)

Boilmer and Mariner get assigned to escort a Klingon general across the galaxy for peace accords but soon lose him when he wanders off in a drunken stupor. As they look for him, Boilmer’s prepared knowledge proves to be insufficient compared to Mariner’s street smarts, forcing him to reconsider whether or not he’s really cut out for Star Fleet. But a close encounter with a Ferengi, that Mariner seemingly can’t identify, gives him a chance to save the day…or rather, as a way for Mariner and her Ferengi fan to make up an opportunity to get his spirits back. Meanwhile, Rutherford tries different jobs around the ship in order to have time to watch a stellar event with Tendi, but finds that his maintenance work is where he belongs.

OUR TAKE

Lower Decks continues its maiden voyage with pretty middling results. This episode, like the pilot, seems squarely focused on the dynamic between Boilmer and Mariner, namely that of the one who follows all the rules and dreams of something bigger but lacks confidence and the one who is naturally talented but has little ambition. Describing it like that, it might sound like something with a lot of room for growth and nuance, which we could very well see over the course of the two seasons that have been ordered for the show. But so far, it seems rather one note and pretty damning for both of them, as Boilmer doesn’t seem to be changing much due to Mariner’s influence, nor has Mariner learned to be more composed or orderly because of Boilmer. These aren’t the only things they could learn from each other, but I do think they should be starting to show SOME signs of impact on each other. It is only the second episode, but that shouldn’t mean I should be struggling as much as I am to care at all about these two by now.

Rutherford’s little friend dilemma with Tendi was kinda cute and gave us a chance to see what the different departments of the ship were like in Lower Decks’ context, but it also felt like very little kindling in making either of these two more interesting as characters. They’re both sweet nerds who want to hang out (possibly romantic interest?) but while that is charming to watch, it’s also not very substantive. We should know by now that having a comedic adult cartoon doesn’t have to mean that each character is reduced to one funny thing and one dramatic thing. The creator of this show should know that best, having written for Rick and Morty for so long, though maybe we just need to give it some time to elaborate on itself like Rick and Morty did?

Also of note this week is that a panel for New York Comic-Con’s “Metaverse” online convention was released that outlined the plan for this ongoing first season, which is supposedly the kick off for weekly Star Trek content for the rest of the year. What was mentioned there that I thought was worth mentioning would be the detail that each episode this season is meant to be a comedic take on an established type of Star Trek story. Being stuck on an alien planet, a trial episode, etc. Being not super familiar with much of Star Trek myself, this makes me wonder how I’ll feel going into these episodes without the prior reference. I’ve heard it mention that the mark of a good parody is that you can’t tell that it’s a parody, meaning that you should still be able to get the jokes presented without knowing what they’re explicitly referencing. Watching Harley Quinn may have enhanced my enjoyment of the base plots and characters, but I’m pretty sure it wasn’t the crux of whether or not those stories and jokes worked. Likewise, as someone who likely won’t have the knowledge to recognize all the previous show and movie references, I will hopefully be able tell if those stories work well enough on their own instead of being a slurry of just references. That will be the make or break for whether this show is a success or failure, at least in my book.