Some Good Old Fashioned Technobabble — Reviewing ‘Star Trek: Lower Decks’ #3
by Scott Redmond
Overview
The fate of everything rests in the hands of the Cerritos crew in Star Trek: Lower Decks #3, which is just a typical Tuesday for this intrepid crew. Anyone missing the recently concluded streaming series should pick this book up and use it like the warm familiar fun blanket that it can be. Maybe not use the actual comic as a blanket though, that’s not gonna really work.
Overall
9/10What if a greater stability within the universe also meant the collapse of all life, matter, and most universal constants? Gee, that sure would suck wouldn’t it? Good thing that isn’t something to worry about.
What’s that? Oh, wait. Apparently, it is something to worry about for the Cerritos crew in Star Trek: Lower Decks #3. This adventure from Ryan North, Jack Lawrence, Charlie Kirchoff, and Clayton Cowles is chock full of Trek techno-babble and Starfleet tenacity.
While the wondrous joy that is Lower Decks isn’t gracing us on the screen any longer, we still have this comic. Everyone involved is perfectly capturing the joy, hilarity, and madcap energy of the show, carrying it forward while adding their own little flourishes here or there.
There is plenty of room within the television series’ established canon to play within. There are little adventures that fill in the cracks and give the characters even more room to do what they do best. North is just a great writer for something like this. He spends a lot of time nailing humor writing, but also things of a more serious or grounded nature. He’s able to combine them into something that is just so fun and real, really giving those real life sort of vibes.
Not to mention, it hits all the Trek checkboxes here with a threat that requires a lot of Trek speak. All that science-fiction style science talk, I just love it so much.
Just like Derek Charm previously, Lawrence really nails the look and aesthetic of the series. There’s plenty of whimsical fun energy wrapped up with tons of great details. There are hints of the animation style used for the series within the artwork, alongside its own unique flairs. Characters feel authentic and the same slickness we expect is so clear on the page.
Similarly, the color palette from Kirchoff is really bright and shiny as well. A lot of really vibrant color choices allow the work to really stand out on the page. Plenty of heavier color tones really give things a heavier presence. This all gives those Trek starship vibes we’ve seen before alongside the elements that are predominantly from Lower Decks.
There are a lot of words on the page, from dialogue to the little bottom page footnotes, and Cowles does them so well, which is not surprising at all. Each of these characters has a particular voice (created by their voice actors). Cowles makes sure we’re feeling and hearing those voices here, taking what North is putting down, who nailed their vocal tendencies, and putting it into full effect.
Star Trek: Lower Decks #3 is now available from IDW Publishing.
