Before getting to my review of Star Trek: Lower Decks #1, you need to know that I am a Trekkie. I wear my geek badge (or in this case, badgie) proudly. One of my proudest moments as a father was listening to my daughters argue about who their favorite Captains were or if Janeway was right in murdering Tuvix. (Yes, as all Trekkies, the Tuvix dilemma has stayed with me for many years.) So, you can imagine my excitement when Paramount brought Star Trek out of hiatus and back to our television screens with new shows Discovery, Picard, and Lower Decks. After watching the new entries in the franchise I was surprised that the one I loved the most was the animated comedy, Lower Decks. It hit the right notes of nostalgia while introducing a new crew and lots and lots of laughs.
It was an easy decision then to review the new Star Trek: Lower Decks #1. Considering we may only have a few more episodes left with Boimler, Mariner, and the rest of the Cerritos crew, I’m very glad their stories will be continued in another medium. For those unfamiliar with Lower Decks, it is an animated comedy series that takes some inspiration of an earlier Star Trek: The Next Generation episode entitled “Lower Decks.” The show focuses on four ensigns – Boimler, Mariner, Tendi, and Rutherford – as they go about the more menial tasks of Star Fleet operations. They serve together aboard the U.S.S. Cerritos, a California class ship designed for second contact. In other words, these are the guys who come in to clean up the mess a Kirk or Picard might leave behind.
Ryan North handles the writing duties here and nails the characters’ distinctive voices. The issue opens with a series of vignettes that poke fun at Star Trek adventures of the past, all with clever episode titles. Each encounter, to Mariner’s dismay, ends almost as quickly as it begins. When a new imminent disaster looms on the horizon, she is only too prepared to leap into danger out of pure boredom. The Cerritos encounters a deep cut from Star Trek lore, continuing a mystery begun in the episode, “The Time Trap,” from the 1970s Star Trek: The Animated Series. In fact, a lot of the humor in this comic is mined from the artistic style of those old animated episodes. This leads to the art of Derek Charm that perfectly captures the aesthetic of the show. The choice to include scenes from the animated series took my by surprise, and I enjoyed seeing the older animation. Although the main script had its funny moments, I felt some of North’s best writing was reserved for the dialogue that Clayton Cowles placed on the bottom of each page. A nice dose of sarcasm and snark in equal measure.
Overall, Star Trek: Lower Decks #1 is a welcome addition to the IDW Star Trek lineup. I’m glad that, as the show winds down, we’ll still have the Cerritos and its crew exploring strange new worlds. These characters have made an impact on modern Star Trek, and I’m happy they will continue to thrive and entertain.
Creative Team: Ryan North (writer), Derek Charm (artist). Clayton Cowles (letterer), Johanna Nattalie (design and production)
Publisher: IDW Publishing
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