For other non-gameplay topics, especially those related to Star Trek and the Star Trek CCG, non-gameplay surveys, trivia questions and puzzles, constructive commentary and more.
User avatar
Second Edition Playtest Manager
By Faithful Reader (Ross Fertel)
 - Second Edition Playtest Manager
 -  
Continuing Committee Member - Retired
#558817
We're less than two weeks away from Star Trek: Lower Decks' Second Season Premiere. Lower Decks is an animated series (the second in the franchise) focusing on a ship that doesn't get the important assignments and a focus on the lower ranking personnel on that ship along with the Bridge Officers. An adult oriented comedy, this continued to expand the franchise for new audiences. Already there is a trailer and more is expected for a season premiering August 12.

Let's do a little draft for the second season. I've developed a series of triggers, akin to 'drinking game' stuff. You'll pick two characters and if your chosen character does something that meets that criteria, they get a point. Whoever has the highest points at the end of the season wins.

The only 'rule' is that you can't pick the same combination as someone else. So more than one person can have Jack Ransom, for example, but two people can't have him and Brad Boilmer.

Put your picks in this thread no later than August 10 and we'll see what happens.

Your characters are:
Beckett Mariner
Brad Boilmer
Sam Rutherford
D'Vaana Tendi
Carol Freeman
Jack Ransom
Dr, T'Ani
User avatar
First Edition Rules Master
By BCSWowbagger (James Heaney)
 - First Edition Rules Master
 -  
Community Contributor
#558866
Ransom & Rutherford, Starfleet's Most Earnest
User avatar
Second Edition Playtest Manager
By Faithful Reader (Ross Fertel)
 - Second Edition Playtest Manager
 -  
Continuing Committee Member - Retired
#559781
Some season premieres advance the overall new plot for the season overall, as Discovery did for seasons two and three. Others continue as usual such as Voyager seasons two or three.

Strange Energies mostly falls into the later category. We went through the Rutherford/Tendi re-friendship (at least I hope so) and the rest of the crew seems to be at it again. Ransom didn't have that much to do season one (though he did kick ass and take names when the spotlight was on him) and here got some pretty neat stuff to do. His head eating the Cerritos is such a great visual. It was great that Freeman tried the diplomatic approach first, appealing to Ransom's vanity.

Mariner continues to be a pain. Now that her secret is out, there is an opportunity for personal progress but the series seems to be taking its sweet time.

The ending scene was very fun as well, though it seems as though they wrote the scripts specifically to avoid getting Sirtis back. The opening scene was fun and even had me fooled until holo-Boimler appeared.

Looking at the draft, Mariner was on an away team mission and Freeman wasn't. Tendi didn't have a phaser per se but definitely fired a weapon. Jack Ransom both got godlike powers and was crushed by a boulder; we'll consider it physically impossible.

We have a three way tie for first with defending champion TheGuardian along with Weyoun'sLastClone and jadziadax8. There is a three way tie for fourth between BCSWowbanger, Grandar, Boffo97 and Mogor. There are nine more episodes to go so it is still anyone's game!
User avatar
Second Edition Playtest Manager
By Faithful Reader (Ross Fertel)
 - Second Edition Playtest Manager
 -  
Continuing Committee Member - Retired
#560295
We've got a new security chief. And a new (to us) group. Both involve some nice throwbacks and references to past series. It is odd that it would be four junior officers on an away team, but they needed Mariner to have issues while letting Tendi and Rutherford take charge. That explains why they had to sideline Kayshon into the cutest little stuffed toy ever! Freeman took a back seat and left them to their thing.

We'll probably never get a Titan series but it looks like we might have a 'sub-series' of sorts within Lower Decks. They were trying to do an annual thing with the Mirror Universe on Enterprise and we know enough of the Titan crew to make returns worthwhile. We have more Biomlers in the world and it was great to see him save the day without firing a weapon.

It does seem as though this Riker does not entirely fit with the one we know. This is connected to the rest of the Trek universe, but it is a series set in the universe or it it a show in that universe.

Looking at the draft, the junior officers went on an away team while the bridge officers did not. Tendi, Rutehrford and mariner had some 'naughy bits' on screen Also, boimler and Tendi went outside their respective fields with the former knowing Transporter magic and the later knowing how to break down bones.

With that, Jadziadax8 takes the lead while BCSWowbagger Mogor and grandar split second followed by Boffo97, theguardian and weyounslastclone and Armus with plenty of room to go a fifth of the way through the season.
User avatar
 
By Boffo97 (Dave Hines)
 - Gamma Quadrant
 -  
Retired Moderator
#560347
Plots I would love to see coming to Lower Decks:

* A Trials and Tribble-ations like episode where the Cerritos crew has to travel back to a TAS episode. You wouldn't even have to change the art style since Commander Ransom's picture of "Those Old Scientists" from last season confirms that they looked like that.

* It is revealed somehow that Dr. T'Ana's paternal grandfather was a Kzinti, causing a B-plotline basically parodying The Drumhead to happen. They might need Larry Niven's permission to use the Kzinti in even such a small capacity, but I'm sure that would be no problem.
User avatar
Second Edition Playtest Manager
By Faithful Reader (Ross Fertel)
 - Second Edition Playtest Manager
 -  
Continuing Committee Member - Retired
#560766
The combination of Tendi and mariner is great. Playing on the trope that they haven't been together we were both reminded of who each character was and learned more about them. In this show we do not know a lot about the bridge crew but there are some things we do not know about our mains as well.

Shaxs is back and we do not know how but it fits perfectly into the show where we do not get all the answers. The daydream hallucination is worth the price of admission.

The Boimler Paris plot was mainly there to give Boimler something to do. It was great to have McNeil back but this could have been anyone.

It is getting a little tiring with Mariner repeatedly going to the brig and having no consequences. This is the second time in three episodes. Her mom is the captain but at some point there should be greater consequences.

We're now almost entirely reset from season one making this feel less like season two and more like the second part of season one.

Looking at the draft, Tendi and Mariner went on an away team while Freeman, Ransom and T"Ana did not. Boimler was able to engineer his way out of the jeffries tube.

Jadziadax8 maintains her lead and will almost certainly hit double digits soon. Grander is close behind and there is a five way tie for third for Boffo97, BCSWowbanger, The Guardian, Weyounslastclone and Mogor with Armus holding the rear.

[quote="Boffo97"* A Trials and Tribble-ations like episode where the Cerritos crew has to travel back to a TAS episode. You wouldn't even have to change the art style since Commander Ransom's picture of "Those Old Scientists" from last season confirms that they looked like that.[/quote]

Would that work visually? The reason why the DS9 version worked is because they were able to blend the two together. It impressed my dad. Here, there are huge stylistic differences between the two. We wouldn't know if they randomly added a duder which is what happened in the test footage.
User avatar
Second Edition Playtest Manager
By Faithful Reader (Ross Fertel)
 - Second Edition Playtest Manager
 -  
Continuing Committee Member - Retired
#561356
After Tendi and Mariner had a great pairing, Boimler and Rutherford are a little less matched. It just didn't work as well. maybe they were closer? maybe they were more unified in their skills? Either way it didn't really gel, though the final solution of having the cannon be a holographic presentation was great.

Mariner continues to be intriguing. While they explained her situations, I am hopeful that she will go down that path eventually. It would explain why she gets into so much trouble but rare has lasting consequences. Though at this point, Starfleet Intelligence might as well put her on staff permanently.

The Tendi/T'Ana pairing was not that satisfying, mainly because it was obvious who the mysterious patient was and the behavior was downright stereotypical. Given how quick and un-invasive the scan was, why was it so hard to do? Tendi is really finding her footing this season

Freeman had a fun arc but she was thrown under the bus by falling for a scam. Not really a great episode for everyone all around.

With the draft, Boimler, Rutherford and Mariner went on an away team while Ransom, Freeman and T'Ana did not. Also, Boimler and Rutherford had a full blown financial presentation outside their normal skill sets.

This puts everyone within three points of each other with scores of ten, nine and eight. Jadziadax8, Grandar and Boffo97 re in the lead followed by BCSwowbanger, The Guardian, Weyounslastclone and Mogor with Armus very closely behind. We're almost halfway to the end of the season and it is anyone's game!
Question for noob

You can use Defend Homeworld instead of Quark[…]

Only works when RS is played after AIV. This is be[…]

Still a few weeks left to get registered for the[…]

Hey all, we are running a "Warum-up" fo[…]