One Strange New Worlds/Lower Decks Joke Directly References A Common Fan Complaint
This post contains spoilers for the latest episode of "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds."
If you're not a regular "Star Trek: Lower Decks" viewer, the latest episode of "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds" might be a little jarring. The crossover episode features the animated series' leads, Ensigns Boimler (Jack Quaid) and Mariner (Tawny Newsome), making the leap to live-action when they accidentally time travel to the classic Trek era. While it's easy to pick up on the plot even if you haven't seen "Lower Decks," there's one aspect of the characters that's a little tougher to get used to: their mile-a-minute references and jokes.
"Star Trek: Lower Decks" has always been known for its speedy quips and chaotic energy, and the crossover episode knows it. In a quick exchange (is there any other way for these folks?) on board the Enterprise, Mariner asks Boimler, "Did you notice how slow everybody talks?" He responds with equal incredulity: "Yeah, and quietly!" The pair talk about this like it's another holdover from the past, like the crew's older transporters or uncomplicated communications systems. In actuality, it's a result of the peculiar energy combination that comes from mixing together a live-action comedic drama and an animated adult comedy; Boimler and Mariner seem constantly keyed up compared to their more level counterparts.
What's up with these slow-talking weirdos?
This joke goes beyond pointing out a simple tonal difference: it also pokes fun at the early days of "Star Trek: Lower Deck," when fans and critics alike blasted the show for being frenetic and obnoxious compared to the many hour-long drama versions of the beloved series. You don't have to look far to find reviews of the first season of "Lower Decks" that call it out for being too loud and fast. The Guardian's Noah Gittell called it "a little too breezy for its own good," while Polygon's Samantha Nelson criticized the way the characters were "constantly spewing rapid-fire dialogue" in hopes that some of the quips will land. The Playlist's Brian Tallerico wrote that the show "[seems] to mistake hyperactivity for ingenuity," while Roger Ebert's Roxana Hadadi said the series burned through enough storylines to fill several episodes in one.
Many fans have come around to "Star Trek: Lower Decks" in the years since it first aired, but back in 2020, it was hard to ignore the fact that a Trek show made in the spirit of shows like "Family Guy" and "Rick & Morty" ("Lower Decks" is created by Mike McMahan, who worked on the latter) didn't feel much like the Trek we knew and loved at all. Three seasons in, the peppiness of the series mostly seems like a feature rather than a bug, but it's still a shock for those who haven't encountered it firsthand – like Spock, Pike, and the rest of the Enterprise crew. "These Old Scientists" has fun with this idea, but turns it on its head in an endearing way, noting that it's the regular live-action Trek crews who seem like weirdos to Boimler and Mariner, not the other way around.
A surprisingly good crossover event
In general, the "Strange New Worlds" and "Lower Deck" crossover works better than expected for two vastly different shows. Quaid and Newsome seem right at home in a live-action version of the characters they previously only voice-acted, and the gimmicky plot allows for some lighthearted meta-commentary from the two guests. The episode also maintains enough of the "Strange New Worlds" spirit to not feel totally overrun, as writers sneak in small but meaningful character moments for Nurse Chapel (Jess Bush), Uhura (Celia Rose Gooding), Pike (Anson Mount), and Number One (Rebecca Romijn), all of whom must reconcile with the idea of a future version of themselves that they haven't actually become yet. It's exactly what we've come to love from the "Star Trek" prequel series: a great mix of playfulness and profundity.
The show also fits in one last gag explaining just why the "Lower Decks" crew seems to be operating on a totally different level than Captain Pike's crew. After Boimler and Mariner are safely back to their world, the Enterprise crew decides to share a nightcap in the form of a drink called the Orion Hurricane, which Mariner warned can really mess a person up. As the final scene reveals, it does just that – by making the crew trip out and start experiencing reality in two dimensions. It's unclear whether the self-referential quippiness or mile-a-minute dialogue of "Star Trek: Lower Decks" are also side effects of too much Orion liquor, but it would certainly explain a thing or two.
New episodes of "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds" stream Thursdays on Paramount+.