TV #51 of 2024: Star Trek: Lower Decks, season 5 I’ve never quite loved this cartoon, but I’ve come to appreciate its place in the Star Trek canon, which it regularly comments upon with the most lovingly esoteric references imaginable. (In one episode this season, for instance, a Klingon gets cut off in traffic and …
Continue reading “TV Review: Star Trek: Lower Decks, season 5”
TV #27 of 2024: Star Trek: Lower Decks, season 4 Still a loving and satisfyingly funny low-stakes riff on the Star Trek franchise, but not quite as tight a production as the last couple seasons (especially following the phenomenal crossover “Those Old Scientists” on Strange New Worlds). There’s an overarching storyline involving ships of various …
Continue reading “TV Review: Star Trek: Lower Decks, season 4”
TV #17 of 2024: Star Trek: Lower Decks, season 3 This season starts out a little slowly, but it certainly hits its stride again by the end, with the episode set on Deep Space Nine and the one with the unexpected return of wayward ensign Peanut Hamper as particular formula-breaking standouts. At its best — …
Continue reading “TV Review: Star Trek: Lower Decks, season 3”
TV #2 of 2024: Star Trek: Lower Decks, season 2 I’m still not fully vibing with this cartoon’s irreverent tone, but it’s improved enough in this sophomore season that I’m willing to bump my rating up a notch from last time. My biggest issue in the program’s first year was the way the narrative seemed …
Continue reading “TV Review: Star Trek: Lower Decks, season 2”
TV #58 of 2023: Star Trek: Lower Decks, season 1 I can’t complain too much about this show. It’s an animated half-hour comedy that, sure, makes me laugh most episodes. But I don’t think it’s really living up to its mission or its potential, at least in this first year. The series takes its name …
Continue reading “TV Review: Star Trek: Lower Decks, season 1”
The Lesser Joke: book reviews and more