Episode Discussion | Star Trek: Strange New Worlds | 2x07 "Those Old Scientists"

My favourite line in the whole thing is right at the end when Commander Jack Ransom (played by Jerry O'Connell) walks past the poster of Lieutenant commander Una Chin-Riley (played by Rebecca Romjin) and calls her "The hottest first officer in Starfleet history."

For those who don't know, the Jerry O'Connell and Rebecca Romjin are married to each other.

Boimler exclaiming “RIKER” as he hopped on the saddle had me howling. Frakes is such a sport!

Sooooo many people that never watched Lower Decks are going to be asking why there was a koala in the opening and I'm delighted by that.

Loved having a Sunday morning cartoon 🖖

This episode was way better than it needed to be. I was genuinely moved seeing Una's reaction to the knowledge of her being the "poster girl", as well as the reaction of the Orion captain at the end.

Seeing Boimler and Mariner in this context really drives home how much Lower Decks is essentially "what if Trekkies could serve in Star Fleet" and it worked so well!

I cannot believe they had Boimler and Mariner move like physical cartoon characters and pulled it off that well, holy shit. We absolutely lost it when Boimler was tangled in the control panel

Absolutely loved this episode, Boimler getting wrapped in the cables when jerry-rigging the sensors had me in tears; and the Riker as he swung his leg over the saddle brilliant bit of improv made even funnier knowing Drakes directed this.

They managed to tone down the lower deckers slighter whilst still having their full personalities come through.

Pikes getting more exacerbated with them throughout the episode was well done, and the amount of physical comedy I'm running out of superlatives for this episode.

It was just brilliant, easily my favourite of the current era.

Edit. Just wanted to add, loved seeing the LD uniform in love action; thought it translated really well.

This episode is one of the best episodes in the modern era of Trek, it's lighthearted it's funny it celebrates Trek and it's done so tastefully that I genuinely have nothing bad to say about it. It reminds me of Trials and Tribble-ations.

Plus that line at the end where they tell Una ad astra per aspera and that's why boimler joined Starfleet is just the right kind of emotions.

Honestly, they smashed it in this episode and ofc the 2d animated intro was chefs kiss.

Poor Christine Chapel! Now she knows what the audience has always known: her relationship with Spock is ultimately doomed. Plus a delightful mix of guilt and fear that she could unwittingly cause Spock to never measure up to the vague but crucial future that Boimler mentioned to her in the turbolift, simply by trying to make the two of them happy.

That suuuuuucks.

Thoughts and observations as I watched over at the "other place", special Saturday night/early Sunday morning edition:

• AHHHHH, WE'RE DOING THIS ON A SATURDAY!
• AHHHHH, WE'RE GETTING THE CROSSOVER!
• AHHHHH, A CROSSOVER BETWEEN A CARTOON COMEDY AND A LIVE ACTION DRAMA!
• AHHHHH, IN GENERAL!
• First off, that they have "Those Old Scientists" as the title is (chef's kiss).
• Previously: Nyota had a really bad day, La'An got a bad case of Kirk hotness, and Chapel/Spock had a bad case of hotness for each other
• OH GOD WE'RE STARTING ANIMATED
• "Numero Una"
• Tendi would like to remind you all that the Orions have a rich and varied history.
• "You guys look... very realistic."
• AHHHH, ANIMATED OPENING CREDITS!
• Hahaha, the thing that eats the Ceritos Nacelle!
• AHHHH, THE KOALA AT THE END OF THE CREDITS! WHY IS IT SMILING, WHAT DOES IT KNOW!?!?
• "But flipping it open is the best part"
• "Computer, end program."
• "Worf's honor." DANGIT!
• I wonder if Frakes showed Quaid how to properly do a Riker maneuver
• "You just... laughed."
• Ah, we're tying in with what Tendi said.
• Boimler is a toddler knocking over furniture.
• "We have jetpacks now"
• Pike's birthday is a holiday... CRAP!
• Boimler freaking out over the fact he made Spock laugh is such a Boimler thing.
• Hey, a reference to his sehlat!
• I like how they are using this episode to also move the other plotlines forward.
• HE MENTIONED PIKE'S REALLY GREAT HAIR
• Triticale, as opposed to Quadritriticale.
• I totally saw Mariner coming.
• Dystopian San Francisco!
• "Have you noticed their references are weirdly specific?"
• "Hot Spock agrees with me"
• "It's a poster that is pinned up"
• I feel like Tawny herself probably demanded a scene with Uhura
• Ah, there's the Boimler scream!
• "Holy Q!"
• "They had a Trelane thing going on."
• "He had to contour the hell out of the jawline"
• "Oh, I already know." Hahaha, they finally got out-future knowledged.
• Oh god, are they going to steal a piece of an NX?
• Oh, just a piece of it in the Enterprise.
• The "Mistress of the Winter Constellations" strikes again!
• Of course Ransom calls Una the hottest first officer in starfleet history.
• Hahaha, 2D animation Enterprise crew because they are drunk!
• All-time classic.

The danger with these "very special fun episodes" is that they can be confined to being just that. But what elevated this episode is how it used the time travel/crossover conceit to foreshadow, progress and pay off SNW character arcs, including Chapel and Spock's ultimately doomed relationship (something that I've previously said could be incredibly poignant, if handled right), Number One's legacy, and the way Pike confronts his fate. I hope the musical episode does the same.

HE DOES THE WALK

Frakes is, in addition to an iconic Actor, the best Trek Director of the modern age. 11/10.

That was amazing, on par with Trials and Tribble-ations for a crossover. Loved how well they integrated Boimler and Mariner without losing any of the character as LD has presented them.

I'm still giddy about this episode. Possibly the best thing I've ever seen.

One thing I noticed particularly in this episode is how respectful both SNW and LD are of canon and fandom in general - the bit about not all Orions being pirates, for example. I know it originates w/Tendi from Lower Decks, but just in the context of this episode they take the one-dimensional nature of the Orions from TOS, poke a little fun at it, but then make it about the bias that the Federation/Star Fleet has against a culture they really don't understand. The SNW writers effortlessly take what could be considered a flaw or one-dimensional writing from TOS and actually use it to flesh out the ST universe, all while telling a great story.

Small note I LOVE that they're extending the "not all Orions are pirates" theme!!! LD did such a great job demystifying a race of people with Ensign Tendi and it only makes sense that their people have always been more than just a stereotype even during the TOS era. Was cool to see Boimler help change that perception with the Enterprise crew and confirmed when the Orion science captain saying "that's all we wanted" about being seen as explorers just like Star Fleet!

Anyone else see Boimler do the Boim-walk to get away from Una the second time with Mariner there? I did not realize human hips could move like that.

It was ... the best of both worlds.

My expectations for this one were high, but I'm really impressed with how well they pulled it off. Tawny Newsome and Jack Quaid did a great job of dialing their performances back just enough, and the SNW cast went just a little bit broader.

Best episode ever. 11/10, I'm still coming down off the high. Right up there with the LD DS9 ep and the last couple episodes of Picard. Peak modern Trek.

So many people were ragging on this idea. I think the episode firmly shut them up. This was top notch Trek! Fantastic from start to finish. I want more! Now they're complaining about the upcoming musical episode? Haters gonna hate I guess.

"You guys look... very realistic." I guffawed. So thrilled to be watching this episode finally!

This was incredible and everything I could have hoped that it would be. 11/10, no notes.

I'm seeing lots of positivity here, so I'll be the boring one. I enjoyed it but they didn't quite land it for me. Things that would have been funny in an out-and-out sitcom felt wrong in the context of a 'serious' Trek show. For example, Mariner and Boimler having a really inappropriate discussion about how hot Spock was, while Spock was right there, during a senior staff meeting - it was a bit too jarring for me. You kind of got the feeling the 23rd century officers were all left wondering why 24th century Starfleet is so unprofessional. I think they got this the wrong way round by making it a SNW episode instead of a Lower Decks episode.

Separately though, given that we know Spock and Chapel don't make it, I like that in the two episodes since they got together they have hinted at two separate reasons why they might split up: first the possiblity it's triggered by them having different attitudes to reporting the relationship to Starfleet, and now Chapel's Boimler-induced insecurities about whether she might hold Spock back from doing something great with his life.

My face hurt by the end of the episode. I had no idea I was smiling the whole time. It really was that perfect mix of physical comedy but down to earth. It reminded me so much of The Orville. Definitely one of those I'll go back to watch again.

Frakes has directed two Orville episodes (so far), and arguably brought his experience over to SNW, as Boims and Mariner were fan[boy|girl]ing about, it had serious "Orville" vibes to it. I don't think they could have picked a better director.

The bit where Ortegas and Uhura were gushing about the NX-01 crew and suddenly realizing that's why their guests were gushing was priceless.

"What would come after the dash?"

And both Jack and Tawny crushed it as the live action versions of their characters. (Both were over-the-top, and that was the point).

I wonder if that "Riker!" Gag was improvised and if so, how long it had Frakes (and/or the crew) laughing.

The LD-style intro was chefs kiss perfect. The coda was, likewise, a perfect capstone.

THAT WAS SO GOOOOOOOODDDDDD!!! Couldn't stop smiling through that whole episode!!
They were perfect for their roles in live action as well. Love how they kept their cartoony energy.

They NAILED it. They, somehow, took the loving but self aware fan service of lower decks and jammed it into SNW which has been the most consistent reboot back to the core of this series. This was absolutely some of the best show writing I've seen in a very long time.

Fun episode. I lost track of all the references but I'm particularly delighted that they brought up the NX-01 and her crew, and that the NCC-1701 crew (what even comes after the dash?) is gushing over them, like we all are gushing over all the different Trek crews.

Fine Fine episode Why are my eyes so big?? The Stafleet logo on the soles of his shoes. Mariner doing her double thumbs up. Her rolled up sleeves being slightly lighter red.
Enterprise love! Why do they talk so loud? Lol. The OPENING CREDITS! With that sucking alien. Glad they didn't have them retreat from danger.

I wonder how many times crew get blackout/asleep and for a joke their mates put them in the holodeck for "computer end programme" to be a wake up meme.

I loved it. I was ready to be annoyed they didn't do a LD animation style intro sequence but they nailed it; nacelle monster and all. Same for the ending; I was hopeful they would do the end scene LD style and again they just nailed it.

Holy smokes, I can't believe how awesome that thing was that I just watched. I'm awestruck at the talent it must have taken to pull it off so perfectly.

The opening sequence is chef kiss

What an absolutely fantastic episode. Loved every second of it! As soon as it finished I just wanted to watch the whole thing again (but couldn’t because of stupid work)

An extremely fun episode, had a stupid grin on my face right from the opening.

One thing that jumped out at me was the adjectives used: "scientists, explorers, adventurers." The episode reinforced what Starfleet as an organization and Trek as a concept are all about.

Pelia is quoting Carey Grant when she talks to Boimler. I thought that was neat.

I pretended to be somebody I wanted to be until finally I became that person. Or he became me.

I’ve only seen the first maybe 8 episodes of Lower Decks can I watch this episode without spoiling the rest of the seasons?

I haven't gotten around to Lower Decks, but this episode was simply brilliant even for me. Just sublime all around.

I enjoyed it, fun and different and the ending did make me laugh with Spock's arm. I found I was less invested in the story as I was focused on the character interactions. Overall, I'm fine with it and it didn't have to be anything that is not trying to be.

Oh man, I really loved this episode. Very fun. Kinda sad we didn't get to see Tendi and Rutherford live action though. Would be great to see maybe some of the SNW crew end up on the Cerritos...