An accident while investigating a time portal sends Ensign Brad Boimler through time from the 24th Century.

A fun, high concept episode, the success of which wholly depends on how accepting you are of animated comedy Lower Decks.

In a way, this might have worked better in a half-hour episode of Lower Decks, with the Enterprise crew being the guest stars, because stretched to a full Strange New Worlds episode length of 45 minutes is certainly pushing what it essentially a one-joke idea.

We start in the 2D animated realm of Lower Decks, with our four ensigns geeking out over examining a broken portal, and that’s when Boimler (Jack Quaid) gets transported back in time by 120 years and meets the live action crew of the Enterprise. He’s warned not to share anything that could affect their future, but can he follow temporal protocols, or will he just be Boimler?

Much of the fun comes from Boimler’s excitement at being in the presence of his heroes, particularly his numero uno poster girl, with the secondary plot of an Orion science vessel and a grain shipment being low scale activity.

It helps that Quaid makes for an acceptable (if a little old) real-life Boimler, and I’m going to guess that big fans of Lower Decks will get the biggest kick out of this. Veteran Trek director and erstwhile Riker Jonathan Frakes is a safe pair of hands for this outing.

Verdict: ‘You guys look really realistic.’ Lightweight and fun, it delivers on its premise, but nothing more. 7/10

Nick Joy