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.

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.

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

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

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!

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.

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.

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.

HE DOES THE WALK

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

It was ... the best of both worlds.

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.

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.

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

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