Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | RSS | More
The most animated version of Star Trek (outside of the… um… animated series) has returned with its second season. The first two episodes of the new year, “Strange Energies” and “Kayshon, His Eyes Open” both remind us where we’ve been and the general format of the series, and then push forward with some changes to set things back to the status quo.
Last season, Ensign Boimler was transferred to the USS Titan. The opening episodes of this season have Lower Decks splitting time between the Titan and the Cerritos and comparing and contrasting their respective missions.
We also have a recurring guest role for Captain William Riker and plenty of easter eggs for the eagle-eyed viewer! How many YouTube videos can the hidden secrets spawn? Did you see all 3,968 references in these two episodes? If not, are you still calling yourself a “fan”?
Star Trek: Lower Decks continues to walk a fine line between parody and canon. The show’s rapid-fire style also continues. Will those who disliked the series the first time around find anything new in the latest episodes? Or will Lower Decks continue to be a polarizing series in regards to its approach, while simultaneously being mostly praised by audiences and critics?
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.