Four Seasons In, Star Trek: Lower Decks Remains a Great Trek Series and an Even Better Workplace Comedy
Photo courtesy of Paramount+
When I initially heard the premise for Star Trek: Lower Decks, the adult animated comedy from former Rick and Morty writer Mike McMahan, I was a bit skeptical. It’s not the first cartoon rendition of the franchise (that privilege goes to 1973’s Star Trek: The Animated Series), but it is a significant departure from what came before because it’s the only installment not styled as a drama. While I was partially concerned that its focus on humor would lead to grating lampshading of the series’ sci-fi musings, my biggest worry was that Rick and Morty’s nihilistic outlook would find its way here, directly contradicting the hopefulness that Trek is known for.
Thankfully, these concerns were unfounded, and although Lower Decks isn’t afraid to poke fun at franchise conventions, at its core, it still embodies the kind of optimistic ethos, curiosity toward the unknown, and belief in people that’s always made the franchise so refreshing. In its fourth season, the show continues to embody these core principles while also focusing on workplace comedy that successfully explores the foibles of its charmingly disastrous up-and-coming crew.
We still follow Boimler (Jack Quaid), Mariner (Tawny Newsome), Tendi (Noël Wells), and Rutherford (Eugene Cordero), four low-ranking officers on Starfleet’s USS Cerritos during the late 24th century (a few years after The Next Generation takes place). It’s a support ship mostly dedicated to “second contact” missions that involve reconvening with alien species that the Federation previously parlayed with. Although their vessel is far from the flagship, they still encounter the same manner of strange phenomena, diplomatic envoys, and peacetime-threatening standoffs that pushed the Enterprise to the brink countless times. This season focuses on the crew of the Cerritos grappling with new responsibilities while a mysterious sequence of unexplained attacks comes into focus.
As a comedy that highlights the less decorated “lower deckers” of Starfleet, the show is frequently more dedicated to the foibles of its characters than grand adventures. Thankfully, this works out fine because it’s a blast to watch these formerly fresh-faced ensigns quip, bumble, and generally act like chaotic twenty-somethings. Boimler’s strait-laced, social-climbing antics are a natural foil for Mariner’s rule-breaking and deep-seated fear of responsibility. Similarly, Tendi and Rutherford’s infectious positivity, intense nerdiness about their ship, and wholesome platonic relationship make them a perfect counterbalance against their messier friends (even if they also have problems). Their banter is consistently hilarious, and a genuine sense of camaraderie emerges as they spend their days trapped in a dangerous metal tin floating through the void of space.
The latest run continues to build on its greatest point of improvement from the early days of Season 1, which is that unlike the static characters of many long-running comedies, it feels like these four genuinely grow as people. We witness how new responsibilities affect the group, emphasizing how far they’ve come. This doesn’t mean they’re unrecognizable from where they started, as their entertaining dynamics and underlying issues remain, but it’s been rewarding to see how they’ve changed. The secondary cast, the bridge crew who would normally be the focal point of a regular Trek show, have also come a long way from their initial insufferable demeanors and continue getting enough small, interesting moments to avoid feeling like caricatures. While the series is never afraid to highlight the absurdity of these people, they’re more than just the butt of jokes, which is indicative of the general approach to the comedy here.
Because even as Lower Decks consistently pokes fun at franchise tropes, its humor doesn’t come across as mean-spirited. Instead, it feels like some friendly ribbing, as it points out the surface-level silliness that’s been around since Kirk and Spock faced off against giant spectral hands or confronted evil mirror-world versions of themselves. This series has always had plenty of goofy moments, and although I appreciate that the mainline entries play this straight, it does mean there is a wealth of unremarked-upon ridiculousness to address.