Farewell to the Lower Decks Message Boards

I guess it’s official, the Lower Decks message boards are gone.

It’s funny, because now if you mention “Lower Decks” to a Star Trek fan, they’ll of course automatically think of the animated series. Twenty years ago it wasn’t even a question. It wasn’t even the Next Generation episode but an online community that at that time was fiercely loyal, a family, really.

My firmest memory of becoming a part of it was in the summer of 2000, when the forums were a part of the old Section 31 website (itself well before anyone outside of Deep Space Nine had heard of the controversial Starfleet black ops group). I assume I must have been visiting earlier than that, because even at that point the legendary banter between “Q” and “Shadow” was very familiar to me. 

When the owner of the Section 31 incarnation cashed out, the forums community created Lower Decks as its replacement in 2002. As a longtime Star Trek fan, this was my experience of the larger fan base. This was also where I wrote most of my formative fiction, found my voice. When the main page relaunched, I was also a regular contributor, writing reviews and columns, of the wider sci-fi experience and the franchise itself. 

2002 was when I began blogging, too, well before anyone who knows my blog material now had any clue I existed. I guess, twenty years on, it’s appropriate to have attempted visiting the mostly ghost forums that had lingered in recent years and finally finding the domain open.

So long, and thanks for all the fish.

Star Trek: Prodigy 1x7 "First Con-tact" Review

rating: **

the story: Dal reunites with the Ferengi who raised him.

review: The thing that's gonna be a problem for a viewer like me is that I'm not the target audience, and so will be asking questions the show is either going to address later or possibly not at all, and that's hard to swallow.  The Ferengi character introduces the biggest stumbling block yet, and the episode makes no effort to explain the apparent difficulties.

This is a series that begins in the Delta Quadrant.  The Delta Quadrant, as very emphatically stated in Voyager, is too far from the Alpha and Beta Quadrants (where the majority of the franchise takes place) to make casual journeys practical.  There's always the chance of random transplanting (as Voyager itself represented), and of course a few Ferengi in The Next Generation did exactly that (which, too, was featured in Voyager).  But the chances of a Ferengi raising Dal, who we find in the Delta Quadrant, ending up in the Gamma Quadrant (no hint of close association with which was ever uttered in Voyager or Deep Space Nine), it just complicates things too much, with again, no attempt at all to throw existing fans a bone in untangling it.  

Conceivably, Dal's Ferengi pal traveled to the Gamma Quadrant from the Bajoran wormhole, although at what point even that is difficult to determine.  Women in Ferengi society didn't receive mainstream rights until the end of Deep Space Nine, which introduces a very short window for this one to have begun operating as a typical Ferengi (which itself is also anachronistic, because soon after Deep Space Nine give Ferengi women rights, it also reformed Ferengi society itself to be less driven by profit)...Anyway, I don't think Prodigy expects its viewers to be worrying too much about any of this, much less why the Dominion and the Borg Collective apparently never bothered each other, so...let's just move on.

The story itself is another episodic one, involving the Starfleet standard of first contact protocols (the name of the episode, as spelled in the episode itself, is exactly the same as the Next Generation episode, and the second Next Generation movie, but in all other references emphasizes the Ferengi's true motives with a single hyphen).  Dal surprisingly isn't the villainish character this time, and comes up with a quick heroic solution in the end, but the Ferengi is not only villainous but even willing to immediately transmit her knowledge of Dal's whereabouts (and that of the Protostar) to the Diviner.

The use of familiar interference protocols is about as subtle as it was when Discovery attempted it in its first season.  Again, younger viewers aren't going to be quibbling with any of this, and most of the time there's little reason to believe Prodigy has much interest in anyone else's opinion.  This is disappointing for fans who might think otherwise, and who've made it this far watching the whole franchise without blinking when so many have cherrypicked their way through.

And very little effort is even made to advance the Chakotay subplot!  Why must they these things out???

criteria analysis:

• franchise - The crew again attempting to familiarize itself with Starfleet standards at least gives casual viewers something to latch onto.  That and the Ferengi.
• series - A moment that ought to have deepened show mythology feels like it leaves too many unanswered questions. 
• character - Points for adding some depth to Dal.
• essential - And taken, for thinking new and old fans will be happy with how little is actually done with it.
• notable guest-stars:
• Robert Beltran (Chakotay)

Star Trek: Prodigy 1x6 "Kobayashi" Review

rating: ***

the story: Dal tries his luck with the Kobayashi Maru training program.

review: In all three Star Trek shows that've broadcast new episodes in the past few months, either the Kobayashi Maru program itself or something similar (in the case of Lower Decks) has been featured.  The fourth season premiere of Discovery was even titled "Kobayashi Maru," and now Prodigy builds an episode around the program, with the title "Kobayashi."  I don't know if the writers of these shows cross the hall, visit the same writing rooms, or there are producers suggesting any of this common material, but anyone actually watching all of it (Star Trek fans usually don't go out of their watch to watch all of it, as we all discovered in the '90s) might begin to consider the material somewhat repetitive.  Again, there's no reason to expect every fan to see all of it (resources like this blog in which one person does are probably rare), but those that do, it's an odd choice, whether deliberate or remarkable coincidence.

There's the good enough excuse that each of the series is approaching this material from different vantage points and theoretically even for different audiences.  Prodigy, for instance, is obviously intended for younger viewers, most of whom will probably never have seen any Star Trek before.  They might later track down all the source material for the dialogue uttering from the mouths of famous franchise characters like Spock, Uhura, Scotty, Odo, (and the new stuff from Crusher) (I don't know why Enterprise in particular should have been left out), or, eventually, attempt to watch all of it, I don't know.  The effort of putting this material together is itself perhaps the most ambitious and fan-friendly thing Prodigy has done, something those who haven't been watching, and perhaps don't intend to watch again might very well consider, as with the Deep Space Nine episode "Trials and Tribble-ations," is worth the odd visit.  So it can be an experience for both new and existing fans.  

I haven't dubbed an episode of the series worth classic status yet.  This one comes closest.  The reservation, as always, comes with lead character Dal, who still doesn't feel like he's overly worth getting attached to, who keeps stumbling up against his limitations without really growing from the effort.  In a format like this it probably feels like exactly the right thing for the creators to be doing, since they're serializing the whole season, and thus don't want to be making definitive points too soon.  Which is, for me, a huge part of why this kind of TV should always be approached with caution, especially when the show goes out of its way, at the start, to let you know that the journey is going to be the whole point.  

The cast around Dal continues to be engaging, although they're increasingly one-note characters, except for the only other one, Gwyn, with an arc, and as of this episode, possibly not even exactly what it had previously seemed.  Her bad dad, the Diviner, hasn't given up yet his quest for the wayward Starfleet ship that also offers up tantalizing answers to its own mysteries, including a glimpse at Hologram Janeway's old running mate, Chakotay.  What if the Diviner isn't quite the villain he seemed?  But also, crucially, how does he stand even a remote chance, under his own power, of reaching the Protostar, which has leaped to an entirely different quadrant?  Unless Gwyn can convince everyone it's in anyone's interests to make it happen?

criteria analysis:

• franchise - All those familiar faces, and voices! are like puppy chow for fans.  Hard not to love. The Kobayashi Maru simulation is itself enticing, although the show's demonstration of it circles far around its parameters.
• series - A few tantalizing clues about why lies ahead, including our first glimpse at what lay behind.
• character - Dal is, for me, as hard to like as always, but placing him into familiar context at least places his struggle into a palatable light.
• essential - It's strange, for a series built around borrowing one familiar face to throw so many others at the viewer, and only a glimpse of the one who actually serves a purpose to the plot.  It's an episodic adventure that both yearns to be more than the series has been and sinks into the poorer instincts that have saddled it since the start.  

notable guest-stars:

Robert Beltran (Chakotay)

Star Trek: Discovery 4x7 "...But to Connect" Review

rating: ***

the story: With two options on how to proceed in confronting the crisis, an unexpected roadblock emerges in Zora's willingness to cooperate.

review: I enjoyed this much better than "Stormy Weather," and yet I'm not sure the resolution with Zora, the ship's computer now become its own entity, was entirely nailed.

Next Generation had previously tackled, in a number of ways, the upper thresholds of artificial intelligence, both in Data and within the ship's computer itself, among others, and of course Voyager's Doctor ("Latent Image," in particular), so Zora's arc was very much familiar, although approached from its own unique vantage point.  The problem is the viewer's ability to fully invest in a character they can't see but only hear.  in the Short Trek "Calypso," we did see Zora.  In a sense, the lasts two seasons have been competing with "Calypso," which was a standout experience on any number of levels.  Even its central character, Craft, has had a kind of stand-in with Book, who in "Connect" makes a bold decision I'll get back to later.  There's also the somewhat tangled web of those directly involved in her arc this episode.  David Cronenberg's Kovich gets arguably his biggest spotlight as part of it, as he's tasked with deciding how to handle Zora's evolution.  Stamets, surprisingly, is the one who has the biggest problem with it, and I'm not sure the episode nails his role.  Gray and Adira show up as Zora's cheerleaders, though neither one has particularly strong material to show for it.

Anyway, the episode presents two possible solutions to the crisis at hand.  One, once Zora agrees to cooperate, is to confront, peacefully if at all possible, those responsible for the anomaly, which involves a gathering of delegates to reach that conclusion, including a representative of Earth (that's another fun point to pick back up from last season).  The other is a weapon (evoking Insurrection) developed by Tarka, the tactless genius (whose very existence has finally convinced Stamets to find some) from "The Examples," who provides another welcome dose of friction, and in the end, an offer too tempting for Book to pass up.

(It's also worth noting that the potential enemy comes from beyond the Galactic Barrier, which we learned a few episodes ago; this is of course an unexpected reference to The Final Frontier; this whole arc has been drawing on familiar franchise lore, a deliberate bid to get fans who don't think Discovery is familiar enough to consider it well within the franchise fold after all.)

Unlike the talkiness of "Weather," the constant barrage of chatter works well in "Connect," an excellent example of Star Trek's intellectual proclivities.

criteria analysis:

• franchise - Zora's arc ought to evoke plenty of familiar associations.
• series - The progress of the season arc advances in a carefully calculated way.
• character - Zora is once again the standout character in what is very close to a defining episode.
• essential - It feels like the show was hedging its bets with her.  Maybe I'm not being fair.

notable guest-stars:

David Cronenberg (Kovich)

Star Trek: Discovery 4x6 "Stormy Weather" Review

rating: ***

the story: The ship accidentally gets stuck in a void created by the anomaly.

review: This might be one of those episodes I'll have to revisit later.  Watching it the first time I found myself surprisingly conflicted.  Even the showcase element at the end of "Stormy Weather" wasn't enough to completely sell me on it.

"Weather" evokes classic franchise storytelling (Voyager had a couple episodes where the ship got stuck in a pocket region of space), but never completely feels like a classic Discovery moment despite trying to be.  For me, this has long been a series defined by its smart characters sometimes spontaneously combining for sequences of fast-paced collaboration.  "Weather" lumbers along as literally everyone gets a say in how to resolve the crisis, a ponderous representation of the season's increased focus on inclusivity (Gray, who finally has a moment this episode trying to bolster Zora's spirits, has never felt as organic since a sensational debut in "Forget Me Not").  

When a solution is finally reached, it involves evoking yet another piece of franchise lore (Scotty being stuck in a transport buffer in Next Generation's "Relics") before putting the ship to considerable stress and Burnham at minimal risk (it's still a game effort at a mostly visual sequence, which was the best viewing experience of the episode and itself worth revisiting later).

criteria analysis:

• franchise - Fans often disagree, but I like when Star Trek evokes itself.  In literature, it's called resonance.
• series - As a part of the season arc I like how the episode further complicates attempting to understand the anomaly.  (This also feels like third season Enterprise territory, by the way.)
• character - Zora, the computer, is becoming a real character as of this episode as her evolution seriously complicates matters for the first time.
• essential - A previous stumbling block this season was the inability to adequately focus, although the more alarming part was how the episode just plain doesn't understand how this series works at its best, even in a scenario that seems tailor-made for it.  I don't blame director Jonathan Frakes for this (it seems the intent was to have the First Contact feel, at times, but the writing just didn't support it).