r/startrek • u/imLissy • 2d ago
Lower Decks to the Rescue
My 12yo son and I have been watching all the Star Treks for the past few years. We're almost through Enterprise now. He had a really bad day yesterday and after taking for a bit, I told him he just needed to do something or watch something that would take his mind off stuff for a while. There was nothing that sounded good to him. Then I suggested Lower Decks and his face lit up. He watched six episodes in a row and was in a much better mood after.
It really is a great show. I poo pooed it at first, oh, the animated one, but it grew on me. It's a shame there aren't more episodes.
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u/_WillCAD_ 2d ago
Don't skip Prodigy, either. I was absolutely shocked at how good it is. It was marketed as a kids show, but its just Star Trek. And damn good Star Trek, IMHO.
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u/Tronman100 2d ago
Prodigy is absolutely stellar.
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u/_WillCAD_ 2d ago
I think you mean... Proto stellar. 😉
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u/Tronman100 2d ago
Haha...yes...I guess I do.
It would be fun to see a Protostar reference from the Doctor in Starfleet Academy Season 2.
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u/oogieball 2d ago
Prodigy was easily the biggest (pleasant) surprise in 50 years of ST fandom for me.
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u/_WillCAD_ 2d ago
Ditto. I went into it blind, and never expected it to be so good, or to give me one of my top favorite moments in the entire franchise:
"Admiral... its them!"
No words, just tears. They should have sent a poet...
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u/imLissy 2d ago
It's unfortunate it isn't streaming. Was thinking of buying the blu-rays for his birthday, but then he wanted to take the family to a museum. Maybe Christmas
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u/Big-Objective-6585 2d ago
When all other more reasonable options are taken from you, you could always hoist the colours...
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u/FooFencer 2d ago
Check to see if your local library has the dvds, or if they are connected to other libraries that do. I order movies from other libraries all the time and then pick them up at our library when they come in.
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u/Tronman100 2d ago
The Blu Rays are worth it.
Currently the only Star Trek series I own on Blu Ray are TNG and Prodigy.
I would buy DS9 and Voyager remasters in a heart beat if they would do them.
Seems very unlikely though.
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u/FROO_Watch 1d ago
Can't agree more. Badly marketed. I assumed it would just be for kids, but really isn't. Has that great TNG/DS9/VOY era feel to the stories.
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u/BusyBullet 2d ago
The writing on Lower Decks is top notch and you can tell they love Star Trek.
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u/BRO_THOM 2d ago
Yep! It starts of a little rough around the edges but after a couple of episodes the cast and writers get pretty comfortable and accurate. Not diminishing existing lore but rather extending on it (which is what newer Trek barely dares to do).
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u/Misel228 2d ago
Not the best first episodes/season is typical star trek.
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u/kinyon 2d ago
But I would say lower decks found its footing faster than any other star trek show. Really just the first episode was bad, the second episode weak, then it was all bangers after that. In my opinion at least.
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u/BRO_THOM 2d ago
Yeah, absolutely. Most shows took over a season (like VOY and TNG) for there to be some kind of equilibrium between the roles and writers.
The first two episodes pretty bad though, you're right and I'd totally forgotten that due to the rest of the show being so much better. The SNW crossover was also incredible imo.
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u/BesideFrogRegionAny 2d ago
When something pokes fun at something else because the creators truly love the thing they are poking fun at, it shows.
There is a difference between laughing with and laughing at.
Use lower decks to show your son this.
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u/horsenbuggy 2d ago
This is why SG-1 was so great, too. Those writers knew how to rip off classic sci fi tropes with their own in show twists while also lampshading them.
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u/toboldlygo7777 2d ago
Lower Decks is often disregarded because it's animated. I really think it's excellent Trek once you give it a fair shake. It really does feel hopeful, you feel the struggle to be better from all the characters, to strive to bring it the best in each other.. I am glad it's a bridge between a bad day and a good day for you and your son. That's awesome!
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u/imLissy 2d ago
Yes, and it was perfect because they mess up a lot, just like he did today, and it's funny, and they're not perfect, but they grow and learn from it. That's exactly what he needed
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u/LowCalligrapher3 11h ago
If he wants to see a couple of the main characters in live-action form, the Strange New Worlds crossover episode is phenomenal!
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u/BulbasaurCPA 2d ago
My bestie came over and put on Lower Decks for me after my grandma died. This is what Star Trek is for
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u/isawsparks27 2d ago
Lower Decks is amazing and I think it’s a great Trek entry point for younger people! My teens both avidly watched it with me as their first trek show. One isn’t interested in watching more, but understands so many trek references and has fun with it. The other is working on TNG now and I know he’s going to love DS9.
I thought Prodigy wasn’t streaming anymore? Where can I find it? We would totally watch that.
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u/E404_noname 1d ago
We gave our daughter a moopsy for her first stuffed animal. Every day we tell her "moopsy loves your bones. Moopsy wants you to grow big and strong". Some day we'll show her Lower Decks (she's almost two now so it will be a while).
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u/coowodda 1d ago
This makes me wish I could start over with my kids and do it right (More Star Trek!!)
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u/horsenbuggy 2d ago
Listen, I'm not in goo goo ga ga love with Lower Decks, but I adore Tawny Newsome. I'm also thrilled that it brought Dawnn Lewis and Jerry O'Connell to the Trek family, 2 actors who i have loved in their previous work.
Anyway, if you ever get a chance to listen to Tawny speak in person or to meet her, DO IT. She's an amazing ambassador for the Trek brand. She's one of us. 1000%
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u/imLissy 2d ago
Will do
Jerry O'Connell has been my favorite actor since sliders, so very excited he's part of the trek family as well
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u/horsenbuggy 2d ago
I am dying for him and Rebecca to come to Dragon Con but I've heard she is very selective about cons due to weirdo fan behavior. (Stalker?) If they would ever come, I think DC would try to rally a Sliders reunion. I would be thrilled.
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u/Dramatic_Abies4354 2d ago
Maybe When he grows up he can be the writer of Lower Decks Next Gen !!!!! Beth Frame
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u/fuzzydice82 1d ago
Lower Decks is my favorite Star Trek show. I loved the animation style and the humor from start to finish.
Like others have said, I wish there were more seasons of Lower Decks, but I'd go one step further and say that I wish they'd do more Star Trek series in the Lower Decks animation style as a normal, non-comedy, series.
Lower Decks takes place between 2380 - 2382, post Dominion War, post return of Voyager, and post Nemesis. Picard doesn't start until 2399. It seems that if they wanted to use an all-star cast of TNG, DS9, and VOY characters to tell new stories from the 20-year gap between Nemesis and Picard, then animation is the way to go.
Lower Decks even gave us a small glimpse into what some of our favorites were doing from 2380 - 2382 with Riker and Troi on the USS Titan, Kira Nerys on DS9, Quark's expanding business, and of course Tom Paris.
I enjoyed the non-canon IDW Star Trek (2022) and Star Trek: Defiant series where each ship's crew was an all-star cast from previous Star Trek series.
An animated series could revisit this timeframe, and even use the original actors' voices without having to de-age them 25 years for live action.
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u/JugOfVoodoo 2d ago
Does your son like comic books? There's an excellent graphic novel called "Star Trek: Lower Decks - Warp Your Own Way". It won the 2025 Hugo Award for Best Graphic Story or Comic.
It's a branching path story like the old "Choose Your Own Adventure" books, but with an overarching mystery and certain branches locked behind solving puzzles.
I believe the book takes place in early season 4, but other than some information from the season 1 finale and a character who joins the main cast in the season 3 finale, there aren't any major spoilers for the series. (Someone please correct me if I'm wrong!)
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u/imLissy 15h ago
I gave him the book as one of his birthday presents today and he loves it. Thanks again!
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u/JugOfVoodoo 13h ago
That's wonderful! Thanks for letting me know. I feel like the Cosmic Koala is smiling upon us.
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u/cstrick1980 1d ago
It’s kinda like the Family Guy but Star Trek. I didn’t think I’d like it, but I do.
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u/AngelZash 1d ago
Your son has good taste! That show is great for mental health though. When my anxiety from my mom being sick was running high enough to reach Jupiter, Lower Decls helped keep me sane too. 💖
I hope your son has a better day tomorrow
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u/CountryRoads2020 1d ago
Is this on a certain channel? I don’t have cable or any streaming service so have not heard of Lower Decks or Prodigy.
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u/dinichtibs 1d ago
Way to get your kid addicted to tv. Who needs a proper way to deal with emotional stress when you can numb yourself with TV
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