Reviews of Lower Decks are written and posted as the series airs. Note: All reviews contain spoilers.
Content Listing
Season 1 (2020)
8/6/2020. Second Contact — Four young ensigns aboard the USS Cerritos prepare to do their part in a follow-up mission to a world recently contacted by the Federation, but things go awry when an alien virus infects the crew.
8/13/2020. Envoys — Boimler and Mariner escort a Klingon general to a planet for a conference while Rutherford considers a series of career changes aboard the Cerritos.
8/20/2020. Temporal Edict — Captain Freeman orders a new policy aboard the ship that forces everyone to meet strict new productivity standards.
8/27/2020. Moist Vessel — Mariner's pervasive insubordination becomes a topic of Freeman's concern during the investigation of a relic generation starship. Meanwhile, Tendi tries to connect with a fellow officer on a spiritual journey to ascend to a higher plane of existence.
9/3/2020. Cupid's Errant Arrow — When Mariner meets Boimler's long-distance girlfriend during a rendezvous with another Starfleet ship, she becomes convinced the girlfriend is really an alien up to no good.
9/10/2020. Terminal Provocations — As the bridge crew tries to avoid a violent confrontation during a standoff with hostile aliens, the ensigns must contend with an unfolding crisis below decks.
9/17/2020. Much Ado About Boimler — A transporter mishap leaves Boimler in an altered state of existence. Meanwhile, Mariner is reunited with an old friend from her academy days who is now a captain put in temporary command of the Cerritos.
9/24/2020. Veritas — The ensigns are forced to testify by aliens who have put the senior staff on trial.
10/1/2020. Crisis Point — When Freeman orders Mariner to therapy for her most recent transgression, Mariner retreats into the holodeck where she commandeers a program re-enacting life aboard the Cerritos where she can get revenge.
10/8/2020. No Small Parts — After an attack on a Federation starship, the Cerritos investigates the distress call, upon which they are drawn into a deadly encounter.
Season 2 (2021)
8/12/2021. Strange Energies — Ransom is zapped with an alien energy pulse that turns him into a superbeing, leading him to act out over Freeman giving Mariner more autonomy. Meanwhile, Tendi worries that Rutherford's memory loss may negatively impact their friendship.
8/19/2021. Kayshon, His Eyes Open — While Boimler faces action-packed adventures on the Titan, the Cerittos is assigned to oversee the cataloging of a dead curator's massive collection.
8/26/2021. We'll Always Have Tom Paris — Tendi and Mariner go on an adventure to retrieve something for Dr. T'Ana; Boimler faces issues with the ship's security systems; Rutherford investigates the mysterious resurrection of a crew member; Tom Paris visits the Cerritos.
9/2/2021. Mugato, Gumato — The Cerritos is assigned to investigate the sighting of a dangerous creature on a nearby planet; Boimler and Rutherford become convinced Mariner is an undercover agent; Tendi has to assert herself on the job.
9/9/2021. An Embarrassment of Dooplers — While Mariner and Boimler make plans to crash a party of the Starfleet elite, an alien emissary aboard the Cerritos unleashes chaos when he begins multiplying exponentially.
9/16/2021. The Spy Humongous — The Cerritos is assigned to engage the Pakleds, who attempt to infiltrate the ship with a spy; Tendi tries to put a positive spin on trash collection duty; a group of ambitious ensigns tries to recruit Boimler into their clique.
9/23/2021. Where Pleasant Fountains Lie — Chief Engineer Billups' mother, who has long tried to get her son to return home and take his place as heir to their world's throne, comes aboard the Cerritos asking for his help. Meanwhile, Mariner and Boimler crash on a desolate planet while transporting a dangerously manipulative robot.
9/30/2021. I, Excretus — When a Starfleet drill administrator comes aboard the Cerritos, the Lower Deckers and the command staff must switch roles and engage in a series of simulated missions used to assess their skills.
10/7/2021. Wej Duj — The low-ranking officers on a Klingon ship, a Vulcan ship, and the Cerritos must all overcome obstacles as they play their roles on a day where all their ship's paths will inevitably converge.
10/14/2021. First First Contact — The Cerritos prepares to accompany another Starfleet vessel on a First Contact mission, but must come to the rescue with a daring plan when disaster strikes and cripples the other ship.
Season 3 (2022)
8/25/2022. Grounded — With the Cerritos crew on leave and Freeman awaiting trial for the destruction of Pakled Planet, Mariner decides she must take matters into her own hands to clear her mother's name.
9/1/2022. The Least Dangerous Game — While Mariner finds herself under Ransom's thumb during a repair mission, Boimler unwisely agrees to be hunted by an alien predator in an effort to be less risk-averse.
9/8/2022. Mining the Mind's Mines — The Lower Deckers are assigned to clean up alien artifacts that reveal their greatest fantasies.
9/15/2022. Room for Growth — While Freeman orders the overworked engineering staff to take some time for relaxation, the Lower Deckers embark on a mischievous plan to acquire the prime rooming assignment.
9/22/2022. Reflections — When Rutherford's implant malfunctions, an alternate personality with darker tendencies and a mysterious agenda emerges.
9/29/2022. Hear All, Trust Nothing — Trade negotiations bring the Cerritos to Deep Space Nine, where Tendi clashes with an Orion obsessed with their society's history of piracy. Meanwhile, Mariner suffers through meeting her girlfriend's annoying friends.
10/6/2022. A Mathematically Perfect Redemption — A disgraced Starfleet exocomp becomes stranded on a primitive alien world where she must learn the lesson of humility.
10/13/2022. Crisis Point 2: Paradoxus — The Lower Deckers play through Boimler's latest holodeck movie, which does its best in trying to live up to the original.
10/20/2022. Trusted Sources — The crew attempts to put forward a sterling image when a news reporter is assigned to file a story about the Cerritos — ultimately putting Mariner in the hot seat when she reveals to the reporter her honest opinions.
10/27/2022. The Stars at Night — Starfleet Command informs Captain Freeman that all California-class crewed starships will be replaced by a new line of autonomous AI-driven drones.
Season 4 (2023)
9/7/2023. Twovix — When the Cerritos crew is assigned to transport the decommissioned USS Voyager to Earth as a museum exhibit, history repeats itself in the form of a transporter accident that merges two members of the crew.
9/7/2023. I Have No Bones Yet I Must Flee — Mariner, distrustful and determined to self-sabotage her new promotion, accompanies Ransom on an away mission to an alien menagerie, where a dangerous creature escapes its cage.
9/14/2023. In the Cradle of Vexilon — The Cerritos crew's attempt to help a Federation colony repair its malfunctioning climate-control system results in a crisis that complicates Boimler's first command opportunity as a lieutenant.
9/21/2023. Something Borrowed, Something Green — Tendi returns to Orion for her sister's wedding, only to discover the bride-to-be has gone missing.
9/28/2023. Empathological Fallacies — When three Betazoid women are transported aboard the Cerritos, a telepathically induced bout of madness takes ahold of the crew, resulting in excess partying.
10/5/2023. Parth Ferengi's Heart Place — While Freeman helps negotiate the terms for the Ferengi's application to join the Federation, the Lower Deckers are assigned to review the tourism industry on Ferenginar for the Federation's travel guide.
10/12/2023. A Few Badgeys More — It's AI-induced pandemonium when Badgey returns to seek vengeance on his father while Agimus and Peanut Hamper team up to escape from their robot prison.
10/19/2023. Caves — The Lower Deckers find themselves trapped in a cave on an alien world, prompting them each to tell a story ... about the time they were trapped in a cave on an alien world.
10/26/2023. The Inner Fight — While Mariner is assigned to a safe mission to curb her self-destructive behavior, the Cerritos is assigned to protect an ex-Starfleet officer who might be the next target of the mysterious ship that has been terrorizing the quadrant.
11/2/2023. Old Friends, New Planets — Mariner must confront an old acquaintance who has grand plans to shake up the power structure of the quadrant with his newly formed fleet of coaligned expatriates.
Season 5 (2024)
10/24/2024. Dos Cerritos — The Cerritos crosses over into an alternate universe where they encounter a duplicate of their ship and crew that is exactly the same aside from a few crucial details.
10/24/2024. Shades of Green — Tendi and her sister must defend their family fortune from a rival Orion house in a winner-takes-all sailing starship race.
10/31/2024. The Best Exotic Nanite Hotel — While Boimler joins an undercover mission with the senior officers, Mariner must break up with her sometime girlfriend while conducting a mission at a luxurious space-station resort.
11/7/2024. A Farewell to Farms — Mariner and Boimler offer to help disgraced former Klingon captain Ma'ah exploit an obscure Klingon ritual that could potentially restore his honor and status.
11/14/2024. Starbase 80?! — When the Cerritos loses its navigational system, they must travel to the nearest starbase for repairs, which happens to be the dreaded, infamous Starbase 80.
11/21/2024. Of Gods and Angles — While the crew hosts diplomatic talks between warring geometric shapes, Mariner takes a troubled misfit ensign under her wing.
11/28/2024. Fully Dilated — Mariner, Tendi, and T'Lyn go on an away mission to a planet where time dilation causes them to be away far longer than they expected.
12/5/2024. Upper Decks — The lower deckers are nowhere to be found and the Cerritos senior staff gets their moment in the spotlight, in which they must repel an alien invasion of the ship.
