My favourite line in the whole thing is right at the end when Commander Jack Ransom (played by Jerry O’Connell) walks past the poster of Lieutenant commander Una Chin-Riley (played by Rebecca Romjin) and calls her “The hottest first officer in Starfleet history.”

For those who don’t know, the Jerry O’Connell and Rebecca Romjin are married to each other.

My expectations for this one were high, but I’m really impressed with how well they pulled it off. Tawny Newsome and Jack Quaid did a great job of dialing their performances back just enough, and the SNW cast went just a little bit broader.

Poor Christine Chapel! Now she knows what the audience has always known: her relationship with Spock is ultimately doomed. Plus a delightful mix of guilt and fear that she could unwittingly cause Spock to never measure up to the vague but crucial future that Boimler mentioned to her in the turbolift, simply by trying to make the two of them happy.

That suuuuuucks.

Frakes is, in addition to an iconic Actor, the best Trek Director of the modern age. 11/10.

Loved having a Sunday morning cartoon 🖖

This episode was way better than it needed to be. I was genuinely moved seeing Una’s reaction to the knowledge of her being the “poster girl”, as well as the reaction of the Orion captain at the end.

Seeing Boimler and Mariner in this context really drives home how much Lower Decks is essentially “what if Trekkies could serve in Star Fleet” and it worked so well!

I cannot believe they had Boimler and Mariner move like physical cartoon characters and pulled it off that well, holy shit. We absolutely lost it when Boimler was tangled in the control panel

This episode is one of the best episodes in the modern era of Trek, it’s lighthearted it’s funny it celebrates Trek and it’s done so tastefully that I genuinely have nothing bad to say about it. It reminds me of Trials and Tribble-ations.

Plus that line at the end where they tell Una ad astra per aspera and that’s why boimler joined Starfleet is just the right kind of emotions.

Honestly, they smashed it in this episode and ofc the 2d animated intro was chefs kiss.

The danger with these “very special fun episodes” is that they can be confined to being just that. But what elevated this episode is how it used the time travel/crossover conceit to foreshadow, progress and pay off SNW character arcs, including Chapel and Spock’s ultimately doomed relationship (something that I’ve previously said could be incredibly poignant, if handled right), Number One’s legacy, and the way Pike confronts his fate. I hope the musical episode does the same.

Frakes has directed two Orville episodes (so far), and arguably brought his experience over to SNW, as Boims and Mariner were fan[boy|girl]ing about, it had serious “Orville” vibes to it. I don’t think they could have picked a better director.

The bit where Ortegas and Uhura were gushing about the NX-01 crew and suddenly realizing that’s why their guests were gushing was priceless.

“What would come after the dash?”

And both Jack and Tawny crushed it as the live action versions of their characters. (Both were over-the-top, and that was the point).

I wonder if that “Riker!” Gag was improvised and if so, how long it had Frakes (and/or the crew) laughing.

The LD-style intro was chefs kiss perfect. The coda was, likewise, a perfect capstone.

Thoughts and observations as I watched over at the “other place”, special Saturday night/early Sunday morning edition:

• AHHHHH, WE’RE DOING THIS ON A SATURDAY!
• AHHHHH, WE’RE GETTING THE CROSSOVER!
• AHHHHH, A CROSSOVER BETWEEN A CARTOON COMEDY AND A LIVE ACTION DRAMA!
• AHHHHH, IN GENERAL!
• First off, that they have “Those Old Scientists” as the title is (chef’s kiss).
• Previously: Nyota had a really bad day, La’An got a bad case of Kirk hotness, and Chapel/Spock had a bad case of hotness for each other
• OH GOD WE’RE STARTING ANIMATED
• “Numero Una”
• Tendi would like to remind you all that the Orions have a rich and varied history.
• “You guys look… very realistic.”
• AHHHH, ANIMATED OPENING CREDITS!
• Hahaha, the thing that eats the Ceritos Nacelle!
• AHHHH, THE KOALA AT THE END OF THE CREDITS! WHY IS IT SMILING, WHAT DOES IT KNOW!?!?
• “But flipping it open is the best part”
• “Computer, end program.”
• “Worf’s honor.” DANGIT!
• I wonder if Frakes showed Quaid how to properly do a Riker maneuver
• “You just… laughed.”
• Ah, we’re tying in with what Tendi said.
• Boimler is a toddler knocking over furniture.
• “We have jetpacks now”
• Pike’s birthday is a holiday… CRAP!
• Boimler freaking out over the fact he made Spock laugh is such a Boimler thing.
• Hey, a reference to his sehlat!
• I like how they are using this episode to also move the other plotlines forward.
• HE MENTIONED PIKE’S REALLY GREAT HAIR
• Triticale, as opposed to Quadritriticale.
• I totally saw Mariner coming.
• Dystopian San Francisco!
• “Have you noticed their references are weirdly specific?”
• “Hot Spock agrees with me”
• “It’s a poster that is pinned up”
• I feel like Tawny herself probably demanded a scene with Uhura
• Ah, there’s the Boimler scream!
• “Holy Q!”
• “They had a Trelane thing going on.”
• “He had to contour the hell out of the jawline”
• “Oh, I already know.” Hahaha, they finally got out-future knowledged.
• Oh god, are they going to steal a piece of an NX?
• Oh, just a piece of it in the Enterprise.
• The “Mistress of the Winter Constellations” strikes again!
• Of course Ransom calls Una the hottest first officer in starfleet history.
• Hahaha, 2D animation Enterprise crew because they are drunk!
• All-time classic.

Holy smokes, I can’t believe how awesome that thing was that I just watched. I’m awestruck at the talent it must have taken to pull it off so perfectly.

HE DOES THE WALK

That was amazing, on par with Trials and Tribble-ations for a crossover. Loved how well they integrated Boimler and Mariner without losing any of the character as LD has presented them.

It was … the best of both worlds.

I just had a smile on my face throughout the entire thing. The intro and outro were such a nice touch!