I love most things Trek, including the ones a lot of die-hards hate on constantly, but this one just isn't doing it for me. I keep watching but I am always left with the feeling that "I want to like this show but I'm not sure I really do." For some reason, it just feels flat. Yes, I get the inside jokes and yadda, yadda but a random comment about O'Brian doesn't make an entire 30 min show feel like it was worth watching. Honestly, it's a bit like Lower Decks is trying to fit Trek into the Futurama mold to expand into the raunchy adult animated series market but it's missing the zing of that series. Heck, look at the main characters - the awkward lead guy (Boimler/Fry), the reluctant badass female companion (Mariner/Leela), the smart/dingy female tag-a-long (Tendi/Amy), and a cyborg that obsessively loves his job (Rutherford combines Bender/Conrad). This show needs to find a way to break away from the way too obviously seen comparisons and create something new. (Spoiler tag not really needed but added just in case)
I like some of the ideas and some of the places they've used the animation to take us - such as Dog and some of the aliens - but I feel they aren't really using the animation to its best potential. This format offers the Trek world to explore and see some things that a live-action series just can't, like worlds/aliens that would just be impossible to create within budget/CGI constraints. It also allows a chance to see things from eyes other than the main crew or the one or two randoms they occasionally interact with on a one-off basis. The best they've done at representing the latter so far was this most recent episode where they actively show how disconnected the main crew and the rest of the ship are from each other. I loved seeing that side.
I think if they really tried to create something new and special in the Trek world they could have a winner here, but it would require them stepping away from the other adult animation shows the creators obviously love. Don't get me wrong, they don't need to get rid of the raunchy/slapstick comedy and in-jokes, I love that stuff, but they aren't doing it well or originally enough to keep this show afloat with all its other weaknesses. At present, it just comes across as a second-rate Futurama that just so happens to be in the Trek world. With that said, I'm sure I'll keep watching to see how it grows.
Review by LknaroundBlockedParent2020-09-28T17:29:05Z
I love most things Trek, including the ones a lot of die-hards hate on constantly, but this one just isn't doing it for me. I keep watching but I am always left with the feeling that "I want to like this show but I'm not sure I really do." For some reason, it just feels flat. Yes, I get the inside jokes and yadda, yadda but a random comment about O'Brian doesn't make an entire 30 min show feel like it was worth watching. Honestly, it's a bit like Lower Decks is trying to fit Trek into the Futurama mold to expand into the raunchy adult animated series market but it's missing the zing of that series. Heck, look at the main characters - the awkward lead guy (Boimler/Fry), the reluctant badass female companion (Mariner/Leela), the smart/dingy female tag-a-long (Tendi/Amy), and a cyborg that obsessively loves his job (Rutherford combines Bender/Conrad). This show needs to find a way to break away from the way too obviously seen comparisons and create something new. (Spoiler tag not really needed but added just in case)
I like some of the ideas and some of the places they've used the animation to take us - such as Dog and some of the aliens - but I feel they aren't really using the animation to its best potential. This format offers the Trek world to explore and see some things that a live-action series just can't, like worlds/aliens that would just be impossible to create within budget/CGI constraints. It also allows a chance to see things from eyes other than the main crew or the one or two randoms they occasionally interact with on a one-off basis. The best they've done at representing the latter so far was this most recent episode where they actively show how disconnected the main crew and the rest of the ship are from each other. I loved seeing that side.
I think if they really tried to create something new and special in the Trek world they could have a winner here, but it would require them stepping away from the other adult animation shows the creators obviously love. Don't get me wrong, they don't need to get rid of the raunchy/slapstick comedy and in-jokes, I love that stuff, but they aren't doing it well or originally enough to keep this show afloat with all its other weaknesses. At present, it just comes across as a second-rate Futurama that just so happens to be in the Trek world. With that said, I'm sure I'll keep watching to see how it grows.