Star Trek: Lower Decks

Of all the Kurtzman-era Star Trek material, this is the only one I feel "gets it". It has all of Rick and Morty's self-aware jabbing, and I can understand if you don't think that has a place in Trek. But it also believes in better things, recalls its roots without contempt, and plays gleefully in the universe without ever condescending it. It's making love to Star Trek - which is better than Picard and Discovery, which chose to rape it.

One of the most consistent entries of the franchise. It doesn’t have the highs of shows like TNG, but it certainly doesn’t have the lows either. It does take a couple episodes to get into a groove, but once it does it’s a pretty enjoyable watch. One of the better casts of characters, and it has some fairly funny moments. Not to mention some great connections to the series’ that came before. A lot better than it has any right to be.

Another one of the shows that accompanied me through the COVID era ends, sad day. The first season was a mess, but once Boimler developed a bearable personality it became really good. This show understands Star Trek better than any of the live action Trek series of the past 20 years. Good cast, good storylines, chill humor, and a well done ending. Friendship wins! Wish we could have gotten a bit more, but at least it's ending on a high.

I cried when this ended it's so good

(S1-2) Though it has its flaws and takes about 5-6 episodes to finally find its voice, Lower Decks probably has the best first season of any Trek since TOS, with a clarity of purpose and vision, and character arcs that actually develop and go places. Writers and Producers take note: this is how you make a self-parody that doesn't come across as either overly self-indulgent or too smarmy. I'm excited to see where this will go in future seasons.

Really comes into its own towards the end of the first season, with characters arcs making sense and themes consistently seen to a conclusion (take note Discovery!). It’s full of loving nods to the Trek universe and STLD has a lot of potential should the writing be tightened up a bit in future seasons.

All seasons

Absolutely hilarious and with excellently written characters (non-Trekkie opinion).

Seen through season 5.

Better than any live action show since Voyager. Not a high mark, but the show is definitely watchable and a little more. It has the humor and caring about setting consistency (in moderation) that recent shows lacked. It is a bit too heavy on "do you remember?" references as a crutch, but it has glimpses of (good) originality.