I just started this show. I haven’t really liked any Star Trek show since STNG, so I kept putting this one off. Mostly because Picard hasn’t been well received
I am halfway through season one. I am not sure what to say about this show. I don’t love it. Parts have a lot of promise and parts are just so clumsy. It has a serial story, but it is clear that whoever is writing it is still thinking episodically. Things are really sped up and the writers have an obsession with illustrating backstory in the worse way. So many scenes with laborious dialogue.
The show is also a lot more realistic view of the federation than previous Trek products I have seen.
Overall there is enough goodness to keep me watching and again, I don’t love it.
UPDATE
I bailed out of S1 around E8 it was just terrible. On advice from the thread I skipped to S3 and lasted three episodes. It was terrible. One the comically terrible parts is how all the 70 year olds had 20 something kids.
Season 3 is better thanks to cashing in on nostalgia
I haven’t really liked any Star Trek show since STNG.
May I recommend Star Trek Lower Decks?
Yes, it’s animated, but because it’s animated, there’s more alien lifeform representation than in the live action shows. It’s really well written, has character development over the series, and does fan service really, really well.
It also explores some of the less seen (but obviously necessary) aspects of the Federation - what happens after first contact, what do the non-officers do day-to-day, etc.
I started it after Picard, and although I liked Picard (for all the faults highlighted by the OP and other commenters), I fell in love with Lower Decks.
deleted by creator
Does it make fun of it? DS9 is probably one of my most favorite series - incredibly serious and high stakes premise, yet it also had comedy aspects. (Hooman Root Beer comes to mind).
Lower Decks treats DS9 incredibly well, even recreating the original slow pass around the station with the original theme (I got a bit choked up). The characters were excited to meet Kira, Odo, and Quark - and those original voice actors came back to reprise their roles, giving a legit update to how things are going now that time has passed since “What You Leave Behind”.
They do call backs to each prior season, not just as off the cuff jokes, but actually to do fan service right - exploring the original references and adding layers. TNG’s Pakleds are a great example - they were a one-off for Picard to deal with before moving on, but in LD they’ve made almost 10 episodes, and they’ve actually been shown to be more than just stupid aliens (because really, how could a race of utter idiots make it to space?).
deleted by creator
One of the big issues with Picard is that the original script was with the android being the main character and Picard not even be part of it. Then the studio wanted a big name attached to it, because they didn’t believe it would do well to revive the Star Trek franchise on its own. So they got Patrick Stewart involved, made Picard the main character and basically mangled the show. I think Stewart also wanted a lot of changes to the show and the studio involvement was huge as well. This made the end result pretty terrible tbh.
Ahh that fits.
deleted by creator
If a show or movie isn’t good unless you get a supplemental book, then it’s a failure. A story that can’t tell its own story should just be thrown away.
Yeah!
Thank you so much. I will be starting that book next week.
deleted by creator
Nice! Thanks again
Picard had too much nonsensical decision making for me to ever get into it. Its not the worst trek, but I think its down there.
Personal ranking: DS9 > TNG > LD > VOY = TOS = Ent > Picard > SNW (haven’t finished season 3) > Disco (never watched season 5).
I haven’t seen Prodigy and it’s more than 30 years since I watched any TAS.
deleted by creator
I am now on E8 of S1 and wow it has just gotten terrible. I don’t think I will make it to S3.
Yeah, quit while you can. S3 only feels okay-ish in comparison because S1 and S2 are so absolutely terrible. Not worth it.
Yeah I am done with it.
Good choice.
I haven’t really liked any Star Trek show since STNG
Have you watched “The Orville”? It’s much better Star Trek than a lot of the current new Trek stuff.
The Orville was awesome
deleted by creator
I have issues with the writing and I am only halfway through S1, so maybe it comes later?
I really havent seen any bad character decisions yet.
It felt esoterically nostalgic. I would have liked it to have more depth of side characters or cheesy moral lessons as in TNG, Voyager and DS9







