There was a brief stretch where it wasn't fun to be a Star Trek fan. At the end of the Next Generation line of movies and around the start of the JJ Abrams reboot, which made it a point to tread old ground (only worse), it was fair to ask what was even happening. After a rough patch, it now looks like Star Trek's back on the right track, even in animation. Star Trek: Lower Decks sounds like a silly premise on paper, but it proves to have all the heart of the original shows mixed with a modern sense of humor.
Lower Decks follows the operations of the U.S.S. Cerritos' lower decks crew members. Lower decks crew is somehow an even bigger indignity than being a red shirt and the crew is well aware of their place in the grander scheme. That's especially true of Beckett Mariner, who's the rebellious daughter of the ship captain.
Mariner, by herself, carries Lower Decks with her comedic timing, snappy antics, and chemistry with her teammates. She gives this show the atmosphere of a show like Archer, only set in space... and ironically proves to be funnier than the actual Archer season that's set in space.
Lower Decks is a show made with love, filled with the best elements of Star Trek. That includes the exploration aspect, the emphasis on being the humanity, and it even throws in lessons on friends and family. Once the show finds its stride, it goes even farther in on the nostalgia factor, bringing out the big guns for the first season's finale.
Trek fans should be all over Lower Decks, as should anyone who likes animated screwball comedies in the vein of something like Archer or Inside Job. Give it a look on Paramount Plus before Season 3 starts at the end of August.
