While most Star Trek series follow the adventures of the brave officers on a revred Starfleet ship, as they make first contact with new alien races and civilizations, Star Trek: Lower Decks boldly goes where no Star Trek show has gone before… comedy. The U.S.S. Cerritos is a lesser-important second contact ship—they are the ones who go in after first contact has already been made, in order to get all the proper paperwork signed, make sure the name of the planet is spelled correctly, create a list of all the good restaurants, etc. And while most Star Trek shows focus on the officers aboard the bridge of the ship, Lower Decks primarily follows the adventures of the crew who work on the lower decks of the ship, doing all the menial jobs that keep things running smoothly.

It is the year 2380, the same era as the TNG series. Ensign Brad Boimler (Jack Quaid) is a by-the-books rule follower who has dreams of becoming a captain himself one day. While he currently works in the command division on the Cerritos, his dream job would be working aboard the Titan with esteemed folks like Admiral Riker. Working alongside Boimler is fellow human ensign Beckett Mariner (Tawny Newsome). While Mariner is skilled at her job, she regularly breaks the rules and acts like she doesn’t care. However, she has an encyclopedic memory of everything Starfleet, and would love to be a captain, if it wasn’t for all the bureaucracy and rules. Mariner keeps that fact that her father is an Admiral, and her mother is captain of the Cerritos a secret. She doesn’t really get along with her mother, and neither of them really want to be on the same ship together. Mariner enjoys competing with Boimler and pushing his buttons, and while Boimler is often frustrated by Mariner’s constant rule-breaking, there is definitely an appreciation and friendship forming between the two.

As the series opens, Boimler has been assigned as orientation liaison for new recruit D’Vana Tendi (Noël Wells)—a wide-eyed, enthusiastic and unflappable Orion ensign scientist assigned to the medical bay. As Boimler and Mariner giver her a tour of the ship, they quickly become friends, along with fellow ensign Samanthan “Sam” Rutherford (Eugene Cordero), who seems to have a crush on Tendi. Rutherford is a cyborg who works in engineering, and is still getting used to his new cybernetic implant, which doesn’t quite work as expected. The series primarily focuses on the antics of these four lower deck crew members, but the characters also interact with those on the bridge, including the tough Captain Carol Freeman (Dawnn Lewis), who is constantly looking for a way to transfer her daughter off her ship; human first officer Jack Ransom (Jerry O’Connell), who’s got the over-confidence and good looks of Kirk and the skills of Riker; massive Bajoran tactical officer Shaxs (Fred Tatasciore); and the gruff but skilled head of medical, the cat-like Caitian doctor T’Ana (Gillian Vigman).

While Lower Decks has lots of humor, it is not a parody of the franchise, but rather a full-fledged Star Trek series itself, that is more of a love letter and homage to the 90s era of the franchise. Longtime fans of the franchise will enjoy the numerous fun callbacks and references to characters, missions and alien races from previous series and movies, but new viewers can still fully enjoy the show for the adult animated comedy and action-packed missions. Some of the dialogue and scenes are bleeped and blurred, but nothing ever felt too “adult”. While there are loads of laugh-out-loud moments, over the course of the season, the characters and relationships also really grow and develop, and the season culminates in an exciting action-packed episode with real stakes. The animation is beautiful, with cinematic style lighting and blurred focus that you would normally only find in live action, but mixed with the fun look of a primetime animated comedy.

Here’s a rundown of the first season’s ten episodes:

• “Second Contact” – Boimler is tasked by Captain Freeman with monitoring Mariner’s antics while making second contact on an alien planet. Meanwhile, a zombie-like virus breaks out aboard the ship.
• “Envoys” – While escorting a Klingon general to a peace conference, Boimler and Mariner end up stranded on an alien planet. Meanwhile Rutherford contemplates changing careers in order to have more free time to hang with with Tendi.
• “Temporal Edict” – The captain implements a new scheduling policy after Boimler accidentally reveals that everyone in the lower decks adds buffer time to their schedule. However the new mandate causes a lot of stress and accidents aboard the ship. Meanwhile, first officer Ransom accidentally insults the locals while on an away mission, and stars a war.
• “Moist Vessel” – Captain Freeman tries to assign her daughter to all the nastiest jobs so she’ll want to transfer, but the plan backfires. Meanwhile, Tendi accidentally messes up a crew member’s chance at transcendence, and constantly tries to make it up to him.
• “Cupid’s Errant Arrow” – Mariner suspects something is up with Boimler’s new girlfriend Barbara (Gillian Jacobs)…she’s too good to be true, and tries to prove it. Meanwhile, Tendi and Rutherford compete to win a T88 scanner, not realizing the prize comes with a catch.
• “Terminal Provocations” – While the bridge crew tries to avoid starting a war with some aliens over the ownership of some Starfleet salvage, the lower decks crew have their own issues—Rutherford tries to use the holodeck to teach Tendi how to spacewalk, but things go haywire thanks to virtual assistant Badgy, and Boimler and mariner try to fix a problem caused by Boimler’s Academy buddy Fletcher (Tim Robinson).
• “Much Ado About Boimler” – While the regular bridge crew is off on a secret mission, visiting Captain Amina Ramsey (Toks Olagundoye)—an old Academy friend of Mariner’s—takes the hem of the Cerritos. However, Mariner’s attempts to impress her old friend fail, and she keeps messing up the mission. Meanwhile Boimler suffers a transporter accident, and is sent, along with Tendi and the freakish “dog” she created, to a creepy medical ship run by Division 14.
• “Veritas” – The lower decks crew is put in an alien dungeon and find themselves on trial, but they aren’t sure exactly for what.
• “Crisis Point” – Boimler uses the holodeck to prepare for his evaluation to join the captain’s advanced diplomacy workshop, but Mariner turns the simulation into a movie, and gets trapped inside trying to deal with her issues with her mother.
• “No Small Parts” – After answering a distress call, the Cerritos finds itself under attack. Meanwhile, Mariner is treated differently by the rest of the crew; Tendi is excited to be orientation liaison for a new recruit, a small robot named Peanut Hamper; and Rutherford fiddles with his implant’s attitude adjuster.

I typically only watch things in HD or 4K these days, but I was sent the DVD version of this release for review. The picture actually looks quite good (animation is a bit more forgiving than live action). That said, I would still suggest going for the Blu-ray when picking this up. The audio on the DVD sounds fantastic—the stereo and surround channels are well utilized to fill the room and provide a fully-immersive viewing experience. This is especially noticeable in season’s big climactic battle. The release is spread across 2 discs, which are placed inside a standard DVD keepcase, along with a glossy carboard slipcover.

The discs are loaded with 2 hours of bonus material, including a dozen behind-the-scenes featurettes, as well as some deleted scenes, an animatic version of the pilot, and a trailer for an in-story movie. Most of the material is brand new for this physical release. There are some interesting extras here, but my one complaint is how it is presented on the disc—the bonus material is buried under the menu items for each episode. It would be great if, like the episodes, there was a Play All option to easily watch all the bonus material without having to go into a dozen different menus.

What’s Included:

Episodes: (4:11:35)

• All 10 episodes of the first season:
  “Second Contact”, “Envoys”, “Temporal Edict”, “Moist Vessel”, “Cupid’s Errant Arrow”, “Terminal Provocations”, “Much Ado About Boimler”, “Veritas”, “Crisis Point”, “No Small Parts”
• 480i / Anamorphic Widescreen 1.78:1
• Audio: English Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround
• Subtitles: English SDH

Extras:
Most of the bonus material can be found under the menu items for each episode. The majority of the content is brand new to this disc release—these items are noted with an *. The interviews are generally Zoom interviews with virtual backgrounds, so the quality of the video varies by the the participant.

• Episode 101 “Second Contact”
  • Lower Decktionary: Joining Starfleet* (6:21)
    The filmmakers talk about extending the Star Trek universe into the comedy genre, turning what would normally be B stories into A stories, striking the balance between comedy and a legitimate Star Trek story, and more. Includes interviews with co-executive producer Aaron Baiers, executive producer Alex Kurtzman & Heather Kadin, executive producer/creator Mike McMahan, and director Barry J Kelly.
  • Full Length Animatic* (22:29)
    The full pilot in animatic rough form.
  • Deleted Animatic* (1:02)
    As they are driving back from the second contact mission, Boimler reveals to Mariner that the captain tasked him with monitoring her.
• Episode 102 “Envoys”
  • Lower Decktionary: Aliens Among Us* (7:31)
    The cast and filmmakers discuss taking iconic alien races like the Klingons, Kaelons, Andorians, Gorn, Ferengi, and more into their animated world. Includes interviews with director Kim Arndt, co-producer Brad Winters, supervising director Juno Lee, art director Antonio Canobbio, composting lead Alex King, executive producer/creator Mike McMahan, executive story editor John Cochran, story editor M. Willis, and stars Jack Quaid (“Ensign Brad Boimler”), Gillian Vigman (“Dr. T’ana”) & Fred Tatasciore (“Lieutenant Shaxs”).
• Episode 103 “Temporal Edict”
  • Lower Decktionary: The Animation Process* (8:09)
    The filmmakers discuss the lengthy year-long process of putting together a single episode of Lower Decks, the various departments involved, and the stages an episode goes through. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, sotryboards, animatics, and interviews with co-producer Brad Winters, executive producer/creator Mike McMahan, producer Dave Ihlenfeld, line producer Benjamin Kaltenecker, supervising director Juno Lee, director Bob Suarez, animation director Alexandre Pelletier, background layout supervisor Ivan Louey, background paint supervisor Heather Arm, animation director Bel Oh, composting leads Richard King & Matt Gilligan, editor Todd Raleigh, and stars Jack Quaid & Dawnn Lewis (“Captain Carol Freeman”).
• Episode 104 “Moist Vessel”
  • Lower Decktionary: The Main Titles* (7:15)
    The filmmakers discuss the comedic lack of heroism in the show’s opening title sequence, the homage to the TNG-era, the evolution of the theme music, and more. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with executive producer Alex Kurtzman, co-executive producer Aaron Baiers, executive producer/creator Mike McMahan, art director Antonio Canobbio, and composer Chris Westlake.
  • Deleted Animatics* (1:18)
    In the first scene, Boimler decides to be bad and break the rules, and in the second, Mariner groans during her executive exercise class.
• Episode 105 “Cupid’s Errant Arrow”
  • Lower Decktionary: Art Design* (4:59)
    The filmmakers discuss the visual style of the series, the look of the characters, mixing action and comedy, and more. Includes interviews with executive producer/creator Mike McMahan, supervising director Juno Lee, art director Antonio Canobbio, animation director Alexandre Pelletier, and directors Barry J. Kelly & Kim Arndt.
• Episode 106 “Terminal Provocations”
  • Lower Decktionary: The Holodeck* (6:31)
    The cast and filmmakers discuss the role of the iconic Holodeck in the series, Clippy-inspired Badgy, and more. Includes animatics, and interviews with executive story editors John Cochran & Ann Acacia Kim, executive producer/creator Mike McMahan, supervising director Juno Lee, producers David Wright, & Dave Ihlenfeld, story editor M. Willis, and stars Eugene Corder (“Ensign Samanthan Rutherford”), Tawny Newsome (“Ensign Beckett Mariner”), Gillian Vigman, Jerry O’Connell (“Commander Jack Ransom”), Jack Quaid & Fred Tatasciore.
• Episode 107 “Much Ado About Boimler”
  • Lower Decktionary: Division 14* (4:05)
    The cast and filmmakers discuss the crazy mishaps experienced by the Starfleet employees, and medical specialists of Division 14, who deal with them. Includes interviews with co-executive producer Chris Kula, executive story editor John Cochran, executive producer/creator Mike McMahan, directory Barry J. Kelly, supervising director Juno Lee, and star Jack Quaid.
• Episode 108 “Veritas”
  • Lower Decktionary: Deck Dynamics* (5:06)
    The cast and filmmakers discuss the dynamic between the bridge crew and the lower decks crew, the menial but important jobs of the lower decks crew, and more. Includes interviews with executive producer/creator Mike McMahan, producer Dave Ihlenfeld, story editor M. Willis, staff writer Garrick Bernard, executive story editor John Cochran, and stars Jack Quaid & Dawnn Lewis.
• Episode 109 “Crisis Point”
  • Lower Decktionary: The Music Of Lower Decks* (6:19)
    Executive producer/creator Mike McMahan and composer Chris Westlake discuss the show’s music, the character and alien themes, scoring the theatrical in-story movie, and more.
  • Crisis Point: The Rise of Vindicta Trailer* (1:28)
    Action-packed trailer for the in-story movie of episode 9.
• Episode 110 “No Small Parts”
  • Lower Decktionary: All In The Family (6:30)
    The cast and filmmakers discuss the dramatic growth and evolution of the characters over the course of the season while also maintaining the humor, the audience for the series, the TNG cameos, and more. Includes recording session clips, and interviews with executive producer/creator Mike McMahan, co-executive producer Chris Kula, director Barry J. Kelly, executive producer Alex Kurtzman, and stars Tawny Newsome, Noël Wells (“Ensign D’Vana Tendi”) & Eugene Cordero.
• Faces Of The Fleet (24:43)
  The cast and filmmakers discuss each of the crew members of the U.S.S. Cerritos, the voice talent behind them, the cast auditions and how the characters evolved based on the performances, and more. Includes clips, audio outtakes and edits, and interviews with executive producer/creator Mike McMahan, co-executive producer Aaron Baiers, executive producer Heather Kadin, co-executive producer Chris Kula, director Bob Suarez, and stars Tawny Newsome, Jack Quaid, Noël Wells, Eugene Cordero, Dawnn Lewis, Jerry O’Connell, Gillian Vigman & Fred Tatasciore.
• Hiding In Plain Sight* (7:39)
  The cast and filmmakers point out various Easter eggs hidden throughout the season. Includes interviews with co-producer Brad Winters, executive producer/creator Mike McMahan, background paint supervisor Heather Arm, art director Antonio Canobbio, story editor M. Willis, director Barry J. Kelly, background layout supervisor Ivan Louey, executive producer Heather Kadin, and stars Dawnn Lewis, Tawny Newsome, Jerry O’Connell, Jack Quaid & Euegene Cordero.

Final Thoughts:

Star Trek: Lower Decks is a welcome addition to the Star Trek Franchise. It brings a lot of fun and levity while also being a genuine and exciting Star Trek show of its own. With witty, intelligent writing, gorgeous animation, and an amazing voice cast, it makes for a really fun binge that has a high rewatchability factor. The disc release features strong picture and sound, and includes some really entertaining and interesting bonus material. This is highly recommended for any fan of adult animated comedies or of the Star Trek franchise in general. This is easily my new favorite entry in the Trek franchise.