Ups & Downs From Star Trek: Strange New Worlds 2.7 - Those Old Scientists 

The whole T.O.S. standing for "Those Old Scientists" gag would be deserving of yet another Up.

What broke me for this episode was when Mariner told Boimler that the ancient Nausicaan glyphs on the time portal translated to "This is a time portal."

Jack Quaid’s commitment to embodying Boimler thoroughly was so amazing to watch.

I can't believe Sean missed an up. When Ortegas & Uhura say "are we sounding like.. them?" Spock says "Indeed, it is exhausting". Totally another up for Spock!

The look on Una’s face when Boimler says Ad Astra Per Aspera and the way she says “They put that on a poster?” I was done. Just right in the feels. That would be my dilithium up.

With Spock smiling. This ties in nicely when he smiled in the TOS The Cage. This was a masterpiece of an episode. Amazing. Jonathan Frakes did a wicked job directing

My personal headcanon and theory: Boimler encouraging the crew to celebrate Captain Pike's birthday would lead to the tradition of ships having a Captain's day, which would later become, as we see, Captain Picard day and Captain Freeman's day, the favorite holiday of children and Boimler.

When Number 1 found out she was the literal poster child for recruitment for Star Fleet, was the single most touching moment of the entire episode, as emotional as her own trial was at the end - this beat it.

Another up was the look on Mariner's face when Boiler gets the "Live Long and Prosper" from Spock. She is mouth agape and so excited FOR Boimler. She knows it's a big deal for him. It's really sweet.

I still am floored by how they managed to have the LD crew act like lower deckers. And they had the SNW crew act like, well, regular officers. And at no point did either of them feel "wrong" or out of place. These are two HUGELY different shows, their style should NOT have worked as a mix, but they made it happen, and it worked. Astounding.

I love how the end of the episode implies Lower Decks is animated bc that's how all the main characters see the world due to the trace amounts of Orion liquor in their systems 😂

This episode was loaded with fan service, but it was fan service done right. Nothing heavy-handed, no forced humor, but the humor was natural, organic and simply marvelous (big credit to the writers of this episode). Everyone got a chance to shine (love Pike as the exasperated dad dealing with two chaotic space kids), and it was just so much fun.

I really loved how they were about to "end" the episode and send boimler back, right around where an episode of Lower Decks would end (22-23min). Then it just kept going to a full SNW episode. So great

Una's reaction when they mentioned the poster said Ad Astra Per Aspera... that made me cry. A lot. It was perfect. I love Una's storyline. This show is just f-ing fantastic.

It’s so refreshing to see a writing team understanding the characters of the story they’re trying to tell. This episode cannot be praised enough.

When Spock starts to say his goodbye to Boimler, they have a wide shot and the look of happiness on Mariner's face that Boimler is going to have that experience just perfectly illustrated how much she truly cares about him.

This episode of SNW is going to go down in Star Trek history. Crossovers are always fun, but they took the finest parts of both shows and married them together with such finesse. Every person involved in making it should be proud because they've made something so special. Exceptional television.

Spock's smile always being shot like a scene from a horror movie, complete with a disturbing musical sting, was just amazing. And can we appreciate "Remember me!" That TNG episode ended with Crusher being pulled in that same pose through a portal and into the real world. I love it.

This episode was announced before I went to hospital and had surgery. I was so scared something was going to happen and I would die from this surgery. But no joke, the thought of seeing this episode kept me going. I knew, without a doubt, that this was going to be the epic episode that it was. This was perfect. This was funny. This was beautiful. This... was Star Trek. Everything Trek is about. I am so happy that I was able to come through and see this. The perfect way to come back home, recover and laugh my ass off. Thank you Paramount, thank you to the crew and thank you Gene Roddenberry. You have no idea what you have done in our lives and us Trekkies are forever grateful. Ad Astra per Aspara!

Every single actor, and the director and crew, everyone showed an excellent understanding of comic timing and delivery. This is far from the only comedy episode that we have seen - every single Trek series has had several - but oh, my. Smashed it out of the park.

Lots of moments I teared up, but my favorite was when Una learns about the true meaning behind the poster. To go from being rejected by Starfleet for who she is, to learning that in the future she isn't only accepted but celebrated. I found it incredibly touching. Some of the best Trek in years. Keep it up!

I’ve watched Trek for 55 years, and I have to say that this was one of the top episodes in franchise history. It was genuinely funny, extremely heartfelt (when Boimler says to Pike “what would members of this crew give for one more chance to talk to you”, damn!) and just flat out fun. Quaid and Newsome did a fantastic job bringing their characters to live action. And the amalgam of live action and animation was handled flawlessly. Kudos to all involved

One thing that everyone seems to be missing - Celia Rose-Gooding seems to be poking the fourth wall when they're talking about living up to the legacy that being Uhura brings. Nichelle Nichols is proud, Celia. No worries. 😊

Jack Quaid is so awesome. Being the son of two major Hollywood stars he could probably have coasted along like some others have been known to do. Only he didn't and now he's everywhere and somehow it doesn't get old seeing him show up in things because, as previously stated, he's awesome. He doesn't phone it in, he seems to genuinely love being an actor which makes him all the more appealing.

Mariner miming not only the beep chair but also the facial scar was such a brilliant and compact moment of physical comedy

not gonna lie the "ad astra per aspera" scene had me shed tears. what an awesome performance of everyone involved. and what a great script to work with for the actors.

This episode fixes Spock! This totally explains how Nurse Chapel is towards Spock in TOS. It isn't her pining away at unrequited love, but rather it was her stepping aside so Spock would become the person that ALL of the universe needed.

Vary rarely does something so hyped actually meet and beat the hype. This episode was so much fun and just a joy to watch.

This episode in my very humble opinion, is not only the best episode of SNW and Lower Decks, but one of, if not the BEST time travel episode of the Star Trek Franchise, period. The writing was so on point, the acting was top tier, the Enterprise in the Lower Decks animation was so gorgeous, and callbacks to Star Trek Enterprise as well. We need that season 5 of Enterprise for petes sake!

I feel the episode was more about growth for Pike, which is nice. He's been obsessed with the knowledge of his death, unable to see past it. He had no knowledge of his legacy and the impact he would make on the people around him and the future as a whole. Obviously, it was amazing to see TLD cast in live action on SNW, but they were mostly a tool to show Pike what happens after he's gone. The positive impact he makes on friends, and a legacy that has people 120 years into the future dressing up as him for Halloween. Instead of going to focus on his death with a bottle of whiskey in some frozen wasteland, the experience convinces him to spend time with those who will miss him the most and cherish those moments. A wholesome theme wrapped in a hilarious crossover.

How did Sean miss the fact that Uhura's pad went from Bajorin to Cardassian in one swipe while she was working in the bar? If that's not retro foreshadowing, I don't know what is.

Pike saying “NO!” At the portal had me laughing at how done he was with visitors from the Future. Not that he did not like them, but I think he was already having an migraine trying to figure out how to report the whole ordeal to starfleet and likely temporal affairs.

I am consistently in awe of SNW's costume department - the realization of the Lower Decks uniform was really impressive. I was expecting the look not to translate well into live action, but it was great.

Boimler saying “computer end program” makes twice as much sense when we remember that Boimler has passed out on the holodeck a minimum of one time now.

When Mariner mentions "hot Spock," was surprised there was no call-back to Dax's similar comment in DS9's "tribbles" episode.

Pelia's quote - “I always pretended to be someone I wanted to be until finally I became that someone, or he became me” - Cary Grant. Pelia met Cary Grant. How is that not an UP?

Pelia was quoting Cary Grant and I love that Boimler seemed to realize that after she finished speaking and that as a Lanthanite she would have been old enough to have met someone from that long ago.

It's hard to put into words the joy this episode made me feel, something the surprise early release only enhanced. At a time when things aren't great, to put it mildly, this came along and gave a burst of light and colour. I needed this. I think a lot of us did. A genuine landmark in TV, it was a privilege to experience it first-hand

As a Trekkie since the 70's (Syndicated TOS), I'm in total agreement with you. Definitely the best episode since Star Trek came back on the air. With that said, I have been ignoring Lower Decks, but after seeing this episode, I'm on a binge ... and loving it! I'm pretty sure there are others out there like me who have been put Lower Decks on ignore. So good work with this episode, and getting lots of Lower Deck converts ready in time for season 4! By the way ... 81 is a bit conservative!

That quote from Pelia from someone she once knew is directly, nearly exactly word for word, from Cary Grant who said it talking about his becoming Cary Grant rather than Archie Leach. So, Pelia knew Cary Grant!

Quaid and Newsome are *SO GOOD* in live-action. Like, they were absolutely fantastic. They were absolutely their characters, it was great. Hilarious episode overall. ALSO, one thing I really liked, when Boimler and Pike shared a moment where Boimler talks about what’s going to happen to Pike, you could just *see* the relief on Pike’s face to hear from someone who knows exactly what’s going on with him. It’s just a quiet moment and it can be easily overlooked in such a hilarious episode, but it was nice to see for Pike.

The most important thing that happened in this episode was the way they showed us that the "new" Spock we've seen the past few weeks is not a deviation from canon, it is rather, the backstory for the canon. Yes, in the middle of a pure fan service romp, they *fixed* the canon.

This episode was probably one of my most favourite episodes of all time... It was done perfectly, and directed by Frakes made it all that much better. The fact Boimler ad libbed 'Riker' is just... Incredible. They really did do the show justice. SNW is going to be this generations Next Generation... Until Legacy kicks in... No... Even then... Just so amazing!

The only problem with this episode is that it was only one part. I wish it were longer, especially so we could get more of the girls getting drinks because the chemistry between them was brilliant, particularly Ortegas and Mariner, they would get into trouble together.

Missed an UP on Boimer's statement about tricorders being, "...made smaller, more powerful and less likely to explode." That was a call back to Arena when Spock tossed away his tricorder and it promptly exploded. Then he said, "they fed bck my own impulses and built up an overload!" Also loved Dr. M'Benga's reaction to the word "Explode!"

The genuine love and fangasm Sean is having while giving up after up is just infectious and amazing. And I'm right there with him. What an episode!

Watched it again right away. Easily in my top ten Star Trek episodes of all time. On another note…. Is this the first time people are queuing for an Ups & Downs from Trek Culture?

This episode was nothing but joy. Pure joy from start to finish.

Haven't seen anyone mention it, but my favourite little moment was that during Pike wishing he could have one more argument with his dad, the camera cuts to Mariner. Despite their arguments, she loves her parents a lot. Intentional or not, I thought that was beautiful.

The "What the hell is in this?" Line had me in tears of laughter. Perfect line and perfect delivery.

I LOVED THIS ESPIODE! Especially the animated ending!! "WHAT THE HELL IS IN THESE THINGS!?!" The actors nailed in the live action and I couldn't stop laughing at Mariner! So GOOD!

Line that cracked me up was after Mariner comes through an exasperated Pike calls the ship and says "*five* to beam up". Whole episode was comedy gold

It would be hard to imagine this episode being any better than it turned out. SNW writing has been spot on and the actors seem to be enjoying themselves as well.

Your Dad wanting to be in this was amazing. Hands down, this was the best episode of Star Trek in decades.

This episode was so much fun. It reminds me of the SG-1 episode "Wormhole X-Treme!" in that it's an episode made to reward the fans, and they absolutely killed it. This is getting a spot on my list of favorite Trek episodes.

this was a a love letter to fandom - old and new, but also this was cake and it is the most delicious fan cake I have ever had. truly this is the golden age of geek. 🍰💝🖖🏻

Another couple of up votes: 1) Jess Bush’s performance during the conversation with Boimler in the turbo lift, and 2) Anson Mount breathing a lifetime of complicated emotion into the single word “father.”

Hands down my favorite non-Picard episode in all of the modern series. Laughed, cried, cringed, and absolutely loved it.

This concept had absolutely no right be as amazing as it turned out to be. I was so worried about this episode ruining both series, but it was an instant classic. I've watched it 3 times an it still makes me laugh

I literally smiled from beginning to end at this episode. My wife actually asked if I had taken an edible.

One small UP to add: When Boimler gets back and says Tendi's grandmother's name... Tendi never mentioned her grandmother's name before they went through the portal, and was very surprised by how he knew.

I met Johnathan Frakes last month at Summer-con and told him how excited I was for episode 7. He smiled at me

I haven't really been a fan of the Lower Decks uniforms in animation, but they look awesome realized as actual costume pieces.

The crossover was done so tastefully and with tremendous respect to each Star Trek franchise that I kept tearing up as I watch the episode... My God, it was perfect! Super grateful that this episode happened! 😄

A tiny moment I liked upon rewatching the episode is Boimler saying "Numero Uno" about the poster, Mariner commenting "nobody calls her that", and then as the episode ends Ransom comments on the poster calling her "Numero Uno" as well 😂 the writers really crossed every T and dotted every I for this episode, really bloody amazing.

How did Sean not notice the callback to Jadzia? Both her and Boimler *loved* the "classic 23rd century design" of the tricorder. Dax expressed the sentiment in a crossover episode featuring grain shipments and NCC 1701 (- Nothing). Add another up. I BLOODY LOVED THIS EPISODE!!

Folks, I'm just gonna say it: This episode is a Trek *masterpiece*! 🥰🥰

I'm surprised Sean didn't pick up on the fact that Pelia in canon knew Cary Grant. She says "I knew a man who told me" then quotes Cary Grant: "I pretended to be somebody I wanted to be until finally I became that person. Or he became me." Didn't even get an up vote :(

The animated episode-final in Pikes quarters was with no doubt THE BEST moment in Star Trek-History. I was like "Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god, this is AWESOME!"🤣

I LOVED how Mariner looked at Boimler when Spock gave him the 🖖🏽….she was genuinely happy for him.

The exchange between Picard and the Nausicaan also happened at Starbase Earhart, so that means the Dom-jot table Ortegas saw and its location at the Starbase is the same place Picard will end up getting stabbed in the back and through his heart. So I think the reference to Starbase Earhart in this episode was referencing TNG's episode entitled "Tapestry," especially since the reference included Nausicaan and Dom-jot.

Lower Decks easter eggs never get old. It was fantastic they could bring them into this episode also… Best ep ever!

The animated opening sequence had me geeking out from the start and it doesn't end there. Gets better and better up to the end. Frakes' masterpiece to date.

You know what I want after the closing scene? On the Ceretos, Tandy is making a genuine orion hurricane, and for a full scene, they are becoming, psychadelicly so, realistic.

Those Old Scientists is probably the most enjoyable episode of the entire Star Trek genre. Truly epic in every sense of the word. The more I watch it, the more I laugh. A great crossover with absolutely terrific characters. And I definitely need a Number One poster for my living room. The references were priceless.

This episode is amazing and a truly great model for how crossover's should be handled. It's fun, it makes sense and it really explores the crossover from both perspectives and plays off of existing story arcs from both series. That is no small feat to accomplish. And I have to give Jack Quaid and Tawny Newsome so much credit for taking animated performances and mirroring them perfectly in live action form. I had no trouble believing they were the same characters and the interactions were priceless. (Spock smiling now haunts my dreams) And the continuing story arc for Tendi is something I just want to hug the writers for. I have a friend who's in his early 20's from Mexico and he's a science genius who dresses like an old english professor and people never stop acting like he's some weird anomaly simply because of his ethnicity. And so Tendi's ongoing fight to prove that Orions can be anything they want to be really resonates. All in all this is the best episode of Strange New Worlds so far and this is a series that continues to give us stellar episodes each week. This is amazing, Chef's kiss and if you haven't seen it yet, please for the love of Migleemo go treat yourself and watch it.

The part I liked most ... loved, was how they shifted back and forth between comedy and 'rip your heart out' emotional truths ... and made it work ... and made it better than either element would have been on its own. This is one of the great episodes of the franchise.

We always talk about the classic episodes we love from TOS, TNG, DS9 etc. I really hope that years from now we are still talking about this episode. It was truly perfect.

One thing I noticed that Sean also missed. In the original The Cage episode, Spock actually smiled and laughed before the idea of Vulcans being non-emotional was created. So Spock experimenting with emotions in this timeframe which is right before that episode actually helps support canon that was questioned before now!

I adored this episode. This is up there with Trials and Tribulations for greatest fan service ever. I also loved Pike being just so deadpan over it for the entire show. He does drama and comedy so well. I didn't think much of Mount before SNW, but he's continually amazed me with his range.

I laughed so hard in this episode, especially during the ‘creepy smiling Spock’ moments. This was definitely a love letter to the fans and it was far better than I could have imagined. Well done to the writers! Keep up the good fight! 🖖

I absolutely LOVED this episode. And I’m not sure if anyone else has mentioned this (they probably have) but SNW Spock’s exploration of his emotions totally explains Spock from The Cage/The Menagerie smiling at the “singing” plants of Talos IV.

I didn't think anything could beat Trials and Tribble-ations for a time travel episode but this was just perfect and I actually LOL'd all the way through.

Everything about this episode was PERFECT!! I’ve already watched it more than once and it just gets even better with more viewings!

“Those Old Scientists” is already a modern Trek classic. Kudos to everyone involved with this episode for putting together LD and SNW so seamlessly! Of course I had my share of Picard facepalms when Boimler and Mariner at times nearly let the (temporal) cat out of the bag!😹

Missed my two favourites! Mariner telling Boimler in the shuttle that Uhura managed to translate the Ancient Nausicaan, but it just says "this is a time portal", and the extraction process goes ping like a microwave. Also, Uhura's padd shows both Bajoran and Cardassian

This episode makes me wanna see a live action Lower decks. Amazing.

I haven't had this much fun with an episode since Trials and Tribble-ations. Just an all-around fun time.

Was squealing and jumping up and down Tendi style in excitement over this episode! I was not disappointed ❤

Its actually impressive how on character they were in a very different setting. And the animated intro was sick.

I also loved how Pike was just annoyed with Boimler. Hes usually so unflappable and finds humor in stuff, but he reacted like a normal person would to having someone they deem incompetent screwing with their day

I love SO MUCH that they had Boimler go to the Warp Core when he was feeling upset. It's just so in character for him. Quite literally one of my favorite ST episodes ever. Also at the end, Una's "they put it on the poster" hit so hard.

This episode gave me so much joy! I realized I had been smiling so much my cheeks were aching. By the end, I had tears in my eyes. It was so, so good!

I think everything fits in my head now. Boimler and Mariner are from a ship that IS a little wacky, and the Lower Deckers are all crazy history geeks, but I think every ship in the fleet has a comedy, a drama, and a tragedy that can be filmed of it. What's happening with the Cerritos is, we're seeing their "The Trouble With Tribbles" moments more than their "City on the Edge of Forever" moments... but we really do see them, don't we? All the finales have dramatic moments with everything at stake, they just find the lighter side of it whenever possible.

We basically watched Sean giving ups for 39 minutes - i love it!

When Boimler power walked off down the hallway, made me burst out laughing! Totally took me off guard and I loved it!! ❤️

When Pike talked being a year older than his father and wanting a quiet birthday, it reminded me a lot of Kirk and McCoy having a similar discussion in Star Trek:Beyond

One of the most hotly anticipated episodes of Star Trek in many years and it did not disappoint, I loved the animated opening titles, with Lower Deck's engine hanging tardigrade making an appearance, my favourite tribute to DIscos S1 tardigrade controlled spore drive. the script, and performances were just perfect, no downs at all from me this week.

When Una is trying to get Mariner to elaborate what she means by her being a pin-up, this is also a reference to when the actress was Rebecca Romijn-Stamos the model, resulting in many pin-ups of her being made.

I'm gonna have to call a big "missed one" with the Spock smiling and laughing thing because THAT'S WHAT HE DID IN THE ORIGINAL "THE CAGE" EPISODE! they always just glossed over that he went from giggly Vulcan to somber, serious and deadpan ALL the time in the rest of TOS seasons. So Boimler's interaction with Spock led to that change! That's a big missed "up" in my view...