Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

Star Trek: Lower Decks: Season 2 Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman July 8, 2022

Lower Decks is like the lowest common denominator for Star Trek. It is Trek, but it's juvenile Trek. It looks and sounds and feels like Trek, but without the gravitas. There is some merit to the style, considering that the main characters are essentially 24th century swabbies who toil for little reward, openly seeking promotion but inwardly hoping to maintain their close-knit friendship at the bottom of the ship and at the bottom of the totem pole. Season two is a little bit better than season one, thanks to a bit more narrative balance and two great episodes to close out the season, portending something even better for season three.

Official synopsis: Created by Emmy Award winner Mike McMahan ("Rick and Morty," "Solar Opposites"), Season Two of the Emmy-nominated series "Star Trek: Lower Decks" is bigger, funnier, and Star Trekkier than ever before. Follow the adventures of our favorite Starfleet support crew in the U.S.S. Cerritos as they deal with changes in group dynamics, chasing promotions, and tons of sci-fi missions. This 2-disc Blu-ray includes every hilarious episode of season two, along with over 1-hour of special features, including featurettes, deleted scenes, commentaries and much more! Also features guest appearances by Jonathan Frakes (“Star Trek: The Next Generation”, William T. Riker) and Robert Duncan McNeill (“Star Trek: Voyager”, Tom Paris).

Lower Decks is big on fan service, and season two is no exception. It is fan service engaged in mostly absurd and humorous ways, playing in stark contrast to the more serious moments, characters, species, and ideas from Trek of yore (while still folding in a few concepts from Discovery for good measure). This is a fan’s show if only for the references, some of them obvious, many of them playing to the hardcore audience that knows Trek backwards and forwards. These are amongst the best moments the show has to offer, because there are a number of times it just doesn’t stand all that well on its own, at least not until the final episode which shows the series’ potential as big time Trek capable of capturing more than a semblance of what makes the mainline Star Trek shows and films so special.

After the fan service it’s the character camaraderie where the show plays best, as the lower deck hands deal with the reality of doing the menial but operationally critical starship duties but secretly hoping to stay together, even if they outwardly dream of being promoted away from their station (watch the penultimate episode for a fun look at the same motif on board Klingon and Vulcan ships). Of course, the show doesn’t forget the bridge crew, which is not a focus but which certainly plays central to the individual stories and the larger narrative that is woven throughout the season, which mostly deals with the Pakleds. Chief amongst the bridge crew is, of course, Captain Freeman, who is mother to one of the lower deck ensigns.

The following episodes comprise season two. Summaries are courtesy of the Blu-ray packaging.

Disc One:

• Strange Energies: Season premiere. Approximately three months after the events of the Season One finale, the U.S.S. Cerritos is dispatched on a mission which results in an encounter with "strange energy."
• Kayshon, His Eyes Open: Our Lower Deckers have trouble bonding with Ensign Jet Manhaver, who has been assigned Boimler's bunk and shift duties. Meanwhile, we get a glimpse of Boimler's life on the U.S.S. Titan, which is more intense than he thought it would be.
• We'll Always Have Tom Paris: Assigned a special task by Dr. T'Ana, Tendi enlists Mariner for help. On the U.S.S. Cerritos, Rutherford is consumed by a bridge crew mystery.
• Mugato, Gumato: The U.S.S. Cerritos is dispatched to a planet to investigate an unexplained sighting of a dangerous Mugato.
• An Embarrassment of Dooplers: Mariner and Boimler try to track down the location of a legendary Starfleet party while the bridge crew deals with an insecure alien diplomat.

Disc Two:

• The Spy Humongous: Anomaly Consolidation Day on the U.S.S. Cerritos leaves the Lower Deckers with mixed emotions. Captain Freeman attempts to negotiate peace on the Pakled home world.
• Where Pleasant Fountains Lie: Mariner and Boimler are stranded on an uninhabited planet with a sentient computer. On the U.S.S. Cerritos, Lt. Commander Billups must prove his engineering abilities to an old adversary.
• I, Excretus: A consultant arrives on the U.S.S. Cerritos to run drills that require the lower deckers and bridge crew to swap duties.
• wej Duj: Boimler tries to find a bridge buddy while the U.S.S. Cerritos crew has down time during a long warp trip.
• First First Contact: In the season two finale, the U.S.S. Cerritos is tasked to aid an Excelsior-class starship on a first contact mission.

Star Trek: Lower Decks: Season 2 Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Star Trek: Lower Decks - Season 2's 1080p transfer essentially looks like Star Trek: Lower Decks - Season 1's 1080p transfer. And that's a good thing. Not only do the shows line up aesthetically, but they also line up in terms of overall Blu-ray excellence. Colors pop with impressive vibrance. The Starfleet uniforms are, of course, the standard bearer highlight, along with ship externals where glowing nacelles and the deflector dish are proudly displayed in that TNG-era brilliance. Details are sharp and true. The animated imagery is stable and impressively crisp, clearly reveling in the opportunity to delight with the added muscle the 1080p resolution affords it. The picture never pushes soft or bland, and only some very scattered jagged lines, aliasing, and banding interfere with a picture-perfect image.

Star Trek: Lower Decks: Season 2 Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Lower Decks: Season Two features an upper-tier DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack. The presentation is very satisfying, delivering a full stage experience that is as detailed and clear as it is wide and immersive. The track presents music with superb clarity and definition, including healthy and balanced surround content and subwoofer output. Little atmospheric details around the ship -- the lower deck crew enjoys mimicking warp core sounds, and they are prominent here -- are nicely engaging and place the listeners squarely in the midst of the ship, whether in the bunk area where the lower decks sleep, in the mess hall, or on the bridge. Action scenes are alive with impressive detail, stage maneuvering surround content, and low-end engagement. Dialogue is clear and center positioned for the duration.

Star Trek: Lower Decks: Season 2 Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Star Trek: Lower Decks - Season 2 includes extras on both Blu-ray discs. No DVD or digital copies are included with purchase. This release does ship with a non-embossed slipcover.

Disc One:

• Audio Commentaries: For "Kayshon, His Eyes Open:" Mike McMahan, Jack Quaid, and Jonathan Frakes. For "An Embarrassment of Dooplers:" Mike McMahan and Jack Quaid.
• Animatics (1080p): Conceptual animation juxtaposed against the final animation. Accompanying the episodes "Strange Energies" (0:58), "Kayshon, His Eyes Open" (1:00), "We'll Always Have Tom Paris" (1:03), "Mugato, Gumato" (1:01), and "An Embarrassment of Dooplers" (1:00).
• Easter Eggs (1080p): A look into the winks and nods and connections to the Star Trek universe in each episode. Included are "Strange Energies" (1:01), "Kayshon, His Eyes Open" (1:31), "We'll Always Have Tom Paris" (1:26), "Mugato, Gumato" (1:03), and "An Embarrassment of Dooplers" (1:04).

Disc Two:

• Audio Commentaries: For "Where Pleasant Fountains Lie:" Tawny Newsome, Paul Scheer, and Garrick Bernard. For "Wej Duj:" Mike McMahan, Gabrielle Ruiz, and Kathryn Lyn.
• Animatics (1080p): Conceptual animation juxtaposed against the final animation. Accompanying the episodes "The Spy Humongous" (0:43), "Where Pleasant Fountains Lie" (0:50), "I, Excretus" (1:03), "Wej Duj" (0:51), and "First First Contact" (1:03).
• Easter Eggs (1080p): A look into the winks and nods and connections to the Star Trek universe in each episode. Included are "The Spy Humongous" (1:03), "Where Pleasant Fountains Lie" (1:01), "I, Excretus" (1:07), "Wej Duj" (1:02), and "First First Contact" (1:03).
• A Sound Foundation (1080p, 13:19): A detailed exploration of the sounds within the Star Trek universe and Lower Decks in particular.
• Lower Decktionary: Season 2 (1080p, 32:37): Deconstructing the season in detail.

Star Trek: Lower Decks: Season 2 Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Superior to season one though it may be, largely on the strength of an honest to goodness Star Trek season finale, the show remains a frivolous exercise, albeit now one with some teeth and some promise to boldly go back towards a more foundationally sound Star Trek experience. CBS/Paramount's Blu-ray release features very good video and audio presentations in addition to a heathy allotment of bonus content. Recommended.