Short review: “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds” 2×07 – “Those Old Scientists”

Paramount+ released the crossover episode of Strange New Worlds with Lower Decks almost without warning. Our short, spoiler-free review reveals whether Comic Con’s marketing coup worked.

The long-awaited crossover episode between the animated series “Belowers” and the live-action series about Captain Pike appears half a week earlier than expected.

These old scholars

The Cerritos crew investigates a portal on Krulmuth-B, where the Four Banners accidentally activate and Boimler spits out the 23rd century. Of course, Bayek is on the same planet with a landing team now. The crew of the Enterprise searches for ways to send their time-traveling guest back in time before their bumbling chatter changes the course of history irreparably.

Crossovers between different series are events that are usually remembered for a long time in the fan base. for better or for worse. Regardless of”Trials and Tribble-ations“,”Archaeology“or the movie”generations“, the audience gives these episodes a special place in the canon. Also mistakes like “These are the trips…“Do not forget.

So there’s the double pressure of expectations on “Those Old Scientists”: Fans have been curiously awaiting the episode for a year and both series are among the best that “Star Trek” currently has to offer to most viewers.

Against this backdrop, managing expectations is perhaps the most important task for makers and audiences, because “Those Old Scholars” is pure slapstick service—for better or for worse. Essentially, the Lower Decks show picks up an entire episode of live action from Strange New Worlds. Kathryn Lane and Bill Wolkoff are also a writing duo with roots in animation. Lynn herself is the author of the special episode “Wog Dog”.

With few exceptions, “Those Old Scientists” is a live-action adaptation. However, the scenes in the 24th century are all painted. As a special gimmick, the opening credits were spectacularly transferred to the look of cartoons (including the constellation of koalas). And there is still a bonus animation, but nothing about it should be revealed.

There are plenty of occasional smiles and laughs, but it also shows that the “lower floors” humor is somewhat bolstered by its stylized comic book look. The same taunts coming out of the mouth of a real actor look dramatically different (read: less fun). Tawny Newsome and Jack Quaid can’t blow their eyes to plate size at the touch of a button in real life. The exception to the rule is Anson Mount as Pike, who seems able to twist his face into a playful grimace at will.

What sets These Old Scholars apart from the typical “downstairs” episode, aside from the game’s length, is the fact that Boimler’s and Mariner’s self-referential outfit is directly observed and commented on by their idols. Realistically speaking, it annoys the Enterprise crew more than it is a catalyst for interesting character development. The actual plot is pretty trivial, and director Jonathan Frakes’ staging couldn’t change that either. So the episode swings from graduation moment to speech and geek moment to geek moment.

Like “Basements,” the humor ranges from genuinely funny to oddly awkward, except it’s all less funny than usual in the absence of overtly cartoonish characters. The real magic lies with Boimler and the Mariner who constantly irritates Pike and his company over their exaggerated hero worship. This is sometimes very amusing, but not of substance either.

These ancient scientists are perfect for release at San Diego Comic Con. The episode joins a long list of recent episodes in which “Star Trek” asserts itself and its fans just how great it really is (or used to be?) without really getting anywhere. Between Crisis Point 2: Paradoxus, Kobayashi, and All The World Is A Stage, I didn’t need another episode where tongue-in-cheek breaks the fourth wall and gives the franchise another chance to celebrate themselves and their fans.

That’s why it’s not a belly-flip like “Those Are the Journeys,” but it’s also not a “hangover” or “Experiences and Tribulation.”