The Least Disliked Episode 2023: Lower Decks Season 2

[BlueStuff]

Our addictive biyearly game of rapid elimination returns - now with more shows than ever. It's generally a lot of fun, providing a chance to mentally revisit those episodes you may not have thought about in a while. With that in mind, why not play again?

So, here's the game. The basic idea is your standard elimination game. I'll provide a list of the episodes for each season and you need to eliminate your least favourite or the one you deem the 'worst.' Please provide an EXPLANATION for why you are eliminating your choice and be sure to copy and paste the list with your choice removed. Finally, leave at least 2 eliminations by other posters before you eliminate another episode.

No tactical voting! You cannot remove an episode just because you feel it would threaten your preferred episode's chance to win. Pretty simple. Enjoy!

Star Trek: Lower Decks
Hall of Champions
2021 - No Small Parts
2023 -

Season 2

Strange Energies
Kayshon, His Eyes Open
We'll Always Have Tom Paris
Mugato, Gumato
An Embarrassment of Dooplers
The Spy Humongous
Where Pleasant Fountains Lie
I, Excretus
wej Duj
First First Contact

 

[Sakonna]

"I, Excretus", honestly only for that vile final moment. We are now over three decades deep with storytelling that uses assimilation as a stand-in for rape. It's really not a hilarious button on an episode to have the character that just got raped tearfully say "they took everything that I was", prompting the rest of the cast to burst into laughter.

I really hate the opening as well. This episode is an odd case -- everything in between is great, but the opening and closing moments are both repulsive, so it sours the whole experience.

Strange Energies
Kayshon, His Eyes Open
We'll Always Have Tom Paris
Mugato, Gumato
An Embarrassment of Dooplers
The Spy Humongous
Where Pleasant Fountains Lie
wej Duj
First First Contact

 

[Oddish]

Kayshon gets its eyes poked for undeservedly demoting Boimler.

Strange Energies
We'll Always Have Tom Paris
Mugato, Gumato
An Embarrassment of Dooplers
The Spy Humongous
Where Pleasant Fountains Lie
wej Duj
First First Contact

 

[Seven of Five]

An Embarresment of Dopplers is up first. The humour with the Dopplers multiplying is repetitive on rewatch.

Strange Energies
We'll Always Have Tom Paris
Mugato, Gumato
The Spy Humongous
Where Pleasant Fountains Lie
wej Duj
First First Contact

 

[TimeIsAPredator]

Strange Energies.

No single reason. It just didn't have the plot or comedy high points the other episodes have.

 

[BlueStuff]

We'll Always Have Tom Paris
Mugato, Gumato
The Spy Humongous
Where Pleasant Fountains Lie
wej Duj
First First Contact

 

[Farscape One]

Taking out "The Spy Humongous".

The Pakleds were made a credible threat before, and now are made to be stupid again. In an otherwise good episode, I feel like this was undoing what LOWER DECKS achieved... doing the impossible by making the Pakleds actually dangerous and a threat.


We'll Always Have Tom Paris
Mugato, Gumato
Where Pleasant Fountains Lie
wej Duj
First First Contact

 

[Jedman67]

taking out We'll Always Have Tom Paris - Yes it was funny but honestly Boimler's escapades to get a celeb signature was a bit tedious.

Mugato, Gumato
Where Pleasant Fountains Lie
wej Duj
First First Contact

 

[Sakonna]

"Mugato, Gumato" was the other weak link of the season. The tone of a lot of the humor was off, and I just couldn't believe that Boimler and Rutherford would be this convinced that Mariner was a psycho.

I did love the sex practices of the mugato, though. That bit worked.

Where Pleasant Fountains Lie
wej Duj
First First Contact

 

[Farscape One]

Very tough choices.

You have a perfect episode with "wej Duj", an excellent season finale that managed to bring back Sonya Gomez in "First First Contact", and Jeffrey Combs returning to ST in "Where Pleasant Fountains Lie".

This is hard for me to do because it's Jeffrey freaking Combs, but I will take out "Where Pleasant Fountains Lie". The others were just better episodes.


wej Duj
First First Contact

 

[Brennyren]

I can't believe I still get a chance to cast a vote in this round! I thought for sure by the time I got home from work, it would be over. Well, I won't waste my opportunity. "First First Contact" is great, and even epic, but "wej Duj" may be one of the best modern Trek episodes period. Love the insights into the other cultures, and the parallels between the Vulcan and Klingon lower-deckers and our own. Also -- T'Lyn! And the perfect casting of Marc Evan Jackson as the Vulcan captain.

wej Duj

 

[Oddish]

Another win for the penultimate episode, and finale in the wildcard slot.

 

[Seven of Five]

I love weJ Duj, and I'm glad I won. My favourite gag was the Borg lower decks.

 

[Jedman67]

I love weJ Duj, and I'm glad I won. My favourite gag was the Borg lower decks.

I figured that would be the winner. My kids loved it!
And the borg lower decks nearly brought me to tears!