Star Trek: Lower Decks season 3 has a rocky landing

Captain’s Log, Star Date 100247.51. My quest to sample every piece of Star Trek media continues. After my introduction to the franchise with the latest season of Star Trek: Discovery, I have been to the great highs of Star Trek: The Next Generation to the foulest recesses of Star Trek: Picard. Today, my journey takes me to Star Trek: Lower Decks, an animated comedy series created by Rick and Morty writer Mike McMahan. Lower Decks is here with its third season, so let’s get into the first episode.

Star Trek: Lower Decks review, Episode 301, “Grounded”

In the season premiere, Ensign Mariner’s mother, Captain Freeman, is on trial for allegedly blowing up a capital city on an alien planet. Enraged by the injustice and believing in her mother’s innocence, Mariner ensembles the cast back together on a mission to rescue her.

The story is pretty simple, but the jokes can be lacking in wit. For instance, there is this one scene where Mariner meets Ensign Boimler at the family vineyard. The joke of this scene is that the girls around Boimler are obviously flirting with him but he’s too oblivious to notice, and…I don’t know, for me the whole “blind man” routine is played out and tired. Some other jokes I liked better, like when the heroes are too taken by the old man operating the teleporter room to knock him out. But even then, it didn’t quite get a laugh out of me. The jokes didn’t have much shock or surprise value to them, and sometimes they over-emphasize the cuteness.

Jokes aside, the story felt rather low stakes. The first half of it involves rounding up the main cast, and from there the characters look for a way aboard the USS Cerritos so they can save Captain Freeman from trial. The episode takes its time getting there, and after a while I wanted them to move on with the actual mission.

Spoilers for the ending of the episode ahead!

The episode ends with Mariner and her friends having gotten themselves into a tight corner after making away with a Starfleet ship. They are just about to be caught in a lie when Captain Freeman enters to deus ex machina it all away. Turns out the trial went just fine and she was found innocent. So, basically, the story was pointless. And granted, I get that that’s the joke, but it still feels unsatisfying, and the zinger about the events of the episode being unnecessary doesn’t make up for it.

Not that it is completely meaningless. Mariner’s erratic choices have made her parents place her under the command of Commander Jack Ransom, which will surely lead to more conflict and adventure.

So yeah, this episode didn’t wow me, but it did make promises of spicier times to come. A mixed start to a season for me.

Grade: C

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