Elena. reviewed Star Trek: Lower Decks #1 by Ryan North (Star Trek: Lower Decks, #1)
A lot of fun
4 stars
Just like the show.
Kindle Edition, 43 pages
English language
Published Sept. 14, 2022 by IDW Publishing.
The hit Paramount+ animated series makes its comics debut with Eisner-winning comics writer Ryan North (The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl) at the helm! Soon after leading her crew on a planetary expedition aimed at building bridges and advancing Federation technology, Captain Freeman begins to suspect that the planet and its people are not all what they seem… Meanwhile, the crew in the lower decks take to the holodeck, enjoying some much-needed recreational time—until a bloodthirsty visitor decides to join in on their games.
Jan Brofka-Berends reviewed Star Trek: Lower Decks by Ryan North
Hilarious, and a genuinely great Star Trek episode, too!
I found this absolutely entertaining, fully capturing what works so well in Lower Decks and combining it with Ryan North's typical comic-book wit. I won't go into any detail, but I will say that the plot could honestly have worked well as an episode in almost any version of Star Trek that exists! (For some, the humor would have to be removed, or at least toned down.) The plot's resolution slightly resembled another major resolution in the Star Trek universe, but it's far less of a retread than many cannon episodes.
If there's one element lacking, it's growth of our main cast. This is far less a character-driven story than it is an idea story. But you know what? That's the case for many great Star Trek narratives, and it works just fine here. And at least the ideas (there are several) were fun, bringing an original perspective (if …
I found this absolutely entertaining, fully capturing what works so well in Lower Decks and combining it with Ryan North's typical comic-book wit. I won't go into any detail, but I will say that the plot could honestly have worked well as an episode in almost any version of Star Trek that exists! (For some, the humor would have to be removed, or at least toned down.) The plot's resolution slightly resembled another major resolution in the Star Trek universe, but it's far less of a retread than many cannon episodes.
If there's one element lacking, it's growth of our main cast. This is far less a character-driven story than it is an idea story. But you know what? That's the case for many great Star Trek narratives, and it works just fine here. And at least the ideas (there are several) were fun, bringing an original perspective (if they weren't entirely original), and not relying on technobabble solutions.
