Star Trek: The Lower Decks doesn’t find its comedy in belittling the importance of its cast of characters like the subtitle might suggest. Instead it lovingly pokes fun at the legacy of the franchise through its small casts of seemingly insignificant characters on a second rate ship.
1. Not a Big Deal
The pilot episode’s name “Second Contact” makes the same effort as the show’s subtitle to downplay the importance of the crew. Yet this is only really done for comedic effect, as there is plenty of adventure to be had even on a less prestigious mission for the lower ranking members of the crew on what is implied to be less than prestigious within the Federation. This balancing act of loving satire manifests through its four main characters which split off into those who stay on the ship and those who go on the planet.
2. We’re Supposed to be Team Mariner
The off planet duo, Mariner and Boimler establish a buddy cop dynamic, with the former being a badass maverick and the latter being a stickler for the rules who is eager to move up the ranks. Unlike most duos, where the right answer is presented as somewhere in between the two, the pilot seems to heavily lean towards Mariner’s stance. Boimler relies on the rules due to his lack of experience while Mariner has been demoted for undermining the chain of command despite being hyper competent at her job. Mariner even says to Boimler that she’s superior to him in every way.
Biomler’s role isn’t to be right or cool but rather be a straight man to Mariner and the butt end for the show’s vindictive sense of humour. He also grounds the show in a relatable character who doesn’t have much first hand experience but a lot of second hand knowledge, while Mariner goes off being awesome.
3. A Balancing Comedy, Action, and Romance
While Mariner and Biomler are on planet, Sam’s subplot provides humour in the fact that the date more or less continues as this crisis is being resolved in a very nonchalant sort of way. While it is funny, compelling, and action packed all at once; you get the sense that the creative team is flexing its muscles, showing you it can have quality action sequences but not take itself too seriously in the process.
Both Sam and D’Vana are out and proud Starfleet nerds who unabashedly love their jobs in engineering and the medical bay respectively. Sam and D’Vana’s enthusiasm for their jobs makes them feel interchangeable in the pilot. But their similarity seems to be done in order to encourage a romantic connection with the two later on in the show.
4. Less Responsibility, More Personal
Because they are not responsible for the entire ship like the Starfleet Command is, there is more opportunity for personal stories to be told around the crisis of the ship. Sam for example is in the middle of a first date when a full blown crisis hits the ship. D’Vana is experience a rather hectic first day at the medical bay when all hell is breaking loose on the ship. The entire thing feels like an outer space office comedy, especially when Mariner keeps forcing Boimler, the office kiss up, to not tell the boss about their escapades which could result in him also getting into trouble.
5. So Much For Utopia
Mariner’s cavalier attitude is shown to be channeled towards the betterment of the work The Federation claims to do and comes from a sense of frustration that those in charge seem to care more about the institution rather than its goals. This is actually what makes the show favour Mariner’s outlook over Boimler’s.
By the end of the episode you see how Starfleet Command acting like they’re part of an ensemble cast who do all of the work must be infuriating from the perspective of the regular crew. The heads of each division come off as ungrateful glory hogs who treat everyone around them like extras in their show.
Boimler and Mariner cement their friendship by the end of the episode as Boimler acts in passive protest over not getting the proper credit he thinks he deserves. What makes the show feel so fresh is that even in the Utopian future we are presented in the majority of Star Trek properties; your boss might just leave your name out of the report and take all the credit.
