Star Trek: Lower Decks Review – Episode 1, Second Contact - The scrappy underdogs of the final frontier

Disclaimer: No redshirts were harmed in the making of this review. Well, maybe a few, but that’s just Star Trek: Lower Decks doing its thing. If you’re a hardcore Star Trek fan, rest assured that this show loves the franchise as much as you do. And if you’re new to the universe, don’t worry; you don’t need to know your warp cores from your tribbles to have a good time. Just sit back, enjoy the ride, and maybe keep a safe distance from any Bat’leths.

Warning: Some spoilers ahead.

So, you want to get into Star Trek because half the world is talking about it, but you have no idea where to start? There's the original series, then a bunch of spin-offs… Should you go in chronological order? Just pick one at random? Do you have to start at the beginning? Can you start at the end? Someone help! Should you roll a dice? Russian roulette?

Well, that's what I'm here for—to help you navigate this intergalactic universe. Ideally, yes, you'd start with the classic series. It's amazing. It's my favorite. I highly recommend it. However… I totally get that not everyone will connect with it right away.

So, to help all the newcomers venturing into the Star Trek world—and for longtime fans who just want a fun review—I decided to go with something a little more accessible: the most recent animated series, Star Trek: Lower Decks specifically its first episode: Second Contact.

Launched in 2020 and wrapping up after five seasons, this show dives into the less glamorous side of the Federation. Not that Star Trek was ever about glamour, despite being sci-fi, it's always been pretty grounded in its own way.

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Not your typical Star Trek mission

In the Star Trek universe, First Contact is a momentous event (also the name of a Star Trek movie with Captain Picard). It's when the Federation officially meets a new alien civilization for the first time, usually after they've developed warp technology.

It’s grand, historic, and often filled with high-stakes diplomacy. Second Contact, on the other hand, is the less glamorous but equally important follow-up. It’s where all the paperwork gets done, trade agreements are signed, and logistical details are sorted out. And that’s exactly where Star Trek: Lower Decks finds its niche.

Instead of focusing on legendary captains and galaxy-altering missions, it follows the everyday crew members who deal with the routine, messy, and sometimes absurd side of Starfleet. By flipping the perspective, the show brings a fresh and comedic take on the Star Trek formula, proving that even the smallest jobs in the universe can lead to big adventures.

And speaking of underdogs, there’s also the classic redshirt trope, a reference to the expendable crew members in the original series who often met untimely ends. Lower Decks flips that on its head, giving these background characters the leading roles.

So, when Ensign Boimler dramatically records a Captain’s Log (despite being very much not a captain), only to be interrupted by the effortlessly cool Mariner, it perfectly encapsulates what the show is all about: loving Star Trek while having a little fun at its expense. As Mariner herself puts it:

"We're more like the cool, scrappy underdogs of the ship."

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The tech, the tropes, and the absurdity

Lower Decks doesn’t just poke fun at Star Trek’s grandeur; it also has a blast with the franchise’s tech. When Boimler starts geeking out over scientific anomalies, Mariner cuts through the nerd talk and focuses on what really matters: the holodeck, arguably the coolest part of any starship. Instead of using it for training or tactical simulations, she immediately cranks up the fun, transporting them to a Hawaiian beach fantasy.

It’s a perfect example of how Lower Decks balances Star Trek’s deep sci-fi elements with irreverent humor, proving that not every Starfleet officer is out here making history; some just want to kick back in a tropical paradise.

The show also isn’t afraid to push Star Trek’s boundaries with its chaotic energy. Take the scene where Mariner casually messes around with a Bat'leth (which, let’s be real, she absolutely should not be handling) and accidentally slices a chunk out of Boimler’s leg. The moment is hilarious but also shockingly violent in a way that feels reminiscent of Happy Tree Friends, that old animated series where cute little critters met unexpectedly gruesome fates.

The contrast between Lower Decks’ colorful, exaggerated animation and its sudden bursts of over-the-top gore only makes the comedy sharper. It’s not just Star Trek; it’s Star Trek with a dose of anarchic, absurdist fun.

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A crisis? More like a comedy

Lower Decks takes classic Star Trek tropes and cranks them up to absurdity, especially when things go wrong. Take the outbreak scene. In any other Trek series, a mysterious virus spreading through the ship would be a tense, high-stakes emergency. Here? It’s complete chaos. The medbay looks like a sci-fi warzone, with infected crew members convulsing, spewing black goo, and screaming while the medical team barely keeps up.

It’s a perfect example of the show’s approach to humor, turning the traditionally serious crises of Star Trek into fast-paced, exaggerated disasters that somehow still feel right at home in the franchise.

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Star Treks: Lower Decks can be a perfect Star Trek entry point (or a trip down memory lane)

From there, things only get wilder because, of course, they do. Star Trek: Lower Decks piles on the absurdity, throwing its crew into increasingly ridiculous (and strangely familiar) predicaments. And yet, despite all the chaos, everything somehow turns out fine in the end. In a way, it’s not that different from the more “serious” Star Trek series. After all, how many times did Kirk, Spock, and the rest of the crew survive absolute insanity?

That’s what makes Star Trek: Lower Decks such a brilliant entry point for newcomers while also being a love letter to longtime fans. It knows Star Trek, it loves Star Trek, and it knows exactly how to poke fun at Star Trek in the best way possible.

Final rating? 5 out of 5.

But for a more fitting Lower Decks flair, 5 Bat’leths out of 5.