REVIEW: ‘Star Trek: Lower Decks’ Season 3 Has Something For Everyone

Get ready to welcome back Ensign Boimler, Mariner, Tendy, Rutherford, and the rest of the USS Cerritos crew as they crash land back on our screens for Star Trek Lower Decks Season 3. The California class starship is ready for a whole new season of antics racing across the galaxy. Created and written by Mike McMahan, one of the genius minds behind Solar Opposites, Lower Decks delivers perspectives of Star Trek we’ve not seen often.

The animated series focuses on the adventures of four Ensigns living on the lower decks of the USS Cerritos, as they deal with the work no one else wants to do. While they may not be on the precipice of history and making first contact like the Enterprise, this crew is out attempting to make a difference, or at the very least maintain the balance. Featuring the vocal talents of Beckett Mariner (Tawny Newsome), Brad Boimler (Jack Quaid), D’Vana Tendi (Noël Wells), and Sam Rutherford (Eugene Cordero).

While the series has that wacky comedy caper of the week narrative, at its core it’s still very much Star Trek. Yet, it doesn’t depend on the audience having an extensive amount of prior experience in this franchise as the comedy of the show operates on multiple levels. There’s more than enough here both in the narrative and the humor for first-time watchers to the most hardened of Trekkie fans.

Lower Decks is first and foremost a comedy series with its feet firmly planted in parodying vast amounts of elements from within many other Star ows. What’s really surprising about Lower Decks, however, is that it has an undeniable underdog charm to it, and season after season that persistent feeling remains. These four individuals represent front-line red shirts that get left with the worst tasks on the ship. Yet whether through mishaps or by design the adventure begins in these very tasks as the four main characters attempt to find the fun in their work while passing the time.

The show doesn’t seek to glorify Boimler, Mariner, Rutherford, or Tendy as Lower Deckers, but instead celebrates them, and their eccentric misadventures. They’re peculiar, unorthodox, and wholly relatable as folks who fall lower down on the career ladder. The bridge crew is full of tenured and exceptional people who’ve worked years to get where they are with star trek typically honing in on the most heroic, or intelligent among them. Whereas Lower Decks thrives in exploring the more irreverent side of the pool by imagining stories of like scientific artifact trash day, or recruitment booths on alien planets.

The four of the characters aren’t who we aim to be, but who we identify as now. Watching this show I fully identify with a Mariner, but fully knowing there are plenty of times I’d be the Boimler of the group as well. It’s an incredibly accessible way to bring madcap sci-fi humor that brings a smile to your face because it’s delivered in a way that you can empathize with.

Season 3 is incredibly self-aware of what the fanbase loves about the show and doesn’t hold back from giving us just that. McMahan and crew also have been taking notes on how attached we’ve become to these characters so don’t be shocked to see some of the individuals on a path towards emotional growth. In fact, there’s an episode much later in the season that will absolutely evoke very strong feelings towards the narrative’s larger message. I won’t say more, but damn it’s such a brilliant episode that I am excited to talk more about at another time, but the end of it hit me like a ton of bricks.

Star Trek Lower Decks Season 3 has something for absolutely everyone. The continuation of this crew’s story and their misadventures is one I’ve found myself very much besotted with. Not only is it a beautifully animated show capable of showcasing exceptional sci-fi moments, it also has a great wealth of captivating characters. Above it all, this show is sensationally funny, and it mercilessly and lovingly mocks its own franchise. It’s unlike anything star trek has seen for a very long time!

Star Trek Lower Decks Season 3 is a weekly show available exclusively on Paramount+.