by Matt Sernaker, Managing Editor

The crew of the U.S.S. Cerritos return for more adventures with the release of Star Trek: Lower Decks – Season 4 on Paramount+! The new season kicks off with a TWO episode premiere on September 7th, with weekly episodes releasing through the end of the year. What exactly does Creator/Showrunner Mike McMahan (Rick and Morty) and team have in store for us this season?

Official Synopsis:
Created by Emmy Award winner Mike McMahan (Rick and Morty, Solar Opposites), in season four of STAR TREK: LOWER DECKS, an unknown force is destroying starships and threatening galactic peace. Luckily, the crew of the U.S.S. Cerritos isn’t important enough for stuff like that! Instead, Ensigns Mariner, Boimler, Tendi, Rutherford and Provisional Ensign T’Lyn are keeping up with their Starfleet duties, avoiding malevolent computers and getting stuck in a couple caves – all while encountering new and classic aliens along the way.

Star Trek: Lower Decks – Season 4 stars the vocal talents of Tawny Newsome as Ensign Beckett Mariner, Jack Quaid as Ensign Brad Boimler, Noël Wells as Ensign D’Vana Tendi, Eugene Cordero as Ensign Sam Rutherford, Dawnn Lewis as Captain Carol Freeman, Jerry O’Connell as Commander Jack Ransom, Fred Tatasciore as Lieutenant Shaxs, and Gillian Vigman as Doctor T’Ana. This season also features Gabrielle Ruiz as T’Lyn.

Episode 401: “Twovix” 
Written by Mike McMahan
Directed by Barry J. Kelly & Jason Zurek

As the season begins, we learn that the crew of the Cerritos have been tasked with a very important mission – get the U.S.S. Voyager safely to Earth as it is set to make its museum debut! Additionally, Commander Random surprises Boimler with a shocking bit of news – if they can get through the day without a major catastrophe, then there is an opportunity for a promotion to Lieutenant Junior Grade! Without surprise, things start to go off the rails, as Boimler and team make their way through a variety of Star Trek: Voyager specific challenges. From a Tuvix-inspired army to deadly macroviruses, this special episode celebrates the wacky adventures that Captain Janeway and crew had to endure while working their way home from the Delta Quadrant. Additionally, what is going on with the mysterious ship that is attacking Alpha Quadrant vessels?

Episode 402: “I Have No Bones Yet I Must Flee”
Written by Aaron Burdette
Directed by Megan Lloyd

After several of the Lower Decks gang receives promotions to Lieutenant Junior Grade, Rutherford realizes it’s time to join his friends. It turns out that he had passed on being promoted a number of times over the years, as he wished to remain with the rest of the group and not leave them behind. Can he create an engineering spectacle that will take him to the next level?

Meanwhile, not everyone is happy about the promotion, as Mariner overhears a conversation between Random and Shaxs that leaves her irritated. A rescue mission to save a pair of captured Humans from an interstellar zoo goes astray, as a dangerous creature is let loose within the station. What exactly is a “Moopsy”, and why does it want to feast on everyones bones?!

Thanks to the team at Paramount+, I’ve had the opportunity to watch the first 8 chapters from Season 4 of Lower Decks. The creative team continues to create hilarious (yet grounded) stories set within the Star Trek universe. The commentary on Janeway’s actions during the Tuvix situation was incredible (and needed to be said). I absolutely loved the forced crew combinations, as the amalgam characters were perfectly paired to create chaos. The deep cut to Beverly Crusher and Deanna Troi’s yoga workout was executed with style and will surely stand out as a highlight for TNG fans. Who knew that we needed to see Shaxs and Ransom suited up in futurist yoga attire? The addition of T’Lyn to the Lower Decks gang adds interesting new character dynamics and is a welcomed choice. The creative team seamlessly integrated her into the crew, and I have truly enjoyed the new elements that she adds to the team. And now the big question: is Moopsy an evil Pokemon? It only says its own name…and then consumes the bones of living creatures like it is drinking a milkshake. Hopefully Moopsy will make its return later in the season… Maybe it can help fight off whoever is blowing up all of those ships.

Rating:
ComicsOnline gives Star Trek: Lower Decks – Season 4 – “Twovix” & “I Have No Bones Yet I Must Flee” 4.5 out of 5 hilarious installments.

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