Lower Decks is back with season 3 and Bradford Boimler is my favorite character.

With the launch of season 3 of Lower Decks on Paramount +, I think my favorite character is Bradford Boimler. Voiced by Jack Quaid who plays Hughie Campbell in Amazon's The Boys, the character of Boimler takes himself very seriously while everyone else does not. That's kind of his running gag, and it does seem to work. He also has a lot of the "Sheldon Cooper" obliviousness which maybe is an homage to Big Bang Theory which in its long run had many of its own homages to Star Trek. It may just be that geek culture in general is one big bathtub and everything just sloshes around in it constantly. So, if you are a geek, then you see all parts of the tub equally, and they all affect what you like equally.

Thus far in season 3 we learn a little more of Boimler than we did in previous seasons. The first thing that surprised me was the sight gag of "Picard at the Vineyard" before the Boimler reveal (meaning it was Boimler at his own vineyard and not Jean-Luc). I had no idea that Boimler had that kind of money in his family. But it could be that it was just meant to be another gag. And then, it was funny to see Boimler being ogled as a sex object by all the people at the vineyard (mostly women) who were literally throwing themselves at him. But in Sheldon Cooper style, he had no idea what was going on and gave them instructions quite literally whenever they would complain about "getting stains on their shirt," etc. I don't know why that kind of humor lands with me, but it does. So yeah, I laughed out loud multiple times.

I also hadn't realized that Boimler's hair was actually purple. I guess in the animation, I assumed it was kind of a blue black thing. I've seen people use black and then blue to explain highlights in it. But I hadn't given it much thought. And then Boimler said he dyes his hair purple. So, that explains it. But now I'm wondering why he dyes his hair purple.

The season three opener also had the lower decks crew playing a kind of Star Trek version of Dungeons & Dragons. So of course I liked that. The "DM" in this case (who is the one that runs the game) was the Klingon Martok from Deep Space Nine days. He said a line that reminded me of my friend Joseph, who runs some ridiculous games where he has encounters that just end badly for players and that don't make a lot of sense rules-wise. This is actually common in the D&D community, because a lot of people who run games don't really know how to run them. It can be hard to get a mastery of encounters, and much of the time, DM's just want to kill player characters probably because they've convinced themselves that by doing so, people will take them seriously. It's kind of how George R.R. Martin has an oversized influence on fiction by being one of the first authors to really "kill his darlings." A lot of people just don't like to do that, so you end up having these laughable critiques like, "Galadriel has plot armor. Nothing can happen to her even though they are trying to make this seem dangerous."

Anyway, so the line that Martok says in season 3, episode 1 of Lower Decks happens when Brad Boimler declares that his character is going to do a thing, and then he rolls a twenty-sided dice. It comes up a "1" which is a critical failure in just about every scenario. The Martok character laughs and says loudly, "The Klingon warrior rips your arm off and beats you to death with it. It is a death WITHOUT honor, because technically you died by your own hand." It's a quote that stuck in my brain, and by which I've teased my friend Joseph with several times now. When I did it the first time, it was at his game that he runs at the local game shop, and his players all agreed, "Yeah, that's Joseph."

The season opener also had a holographic James Cromwell making his inaugural warp flight from Bozeman, Montana in it. This was featured in the movie First Contact, which came out sooo long ago. Man, does time fly. Anyway, in the Star Trek universe, civilian space flights actually take off from a theme park in Bozeman, Montana. I couldn't help but think that someday this is probably going to happen somewhere on the planet. Only it won't be a holo James Cromwell doing the piloting. It will be a holo Elon Musk. And this sadly means that I'm living in the screwed over Mirror Universe, as if that wasn't apparent already.

Star Trek Prodigy is an excellent show even though it is being marketed for kids.

I've been incredibly surprised by Star Trek: Prodigy. This is an animated show that has been airing off and on for two months now, and it has surpassed my expectations. It's currently on its mid-season finale break until literally all the other Trek shows finish running their seasons. But the story (thus far in 10 episodes) has gelled the crew of kids together in a way that illustrates far more maturity than what we get with Lower Decks.

And to be clear, I still love Lower Decks. However, Prodigy takes its Trek a bit more seriously, and it knows when to go darker with its storylines. It also borrows one thing from Lower Decks, that being its criticism of the Federation. Starfleet does whatever it wants, and it doesn't really check on the consequences of its actions. This is an excellent point, and I can't say that it is wrong.

(Minor Spoilers Ahead) Star Trek: Prodigy is also kind of retconning the character of Chakotay from Voyager. He's actually become...shall I say it? Interesting? We've learned a lot about Chakotay's involvement in the creation of the Protostar (the ship the kids are flying around on), and with the series' main villain, who wants to use it as a weapon against Starfleet. I thought all of these developments were interesting. It's a fun mix of great new characters and storylines mixing it up with older series references and callbacks that are satisfyingly executed.

That being said, has anyone read the novel, Boogeymen, that is a Next Generation book with the main character being Wesley Crusher? It had within its pages the idea of a hybrid computer program/race that when transmitted (even through an innocuous communication) could infect and ultimately bring down the computer it was transmitted to. When I think about what they're doing with Prodigy, I can't help but think that this book may have provided some inspiration for this show. Building on works of the past is commendable, and I like that some of the old "written" material may have relevance in today's "nu Trek."

The final thing I can say about this show is that the characters are all showing amazing growth. Rok is clearly becoming a science officer. The miners finally got to talk to each other using the translator, and it made me realize how significant communication actually is with any kind of government. I suppose it should have been obvious, but it was a good reminder that any organization can intensify its strength through excellent communication. Now that the miners can communicate, it's clear that changes will be on the way.

Anyone else watching Prodigy? If so, what do you think so far?

Star Trek: Prodigy looks to explore even more of the Delta Quadrant in October with a hologram Janeway providing advice to a bunch of kids

There's a lot of new Trek happening on Paramount+ (formerly CBS All Access). With Lower Decks solidly marching on with its second season, I'm also aware that Star Trek: Prodigy, the second animated series in the shared universe on Paramount+, is due to drop October 28th.

Star Trek: Prodigy's plot is going to have a pretty basic framework that can be built out as needed for some truly entertaining episodes. The crew (with the exception of the hologram Janeway providing advice) consists entirely of teenagers who find an abandoned starship and go flying around the galaxy in search of adventure. All of the characters are from the Delta Quadrant, and the show is set just a few years after the USS Voyager's return home.

The synopsis reads like this: five kids are incarcerated on an obscure planet in an uncharted part of the galaxy. They escape from their imprisonment and race across the planet to find a defunct starship buried in the planet's surface. They enter the ship, but are unable to make it work. With prison guards hot on their heels, they suddenly stumble upon an Emergency Training hologram in the form of Captain Janeway.

There's Gwyn, a 17-year old member of the Vau N' Akat, which is a new race to Star Trek. She was raised on her father's desolate mining planet and grew up dreaming of exploring the stars.

Next up is Jankom Pog, who is a Tellarite. Pog loves a good argument and regardless of his own opinion, he'll always play "devil's advocate" for the sake of hearing all sides.

There's also a purple alien who race has not been released yet. The name attached to this alien is Dal, who fancies himself a maverick and holds strong onto his unwavering hope even in the toughest of times.

Murf is an indestructible blob with really good timing.

There is an 8-year-old Brikar (race), which is a hulk-like alien. The name of this character is Rok-Tahk, and they love animals. 

And there is a Medusan named Zero. From the original series, these are a non-corporeal and genderless energy-based life form known to cause insanity to any humanoid who gazes upon their natural form. Zero wears a containment suit to protect those around them.

Below is the first trailer for the show. I'm kinda excited about this one....

This last week's Lower Decks had Tom Paris and it featured him on a commemorative plate from the Voy days.

I got caught up on the Star Trek cartoon that is on Paramount+ called Lower Decks this weekend. It's always thoroughly entertaining, weird, and funny. I love the characters (and some of them remind me of real life people I know), and I'd have to say that the people working on Lower Decks definitely have a passion for the franchise that is quite different in flavor from Discovery and Picard (disclosure: Picard is my least favorite of the new Star Trek offerings).

If you haven't watched Lower Decks and you are a Trek fan, you might want to give it a try, especially if you are a Rick and Morty fan. Most of the "Nu Trek" shows really do take themselves very seriously. In the era of Next Generation Trek, I think DS9 was probably the most serious, but even DS9 lightened the load with episodes like Take Me Out to the Holosuite or any of the Ferengi episodes. That being said, there is nothing serious about Lower Decks. It is one big gag real LOL'ing all the way by screaming old jokes.

In last week's episode, we got a guest appearance from Tom Paris, who was the hot shot pilot on Voyager, and he got voiced by Robert Duncan McNeil (which I love). Tom was probably my second favorite cast member next to Seven in the Voyager show (although pretty much all of the characters were great). I also loved how Boimler referred to Voyager as just "Voy." Bless these nerds for canonizing the way fans refer to the Trek shows. The commemorative plate that Boimler carried with him to get signed was excellent too, as it reminds me of all the Trek memorabilia that's been put out by the Hamilton Collection over the years. Sometimes Trek is at its best when it takes the time to really poke fun at itself, and its fanbase. And this seems to be entirely the thought behind this refreshing Star Trek series.

I'm Mad At Writers Who Kill Off Characters

I want to know what magnificent source...what God of Literature said that it is okay to kill off beloved characters.  Tell me this person's name because they're full of crap and I want them to know they are full of crap.  My post yesterday about Vincent Nigel-Murray being killed off in BONES I think is at the root of my recent feelings regarding this topic.  I LIKED that character and him being thrown down the tubes so that the bad guy that Booth has to face off against is even more evil is just plain stupid. People can argue, "Oh killing off a character makes it more realistic and is better because it shows the writer isn't willing to compromise to keep someone alive."

VINCENT'S DEATH--COMPLETY UNNECESSARY AND SAD

Oh yeah? How is it better?  Bones lost a viewer.  I'm not going to watch the seventh season. How's them apples?  Have I done this before?

You betcha.

DEEP SPACE NINE--STAR TREK.  The writers killed off Jadzia Dax and I was furious. FURIOUS. I stopped watching.  Rogue Mutt asked me in my Star Trek compilation why Deep Space Nine got no love.  The reason...the whole series got tainted in my eyes despite all the great stuff they did when they killed off Jadzia.

Amber a.k.a. Cutthroat Bitch

In HOUSE...the writers killed off Cutthroat Bitch.  Yeah that really was her name (done by House of course).  But my point is that she LOVED Wilson. She was a brilliant doctor. And they frickin' killed her off and I cried and the series hasn't been the same since.  I love Thirteen which is why I keep coming back to watch House but she's sick so the writers have probably got her death tacked up on a scorecard somewhere. Good thing that it's in season seven cause if I quit watching once they kill her off, then the series is over anyway.

I didn't like it when Robb Stark died in A Storm of Swords.  I think George R.R. Martin went way to frickin' far with that. And you know what? His first three books may have been masterpieces, but A Feast For Crows and A Dance With Dragons have been crap.  Some of this is (I think) because Robb Stark IS DEAD!  He wrote himself into that corner because with Robb alive, the Lannisters would still have someone to fight against and he wouldn't have had to go into the whole Greyjoy thing.

Now I admit, there are times when death is necessary.  Charlotte in Charlotte's Web needed to die because her species of spider dies every year. That's just nature.  Obi-Wan Kenobi needed to die so that he could lead Luke to Yoda and be with him in the cockpit to destroy the Death Star.  Dumbledore needed to die because J.K. Rowling wrote herself into a corner by making Dumbledore more powerful than Voldemort. With him around, NOTHING COULD HAPPEN.  But you writers out there who are rubbing your hands together saying, "I'm going to kill off this character because it will tug at the heartstrings of all my readers" followed by an evil cackle--THAT IS NOT A REASON TO KILL SOMEONE OFF.  Yes, you will get this reaction and then I WILL HATE YOU FOR IT.  You will lose a reader because I will get mad.  Think very carefully about who you axe in your books because I am not alone.  Make sure the death is necessary please.

Meaningless death is meaningless.  There is a reason I read fiction.  In everyday life, people for no reason at all end up dead over something as stupid as a fish bone in the throat.  When I read, I don't want real life.

Star Trek Blogfest & Campaigning For Platform

This is kind of an ambitious week for me as a blogger.  I'm taking on two blogfests.  The first one is the Star Trek one going on over at Ellie Garratt's blog.  The second one is the platform-building campaign taking place over at Rach Writes... with Rachael Harrie.  I figured since both are different and one is getting started slightly before the other, that I think I could do both.  Hmmm.  My brain may explode.

Okay, first up are the rules for the Star Trek blogfest.  Post your top five episodes, characters, or films and tell us why you love them.

I'm a big fan of Star Trek: Voyager so my top two favorite episodes come from the Voyager season four finale called Scorpion 1 & 2.  Up above you'll find my favorite scene from Scorpion 1.  It's a short clip and really sums up the awesomeness of the series finale.  Upon seeing this, I had to wait all summer to get the conclusion.  Talk about cliff-hangers.

Scorpion introduced us to Species 8472 who was at war with the Borg.  Now previously, the Borg had been established in the Next Generation via the episodes Q Who, and the Best of Both Worlds to be essentially a type 6 lifeform which is really darn powerful.  Type 6 lifeforms were far above humans and the Borg were so hostile that nothing seemed to be able to threaten them.  Well lo and behold, a species from an organic universe went to war with them and Species 8472 had planet destroyers!  If you watch the clip (pardon the dumb subtitles in another language) you will see them destroy a Borg planet in basically ten seconds (killing like 9 billion borg in one swoop).  It really got me excited to watch this show. Oh and we got a new cast member out of this...the Borg 7-of-9 which I thoughy became a great addition to the show.  Cheers to Jerri Ryan.

In Next Generation, I liked the episodes The Best of Both Worlds, part one and two.  These were incredibly well done and followed up on an enemy that we only had a glimpse of in a prior season (but knew were badass).  Plus we saw some interesting things happen with Jean Luc Picard.

The borg as villains had many good things going for them. One, their technology was impressive. Two, they had a hive mind which goes against all human individuality. Three, they had this mantra that they uttered constantly in one voice, "RESISTANCE IS FUTILE! YOU SHALL BE ASSIMILATED!" It just doesn't sound like a pleasant experience at all.

And then from the original Star Trek series (first-season in fact) I liked the episode "Space Seed" because it gave us Khan Noonien Singh who returned in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.  This is one of the best Star Trek movies ever not only because it gave us a frickin' awesome villain in Ricardo Montalban, but it also gave us the Genesis device which was quite frankly, incredible.

The Genesis Device quite frankly, was an incredible weapon. It was better than the Death Star in Star Wars. Imagine being able to totally destroy a planet filled with your enemies and have it terraformed for your habitation within a week...completely cleansed of all the life that you hated.  I was in awe of the device and the implications of it were so grandiose, that Genesis carried the theme of the third movie and even to some extent, the fourth movie as well.

This concludes my highlights of why I love Star Trek and I'm off to check out other blogs in the blogfest.

Also don't forget to check in on Rach Writes... if you too are as ambitious as I in getting to know more bloggers out there.  You get to add this pretty badge to your blog...how cool is that?

See you Tuesday :)