Finally, the famous American movie franchise has an animated version. CBS has released Star Trek Lower Decks. Now, it is renewed for the third season. After 46 years of delivering movies and serial flicks highlighting the escapades of different ships in different galaxies with great success, it is time to bring the animated series to all. The animated series is the ninth serial expanding the Star Trek franchise greater, created by Solar Opposites Season 3 creator Mike McMahan and produced by Star Trek Discovery Season 2 creator Alex Kurtzman.
The Starfleet, called the USS Cerritos, comprises all crew members below deck. The series is a half-hour-long show that is composed of 10 episodes. The show has received mixed reviews from reviewers; Rotten Tomatoes gave the series 65% ratings from 40 reviewers, while Metacritic delivered a 59% rating from 17 critics.
Star Trek: Lower Decks Season 4 Release Date: When will it air?
Star Trek: Lower Decks’ debut season, which had ten episodes, started on CBS All Access on August 6 and ran until October 2020. After a second season accessible on Paramount+ from August to October 2021, a third season debuted on August 25th, 2022.
The series has received mixed reviews from critics and has gained numerous accolades, along with a nomination for a Primetime Emmy.
Star Trek Lower Decks season 4 will premiere on Thursday, September 7, 2024, with the first two episodes dropping at once. The news was announced at the 2023 San Diego Comic-Con. This matches what we expected based on the schedule for Star Trek Strange New Worlds season 2, which started airing in late spring, and we anticipated a break between the conclusion of the live-action series and the start of the comedy series’ fourth season. The confirmation comes after Star Trek Lower Decks season 4 was officially announced in March 2023.
Star Trek: Lower Decks Season 4 Storyline: What will happen next?
The series examines the life and activities of the support crew of the Starfleet USS Cerritos in 2380. The term Lower Decks was first introduced in Star Trek: The Next Generation, where an episode was named lower decks. The show shows a different perspective on Starfleet background staff. There are four Ensign on the Starfleet, who work on the ship.
The creator, Mike McMahan revealed that in the fourth season of Star Trek Lower Decks, a mysterious force is wreaking havoc on starships and endangering galactic harmony. McMahan humorously noted that the crew of the USS Cerritos is not important enough to be caught up in such dramatic events. Instead, Ensigns Mariner, Boimler, Tendi, Rutherford, and provisional Ensign T’Lyn are diligently fulfilling their Starfleet responsibilities, navigating treacherous encounters with antagonistic computers and finding themselves in the midst of various cave adventures. Along the way, they encounter both familiar and novel extraterrestrial beings.
This storyline bears resemblance to previous seasons, but it introduces the intriguing addition of T’Lyn to the crew. Naturally, fans will crave further insight into the destructive “unknown force.” Undoubtedly, Boimler, Mariner, Rutherfod, and Tendi will find themselves embroiled in this conflict, whether they desire it or not.
In the promotional poster for the upcoming season, the crew of the USS Cerritos can be seen paying homage to The Voyage Home. While this may hold little significance, fans can anticipate references to whales.
Star Trek: Lower Decks Season 4 Cast: Who will be in?
Almost the entire cast will return for season 3 to voice different parts in the series, including:
??August 25th! The Lower Deckers are back on your screens! Some of my favorite episodes in the series are in season 3. Can’t wait for you to see ‘em! #StarTrekLowerDecks #Season3 @StarTrek @paramountplus pic.twitter.com/h4hQZFHyme
— Jack Quaid (@JackQuaid92) July 13, 2022
- Tawny Newsome, voicing the character Beckett Mariner, a carefree Ensign on board the USS Cerritos and child of Captain Freeman.
- Jack Quaid as Ensign Brad Boimer, a rule adhering ensign planning to become a captain.
- Noel Wells (Jessica’s Big Little World) as Tendi D’Vana, an Orion Ensign transferred to USS Cerritos.
- Eugene Cordero as Sam Rutherford, an Ensign possessing cybernetic implants.
- Dawnn Lewis voicing the character Carol Freeman, a capable captain fulfilling her duties on the USS Cerritos.
- Other cast members include, Gillian Vigmam (New Girl), Toks Olagundoye (Castle), and Paul Scheer (Veep).
Star Trek: Lower Decks Season 4 Trailer: When can we watch it?
The season 4 trailer is not released yet. Season 3 trailer can be viewed here:
Star Trek: Lower Decks Season 3 Recap:
Star Trek: Lower Decks is an animated TV series following the adventures of low-ranking officers on the USS Cerritos, one of Starfleet’s less significant starships. The show’s third season premiered on August 25, 2022.
The third season of Star Trek: Lower Decks has had its highs and lows, with occasional moments of character growth overshadowed by a repetitive feeling of revisiting familiar paths. Its finale, whether for better or worse, resets the show in some ways, allowing us to disregard most of this season.
In the concluding episode titled “The Stars at Night,” Admiral Buenamigo’s Texas-class drone ships are unveiled, demonstrating their potential to save the Cerritos. He now advances his plan to replace the human crews of the California-Class ships with these drone vessels, posing a threat to our heroes and their fellow support vessels. The concept of drone ships presents an intriguing dilemma for the Federation, especially considering Starfleet’s troubled history in handling the labor rights of non-organic beings in its service.
Captain Freeman’s last-ditch attempt to keep the Cali ships active is a race between the Cerritos and a Texas-Class drone, involving a series of basic Starfleet missions performed for speed and quality assessment. The race remains neck and neck until Ensign Tendi makes the correct decision to double-check if a planet hosts sentient microbial life that initially went unnoticed during surveys. This causes the Cerritos to narrowly lose to the drone, seemingly sealing the fate of the California ships.
However, any potentially fascinating intellectual aspect of the conflict between the Texas and California classes is promptly dismissed when it is revealed that Buenamigo is not as “buen” an amigo as he seems. With his victory assured, the Admiral discloses that undermining Carol and giving the Texas-Class ships an advantage among his fellow Admirals was his plan all along. To make matters worse, he is also the mastermind behind Rutherford’s memory loss, concealing the fact that the Texas A.I. is based on the code of the psycho hologram “helper” Badgey from the show’s first season.
Overall, the finale of Star Trek: Lower Decks Season 3 is an exhilarating, humorous, and heartwarming episode, as long-running character and plot arcs converge with unexpected twists.
Star Trek: Lower Decks Season 3 Review:
Critics have given positive reviews for the third season of Star Trek: Lower Decks. According to Aaron Phillips of But Why Tho? A Geek Community, “Star Trek Lower Decks Season 3 has something for everyone.” Ryan Britt of Inverse also praises the show, stating that “Lower Decks exists in the intersection between sci-fi irony and humanist honesty. If fans are lucky, the show will remain in that time loop forever.”
Kristy Puchko of Mashable highlights that “Star Trek: Lower Decks doesn’t care if you’re familiar with Kirk or Picard. It will have you laughing at its ‘strange energies’ regardless.” Jessie Gender of the Jessie Gender YouTube Channel also commends the show, claiming that “Lower Decks continues to showcase Trek at its best. The relatable characters are filled with genuine optimism, and the amount of unique ideas, jokes, and references packed into a 30-minute episode is astounding. Yet, it’s the show’s heart that remains consistently remarkable.”
Overall, critics have praised Star Trek: Lower Decks Season 3 for its humor, thoughtfulness, and thrilling exploration of the Star Trek universe.
Star Trek: Lower Decks Season 3 Rating:
The critics have given positive feedback to the third season of Star Trek: Lower Decks. According to 6 reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, the season has a perfect approval rating of 100% with an average score of 8/10.
Where to Watch Star Trek: Lower Decks Season 3?
You can stream Season 3 of Star Trek: Lower Decks on Paramount Plus if you are in the United States. For viewers outside the US, the show is available on Amazon Prime Video in various countries like the UK, Europe, Australia, and Japan. Here is a list of the episodes in Star Trek: Lower Decks Season 3.
- Episode 1: “Grounded”
- Episode 2: “The Least Dangerous Game”
- Episode 3: “Mining the Mind’s Mines”
- Episode 4: “Room for Growth”
- Episode 5: “Reflections”
- Episode 6: “Hear All, Trust Nothing”
- Episode 7: “A Mathematically Perfect Redemption”
- Episode 8: “Crisis Point 2: Paradoxus”
- Episode 9: “Trusted Sources”
- Episode 10: “The Stars at Night”
Click here to watch Season 3 of the series.