In “wej Duj”, Boimler tries to find a bridge buddy while the USS Cerritos crew has down time during a long warp trip.
In “First First Contact”, the USS Cerritos is tasked to aid another starship on a first contact mission.
In this episode of the podcast, Wes and Clay discuss “wej Duj” and “First First Contact”. Plus! The guys talk about improvements in season two, not recognizing characters, and disregarding serialized storytelling.
Mariner and Boimler are stranded on an uninhabited planet with a sentient computer. On the Cerritos, Lt. Commander Billups must prove his engineering abilities to an old adversary.
A consultant arrives on the USS Cerritos to run drills that require the lower deckers and bridge crew to swap duties.
In this episode of the podcast, Wes and Clay discuss “Where Pleasant Fountains Lie” and “I, Excretus” from the second season of Star Trek: Lower Decks. Plus! The duo chats about riding a joke, doing a half-measure when you should go all the way, and the many roles of Jeffrey Combs.
In “An Embarrassment of Dooplers”, Mariner and Boimler try to track down the location of a legendary Starfleet party while the bridge crew deals with an insecure alien diplomat.
In “A Spy Humongous”, Anomaly Consolidation Day on the USS Cerritos leaves the Lower Deckers with mixed emotions. Captain Freeman attempts to negotiate peace on the Pakled homeworld.
In this episode of the podcast, Wes and Clay discuss “An Embarrassment of Dooplers” and “A Spy Humongous”. Plus! The guys chat about the reason that A.L.F. was canceled, Don Cheadle’s early television performances, and Lower Decks spending time marinating in the joke.
In “We’ll Always Have Tom Paris”, Mariner and Tendi team up for a mission to retrieve an heirloom for Dr. T’Ana. Meanwhile, the Cerritos is visited by Lieutenant Tom Paris, much to the excitement of Boimler, who is hoping to meet him. While all this happens, Rutherford is haunted by the mystery surrounding the reappearance of a familiar presence on the Cerritos.
In “Mugato, Gumato”, the USS Cerritos is dispatched to a planet to investigate an unexplained sighting of a dangerous Mugato.
In this episode of the podcast, Wes and Clay discuss “We’ll Always Have Tom Paris” and “Mugato, Gumato”. Plus! The duo chats about the trope of bringing back the dead, the lack of a central lead character, and Star Trek: Lower Decks bringing pathos into its narratives.
In “Strange Energies”, the USS Cerritos is dispatched on a mission where it ends up in a sci-fi event resulting in “strange energy,” which Commander Ransom inadvertently absorbs.
In “Kayshon, His Eyes Open”, our Lower Deckers have trouble bonding with Ensign Jet Manhaver, who has been assigned Boimler’s bunk and shift duties. Meanwhile, we get a glimpse of Boimler’s life on the USS Titan, which is more intense than he thought it would be.
In this episode of the podcast, Wes and Clay discuss “Strange Energies” and “Kayshon, His Eyes Open” and how it feels to return to the “best” modern Star Trek series. Plus! The guys chat about the highs and lows of a single episode, remembering how the first season ended, and characters being a means to an end.
The USS Cerritos encounters a familiar enemy. Tendi helps a struggling recruit find her footing.
In this episode of the podcast, Wes and Clay discuss “No Small Parts” and why Lower Decks is more true to Star Trek than the Picard series pretends to be. Plus! The guys talk about cinematic animation, shuffling the cards at the end of a season, and why Mariner is no Michael Burnham.
Mariner repurposes Boimler’s holodeck program to cast herself as the villain in a “lower decks”-style movie.
In this episode of the podcast, Wes and Clay discuss “Crisis Point” and why Mariner is the heart and soul of Lower Decks. Plus! The guys talk about the walking-back of Boimler, sneaky marijuana references, and balancing Star Trek and cynicism.
Mariner, Boimler, Tendi, and Rutherford are caught off guard when aliens force them to testify about a series of seemingly unrelated events.
In this episode of the podcast, Wes and Clay discuss “Veritas” and explain why it’s the strongest episode that Lower Decks has produced. Plus! The guys talk about modern sound mixing, getting stressed out when everyone starts yelling, and the need for the show to branch out from referencing The Next Generation!
Mariner tries to impress her best friend from Starfleet Academy who is now a visiting captain. Boimler is sent to a Starfleet medical ship after a transporter accident puts him “out of phase.”
In this episode of the podcast, Wes and Clay discuss “Much Ado About Boimler” and wonder about the relationship to Shakepeare’s original work. Plus! The guys talk about Lower Decks riding a joke, the show mixing up its character pairings, and turning your TV around to watch it in “handheld” mode!
The lovable but awkward Ensign Fletcher makes work difficult for Mariner and Boimler. Rutherford introduces Tendi to a holodeck training program he created.
In this episode of the podcast, Wes and Clay discuss getting what we wished for in regards to Star Trek: Lower Decks. Plus! The guys talk about bringing aboard a new main cast member, the hyper-violence of a holodeck gone bad, and give their thoughts about the recent trailer for Discovery’s third season!
Mariner is suspicious of Boimler’s new girlfriend. Tendi and Rutherford grow jealous of a bigger starship’s gear.
In this episode of the podcast, Wes and Clay analyze “Cupid’s Errant Arrow” and wonder if Lower Decks would be better suited to exploring the dark edge of Star Trek lore. Plus! The guys talk about sitcom plots versus Star Trek plots, mixing up the characters, and Wes gives some truncated thoughts about the latest trailer for “The Batman”!
Captain Freeman seeks the ultimate payback after Mariner blatantly disrespects her in front of the crew. A well-meaning Tendi accidentally messes up a lieutenant’s attempt at spiritual ascension and tries to make it right.
In this episode of the podcast, Wes and Clay discuss the latest Star Trek: Lower Decks episode, “Moist Vessel”! They break down society’s discomfort with the word “moist”, the success (or not) of the show’s attempts to be emotionally grounded, and over-stuffing an episode with ideas!
A new work protocol eliminating “buffer time” has the Cerritos crew running ragged as they try to keep up with their tightened schedules. Ensign Mariner and Commander Ransom’s mutual lack of respect comes to a head during an away mission.
In this episode of the podcast, Wes and Clay discuss an episode that makes you expect some time travel, only to end up with some new timekeeping habits. Plus! The guys chat about the screen time of the senior officers, cultural misunderstandings, and balancing the stuffiness of Star Trek with the comedy of Lower Decks!
After a high-profile mission goes awry, Boimler is further plagued with self-doubt when Mariner proves herself to be a more naturally talented sci-fi badass than he. Rutherford quits his job in engineering and explores other departments on the USS Cerritos.
In this episode of the podcast, Wes and Clay discuss “Envoys” and wonder if Lower Decks is a series that will be able to survive on its own once the supply of references runs low. Plus! The guys chat about the potential issues with Mariner, why Rutherford works so well as a comic character, and why you shouldn’t expect to see any Lower Decks characters referenced in the next season of Star Trek: Picard.
Ensign Tendi has her first day of work on Starfleet’s USS Cerritos, where she meets fellow support crew members, Ensigns Mariner, Boimler, and Rutherford.
Meanwhile, Boimler is tasked with a secret special assignment and Rutherford attempts to keep his dating life intact while a sci-fi disaster strikes the ship.
In this episode of the podcast, Wes and Clay discuss how effectively Star Trek has (once again) moved into animated territory. Plus! They give their thoughts about Ensigns Mariner, Boimler, Tendi and Rutherford, how well Star Trek can do comedy, and how the show should try to work out its own niche in the franchise.