Star Trek: Lower Decks continues to bring the fun as the animated comedy series comes back for its third season on Paramount+.

I’ve had the opportunity to watch the first eight episodes of the new season. They stay true to the formula that worked with them for the first two seasons. Of course, they start to have fun and change it up starting with the eighth episode. While press haven’t received screeners for the final two episodes, it’s probably a sure bet that the same applies for those two if we go off of the first two seasons. It goes without saying that the standard formula is what works for Star Trek.

When we last saw Beckett Mariner (Tawny Newsome) and company, Captain Carol Freeman (Dawnn Lewis) was removed from her ship. The new season starts at some point shortly thereafter. While I’m not going to get into any episode specifics, let me just say that you’re in for a treat. If you’re anything like me, you’re going to enjoy it. Not all episodes are like this one but again, Mike McMahan and company know how to have fun with the Star Trek universe. As we get deeper into the season, the series allows for more in-universe callbacks and such. But much like the first two seasons, we have come to expect this. I will certainly not offer any particular spoilers when it comes to this but much like She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, I like how they approach things from the comedy perspective.

Season 3 continues to follow the shenanigans of Mariner, Brad Boimler (Jack Quaid), Tendi (Noël Wells), and Rutherford (Eugene Cordero). Everyone of them gets equal treatment in that they are co-leads. I’m not sure what exactly I can say about the characters since individual episode storylines/spoilers are under embargo. Every episode adds another layer to the growth, a few episodes in particular. I feel that we really get to see them grow in the third season especially with the trust of the USS Cerritos senior staff and bridge crew. There are episodes in the third season that they probably could not have produced in the first or second season, mostly because of where the characters are in their journey.

Star Trek: Lower Deck continues to show off the franchise’s funnier side as audiences follow the lower-deckers. Sit back, have fun, Live Long and Prosper.

CREATOR/SHOWRUNNER: Mike McMahan
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Alex Kurtzman, Rod Roddenberry, Trevor Roth, Katie Krentz, Heather Kadin, Mike McMahan
CO-EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Aaron Baiers
CAST: Tawny Newsome, Jack Quaid, Noël Wells, Eugene Cordero, Dawnn Lewis, Jerry O’Connell, Fred Tatasciore, Gillian Vigman

Paramount+ will launch season 3 of Star Trek: Lower Decks on August 25, 2022. The 10-episode season will air weekly. Grade: 4/5

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