It's hard to believe this show is already entering its fourth season.
From the first moments we were introduced to Mariner, Boimler, Rutherford, and Tendi just over three years ago to Pakleds, Vulcans, and Borg babies, Lower Decks has provided us with belly laughs (and definitely some tears) throughout the dark times or as normal human beings call it, the pandemic.
And going into its fourth season, it would be forgivable for a show to put on the brakes; after all, not every season can be a banger...or can they? When it comes to Lower Decks, the answer is yes, they can. Season three did produce arguably the series' most controversial episode (looking at you, Peanut Hamper), but it's still a fantastic season of television.
So, how do you build upon three nearly-perfect seasons of Star Trek? You don't change much, as it turns out. That's not to say that the status quo in Lower Decks season four doesn't change. Depending on which other outlets you read or can just add things up mentioned in the trailer, it's not hard to figure out what that change is. For the sake of keeping this review as spoiler-free as possible, we will leave it at that.
But that status quo change helps to deliver, at least for me, Lower Decks' best outing so far. I won't be able to say that definitively until the end of the season, but judging from the first eight episodes Paramount supplied us with, I feel pretty comfortable saying it now.
From the second episode, the big changes aboard the Cerritos give us something we'd been asking for for a while: our core four getting to mix it up with who they're hanging out with and going on all the adventures we've come to love and laugh at.
Take Boimler and T'Lyn, for example. It may not be a team-up anyone expects early in the season, but these two go on an away mission in the third episode, where they learn a lot about each other, and it just works. We've always known Boimler has been a bit unsure of himself, and that's the case during some moments of this season as well, but T'Lyn is one of the unexpected voices of reason in Boim-Boim's ear and certainly a confidence booster.
Let's stick with T'Lyn for a moment. Having Gabrielle Ruiz back as the young Vulcan officer we fell in love with in "Wej duj" is a delight. It's not just a one-and-done appearance; T'Lyn is an integral part of this season, building relationships and friendships with our Lower Deckers.
Noël Wells as Ensign Tendi and Gabrielle Ruiz as T'Lyn appearing in episode 1, season 4 of Lower Decks
Two of those Lower Deckers are Tendi and Mariner, and their interactions throughout the first eight episodes are hilarious and moving. We have three strong women, all with their own goals and motivations, and during what I saw of season four, each member of this unexpected trio helps to lift the other up. It's a welcome change from almost three seasons of the self-sabotage our foursome would sometimes get into onboard the Cerritos.
Not to say there isn't some self-sabotage this season; it wouldn't be Lower Decks without it. It comes in the form of Boimler and Rutherford, a pair that suddenly are seeing a whole lot more of each other. The reason for that is hinted at earlier in the article, but how these two very different officers have to all of a sudden reconcile their differences is hilarious. But it also comes from a place I think a lot of folks watching will be able to sympathize with.
Lower Decks has also always gone heavy on fan service, but it's never just been for the sake of having fan service. It's always been a vessel for the show's comedy and to help advance the plot of any given week's episode, and that's no different in season four.
Carl Tart as Lieutenant Kayhon, Jerry O'Connell as Commander Jack Random, Jack Quaid as Ensign Brad Boimler appearing in episode 1, season 4 of Lower Decks
And that brings me to the season premiere "Twovix." You can connect the dots and probably figure out from that title that the first season four episode will partially take place aboard Voyager. Just knowing that screams fan service, but "Twovix" stands so well on its own while having such a major set piece behind it, I'm still not sure how they pulled it off. It's everything a season premiere for Lower Decks should be.
And that's the theme of this review. Lower Decks is still the same raunchy, hilarious, and moving animated Trek show we've loved for three-plus years. Yet, with just a couple of changes to our core crew and the addition of T'Lyn as a series regular, we've been given a refresh that brings some of my favorite episodes this show has put out. There's not one bad episode in the batch that we were given.
That's exciting for me as someone gets to get on a mic every week and talk about this show, and it's even more exciting getting to see the reaction from our listeners and Trek fans worldwide for the next ten weeks. Captain Freeman? Warp Me!
