There are plenty of reasons to love Star Trek: Lower Decks. For starters, it fits into the Star Trek canon and is chock-full of Easter eggs waiting for fans to obsess over. But perhaps the greatest thing the animated series has going for it is that it’s downright hilarious. While the Star Trek franchise has always had its own highly-specific sense of humor, Lower Decks takes the comedy to a much stranger place. (Showrunner Mike McMahan is a writer, producer, and self-proclaimed “sci-fi guy,” after all.) In honor of Lower Decks Season 2 being available to stream exclusively on Paramount+, here are a few of the funniest parts of Season 1 that are certainly worth laughing at all over again.
Boimler Is the Ultimate Underdog
Nearly every single one of the characters has an underdog quality about them, but nobody serves as the butt of every joke with as much honor as Brad Boimler. From his tendency to end up in the wrong place at the right time to his truly tragic flirting skills, he’s always giving us a reason to crack up.
The Physical Comedy is Just Plain Silly
Star Trek: Lower Decks would not be for the faint of heart if it was live action. Luckily, it’s animated, so moments like Commander Jack projectile vomiting a mysterious black substance after temporarily becoming a flesh-eater or Ensign D’Vana Tendi performing a graphic surgery are hilarious instead of disgusting.
Mariner Is Extremely Savage
Beckett Mariner confirmed her status as one of the coolest characters when she hit her mother, Captain Freeman, with a sarcastic “live long and prosper” in Season 1. Whether she’s proudly showing off her battle scars, ignoring parking tickets, or scheming a way to get another margarita, Mariner never fails to throw us for a loop.
The Food Replicators Are No Walk in the Park
Technically, a food replicator should be able to make anything, but that’s not always the case for the crew of the U.S.S. Cerritos. As McMahan put it, “Just because there is stuff, that doesn’t mean everybody gets it,” and nothing is quite as relatable as Boimler going to great lengths to get some breaded macaroni and cheese.
Tendi Is So Enthusiastic About Everything
Lower Decks is obviously all about the mundane tasks that need to be completed by someone, but for Tendi, there really is no job too small. She gets a true thrill out of lint rolling chairs and fixing equipment with Rutherford, and would probably be genuinely ecstatic to watch paint dry.
Rutherford’s Cyborg Journey Is Weirdly Endearing
Malfunctioning technology is usually just a pain, but when Sam Rutherford’s Vulcan cyborg implant misfires and he shakes it off with his signature goofy “Okey dokey,” it almost makes you want to let your Wi-Fi stall out for a few minutes just to get in on the fun. Almost.
The new season of Star Trek: Lower Decks is now streaming, exclusively on Paramount+
