Okay so I’m a new ST fan, my BF got me started on TOS & TNG recently and Ive really been enjoying it, but Ive been judging a book by its cover with lower decks because the art style looks so much like Rick and Morty to me. Is the story itself anything like R&M or does it feel like star trek?
LowerDecks is meant to be a comedy instead of serious SiFi. However, given the way it’s written, it’s a total love letter to the spirit/ideals of what Trek is. It’s written from the perspective of younger officers, who are not in charge, but are trying to grow into the people/ideals who are portrayed in TOS/TNG. It’s silly, and the art style is a bit goofy, but somehow it works really really well.
For me, seeing TOS/TNG/DS9 in full first feels important, as you need to understand the universe. LowerDecks will pick up threads from all over, kind of as inside jokes, and teases a bit, but all in loving fun to that universe.
It definitely feels like Star Trek, hilarious Star Trek. But like some other commenters said, it will help a lot if you finish the various live action series first. Lower Decks is chock full of fan service, so you don’t need to have watched everything, but many lines of dialogue will make more sense if you do.
The Strange New Worlds/Lower Decks crossover is peak hilarity. The fan service continues even in live action. Lower Decks was brilliant to cast voice actors who also do live action, because that crossover is a genuinely excellent episode of Star Trek.
I’m jealous that you get to see all this for the first time! Enjoy!
Sorry in advance for what will probably be a long reply, but I was actually thinking about this recently and I’m taking the excuse to type out my thoughts.
The fact is that Lower Decks does have certain similarities to Rick and Morty, but they’re mostly superficial and the show is different where it counts. Aside from the obvious similarities in animation style and the characters’ penchant for wacky hijinks, Lower Decks also features frequent bleeped out swearing and occasional jokes based on sexual innuendo or censored nudity. Some people really don’t like that stuff in their entertainment. If you’re one of those people then it isn’t a show for you.
But there’s one big way in which Lower Decks is the exact opposite of Rick and Morty. The difference is the thesis of the series. Rick and Morty is at its core very cynical. Morty said it best himself: “Nobody exists on purpose. Nobody belongs anywhere. Everybody’s gonna die. Come watch TV” I don’t know if it was by accident or on purpose, but I think that line is really the whole show in a nutshell.
Lower decks is not a cynical show. Lower decks is a joyous show. Sure, the characters fight, but they always end the episode as friends. They make mistakes, but they learn from them. They have problems, but, over time, they mature.
I remember seeing an interview with the show creator in which he said that he conceived of it as a story about a group of young adults maturing and figuring out who they really are. I think that’s his thesis, and he delivers on it.
So yeah. I guess bottom line is, if adult oriented animation in general turns you off then Lower Decks probably isn’t going to change your mind. It inherits a lot of its sensibilities (and a few bad habits) from its predecessors. But if you’re mainly concerned that it’ll be a Trek skinned Rick and Morty then I would encourage you to look past the superficial similarities and give it a try.
