we all know that for every Archer or Sisko, there's nine, ten, dozens of plodders or absolute shits
The problem with the main cast is most of them are the literal best Starfleet has, more so than the general elite nature of the organisation. Even just the captains highlight the to the extreme.
Archer is the first warp 5 captain. The flashback episode regarding Robinson shows it was an extremely competitive contest as it was so important to Starfleet and humanity as a whole.
Picard commands the flagship of the fleet. His face is basically Starfleet at that point.
Sisko is taking over a still smouldering powderkeg with Bajor immediately after the end of the Cardassian Occupation.
Kirk is considered to be a tactical genius by both Starfleet and other alien empires.
Of the main lineup Janeway ends up being the only one who isn't someone special. She's meant to be tracking down her tactical officer and gets stuck 70'000 light years away because of it. While the idea of how other captains might have faired is brought up a few times, like with Captain Ransom and the USS Equinox that was in the same situation, it was still people that weren't meant to be there so we're out of their depth a lot of the time by design.
Everyone else is still meant to be highly competent even if they end up being one of the background crew or the actual lower decks as the TNG episode did first. Those crewmen showed they weren't just brainless cogs in a machine when one of them figured out the bridge officers were setting up a secret mission instead of just testing phaser fire on a shuttle because the blast patterns were being done in a way to fake live fire damage.
Instead Lower Decks ends up with a crew that should be arrested for treason at a minimum, court martialed, and probably spaced for the safety of everyone else in Starfleet.
The problem with the main cast is most of them are the literal best Starfleet has, more so than the general elite nature of the organisation. Even just the captains highlight the to the extreme.
Archer is the first warp 5 captain. The flashback episode regarding Robinson shows it was an extremely competitive contest as it was so important to Starfleet and humanity as a whole.
Picard commands the flagship of the fleet. His face is basically Starfleet at that point.
Sisko is taking over a still smouldering powderkeg with Bajor immediately after the end of the Cardassian Occupation.
Kirk is considered to be a tactical genius by both Starfleet and other alien empires.
Of the main lineup Janeway ends up being the only one who isn't someone special. She's meant to be tracking down her tactical officer and gets stuck 70'000 light years away because of it. While the idea of how other captains might have faired is brought up a few times, like with Captain Ransom and the USS Equinox that was in the same situation, it was still people that weren't meant to be there so we're out of their depth a lot of the time by design.
Everyone else is still meant to be highly competent even if they end up being one of the background crew or the actual lower decks as the TNG episode did first. Those crewmen showed they weren't just brainless cogs in a machine when one of them figured out the bridge officers were setting up a secret mission instead of just testing phaser fire on a shuttle because the blast patterns were being done in a way to fake live fire damage.
Instead Lower Decks ends up with a crew that should be arrested for treason at a minimum, court martialed, and probably spaced for the safety of everyone else in Starfleet.