The animated series Star Trek: Lower Decks boldly goes where no Star Trek show has gone before…comedy, primarily following the adventures of the underappreciated crew members who work on the lower decks of the ship, doing all the things that keep the USS Cerritos running smoothly—and maybe causing a few problems of their own along the way. The series ran for five seasons, from 2020-2024, on Paramount+. The main lower decks crew consists of ensign Beckett Mariner (Tawny Newsome), a rule-breaker who is often at odds with her mother, the ship’s captain, Captain Freeman (Dawnn Lewis); ensign Brad Boimler, a by-the-rules go-getter who eagerly wants to become captain one day but doesn’t really take risks; medical bay ensign D’Vana Tendi (Noël Wells), an Orion trying to escape her family’s pirate past; engineering ensign Sam Rutherford (Eugene Cordero), who’s still trying to figure out his cyborg implant; and joining the group in season 4 is Vulcan science ensign T’Lyn (Gabrielle Ruiz). The bridge crew includes Captain Carol Freeman; her first officer Commander Jack Ransom (Jerry O’Connell), who appears to be a bit of a dumb jock; Bajoran tactical officer Shaxs (Fred Tatasciore); Caitian doctor/head of medical T’Ana (Gillian Vigman), whose bedside manner leaves much to be desired; and chief engineering officer Lieutenant Commander Andy Billups (Paul Scheer).

Over the course of the five seasons we see this lower decks crew and their relationships grow and evolve, as they rise in rank, and get more experience and confidence. Their adventures take them to strange new worlds and put them in dangerous (but also often comedic) situations. Even as they gain more responsibilities, and find themselves off on new exploratory, diplomatic, and rescue missions, the lower-deckers still have to deal with issues that arise on the ship as well, some of which they likely caused in the first place. Lower Decks is very self-aware of the oeuvre of Star Trek, and the writers have fun with this, not only lovingly poking fun at or parodying the franchise, but also giving viewers a lot of nostalgia. There are callbacks, references and storylines inspired by characters, aliens, ships and events from many of the Star Trek movies and TV shows, especially The Next Generation. There are also episodes that feel, like love letters to these other shows, with the crew visiting Deep Space 9, and characters from Voyager appearing on the Cerritos. There’s even a third season crossover with Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, were Mariner and Boimler end up on the live-action Enterprise. (Unfortunately this episode of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is not included in this box set.)

There are so many wonderful guest stars from previous Star Trek properties who make an appearance over the course of the series to reprise and/or poke fun at a previous role, including Jonathan Frakes (“William Riker”), John de Lancie (“Q”), Marina Sirtis (“Deanna Troi”), Robert Duncan McNeill (“Tom Paris” & “Nick Locarno”), Jeffrey Combs (“AGIMUS”), Alice Krige (“Borg Queen”), Lycia Naff (“Sonya Gomez”), Armin Shimerman (“Quark”), Nana Visitor (“Kira Nerys”), George Takei (“Hikaru Sulu”), James Cromwell (“Zefram Cochrane”), J.G. Hertzler (“Martok”), Susan Gibney (“Leah Brahms”), Max Grodénchik (“Rom”), Chase Masterson (“Leeta”), Wil Wheaton (“Wesley Crusher”), Shannon Fill (“Sito Jaxa”), Brent Spiner (“Data”), Jolene Blalock (“T’Pol”), Andrew J. Robinson (“Elim Garak”), Alexander Siddig (“Julian Bashir”), Garrett Wang (“Harry Kim”), and Alfre Woodard (“Lily Sloane”).

While the series is animated, it feels like it is geared towards a slightly more mature audience, often utilizing a bleeped audio track, both for comedic effect, and also to show viewers that these characters don’t quite talk the same as on other Star Trek shows.

The final season ultimately builds to what feels both like a series conclusion but also the start of something new. I would love to see these characters return in some future way, as I really enjoyed the animation style and the wit, writing and humor on this series. Lower Decks will likely be my all-time favorite of the various Star Trek franchises. It has all of the action, excitement and interesting and thought-provoking stories Star Trek is known for, but with a constant dose of humor that just makes it so much fun to watch. And there are so many great, nostalgic callbacks and Easter eggs for fans of the other Star Trek properties that add an extra layer to enjoy. You can really tell that the folks behind this series were themselves die hard fans of the whole Star Trek universe!

CBS/Paramount Home Entertainment has released the complete series box set of Star Trek: Lower Decks on Blu-ray SteelBook and DVD, with a standard-packaging Blu-ray set coming in a few weeks. I was sent the Blu-ray SteelBook edition for review. The presentation looks and sounds fantastic. The animation is crisp, clean and detailed with bright, bold colors—it looks nearly flawless. The audio track provides clear dialogue and makes excellent use of the stereo and surround channels to make the crew’s adventures feel quite immersive. Whether the crew is on some distant planet, or it’s just the general ambiance aboard the Cerritos or some alien ship, the ambient sounds really transport the viewer to these locations. The battle sequences also sound amazing, putting the viewer right in the middle of the action.

The discs in this box set are identical to those included in the individual Blu-ray season releases. (The fifth season has also received a standalone release, for those who already own the first four seasons.) Each season is ten episodes, spread evenly across 2 discs. The 10 discs of the series is split across two Blu-ray SteelBook cases, which are placed in a cardboard slipcase, along with a collectable art card featuring a photo of our 4 favorite lower-deckers signed by the voice cast. The outer case has a carboard divider in the middle to prevent the two SteelBooks from scraping against one another. The first SteelBook case features Boimler and Tendi on the inside and outside, with the 6 discs for seasons 1-3 evenly stacked on two pegs on either side of the case. The second SteelBook case features Mariner and Rutherford on the inside and outside, with the 4 discs for seasons 4-5 evenly stacked on two pegs on either side of the case.

The release includes hours of entertaining bonus material—identical to what is included on the individual season releases. This consists of audio commentaries by the cast/creators, behind-the-scenes featurettes, animatic comparisons, Easter egg discussions, and more. Unfortunately the live-action crossover appearance of the Lower Decks crew on Star Trek: Strange New World is not included on this set—you’ll have to pick up the Second Season release of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds for that.

What’s Included:

Episodes: (21:27:45)

• All 50 episodes of the series on 14 discs:
  • Season 1 (2020) (4:11:36) – 10 episodes, 2 discs
    Disc 1 (2:02:45): “Second Contact”, “Envoys”, “Temporal Edict”, “Moist Vessel”, “Cupid’s Errant Arrow”
    Disc 2 (2:08:51): “Terminal Provocations”, “Much Ado About Boimler”, “Veritas”, “Crisis Point”, “No Small Parts”
  • Season 2 (2021) (4:14:56) – 10 episodes, 2 discs
    Disc 1 (2:03:28): “Strange Energies”, “Kayshon, His Eyes Open”, “We’ll Always Have Tom Paris”, “Mugato, Gumato”, “An Embarrassment of Dooplers”
    Disc 2 (2:11:27): “The Spy Humongous”, “Where Pleasant Fountains Lie”, “I, Excretus”, “wej Duj”, “First First Contact”
  • Season 3 (2022) (4:18:00) – 10 episodes, 2 discs
    Disc 1 (2:04:24): “Grounded”, “The Least Dangerous Game”, “Mining the Mind’s Mines”, “Room for Growth”, “Reflections”
    Disc 2 (2:13:36): “Hear All, Trust Nothing”, “A Mathematically Perfect Redemption”, “Crisis Point 2: Paradoxus”, “Trusted Sources”, “The Stars at Night”
  • Season 4 (2023) (4:16:58) – 10 episodes, 2 discs
    Disc 1: (2:03:19) “Twovix”, “I Have No Bones Yet I Must Flee”, “In the Cradle of Vexilon”, “Something Borrowed, Something Green”, “Empathological Fallacies”
    Disc 2 (2:13:39): “Parth Ferengi’s Heart Place”, “A Few Badgeys More”, “Caves”, “The Inner Fight”, “Old Friends, New Planets”
  • Season 5 (2024) (4:26:15) – 10 episodes, 2 discs
    Disc 1 (2:09:40): “Dos Cerritos”, “Shades of Green”, “The Best Exotic Nanite Hotel”, “A Farewell To Farms”, “‘Starbase 80?!'”
    Disc 2 (2:16:35): “Of Gods and Angles”, “Fully Dilated”, “Upper Decks”, “Fissure Quest”, “The New Next Generation”
• 1080p / Widescreen 1.78:1
• Audio: English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, German 5.1 Dolby Digital (Seasons 2-5), Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital (Season 2), French 5.1 Dolby Digital (Season 2), Italian 5.1 Dolby Digital (Season 2)
• Subtitles: English SDH, German (Seasons 2-5), Danish (Season 2), Spanish (Season 2), French (Season 2), Italian (Season 2), Dutch (Season 2), Norwegian (Season 2), Finnish (Season 2), Swedish (Season 2)
• Audio Commentary Subtitles: English SDH, German (Seasons 2-5), Spanish (Season 2), French (Season 2), Italian (Season 2)

Extras:
Most of the bonus material can be found under the menu items for each episode.

• Season 1
  • Lower Decktionary
    Behind-the-scenes featurettes for each episode of the season. Select from:
    • Episode 101 “Second Contact” – 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.
    • Episode 102 “Envoys” – 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” – 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” – 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.
    • Episode 105 “Cupid’s Errant Arrow” – 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” – 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” – 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” – 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” – 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.
    • Episode 110 “No Small Parts” – 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.
  • Animatics
    • Episode 101 “Second Contact” – Full Length Animatic (22:29)
      The full pilot in animatic rough form.
    • Episode 101 “Second Contact” – 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 104 “Moist Vessel” – 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.
  • Crisis Point: The Rise of Vindicta Trailer (1:28)
    Action-packed trailer for the in-story movie of episode 9.
  • 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.
• Season 2
  • Audio Commentaries
    The cast and creators provides fun commentary tracks for four of the season’s episodes. In addition to discussing the characters and storylines, they also veer off onto other amusing side stories.
    • Episode 202: “Kayshon, His Eyes Open” (24:33)
      Series creator/showrunner Mike McMahan, and actors Jack Quaid and Jonathan Frakes (“Captain Riker”)
    • Episode 205: “An Embarrassment of Dooplers” (23:54)
      Series creator/showrunner Mike McMahan and star Jack Quaid
    • Episode 207: “Where Pleasant Fountains Lie” (24:53)
      Actors Tawny Newsome & Paul Scheer (“Lieutenant Commander Andy Billups”), and writer Garrick Bernard
    • Episode 209: “Wej Duj” (26:17)
      Series creator/showrunner Mike McMahan, actor Gabrielle Ruiz (“T’Lyn”), and writer Kathryn Lyn
  • Season Two Animatics
    Side-by-side/picture-in-picture comparisons of scenes in their original animatic and the final animation forms. Select from:
    • Episode 201: “Strange Energies” (0:58)
    • Episode 202: “Kayshon, His Eyes Open” (1:00)
    • Episode 203: “We’ll Always Have Tom Paris” (1:03)
    • Episode 204: “Mugato, Gumato” (1:01)
    • Episode 205: “An Embarrassment of Dooplers” (1:00)
    • Episode 206: “The Spy Humongous” (:43)
    • Episode 207: “Where Pleasant Fountains Lie” (:50)
    • Episode 208: “I, Excretus” (1:03)
    • Episode 209: “wej Duj” (:51)
    • Episode 210: “First First Contact” (1:03)
  • Season Two Easter Eggs
    The cast and showrunner Mike McMahan point out some of the Easter eggs and callbacks to other Star Trek franchises hidden in each episode.
    • Episode 201: “Strange Energies” (1:01)
    • Episode 202: “Kayshon, His Eyes Open” (1:31)
    • Episode 203: “We’ll Always Have Tom Paris” (1:26)
    • Episode 204: “Mugato, Gumato” (1:03)
    • Episode 205: “An Embarrassment of Dooplers” (1:04)
    • Episode 206: “The Spy Humongous” (1:03)
    • Episode 207: “Where Pleasant Fountains Lie” (1:01)
    • Episode 208: “I, Excretus” (1:07)
    • Episode 209: “wej Duj” (1:02)
    • Episode 210: “First First Contact” (1:03)
  • A Sound Foundation (13:19)
    The cast and creators talk about the importance of sound to the Star Trek franchise, the challenges and process of recreating the classic sounds for Lower Decks, designing the soundscape, and more. Includes interviews with executive producer Mike McMahan, supervising sound editor James Lucero, co-producer Brad Winters, sound designer James Singleton, actor Eugene Cordero, and re-recording mixer Konrad Piñon.
  • Lower Decktionary: Season Two (32:37)
    The cast and crew discuss the characters’ journeys in the second season, bringing Shax back, the various storylines, and more. Includes interviews with executive producers Alex Kurtzman & Mike McMahan, story editor Garrick Bernard, and stars Tawny Newsome, Jack Quaid, Eugene Cordero, Noël Wells & Paul Scheer.
• Season 3
  • Audio Commentaries
    • Episode 301: “Grounded” (24:42)
      Actors Jonathan Frakes & Tawny Newsome, and series creator/showrunner Mike McMahan
    • Episode 306: “Hear All, Trust Nothing” (26:25)
      Actors Nana Visitor (“Col. Kira Nerys”), Armin Shimerman (“Quark”), Tawny Newsome, Noël Wells, Jack Quaid & Eugene Cordero, and series creator/showrunner Mike McMahan
    • Episode 307: “A Mathematically Perfect Redemption” (26:40)
      Producer/supervising director Barry Kelly, actor Kether Donohue (“Peanut Hamper”), and series creator/showrunner Mike McMahan
    • Episode 308: “Crisis Point 2: Paradoxus” (27:15)
      Actors Tawny Newsome, Noël Wells, Jack Quaid & Jerry O’Connell (“Commander Jack Ransom”), and series creator/showrunner Mike McMahan
    • Episode 310: “The Stars at Night” (27:58)
      Actors Jack Quaid, Dawnn Lewis & Fred Tatasciore
  • Docking at Deep Space 9 (12:22)
    The cast and crew talk about creating and revisiting Deep Space 9, Quark’s, and some familiar characters in episode 6 “Hear All, Trust Nothing”. Includes clips from Deep Space 9 and interviews with executive producer Mike McMahan, producer Barry J. Kelly, writer Grace Parra Janney, and actors Jerry O’Connell, Jack Quaid, Armin Shimerman, Nana Visitor & Tawny Newsome.
  • Lower Decktionary: Season Three (33:07)
    The cast and crew discuss the third season storylines, themes, and character development. Includes interviews with executive producer Mike McMahan, and actors Tawny Newsome, Jack Quaid, Eugene Cordero, James Cromwell (“Zefram Cchrane”), Dawnn Lewis, Jerry O’Connell & Noël Wells.
• Season 4
  • Audio Commentaries
    • Episode 401 “Twovix” (25:00)
      Star Jack Quaid (“Brad Boimler”), series creator/showrunner Mike McMahan, and producer Brad Winters.
    • Episode 404: “Something Borrowed, Something Green” (25:36)
      Stars Tawny Newsome, Noël Wells & Gabrielle Ruiz.
    • Episode 406: “Parth Ferengi’s Heart Place” (25:11)
      Stars Noël Wells, Eugene Cordero & Chase Masterson (“Leeta”), and series creator/showrunner Mike McMahan.
    • Episode 409: “The Inner Fight” (26:21)
      Stars Dawnn Lewis (“Carol Freeman”) & Tawny Newsome, and series creator/showrunner Mike McMahan.
    • Episode 410: “Old Friends, New Planets” (30:10)
      Guest star Robert Duncan McNeill (“Nick Locarno”), and series creator/showrunner Mike McMahan.
  • Lower Decktionary: Setting Up Season 4 (8:33)
    The cast and crew discuss the fourth season, particularly celebrating the bizarre legacy of Voyager, promoting the lower deckers, and more. Includes clips from Voyager, and interviews with executive producer Mike McMahan, and stars Eugene Cordero, Tawny Newsome, Noël Wells & Jack Quaid.
  • Old Friends (28:45)
    Executive producer Mike McMahan dicusses bringing back legacy characters along with the original voice actors, while the guest cast reunite, reminisce about their work on TNG, and talk about the themes of Star Trek. Includes clips from TNG and Voyager episodes, concept artwork, and interviews with actors Shannon Fill (“Sito Jaxa”), Robert Duncan McNeill (“Nick Locarno”) & Wil Wheaton (“Wesley Crusher”).
• Season 5
  • Audio Commentaries
    • Episode 501: “Dos Cerritos” (27:19)
      Actors Tawny Newsome & Noël Wells, and series creator Mike McMahan
    • Episode 503: “The Best Exotic Nanite Hotel” (25:44)
      Actor Jack Quaid, supervising director Barry J. Kelly, and series creator Mike McMahan
    • Episode 507: “Fully Dilated” (25:41)
      Actors Brent Spiner (“Data”) & Noël Wells, and series creator Mike McMahan
    • Episode 508: “Upper Decks” (24:25)
      Actor Fred Tatasciore (“Lieutenant Shaxs”), producers Brad Winters & Megan Treviño, and series creator Mike McMahan
    • Episode 510: “The New Next Generation” (33:51)
      Actors Tawny Newsome, Noël Wells, Jack Quaid & Eugene Cordero, and series creator Mike McMahan
  • Lower Decktionary: Season 5 (25:24)
    The cast and crew discuss the storylines of the fifth season, the different version of the characters, their characters’ journeys this season, the guest stars, the platonic character relationships, the ending, and more. Includes clips from across the Star Trek franchise, and interviews with executive producer Mike McMahan, and stars Tawny Newsome, Jack Quaid, Eugene Cordero & Noël Wells.

Final Thoughts:

Star Trek: Lower Decks is a wonderful addition to the Star Trek Universe, bringing interesting characters and missions and a lot of humor. The writing is wonderful, and the characters are allowed to grow and develop over the course of the five seasons, building to what feels like a solid ending. However, the series also leaves things a bit open, should we have the good fortune to revisit these characters in some other format, movie or spin-off in the future. This is probably my favorite entry of the Trek franchise so far, and I will definitely miss this show. The animation looks fantastic and I love the humor and nods to other Trek properties. This SteelBook Complete Series box set is a re-packaging of the individual season discs, so those who already own the individual seasons don’t need to re-purchase, unless they want the new SteelBook packaging and collectable art card. The SteelBook packagaking looks great, but there is also a slightly-cheaper standard packaging release on the way for those who prefer that. The Blu-ray presentation is top notch, with excellent picture and sound, and the discs include hours of entertaining bonus material. This release is certainly a must own for fans of the series, or of Star Trek in general.