All very Short Treks episodes ranked worst to best

“Worst Contact”

Oh god! Why! Why would they do this? I was eating!

This kind of gross-out comedy was our worst fear when we heard that Star Trek: Lower Decks would be helmed by a former Rick and Morty scribe. But Lower Decks only ever hinted at anything this gross.

Rick and Morty would be grossing us out with other, more scatological bodily fluids. Small mercies, I guess.

When Riker, Beverly Crusher, and a red shirt beam down to initiate first contact with a species who’ve just developed warp technology, they discover that these aliens smear their boogers on the wall, and cook fish in staff room microwaves. It’s crazy how even though they’re emulating the limited animation style of the original animated series, the visuals really reinforce the grossness.

I guess this is funny if you have a strong stomach, but if gross-out humor doesn’t do it for you, then it’s just not funny. The problem is that there are no jokes of the non-gross-out variety.

It is fun (if not funny) seeing Riker and Crusher acting very un-Starfleet when they destroy the warp drive, and declare that it wasn’t to be. It’s always fun to see competent professionals breaking naughty.

I might be being a little unfair, but I’m not rewatching it. Sue me.