Paramount+ released the first teaser trailer for Star Trek: Lower Decks Season 3, ahead of the animated comedy series’ return later this year.
The teaser was unveiled at the Star Trek: Mission Chicago fan convention, along with a new poster promoting the upcoming third season. Paramount+ also supplied an official synopsis for Star Trek: Lower Decks Season 3, saying it “challenges the U.S.S. Cerritos ensigns in (hilarious) ways they could never imagine, starting with a shocking resolution for season two’s epic cliffhanger finale.”
Created by Mike McMahan, Star Trek: Lower Decks premiered in August 2020. It charts the misadventures of the Starfleet crew members who occupy the lower decks of the U.S.S. Ceritos. Lower Decks‘ key characters include Ensigns Beckett Mariner (Tawny Newsome), Brad Boimler (Jack Quaid) Tendi (Noël Wells), and Rutherford (Eugene Cordero). While the show’s comedic approach to the Star Trek mythos seemingly puts it at odds with the rest of the franchise, Lower Decks reportedly exists within the official series canon.
As mentioned in the official Season 3 synopsis, Star Trek: Lower Decks Season 2 ended with a shocking twist, when Mariner’s mother Captain Freeman was arrested for allegedly orchestrating an attack on the Pakled home world. In an exclusive interview with CBR, McMahan explained how this cliffhanger finale sets up Lower Decks‘ third season. “At the end of the [final] episode, [Mariner’s] mom gets taken away,” he said. “And that leads us into our Season 3 opener where Mariner, who has always been threatened of being sent away from the Cerritos, is now dealing with having her mom taken away from her. Mariner does not handle those kinds of events very well.”
Paramount+ apparently has faith that the animated series will continue to perform well, as the streaming platform announced it was renewing Star Trek: Lower Decks for a fourth season in January 2022. Star Trek: Discovery and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds were renewed at the same time, which points to the streamer’s continued focus on its iconic sci-fi property.
Paramount’s commitment to the Star Trek franchise extends beyond the small screen, however. In February 2022, the corporation’s film-making arm revealed plans for Star Trek 4, with Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldana, Karl Urban, John Cho and Simon Pegg in talks to reprise their respective roles. It subsequently emerged that Pine and his co-stars were apparently unaware of their supposed involvement in the production, which is slated for release on Dec. 22, 2023.
Star Trek: Lower Decks Seasons 1 and 2 are currently streaming on Paramount+. Season 3 does not yet have a release date.
Source: Paramount+