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Star Trek: Lower Decks
Season 2
Promotional poster with art by Matt Ferguson, parodying a poster for the filmStar Trek II: The Wrath of Khan(1982) byBob Peak[1][2]
ShowrunnerMike McMahan
Starring
No.of episodes10
Release
Original networkParamount+
Original releaseAugust 12(2021-08-12)
October 14, 2021(2021-10-14)
Season chronology
Previous
Season 1
Next
Season 3
List of episodes

The second season of the Americanadult animatedtelevision seriesStar Trek: Lower Decksis set in the 24th century and follows the adventures of the low-ranking officers with menial jobs on thestarshipCerritos,one ofStarfleet's least important starships. The season was produced byCBS Eye Animation Productionsin association withSecret Hideout,Important Science,Roddenberry Entertainment,and animation studioTitmouse,withMike McMahanserving asshowrunnerand Barry J. Kelly as supervising director.

Tawny Newsome,Jack Quaid,Noël Wells,andEugene Corderovoice the lower decks crew members of theCerritos,withDawnn Lewis,Jerry O'Connell,Fred Tatasciore,andGillian Vigmanproviding voices for the ship's senior officers.Lower Deckswas ordered for two seasons in October 2018 with McMahan on board as showrunner. Production took place remotely due to theCOVID-19 pandemicand some of the season's writers did not meet in person while working on it. The season continues some overarching storylines from thefirst season,such as the threat of thePakledsand the relationship between Beckett Mariner (Newsome) and her mother, Captain Carol Freeman (Lewis). Titmouse began work in August 2020. The season features many connections and references to pastStar Trekmedia such asStar Trek: The Next Generation,including several actors returning as guest stars.

The season premiered on the streaming serviceParamount+on August 12, 2021, and ran for 10 episodes until October 14. It received positive reviews from critics, who felt it was a confident continuation that improved on the first season. This was despite concerns about the large number ofStar Trekreferences and some criticisms of the season's sexual content. The penultimate episode, "wej Duj",was considered by some critics to be the best of the series and was nominated for aHugo Award.Athird seasonwas ordered in April 2021.[3]

Episodes

[edit]
Star Trek: Lower Decksseason 2 episodes
No.
overall
No.in
season
TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal release date
111"Strange Energies"Jason ZurekMike McMahanAugust 12, 2021(2021-08-12)
AfterStarfleetmakesfirst contactwith the planet Apergos, the USSCerritosarrives for "second contact". While power-washing some buildings, Ensign Beckett Mariner—the daughter of Captain Carol Freeman—accidentally activates an ancient defense system that attacks her. It discharges a beam of energy that hits First Officer Jack Ransom and gives him god-like abilities. EnsignD'Vana Tendibecomes concerned that her friend Ensign Sam Rutherford's personality has drastically changed since he lost his memory and gained a new cyborg eye implant. She attempts to fix him with her medical equipment, but scares him off. Tendi decides to implement more extreme measures, but soon realizes how she is treating her friend and makes up with Rutherford. Ransom goes mad with his new power and creates a giant, floating head that goes into space and attacks theCerritos.On the ground, Mariner kicks his headless body in the crotch, which diminishes his powers and eventually returns him to normal. On the USSTitan,EnsignBrad Boimlerstruggles while serving under CaptainWilliam Riker.
122"Kayshon, His Eyes Open"Kim ArndtChris KulaAugust 19, 2021(2021-08-19)
After a prominent member of the Collector's guild dies, theCerritosis tasked with preparing his collection to be catalogued under the supervision of Collector Siggi. TheCerritos'snew chief of security, Kayshon, joins the away team with Mariner, Tendi, Rutherford, and Jet Manhaver—an ensign who takes over Boimler's position and makes Mariner feel threatened. On theTitan,Boimler helps an away team survive a dangerous mission but is accidentally duplicated while he is beingtransportedback to the ship. Unknown to Starfleet, Collector Siggi steals a rare mask from the collection which triggers the dead collector's automated defense mechanisms. These attack the away team and Kayshon is turned into arag dollin the chaos. Freeman does not check in with the team following a leadership review that criticized her for micro-managing. Manhaver and Mariner clash over their different approaches to escaping, before realizing that they need to let Rutherford and Tendi take charge; the team makes it back to theCerritos.Boimler returns to theCerritosto keep him separate from his duplicate, William.
133"We'll Always Have Tom Paris"Bob SuarezM. WillisAugust 26, 2021(2021-08-26)
Chief medical officer T'Ana sends Tendi to retrieve an important family heirloom, and Mariner joins her. After retrieving an old box, they decide to look at what is inside and find a "libido post" that Caitians like T'Ana use to relieve their annual need to have sex. The pair accidentally break the post and go on a mission to fix it, during which they realize that they do not know much about each other. They fail to fix the post, but T'Ana says that she only wanted the box. Rutherford is startled to see tactical officer Shaxs walking around theCerritosafter Shaxs had sacrificed his life to save Rutherford on an earlier mission. He is assured that members of Starfleet's bridge crews die and return in many different ways quite often, but still wants to know how Shaxs survived. When he finally builds up the courage to ask, Shaxs tells him something so horrifying that Rutherford is scarred forever. When LieutenantTom Parisboards the ship, Boimler wants to meet him and have Paris sign a commemorative plate with his face on it, but due to access issues he has to crawl through the Jefferies tube to get to the bridge.
144"Mugato, Gumato"Jason ZurekBen RodgersSeptember 2, 2021(2021-09-02)
Boimler and Rutherford learn from theCerritosbartender that Mariner may be aSection 31spy. When a rare Mugato is detected on a planet that it should not be on, theCerritosis sent to investigate. Mariner, Boimler, and Rutherford join Shaxs and the away team. They discover many Mugatos that are being kept captive byFerengiwho are harvesting and selling the animals' horns. The away team attacks and the Mugatos are released, but Boimler and Rutherford get lost in the chaos. The Ferengi's buyer attempts to escape and is captured by theCerritos,which accidentally destroys his ship. Not realizing who he is, Freeman compensates him with a shuttle and some valuable items before learning that this was a scam. Boimler and Rutherford find Mariner, who they believe is a terrifying spy, but she convinces them that she is not. Together they convince the Ferengi to change their operation into a Mugato sanctuary and profit off visitors. On theCerritos,Tendi is tasked with tracking down and scanning crew members who have been avoiding their regular medical checkups.
155"An Embarrassment of Dooplers"Kim ArndtDave Ihlenfeld & David WrightSeptember 9, 2021(2021-09-09)
The USSCerritosescorts a Doopler emissary to Starbase 25. Dooplers involuntarily duplicate when embarrassed so the crew go out of their way to keep him comfortable, but Freeman accidentally embarrasses the emmissary and he begins to uncontrollably duplicate throughout the ship. She realizes that this will reverse if he gets angry and orders the crew to insult him. Mariner plans to get her and Boimler into a party at the starbase using Boimler's clone's invitation, but only Boimler is given entry and Mariner reveals how hurt she was that he abandoned her to work on theTitan.Boimler decides to leave the party and join Mariner at a dive bar. Tendi and Rutherford work on rebuilding a favorite model ship of theirs. Rutherford is frustrated that he cannot rebuild it as easily as he did before he lost his memories, until Tendi explains that he designed the ship model to always be incomplete so they could spend time together. Freeman and the senior officers are shut out of the party and ignored by the other captains. They join Mariner and Boimler at the dive bar, where famous Starfleet officersKirkandSpockonce drank.
166"The Spy Humongous"Bob SuarezJohn CochranSeptember 16, 2021(2021-09-16)
The crew take in aPakledrefugee, but come to suspect him of being an inept spy. Freeman orders Ransom and Kayshon to keep him busy while she attempts to negotiate a ceasefire with Pakled leadership. She becomes frustrated with their unclear leadership structure. The ensigns are ordered to clean up dangerous and unpredictable mission anomalies left over by the crew, but Boimler is invited to join a group calling themselves the "Red Shirts"who have ambitions of higher ranks and are interested in Boimler'sTitanexperience. They give Boimler a makeover, urge him to distance himself from his friends, and spend all of their time talking about the crisis leadership skills they think they have. When Tendi merges with an artifact and turns into a large scorpion-like creature, Boimler makes a fool of himself to make Tendi laugh and return her to normal. The Red Shirts express distaste for Boimler's actions, but he tells them that true captains take action to help their friends and crew. Freeman gets the spy to reveal that the Pakleds are planning to attack Earth with a Veruvian bomb.
177"Where Pleasant Fountains Lie"Jason ZurekGarrick BernardSeptember 23, 2021(2021-09-23)
Queen Paolana, ruler of Hysperia—aRenaissance-style society from a planet that was colonized by fantasy enthusiasts—hails theCerritosto ask for help from her son, chief engineer Andarithio Billups. Billups reluctantly agrees to look at her ship's engines. He is wary of his mother's repeated attempts to lure him back to their kingdom by having him lose his virginity, which, by Hysperian tradition, would result in him ascending to the throne as king. Boimler is disappointed after he is reassigned from an exciting field mission to a seemingly less interesting one with Mariner, escorting a malevolentartificial intelligencenamed AGIMUS to Earth. Their ship crash lands on a desert planet, where AGIMUS attempts to sow discord by revealing that Mariner had Boimler reassigned because she did not believe he was capable of the field mission. Boimler tricks AGIMUS into powering a distress signal, impressing Mariner who apologizes to Boimler. When Billups believes that Paolana is killed in an explosion, he prepares to lose his virginity and ascend to the throne, but this was a ruse and Rutherford stops Billups in time.
188"I, Excretus"Kim ArndtAnn KimSeptember 30, 2021(2021-09-30)
Friction between the lower decks crew and senior officers grows when several lower decks crew members are accidentally left behind during a spacewalk repair mission. Shari yn Yem, a Starfleet drill instructor, oversees a series ofholodeckdrills to build better understanding among the crew. They all fail their assigned drills except for Boimler, who achieves high marks but obsessively reruns the drill in an attempt to achieve a perfect score. Mariner and Freeman's disagreements cause the team to fail a simple docking drill in record time, and they come to better appreciate one another. They suspect that the drills were rigged for failure to bring them all together, but Shari reveals that this was actually a bid to ensure her continued employment. TheCerritosis likely to be decommissioned if she submits the failing results, but Boimler's continued running of his drill buys time for Freeman and the crew to demonstrate that they are more than capable. Shari changes their score to passing. Freeman and the senior officers apologize to the lower decks crew by providing them with a senior officerfood replicator.
199"wej Duj"Bob SuarezKathryn LynOctober 7, 2021(2021-10-07)
On theKlingonship IKSChe'Ta,lower decks officer Ma'ah hopes to become the second officer to Captain Dorg. He earns Dorg's respect through violence and accompanies him to a meeting with the Pakleds, where he is disturbed to learn that Dorg has been supplying the Pakleds with weapons including Veruvian bombs for use against Earth. On the Vulcan cruiserSh'vhal,lower decks officer T'Lyn is criticized by her captain and fellow crew for her emotional reasoning, but is able to convince them to investigate an anomaly in the sector. T'Lyn has detected the Pakleds' testing of the Veruvian bombs, which theCerritosalso detects and investigates. The Pakleds and theChe'Taattack theCerritos,which is saved by the arrival of theSh'vhal.Aboard theChe'Ta,Ma'ah challenges Dorg's dishonorable use of the Pakleds and his insubordination of the Klingon High Council's wishes, killing him in battle and replacing him as captain. He orders theChe'Tato retreat while the Pakleds also flee. Despite her success, T'Lyn is punished for her continued emotional transgressions by being transferred to a Starfleet ship.
2010"First First Contact"Jason ZurekMike McMahanOctober 14, 2021(2021-10-14)
TheCerritosis assigned to assist the USSArchimedesand CaptainSonya Gomezin a first-contact mission. A solar flare results in theArchimedeslosing power and being pulled into a planet's gravity well, but a modifiedCerritosstabilizes theArchimedeswith a tractor beam. Meanwhile, Freeman has been offered a promotion which will take her off theCerritos;Mariner, overhearing this and fearing abandonment, spreads the word to the senior staff who begin to bicker with Freeman. Tendi learns that she is being removed from sickbay staff and worries, until Dr. T'Ana explains that she is being wasted there and will be promoted to the sciences division. Rutherford begins having trouble with his cybernetic implant, which is running out of storage space, and admits to Billups that he makes triple backups of his memories of Tendi because he is unwilling to lose their friendship. When he decides to delete his redundant memories, he sees a previously hidden memory that suggests his cybernetic implant was installed against his wishes. Later, Freeman is arrested for allegedly detonating a Veruvian bomb on Pakled Planet.

Cast and characters

[edit]

Recurring

[edit]

Production

[edit]

Development

[edit]
Star Trek: VoyagerstarRobert Duncan McNeillreprised his role asTom Parisfor the episode "We'll Always Have Tom Paris", which is the 800th episode ofStar Trekproduced for television.

CBS All Accessofficially ordered two seasons ofStar Trek: Lower Decksin October 2018.Mike McMahanwas set asshowrunnerfor the series.[16]By late March 2020, work on the series was taking place remotely due to theCOVID-19 pandemicforcing staff to work from home.[17]Executive producerAlex Kurtzmansaid in August that work on the season was "barreling ahead, full steam ahead", and had not been delayed by the pandemic unlike the live-actionStar TrekseriesDiscovery,Picard,andStrange New Worlds.[18]A month later,ViacomCBSannounced that CBS All Access would be expanded and rebranded as Paramount+ in March 2021.[19]The season's third episode, "We'll Always Have Tom Paris", is the 800thStar Trekepisode produced for television.[20]

Writing

[edit]

Writing for the second season began by March 2020,[21]and was completed by mid-September. Due to the pandemic, the whole season was written remotely usingZoomand some new writers did not meet the others in person while working on the season.[22]It was written knowing that fans would be able to stream the first two seasons back-to-back; McMahan wanted to carry the energy of thefirst season's final three episodes into the start of the second season,[23]feeling that those episodes were when the writing team settled into the right approach for the series.[24]Because the second season was mostly written before the first was released, the writers were not able to take fan responses into account and had to trust that the first season would be positively received.[25]

McMahan said the second season would combine standalone episodes with season-long character arcs,[23]and would take inspiration from the storytelling ofStar Trek: VoyagerandStar Trek: Deep Space Ninein addition to that ofStar Trek: The Next Generation.[26]He said many members of the crew had seen all of the previousStar Trekseries, but they revisited specific episodes together. This included theStar Trek: The Original Seriesepisode "A Private Little War",which introduced the alien Mugatos. Writer Ben Rodgers" could not get over "the inconsistent pronunciation of" Mugato "in the episode, a production mistake that theLower Decksteam wanted to celebrate, so the episode "Mugato, Gumato" has a running joke about the different pronunciations.[27]McMahan said the second season would not undo the end of the first, which sawBrad Boimlerworking on the USSTitan.[13]He compared this to storylines on the seriesFarscapewhich took its characters away from the main starship.[28]Other elements that were left for the second season include Sam Rutherford's memory issues, Beckett Mariner working with her mother Captain Carol Freeman, and thePakledsbeing a threat.[23]McMahan wanted to addressLGBTcharacters and relationships better than in the first season, especially by more explicitly depicting Mariner as bisexual.[29]

The writers had a mandate from McMahan for the season to elevate the charactersD'Vana Tendiand Sam Rutherford so they were true co-leads of the series alongside Mariner and Boimler.[28]He wanted to explore new character combinations, such as telling a story with Mariner and Tendi together,[13]which some critics had called for after they did not have any episodes together in the first season. The pair go on a mission together in "We'll Always Have Tom Paris", in which the characters make a joke acknowledging that it was a "glaring omission" for them to have not teamed-up before then. The episode's title is a reference to theNext Generationepisode "We'll Always Have Paris",[30]which itself was a reference to the line "We'll always have Paris" from the filmCasablanca(1942).[31]McMahan also wanted some episodes to focus on supporting characters such as Dr. T'Ana and chief engineer Billups—the latter being a "secret sleeper favorite" character for the writers.[28]He was wary of changing the main characters so much that they got too close to characters and storylines that previousStar Trekseries had already covered, and hoped to develop the main characters across the seasons without departing too much from the central premise of the series. An underlying theme for the season is the characters learning to trust each other, and it ends with Mariner successfully opening up to her mother.[32]Freeman begins the season feeling that she should move up to "bigger and better places", but learns by the finale that she is in the right place on theCerritos.That is another underlying theme for the season, which Freeman voices with the line "the carpets are greyer on the other side of the ship". Boimler has a similar journey in the season, wanting to be on theTitanbut ending up happy to rejoin theCerritos.[33]Freeman's arc connects to the season-long Pakled story, which ends with her being arrested for apparently destroying the Pakled homeworld. This ends the season on a cliffhanger, setting up a new character arc for Mariner in thethird season.Late in production on the finale, McMahan realized that this cliffhanger should include the "To Be Continued..." title card that previousStar Trekseries used.[32]

The title card for "wej Duj", which means "Three Ships" in theKlingon language,is shown with Klingon characters in a first for the franchise.

McMahan hoped to replicate the success of the first season's last three episodes by again having a sketch comedy episode ( "I, Excretus" ), a penultimate episode that breaks form for the series ( "wej Duj" ), and a big finale ( "First First Contact" ).[33]The idea of "wej Duj", which means "Three Ships" in theKlingon language,came from the writers wanting to do something that had not been seen before and being surprised to learn that no previous series had told a contained story on aVulcanship. The episode shows "more lower decks than ever before" by exploring lower decks crew on theCerritos,a Vulcan ship, and aKlingonship.[32]McMahan said this was the kind of story he would pitch if given the opportunity to make aStar Trekfilm, and described the episode as a "triple-mini-movie that's part [Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country(1991)], part this Vulcan thing we've never seen before ", and also ties-into the season-long Pakled storyline. One element that he was not able to include, due to logistics, was having the full opening credits written in alternating Vulcan and Klingon text, but he was able to have the episode title shown in Klingon characters. This was a first for the franchise.[33]For the finale, McMahan wanted a big moment that did not involve crashing the ship since that had already been done many times before in the franchise. Instead, for the first time inStar Trek,the hull plating is stripped from the whole ship. This was inspired by debris getting stuck in the hull of theUSSEnterprisein theStar Trek: Enterpriseepisode "Minefield".The finale also introduces Cetacean Ops, an area of the starship for water-based crewmembers. It was first mentioned in theNext Generationepisodes "Yesterday's Enterprise"and"The Perfect Mate"and was detailed in theStar Trek: The Next Generation Technical ManualbyRick SternbachandMichael Okuda,but was never shown in that series due to the budgetary and logistical limitations of 1980s television.[34]McMahan said it was a life-long dream come true to finally see Cetacean Ops on screen.[35]

Casting and voice recording

[edit]
After guest starring in the first-season finale,Jonathan Frakesreturned for the second season as hisStar Trek: The Next GenerationcharacterWilliam Riker.

The series stars a group of ensigns that serve in the lower decks of theCerritos:Tawny Newsomeas Beckett Mariner,Jack Quaidas Brad Boimler,Noël Wellsas D'Vana Tendi, andEugene Corderoas Sam Rutherford. The ship's bridge crew, who have supporting roles, includeDawnn Lewisas Captain Carol Freeman,Jerry O'Connellas first officer Commander Jack Ransom,Fred Tatascioreas security chief Lieutenant Shaxs, andGillian Vigmanas chief medical officer Dr. T'Ana.[4]After Shaxs died in the first-season finale, the second season introduces a new security chief,[13]Kayshon, who is voiced by comedianCarl Tart.[11]The season also depicts Shaxs returning to life in a storyline that plays on the numerous times that characters have been resurrected inStar Trek.[5]

AfterJonathan Frakesguest starred in the first-season finale, reprising his role ofWilliam RikerfromThe Next Generation,McMahan confirmed that Frakes would return as Riker for the second season.[13]Marina Sirtisalso reprised herNext Generationrole ofDeanna Troiin the first-season finale, but she did not return for the second season which McMahan said was for story reasons.[29]He added that there would be other characters in the season returning from previousStar Trekseries, and said they would "come in a way that you don't expect".[24]Robert Duncan McNeill,who portrayedTom ParisinVoyager,reprises his role and also voices a commemorative plate of Paris that talks to a hallucinating Boimler,[6]whileAlice Krigereturns as theBorg Queenfrom the filmStar Trek: First Contact(1996),[7]andLycia Naffreprises herNext Generationguest role ofSonya Gomez.[15]McMahan brought back Naff to have a callback that was not to one of the majorNext Generationcharacters, and because he considered her to be "one of the original lower deckers".[36]Additionally,Jeffrey Combs—who previously portrayed multiple characters across the franchise—voices an evil computer named AGIMUS;[6]the evil entity Armus from theNext Generationepisode "Skin of Evil"briefly appears, voiced by Tatasciore who took over from original voice actorRon Gans;[37]and the character Thadiun Okona from theNext Generationepisode "The Outrageous Okona"makes a non-speaking cameo appearance as the DJ at a Starfleet party.[38]

Other first-season cast members who returned for the second includePhil LaMarras Admiral Freeman, Mariner's father;[6]Lauren Lapkusas Jennifer Sh'reyan, an Andorian ensign on theCerritos;[7]Jessica McKennaas Ensign Barnes as well as theCerritoscomputer;[8]writer Ben Rodgers as Lieutenant Steve Stevens;[9]Rich Fulcheras many of the Pakleds, including the Pakled leader, King Pakled, and Emperor of the Pakleds;[10]Marcus Hendersonas Lieutenant Jet Manhaver;[14]Paul F. Tompkinsas Dr. Migleemo;[6]andPaul Scheeras chief engineer Andy Billups.[12]

Voice recording for the season primarily took place with the actors in their own homes due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[39]Newsome used a recording studio she already had at her house,[22]and recording equipment was set up in the houses of other actors.[40]However, Combs recorded his lines for the season in a traditional recording studio under pandemic precautions.[41]

Animation and design

[edit]

Independent animation studioTitmouseprovides the animation for the series, with first-season episodic director Barry J. Kelly taking over from Juno Lee as supervising director for the second season.[42]Work on the season's storyboards began in August 2020.[43]These were put together asanimaticsfor the animators to use as a basis for the final animation with full details and colors.[44]The season's animation was in the final color phase by May 2021.[23]The series' animation style reflects the look of "prime time animated comedy"series such asThe Simpsons,but with more detailed backgrounds and environments than is traditional for prime time animation.[44]

The model for the USSCerritosfeatures some "minor cosmetic changes" following the battle damage it received during the first-season finale.[45]In "Strange Energies", the USSMacDuffappears in aholodeckprogram and is aMiranda-class ship like the USSReliantfrom the filmStar Trek II: The Wrath of Khan(1982), McMahan's favoriteStar Trekstarship and the inspiration for theCerritos'sdesign.[46]The two other main ships in "wej Duj" are the IKSChe'Ta,a Klingon Bird of Prey like those seen throughout the franchise, and the Vulcan cruiserSh'Vhalwhich has a similar design to the Vulcan ships seen inStar Trek: Enterprise.[47]The season finale introduces the USSArchimedes,anObena-class starship inspired by theExcelsior-class fromStar Trek III: The Search for Spock(1984) but bigger and with some small design changes.[48]The new class was named for Nollan Obena, the series' art director who designed many of its starships.[49]Also seen in the season is Starbase 25, which was mentioned inStar Trek: The Animated Seriesbut not seen on screen until "An Embarrassment of Dooplers". The design closely resembles that of Starbase Vanguard from theStar Trek: Vanguardbook series. Inside the Starbase is aQuark's Bar like the one seen inDeep Space Nine,which has become afranchisesince the events of that series—Quark's Bars also appear on other planets inLower Decks.Tendi gives Rutherford a model ofDeep Space 9in "An Embarrassment of Dooplers" that comes in a box with the same typography as theDeep Space Ninecredits.[50]

Promotional poster for "Kayshon, His Eyes Open" showing some of the many visual references that the season makes to other parts of theStar Trekfranchise.

McMahan hoped that references toThe Animated SeriesinLower Deckswould honor it as the franchise's first animated series,[51]and included several alien species fromThe Animated Seriesin the season: aKzintiensign, whose species first appeared inThe Animated Series,is introduced,[52]and in "The Spy Humongous" he mimics the "stooped posture" of the Kzinti character seen in that series;[53]Starbase 25 features many different species, including a bartender of the same species as the character Em/3/Green and some bird-like Aurelians which both originated onThe Animated Series;[50]and the holodeck instructor Shari Yn Yem in "I, Excretus" is a Pandronian, a species fromThe Animated Seriesthat has a distinctive style of talking, unique costume, and can split themselves into three parts.[54]The season also features the skeleton of "Spock Two", a giant clone ofSpockfrom theAnimated Seriesepisode "The Infinite Vulcan".The skeleton appears as part of the collection that is being catalogued in" Kayshon, His Eyes Open ", which also includes numerous visual references to many previousStar Trekseries.[55]

The season begins with Mariner being interrogated byCardassiansin a holodeck program that is similar to theNext Generationepisode "Chain of Command".[55]In "I, Excretus", the crew of theCerritosparticipate in holodeck training programs based on previous Starfleet missions that pay homage to the sets and events of episodes from otherStar Trekseries: "Mirror Universe Encounter" is set in theMirror Universeand based on theOriginal Seriesepisode "Mirror, Mirror";"Old West Planet "has theWesterntheme of multiple previous episodes but the specific planet design of theOriginal Seriesepisode "Spectre of the Gun";"Naked Time "features visual references to both theOriginal Seriesepisode "The Naked Time"and theNext Generationepisode "The Naked Now";"Medical Ethics "has a similar plot to theNext Generationepisode "Ethics";"The Good of the Many "replicates the set, costumes, and scenario of the scene where Spock has to fix the radioactive warp core inStar Trek II: The Wrath of Khan;"Escape from Spacedock" requires the crew to fly a starship out of a spacedock and save Spock on the Genesis Planet, just like in the plot ofStar Trek III: The Search for Spock;and "Borg Encounter" adapts various elements from previous Borg-focused episodes as well asStar Trek: First Contact.[54]Additionally, Dr. T'Ana and Tendi go rock climbing in "wej Duj" on a holodeck simulation ofEl CapitaninYosemite National Park,recreating the scene whereJames T. Kirkdoes the same inStar Trek V: The Final Frontier(1989).[47]

Rutherford has a vision in "We'll Always Have Tom Paris" of alternate versions of Shaxs wearing different costumes from across the franchise, including a USSEnterprise(NX-01) uniform fromEnterprise;aTerran Empireuniform from theOriginal Seriesepisode "Mirror, Mirror"; aProfessor Moriartycostume similar to the one seen in theNext Generationepisode "Elementary, Dear Data";anOriginal Series"redshirt"uniform; and as aBorg.[56]In "wej Duj", the crew are seen running through the ship wearing various outfits including Anbo-jyutsu martial arts costumes and gymnastics leotards from theNext Generationepisodes "The Icarus Factor"and"The Price",respectively. Also in that episode, Boimler wears the same" Go climb a rock "shirt that Kirk wore inThe Final Frontier,and uses the same rocket boots that Spock had in that film's rock climbing scene, while Freeman wears a shirt with "RITOS" on it which is similar to the "DISCO" shirts worn aboard the USSDiscoveryinStar Trek: Discovery.[47]An alien based on the multi-eyed original design forSarufromDiscoverybriefly appears on Starbase 25.[50]The evil computer AGIMUS is taken to the Daystrom Institute for Advanced Robotics in "Where Pleasant Fountains Lie". The institute was first seen inStar Trek: Picard,and is shown to look roughly the same duringLower Decksa few decades earlier than that appearance. One of the other evil computers in the institute features theCBS Eyelogo as a reference to the series' production company.[57]

Music

[edit]

Composer Chris Westlake was unable to record his score for the first season with a full orchestra in a traditional recording studio, due to the COVID-19 pandemic,[22]but he was able to with his score for the second season. Recording for the season began by May 2021 at theSonyScoring Stage in Los Angeles with a live 60-person orchestra.[23][58]The series' main theme was re-recorded with the full orchestra for the second season.[58]The "Klingon acid punk" records that are featured in the episode "We'll Always Have Tom Paris" have lyrics written by Westlake and translated into the Klingon language by its creator,Mark Okrand.[59][60]Similar to how Boimler is heard hummingJerry Goldsmith's main theme fromThe Next Generationduring the first season,[61]he can be heard humming Goldsmith's main theme fromVoyagerin "We'll Always Have Tom Paris" after talking about Paris and the crew of theUSSVoyagerfrom that series.[56]Selections from Westlake's score for the season were included in the series'Vol. 1soundtrack,which was released byLakeshore Recordson October 8, 2021.[62][63]

Marketing

[edit]

The cast and crew teased the season during a virtualStar TrekUniversepanel forNew York Comic Conin October 2020. This panel primarily discussed the first-season finale and was released as an episode ofThe Ready Room,anaftershowhosted byThe Next GenerationactorWil Wheaton.[13]McMahan teased the season later in October during theVirtual Trek Con 2event.[26]A teaser trailer for the season was released during the "First Contact Day"virtual event on April 5, 2021, celebrating the franchise on the fictional holiday marking first contact between humans and aliens in theStar Trekuniverse. The season's premiere date was also revealed during that event.[3]

The official trailer was released during Paramount+'s animation panel at the 2021Comic-Con@Homevirtual convention. McMahan and the cast discussed the season.[64]Writing forDigital Spy,Dan Seddon described the trailer as a "wonderfully entertaining 2-minute package [that] has everything from space slugs to evil computers".[65]Scott Collura atIGNsaid the trailer looked like "more of the same" fun as the first season and had "the usual dose of deep, deepStar Trekreferences andEaster eggs",[66]while James Whitbrook ofGizmodosaid the series was "looking better than ever for round two. And that means more jokes, more delectably silly references to Trek's past, and more earnest Starfleet vibes".[67]Collura and Whitbrook both highlighted the Tom Paris commemorative plate featured in the trailer,[66][67]which was also released as a physical commemorative plate for purchase.[68]As they did with the first season, animation studio Titmouse released a shirt with a unique design on it alongside each episode. The designs were available for one week each, and fans who bought all ten received a bonus eleventh shirt.[69]

Release

[edit]

Streaming and broadcast

[edit]

The season premiered on Paramount+ in the United States on August 12, 2021,[3]and ran for 10 episodes until October 14.[70]Each episode was broadcast in Canada on the same day as the U.S. release byBell Mediaon specialty channelsCTV Sci-Fi Channel(English) andZ(French) before streaming onCrave.[71]Prime Videohas the streaming rights for several territories, including Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, and India.[72]In February 2023, Paramount made a new deal with Prime Video for the series' international streaming rights. This allowed the season to be added to Paramount+ in some other countries in addition to remaining on Prime Video.[73]In July 2023, Bell Media announced that the series would be leaving Crave over the following month. It would continue to be broadcast on CTV Sci-Fi and past seasons would remain available on CTV.ca and the CTV app.[74]

Home media

[edit]

The season was released on DVD and Blu-Ray in the U.S. on July 12, 2022. The release includes over an hour of bonus features, including theanimaticsfor each episode, a round-up of the references and Easter eggs to otherStar Trekseries in each episode, featurettes about the sound design process and the making of the season in general, and audio commentaries with cast and crew for several of the episodes.[75]

Reception

[edit]

Critical response

[edit]

Rotten Tomatoesreported 100% approval with an average rating of 8.30/10 based on 12 reviews. The website's critical consensus reads, "Lower Decksrights the ship with a more self-assured sophomore season that strikes an ideal balance between affection and irreverence. "[76]

Reviewing the first five episodes of the season, Brandon Zachary ofComic Book Resourcespraised the series for using itsStar Trekreferences to develop the characters and story. He felt the season was more confident than the first,[77]whichCollider'sLiz Shannon Miller andIGN'sTara Bennett also thought. They both said the season avoided fan concerns by balancing love forStar Trekwith fun and improved stories.[78][79]An example of the improved storytelling for Bennet was the handling of Boimler in the first five episodes, which impressed her because she felt other comedy series would not explore the ramifications of a decision like Boimler leaving the ship at the end of the first season. Bennet did criticize the amount of franchise references and hoped the second-half of the season would focus on more original material, like the Doopler race introduced in "An Embarrassment of Dooplers".[79]Ben Pearson at/Filmsaid the series continued to be an enjoyable entry in the franchise despite feeling that the amount ofStar Trekreferences were becoming difficult to ignore for more casual fans.[80]Writing forThe A.V. Club,Zack Handlen said watching the series had the comforting feeling of watching "arerunyou haven't watched yet "and was a positive example offan service,despite the constant references becoming tiresome at times. He thought the second season was more focused and consistent than the first, had better jokes, and handled episodic storytelling and overall continuity as well as, if not better than, some of the live-actionStar Trekseries. Handlen wished the series was more ambitious, though, saying it was easy to recommend toStar Trekfans who know the references but "it's hard not to hope that it might one day reach a little higher than 'Hey, remember the one where...'"[81]

Shamus Kelley ofDen of Geekdisliked the series' first episode, but was encouraged to watch the rest and was "in love with the show" by the middle of the second season. He attributed this to the character development, more intelligent use ofStar Trekreferences, and because the series "stopped trying to beRick and Morty".[82]Discussing the full second season,Keith R. A. DeCandidoatTorsaid it was coming into its own as a "proper"Star Trekseries and was much stronger than the first season, primarily because it "allowed itself to be aStar Trekshow, albeit one that was filled with humor and ridiculousness ". Despite this, he thought the season struggled with the same inconsistent tone as the first and said it still relied too much on references and" dumb office-sitcom plots ".[83]Andrew Cunningham atArs Technicasaid the amount ofStar Trekreferences "can get tiring in large doses", and questioned how well the series worked for people who do not know the franchise, but as a fan the series was giving him the fun, episodic storytelling with low stakes that he wanted fromStar Trek.[84]A. J. Black, reviewing the season forCultural Conversation,said it had the "brightest springing step" of all the modernStar Trekseries' second seasons by maintaining consistency with its first season while also amplifying what worked best the first time. He said the second-half of the season was stronger than the first, and praised the season finale as the best of anyStar Trekseries sinceVoyager'sthird-season finale "Scorpion"in 1997. This was because of its combination of a" strong central, time-focused crisis ", franchise references, and the development of Mariner's relationship with Freeman. Black thought" wej Duj "was overshadowed by the season finale, but he still praised it for taking the series to a new level in a comparative way to theNext Generationepisode "Q Who"and theDeep Space Nineepisode "Duet".[85]"wej Duj" was considered to be the best episode of the series by multiple commenters.[86][87][88]

Zachary said the season's "clean animation" complimented the writing and acting,[77]while Handlen described the animation as "consistently inventive and gorgeous throughout, managing the neat trick of being hilarious and awe-inspiring as needed".[81]Black also praised the "beautifully drawn" animation.[85]Cunningham said the season benefitted from having the likeable characters that were introduced in the first season,[84]and Zachary said the cast were "uniformly strong" in their roles.[77]Handlen particurlay praised the supporting cast, including Lewis and O'Connell.[81]Bennett praised the development of Mariner, saying the character was "more fun to be around" and appreciating that her relationship with Freeman is addressed in the season. Bennet was also thankful for the expanded roles that Tendi and Rutherford have,[79]something that Pearson agreed with despite concerns with that pair's dynamic in the season's first episode.[80]DeCandido said Mariner and her habit of always saving the day was one of his biggest issues with the first season and he was glad to see that change in the second. He praised the character development for Boimler and Tendi, and highlighted the guest cast including Combs. He thought some of the supporting characters, such as Kayshon, Jet, and Jennifer, were underused in the season.[83]

Despite giving a positive review of the season, Black was critical of the episode "Mugato, Gumato" that he said was "rooted around a fairly graphic Mugato sex scene".[85]In response to concerns about the scene, McMahan said he thought the scene was funny and there was a lot of other content in the series that was not family-friendly. He added, "I've never seenStar Trekas celebrating puritanism. I think thatStar Trekhas always embraced sexuality, humanism, and all sorts of great stuff ".[89]Another explicit scene in the season that received criticism is when Mariner walks in on an orgy in "I, Excretus" and says a naked Boimler with his legs spread.[90][91]When asked about this scene, Quaid responded that he was used to that sort of content after starring in the seriesThe Boys.[92]McMahan said the scene was consistent with nudity and sexual content in the live-actionStar Trekseries.[91]

Accolades

[edit]
Accolades received by Star Trek: Lower Decks season 2
Year Award Category Nominee(s) Result Ref.
2022 Golden Reel Awards Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing – Animation Series or Short James Lucero, James Singleton, Mak Kellerman, Michael LaFerla, and Michael Britt (for "Strange Energies") Nominated [93]
Hollywood Critics Association TV Awards Best Streaming Animated Series or TV Movie Star Trek: Lower Decks Nominated [94]
Hugo Awards Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form Bob Suarez and Kathryn Lyn (for "wej Duj") Nominated [95]
Saturn Awards Best Animated Series Star Trek: Lower Decks Nominated [96]

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