STAR TREK: LOWER DECKS (2024-) #7 Review

Star Trek: Lower Decks #7 is written by Tim Sheridan and published by IDW Publishing. Artwork, colours and main cover art (left) by Robby Cook and letters by Clayton Cowles.

Star Trek: Lower Decks #7 is available now, in print and on digital platforms where all good comic books are sold. Grab your digital copy from Amazon Comixology UK right here.

Synopsis

There’s nothing quite like a mother-daughter relationship. There’s also nothing quite like finding out your monolith of a captain used to be a carefree ensign who accidentally vanished her whole crew in an experiment gone wrong. Lucky for Beckett Mariner, she gets to soak up both experiences all on the same day as her mother, Captain Freeman, regales her with a throwback tale of how she was “just like you when she was young,” and “mistakes help us grow, blah, blah.” Meanwhile, all Mariner wants to know is how could Freeman let Pulaski get away with hair like that?

Review

Star Trek: Lower Decks is back in comic book stores today. Tim Sheridan takes over writing duties as the story shifts from our Lower Deckers to their captain. The shifting time period and location offers the book chance to explore the wider-Trek universe through the Lower Decks lens. But it does also raise the question of whether audiences are interested in seeing more from the series supporting cast?

Sheridan is an excellent addition to the Star Trek Universe. Tonally his work sits in a sweet spot where Lower Decks feels at its most natural. So the transition from Ryan North to Sheridan is seamless. There’s not a single missed beat. Whilst there’s no direct reference to their recent time travel antics, Captain Freeman’s passing comment about Mariner’s development feels like acknowledgement of the series so-far. The fact we’re starting a fresh chapter may also help the with the change in creative team. But certainly as a long-time reader and fan I didn’t bat an eyelid at the changes.

The relationship between Freeman and Mariner has been touched on throughout Lower Decks TV and comic book history. Whilst familial bonds on ships isn’t a new concept. This is the first time we’ve had a mother and daughter serving aboard the same ship. Writers have the opportunity to play their relationship for comedy or to play it straight with examples of both working well within the context of what Lower Decks is. Sheridan uses a pleasing mix of the two approaches here. Opening up Lower Decks #7 in comedy territory before bringing Mariner and Freeman in to conflict. As we’re witnessing something quite different for the series through the bulk of the issue it’s clever to open up on something more traditional. It makes the transition in to Freeman’s backstory much easier to adjust to.

The entire story may be an excuse for Sheridan to live out a fantasy of writing for The Next Generation. If it is, I’m here for it. The choice of time period brings back some classic TNG-era uniforms as well as a character I NEVER thought I would see again, let alone in Lower Decks-style animation. Whilst we might not be aboard the NCC-1701-D there’s still so much fun to be had in returning to this period of time. But we’re not simply here for the fun of it. Whilst there’s plenty of comedy to be had from seeing a younger Freeman acting very much like her daughter does now. Sheridan still brings all of that comedy home with a more serious message. Ensign Freeman, as is made very clear, is still a wife and a mother at this point in her life. But a career in Starfleet is still something she wants and is willing to fight for.

As a TNG fan I did get a huge kick out of seeing Dr. Pulaski returning to the franchise. Though I was never a fan of Diana Muldaur when season 2 first aired in the UK. I have mellowed to Pulaski over the years. Something the character should probably do herself. Sheridan keeps that unpredictable edge to her here. But is also able to thread her character into the tapestry of Lower Decks comedy. A running joke about why Polanski left the Enterprise so quickly is a real highlight. It also shows how Sheridan is able to continue the Lower Decks style of meta-comedy which North has done an incredible job of translating in to comics.

Robby Cook takes over artistic duties this month. A character designer and animator with plenty of history with our Lower Deckers. Again the change is seamless from the previous artistic team. Cook just gets it. But also gets to have so much fun in turning the clock back to the last 2360’s when Pulaski was fresh off her service aboard the Enterprise. Uniform designs and comm badges are all completely of the first era of The Next Generation which amps up the nostalgia factor.

The USS Illinois, which appears to be an Ambassador-class ship like the Enterprise-C, offers up some fun opportunities for ship design work too. The Cerritos has more in common with contemporary Trek design work. Where as Cook takes it back to the days of carpets and brown leather for the bridge of the Illinois. Again it just hits the sweet spot for fans of a certain age and I love to see it. The action which takes place aboard also keeps the issue nice and dynamic in terms of its visuals.

Verdict

Star Trek: Lower Decks #7 is a super-fun issue which puts a new creative team in command of the ship. Tim Sheridan boards the USS Cerritos with a plan to explore an enticing period in Trek’s past and does so with great flare. Likewise Robby Cook brings a dynamic to the visuals which enhance the sense of adventure in exploring Captain Freeman’s past.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐