Star Trek: Lower Decks, S01E01

Welcome to the newest Star Trek series! It's time to shuttle aboard the California-class U.S.S. Cerritos and meet the ... ensigns. The trio is joined by Trek podcast veteran Drew Stewart to look at these new characters, the tone and pacing of the show, and what our favorite jokes were. What did we like? What did we love? And what are we looking forward to improving in the next nine episodes of season one? Let us know your stand-out moments from this first episode of "Star Trek: Lower Decks."

An Animated Series Sample.
​“Star Trek: Lower Decks” becomes the second animated series in the Trek franchise. So let’s look at the first! “Star Trek” The Animated Series lasted two seasons (or a season and half...). The trio share their reflections on the last two episodes of TAS, “How Sharper Than a Serpant’s Tooth” and “The Counter-Clock Incident.” How did this ‘70s cartoon set the stage for 2020’s Trek cartoon?

Favorite Secondary Ship 

With the addition of new series to the Star Trek franchise, the trio does a round-robin pick of their favorite ships in each series ... that's not the "main ship." Darren, Daniel, and Phillip look at every television show, from the Original Series to Picard, and pick a ship that stands out to them. Whether it be Romulan, Klingon, or Starfleet, they look at the vessels that brought something new to the franchise. Let us know if we picked your favorites or if you have a different group of favorites!

Episode in Focus: “Lower Decks.”
​The concept of a “lower decks” episode or series in Star Trek began in the last season of Next Generation. The trio look at the story that began it all - four young ensigns on the Enterprise-D trying to get that extra pip. This unique perspective helps shed new light about life onboard a starship. What’s your favorite moment?

Pon Farr

Let's talk about sex ... Vulcan sex, that is. The concept of the seven-year mating cycle was introduced in The Original Series episodes "Amok Time." Spock, however, is not the only Vulcan character in the Trek franchise, so it was inevitable that this taboo topic would be touched on in subsequent series. The trio looks at two incidents - Subcommander T'Pol in the Enterprise episode "Bounty" and Ensign Vorik & B'Elanna Torres in the Voyager episode "Blood Fever." What new information do we get with each outing? Does this add anything to the Vulcan story? How do the episodes treat this vulnerable time?

​Join in this respectful discussion about Vulcan sex, and let us know if you have a particular favorite episode or moment.