‘Star Trek: Lower Decks – The Complete Series’ Blu-ray (review)

Paramount Pictures

The advent of streaming television over the last several years has marked a small-screen renaissance for the iconic Star Trek franchise.

Under the guidance of executive producer Alex Kurtzman, the ever-expanding Star Trek Universe has treated fans to five streaming series, a televised movie, and an assortment of shorts since 2017.

Among this output, the recently concluded Star Trek: Lower Decks stands out as one of the most unique, offbeat entries in the franchise’s storied and sometimes inconsistent history.

Now, Star Trek: Lower Decks – The Complete Series is available on Blu-ray and as a limited edition SteelBook collection containing all five 10-episode seasons of the show as well as five hours of special features, episode commentaries, and other bonus material.

Created by Emmy Award-winning writer and producer Mike McMahan, whose previous credits include the animated comedies Rick and Morty and Solar Opposites, Star Trek: Lower Decks marks a departure from earlier iterations of Trek. The series is the first animated entry in the franchise since 1973’s Star Trek: The Animated Series and the only Trek show to lean fully into comedy.

Lower Decks also distinguishes itself from its predecessors by shifting the focus away from bold explorers and brave captains leading intergalactic adventures aboard the United Federation of Planets’ finest starships. Instead, the series follows the low-ranking support staff of the workaday USS Cerritos, a vessel tasked with supply runs, repair missions, and “second contact” with planets discovered by more illustrious Starfleet crews.

Set in the years following Star Trek: The Next Generation, Ensigns Beckett Mariner, Brad Boimler, D’Vana Tendi, and Sam Rutherford navigate their mundane duties and social lives while stumbling into bizarre and dangerous situations that the senior officers typically handle in other Star Trek series. The show humorously explores the less glamorous side of Starfleet, highlighting the everyday challenges and interpersonal relationships of the crew serving on the “lower decks.”

Beckett Mariner (voiced by Tawny Newsome) is an exceptionally capable but insubordinate Starfleet ensign and daughter of the Cerritos’ captain, Carol Freeman (Dawnn Lewis). Despite frequent demotions and reassignments for past infractions, Mariner often proves to be the most competent person in a crisis. Her playfully antagonistic friendship with Ensign Brad Boimler (Jack Quaid) provides the central dynamic of the show.

Boimler is an ambitious but neurotic ensign who dreams of promotion. His encyclopedic knowledge of Starfleet history and protocols and tendency to overthink situations lead to constant humorous mishaps.

Orion medic D’Vana Tendi (Noel Wells) and engineer Sam Rutherford (Eugene Cordero) are good-natured lower deckers who share a close bond and often geek out over scientific and technological discoveries. The pair provide a cheerful contrast to their more cynical and anxious comrades.

While some die-hard Star Trek fans were initially skeptical of the series’ approach to the venerable franchise, critical response to Lower Decks was largely positive throughout its five-season run on Paramount+ from 2020 to 2024. Viewers praised the show for its humor and surprisingly well-developed characters. The show consistently managed a balancing act between being a genuinely funny animated comedy and a legitimate extension of Star Trek, exploring familiar themes and expanding the universe in interesting ways.

Lower Decks is frequently described as a “love letter” to Star Trek, poking fun at familiar and overused tropes while remaining affectionately reverent to the various series and films that preceded it.

Each episode is packed with Easter eggs, call-backs, and deep cuts that resonate with longtime fans, often utilizing old plot points and characters in clever ways. However, as is often the case with pop culture franchises built on decades of storytelling, the sheer magnitude of existing lore can be daunting and a turn-off for new or casual viewers. Fortunately, the show’s episodic nature, reminiscent of older Star Trek series, makes it more accessible to audiences than other recent efforts.

Star Trek: Lower Decks is largely a successful and refreshing addition to the Star Trek franchise. Garnering praise for its humor, its genuine affection for the source material, and its engaging characters, the series provides laughs and a unique and entertaining perspective on the Starfleet universe.