beckett mariner & bradward boimler (Star trek: lower decks)

The streaming era of Star Trek on Paramount+ has been a mixed bag, to say the least. Discovery has degraded steadily, Picard managed to redeem itself after two dreadful seasons, while Strange New Worlds remains competent yet aggressively overpraised. Quietly emerging as the sturdiest creative performer in the current Trek portfolio has been the animated offering Lower Decks - a misfit comedy about the low-ranking support crew who handle the menial tasks aboard the USS Cerritos. The show overcame some initial growing pains (in which it struggled to balance affectionate satire with genuine homage) to establish a consistent and comfortable groove; as it preps for its fifth and final season, it’s more than earned its place in the Trek hierarchy. ​

As mentioned previously, the union of animation and Funko Pop often proves a delicate alchemy. Sometimes the two styles simply don’t mesh at all (Family Guy being the most notorious offender, though Peanuts was a bit rough and Big Mouth turned out about as aesthetically pleasing as you’d expect). More often than not, the figures are technically acceptable, but feel oddly leached of personality (The Simpsons, Futurama, Bob’s Burgers). Thankfully, the Lower Decks lineup generates no such complaints - the designs feel like they capture the essence of the characters perfectly. I particularly wanted the D’Vana Tendi figure, as I imagine her mint-green skin tone would pop magnificently on the shelf, but cost and space considerations typically dictate a two character limit per license… and, as the bedrock of the show, Mariner and Boimler were the obvious priority - you can’t very well have one without the other.

Mariner in particular looks virtually flawless. Her pose - wrists on hips, weight slightly shifted to her left with both feet splayed - perfectly conveys her snarky, insubordinate persona… as does her facial expression. I know I harp a lot about the art of nuance when it comes to Pop design, but I feel like I’m forever fighting the perception of Funko being synonymous with low-grade crap. Take a look at Mariner’s eyes. Her lids are lowered precisely the right fractional amount to project a sense of combative disdain (any lower and she’d appear sleepy), coupled with her sharply curved eyebrows and the fact that the lids slant inwards rather than outwards. Her hair is sculpted perfectly (I particularly like how the ponytail favors her lefthand side), popping against the bright red of her uniform top and scrunchie, while her sleeves are rolled to the elbows - exactly as they appear on the show. The likeness is absolutely spot-on.  ​

Boimler is comparatively less exciting. His expression is neutral, and he stands at attention with his hands clasped behind his back… appropriate for a character who’s an uptight stickler for rules and regulations (a mouth might have helped project his overarching enthusiasm for all things Starfleet, but that choice will always elicit mixed reactions - I’m fine not going down that thorny path). The main claim to fame here is how well the sculpt captures the tousled geometric quality of his purple hair - the proportions are slightly exaggerated compared to his cartoon counterpart, but the end result looks great (unfortunately the hair tips remain largely obscured in the box, which not only tempers the figure’s overall shelf appeal, but also lessens the impact of the purple against his red uniform top). On its own, this is a relatively nondescript Pop, but when paired with Mariner, their contrast in style and personality makes for an appealing duo… just as it does on Lower Decks itself.