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Editorial
21 Oct 2024

Adiós Cerritos

When a still unnamed new animated Trek series was announced in October 2018, I was cautiously optimistic. I could imagine that the Star Trek Universe was big enough for an animated comedy. Well, the first Lower Decks trailer from July 2020 with its focus on swearing, farts, slime, zombies and similarly lame jokes temporarily discouraged me. Still, I was never really concerned that the show could damage the continuity or harm the franchise in any way. This is in part because I underestimated Lower Decks and didn't expect it to be more than a side show, a light-hearted companion to live-action Trek. I never imagined how relevant it would become for the franchise and the fandom and how well it would stack up against the live-action series (irrespective of its canon status).

Lower Decks embraces the traditional optimism of Star Trek like no other recent series in my book. It is free from dystopian aspects as they pervade the settings, the characters and the stories of the modern live-action shows. And as much as Lower Decks loves to comment on the downsides, especially concerning the underappreciation of low-ranking personnel, the series successfully establishes Starfleet as a family. Tendi, Rutherford, Boimler and Mariner may have their disagreements, but they are in it together, and so is the bridge crew - largely without narcissistic solo efforts or hidden agendas. The feeling of camaraderie is as strong here as it hasn't been since 2005.

Character arcs are the spice of modern series of any genre, and the ones of Lower Decks are more consequentially developed and stronger in some regards than those in live-action Trek. Take Mariner's survivor guilt (as revealed in "The Inner Fight") or Rutherford's gloomy back story (that finally comes to light in "Reflections"), which for me work better than Burnham's or Tilly's developments in Discovery. And even though their faces consist of just a few lines, Boimler and Tendi feel almost as real as Stamets or Saru (no offense meant).

I have probably mentioned it in many of my reviews, but I wish to reemphasize how faithfully Lower Decks recreates the world of the 24th century (in-universe) and of the Golden Age of 90's Trek (in real life). Starships, sets and props are reproduced or newly created with loving attention to established details, although everything would be possible. In many ways, this animated series is more authentic than multi-million dollar productions that strive to "update" Star Trek to something more bombastic and sometimes hardly recognizable on the visual side.

In light of its authenticity and of its countless in-jokes it is almost ironical that Lower Decks is the one among the recent Star Trek series that explores the most strange new worlds and overall relies the least on nostalgia.

Lower Decks does have its share of stories or lines of dialogue that are seen by some as mockery of Star Trek, but I think it is in line with how fans have been talking all along. Lower Decks is made by fans (the creators leave no doubt about that), it is made for fans (casual viewers don't get half of the jokes), and it is about fans on a meta level (because Mariner, Boimler, Tendi and Rutherford are into everything Starfleet). It has its heart in the right place. Thank you very much to Mike McMahan and his team for bringing us this show!

Much of my above praise applies to Prodigy likewise, but Lower Decks has a special place in my heart - because of the characters and the kind of humor that has grown on me. I admit it took a while. Also, Lower Decks helped me through a difficult time in my life when I was recovering from a serious injury and didn't know whether I would be able to return to a normal life again.

Season 5 of Lower Decks will be the last one. I can't imagine this of all series was canceled due to low ratings, to negative feedback or to a lack of story ideas. Maybe we just have to accept that nothing is supposed to last longer than that in an ever-changing media landscape. Still, I am sad to see Lower Decks of all series go. Although I can keep telling myself that Strange New Worlds isn't bad, that Starfleet Academy will not suck and that Section 31 perhaps just isn't for me, I will miss the endearing crew of the Cerritos and I will miss the authentic Trek feel and spirit of the show.

Bernd Schneider

Archive

Latest Comments on EAS Articles (Overview)
  • 16 Feb 2025

    Regarding Trek continuity- it feels like the only connection to the era is exactly ONE display screen which has the blue, pencil-thin font used in the films. I did appreciate the idea that weapons were being sold to Minos Korva, and that trouble was brewing Turkana IV (isn't it always?). Also, I appreciated that the lead character was connected to the Augments, but not to Kahn- since Space Seed explicitly mentions him as one of a number that were vying for control.

  • 16 Feb 2025

    I know there is plenty to nitpick here, but let me throw in my most notable issues-
    The Godsend is created as a 'if I am killed, I will make the galaxy burn with me' deterrent.

    So it activates, then about 30 seconds later, requires genetic confirmation. Although the countdown appears to keep counting down anyway, but functionally, pauses until genetic confirmation is received, then activates the final countdown.

    I mean, it's very dramatic, very Kahn and Genesis Device... but in what circumstance that she is violently killed or deposed does she think she'll have time for all of that? It seems like a very needlessly-elaborate triggering sequence for its stated purpose.

    Has the Terran Empire not fallen by this point? I assume San's 'Terran Empire' is just a group of loyalists, not the whole empire (which is still run by Spock)? But why does he act like the Empire is unchanged from Georgiu's time? Why hasn't San aged, since he didn't skip decades like Georgiu? And WHY PH WHY does the Empire choose its new emperor, this time only, via The Hunger Games? Succession has never worked that way in the Terran Empire before, and it doesn't make much sense for it to start now...

  • 16 Feb 2025

    I found this to be better than the worst episodes of Discovery or Enterprise, but worse than the best episodes of Discovery and Enterprise. :-) So right in the mediocre band of the lowest tier. I didn't think it was offensively bad, just... poorly written and mediocre. Mostly, character arcs consistent of one line at the start, and one at the end, with all of the arc in the jettisoned material from the series.

    But to my mind, this does not go in with the 13 Star Trek films; it is a 'movie' in the same way that the 2-hour premiere of The Killing Game or Dark Frontier was; a TV movie only.

  • 15 Feb 2025

    I have to check how it fits in. Wrote that decades ago.

  • 15 Feb 2025

    They may be practically invisible, but I still feel that it should still be noted in the STVI entry that those small details were confirmed by the staff to be intended specifically to mark it as Chancellor Gorkon's flagship and are unique to Kronos One.

    The page currently brings up the notion but dismisses it almost immediately, speculating that they're instead standard on all ships of the class.

  • 15 Feb 2025

    Added Farians and Species 10026.

  • 15 Feb 2025

    I haven't found it except in the episode itself.

  • 15 Feb 2025

    Thanks for the annotation. Unfortunately the decoration added for "Star Trek VI" is practically invisible in the movie, due to it mostly consisting of thin etched metal parts. There are some better visible detail differences between the K't'ingas besides the color, which may be addressed in another article. But overall it is all the same ship class.

  • 11 Feb 2025

    The Jem'hadar rifle also got used as the basis for both of the Star Trek Enterprise Starfleet rifles before the MACOs and the MACO rifle.
    It's easiest to see on the version that's got the more conical muzzle assembly, which got used a lot less often (and is probably just the pulse rifle version of the EM-33 pulse pistols), but is still apparent on the much more often used double barreled version that's got a beam option matching the phase pistols from the upper barrel.

    Which kind of retroactively explains its presence on Kirk's wall - he's got what could probably be a historical Earth/Earth Starfleet weapon, not one from a species that wouldn't be encountered for most of a century.

  • 10 Feb 2025

    I absolutely love the sonata played in "Latent Image". Do you know if the recording is available anywhere?

  • 16 Feb 2025
    Two more TNG season 1 observation articles have been upgraded: Observations in TNG: "Coming of Age" and Observations in TNG: "Heart of Glory".
  • 15 Feb 2025
    I have uploaded about 100 high-resolution photos of studio miniatures to the Starship Gallery, such as of several Federation shuttles, of Deep Space 9 or of the USS Yamaguchi. Please follow the "updated" signs to see all updates.
  • 09 Feb 2025
    Jörg identifies the Paintings and Photos in Picard's Study in PIC season 1 in a new article.
  • 02 Feb 2025
    I have improved two more of Jörg's oldest TNG observation articles with more references and better pictures: Observations in TNG: "Home Soil" and Observations in TNG: "When the Bough Breaks".
  • 01 Feb 2025
    Just a quick note that I have added the ships and other facts from "Section 31" to various pages of the site.
  • 27 Jan 2025
    Final update to the EAS Fleet Yards: high-resolution orthos of Asia class, Eclipse class and Asia refit.
  • 25 Jan 2025
    Here is my full-spoiler review of "Section 31" with Michelle Yeoh. The comments are open, as are the guest reviews. Please share your opinion on the streaming movie. Anyone who thinks it doesn't suck?
  • 17 Jan 2025
    Here is a new list: All Star Trek Movies Ranked. Feel free to post your personal order in the comments.
  • 10 Jan 2025
    I have added more columns to the Episode Master List, such as "Air date" and "Episode ID", which allow to sort the episodes and movies in still different ways.
  • 04 Jan 2025
    Proud to present the configurable Episode Master List of all currently 907 episode/movie reviews at EAS, with links to the review pages and pictures. I may add more columns and more filter functions in the future. The script is linked from each episode index page, such as the one of Lower Decks and should facilitate finding a particular episode a lot. Note that the default series order is EAS-specific (the same as they appear in the menu). As I mentioned, its is possible to add more options but that will require external data I don't have yet.
  • 01 Jan 2025
    Happy New Year 2025! I haven't prepared new content yet, but here are some highlights from 2024 you may have missed. There is an article identifying the Chinese Writing in Noonien Soong's Labs. Jörg explores The History of the Betazoid Emblem. All Fleet Charts are up to date (for the first time in years). Also, be sure to check out many new images in the Starship Gallery. And as always, the Starship Database is complete with all designs from the latest seasons (DIS, PRO, LOW).
  • 30 Dec 2024
    There are several new observations by Jörg, more references and better pictures in the article on Observations in TNG: "Clues".
  • 27 Dec 2024
    Two more of the oldest TNG Observation articles have been upgraded: "Angel One" and "11001001": better pictures, more references, some additions.
  • 24 Dec 2024
    Merry Christmas! I wish all of you and your families joyful and peaceful holidays. The season 5 updates to the database are complete with the Lower Decks Alien Ship Classes.
  • 23 Dec 2024
    The Lower Decks Starfleet & Federation Ship Classes have been updated with references from season 5. I have also added a write-up on the controversial question whether DIS Klingons exist in our universe or not.
  • 22 Dec 2024
    I am going to add all ships from Lower Decks season 5 to the Starship Database. As a first step, here are the Lower Decks Multiverse Ship Classes.
Jörg Hillebrand @ Mastodon
  • 18 Feb 2025

    The way the warp streaks are inserted into this Ten Foward scene in 's "Galaxy's Child" make it clear that in universe, there are not supposed to be any mirrors on the side walls of the set, close to the windows. Production-wise, the mirrors make the set seem larger and continue on the sides.

  • 18 Feb 2025

    Here it is: the season 1 bridge overhead display master chart. You can clearly see the major changes happening from episodes 1x06 to 1x08 and again between episodes 1x21 and 1x22.

  • 18 Feb 2025

    With each press of the left button, one more green LED turns on and the setting increases one level. We see settings 0, 1, 12, 13, 14, 15 and 16. On the right-handed prop from "The Enemy", each button press lit up one row of LEDs, that apparently didn't do for the dramatic Yuta scene. 2/2

  • 18 Feb 2025

    Riker beams over to the Gatherer ship to stop Yuta with a left-handed phaser in 's "The Vengeance Factor". A few moments later, he is seen adjusting the setting of the phaser beam. It seems, however, that the right-handed setting-adjustable phaser prop from "The Enemy" didn't do. 1/2

  • 18 Feb 2025

    My bridge overhead display research for season 1 of comes to an end. Here's an overview of the displays seen in the third part of the season, from episodes 1x21 to 1x29.

  • 18 Feb 2025

    I just wanted to quickly look at the ready room scenes in 's "Ensign Ro" to see which pages from Picard's Annotated Shakespeare volume are seen in the episode but then I discovered something else on the set and now I'm going down another rabbit hole of research joy...😊

  • 17 Feb 2025

    It's interesting how the bottom part of the 3D-chess set in 's "Galaxy's Child"↙️ was removed and put in the background (compare complete set in "First Contact"↘️) so it wouldn't get in the way of the shots of Geordi sulking ↗️ and Guinan playing chess with the top part only ↖️.

  • 17 Feb 2025

    It seems the Science 1 station overhead display is only partially lit in some scenes in ' "Operation -- Annihilate!"⬇️. Notice how only parts of the "Beta Portolan system, Levinius V, Theta Cygni XII, Ingraham B, Deneva" graphic from earlier in the episode are illuminated.

  • 17 Feb 2025

    Notice how the graphic of the type 2 Cobra phaser from the Star Trek Fact Files also features these screws on the back. :-)

  • 17 Feb 2025

    Worf's type 2 Cobra phaser changes in the middle of the scenes set in the Gatherer camp on Gamma Hromi II. You can clearly see the lid and the screws of the battery compartment on the back in ⬅️. The phaser in the second shot must be a simpler non-light-up stunt dummy ➡️.

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