Star Wars or Star Trek? This is a question that will probably divide many opinions. So far I have always played on the Star Wars team. Because to be honest, I had never watched anything Star Trek – until I discovered Lower Decks. But does the series even work for “Star Trek” beginners?
What is Lower Decks?
You can get your own idea of the series in the trailer:
Star Trek: Lower Decks – Official trailer for the first season (German)
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This is what “Lower Decks” is about
Lower Decks takes place one year after the events of Star Trek: Nemesis. In contrast to many science fiction stories, this is not about the captain and other bigwigs, but, as the title suggests, about the ordinary workers on an insignificant Starfleet spaceship.
The focus is on four young “ensigns”, which is the lowest rank after graduating from the academy. The ambitious Boimler, the rebellious Mariner, the clever Rutherford and the lovable Tendi. The unlikely colleagues experience many adventures and become more and more friends.
Star Trek with a pinch of “Rick and Morty”
What’s special about the series isn’t just the change of perspective. Lower Decks is also a very humorous series that doesn’t take itself too seriously.
It often reminded me of the “Rick and Morty” series, and not just because of the look. Exaggerated characters travel to various planets and experience crazy adventures with aliens. Alcohol and swearing shouldn’t be neglected either.
Although Rick and Morty is a bit crazier, anyone who liked the type of series could also enjoy Lower Decks.
With “Lower Decks” into the Star Trek universe
As I mentioned at the beginning, before Lower Decks I was a total Star Trek noob. Did I still have fun with the series? Absolutely!
This is notable because Lower Decks is often celebrated for its numerous Easter eggs from the Star Trek universe. And I can understand that too. I can only imagine how many guest appearances, movie references and lore details appear in the series. Definitely really cool for fans.
But even as a non-expert, I never felt overwhelmed by the series or bored with fan service. Everything made sense on its own, in the same way that zombie viruses, seductive alien lizards or species that duplicate themselves out of shame can make sense.
The cool approach of experiencing a spaceship from the perspective of the lowest workers, interesting characters with good development and, last but not least, the humor – all of this makes Lower Decks a really good and entertaining series, even for those inexperienced with “Star Trek” like me .
The perfect introduction? Especially with a franchise that has been around as long as Star Trek – the first series started in 1966 – I often find it difficult to get started as a newcomer. There is a huge amount of material out there, where do you even start? I quickly have the feeling that I don’t understand something properly because I don’t know the “original series”.
The advantage of Lower Decks for me was that the series is entertaining even without a deep understanding. Maybe I don’t know where this strange artifact came from. But I can still find it funny what the chaos squad around Ensign Boimler does with it.
For me, Lower Decks was a pleasant and shallow introduction to the world of Star Trek. And I shamelessly admit that the series piqued my curiosity. I just want to see the great adventures of the USS Voyager myself, some of which have been mentioned. Or to learn more about the fierce Klingons and emotionless Vulcans.
I don’t know if it’s the absolute perfect introduction for “Star Trek” newbies. You should probably just start with the original series. But if you prefer to get a quick taste of the world, “Lower Decks” offers a great opportunity in my opinion.
When the fifth season comes out in 2024, I definitely won’t miss it.
Are you “Star Trek” fans? If so, how did you start the franchise? Please let us know in the comments.
Of course, there are also PC games for such a big franchise like Star Trek. The strategy game “Star Trek: Birth of the Federation” was recently released and was a full 20 years in coming. But it is questionable whether the wait was worth it:
New Star Trek game launches on Steam: Already has serious damage to the warp core