Star Trek: Lower Decks season 4: Difference between revisions
| Line 39: | Line 39: | ||
|WrittenBy = [[Mike McMahan]] |
|WrittenBy = [[Mike McMahan]] |
||
|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2023|9|7}} |
|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2023|9|7}} |
||
|ShortSummary = Ensign Boimler learns that he is due to be promoted, while the ''Cerritos'' escorts the decommissioned starship ''[[USS Voyager (Star Trek)|Voyager]]'' to Earth to become a museum displaying exhibits about its adventures in the [[Delta Quadrant]]. When a dormant Delta Quadrant "macrovirus" is awakened, Boimler's distraction allows it to combine with [[Borg]] technology, contaminate the other exhibits, and take control of the ship. After encouraging words from Ensign Mariner, Boimler enlists Ensign Rutherford's aid to disable the ship's systems with a sample of homemade cheese that once infected ''Voyager''. Meanwhile, on the ''Cerritos'', a stray Delta Quadrant flower petal causes a [[transporter (Star Trek)|transporter]] accident that merges Dr. T'Ana and chief engineer Billups into one person, "T'illups". Captain Freeman learns that when this happened on ''Voyager'', [[Captain Janeway]] killed the merged person, [[Tuvix]], to restore the original two individuals. Not wanting to suffer the same fate, T'illups begins "Tuvixing" other members of the Cerritos crew. Ensigns Tendi and T'Lyn end up merging all the Tuvixed individuals into a huge ball of flesh before separating them out again. Once the chaos is over, Boimler, Tendi, T'Lyn, and Mariner all receive promotions to [[lieutenant (junior grade)]]. Meanwhile, the [[Klingon]] ship '' |
|ShortSummary = Ensign Boimler learns that he is due to be promoted, while the ''Cerritos'' escorts the decommissioned starship ''[[USS Voyager (Star Trek)|Voyager]]'' to Earth to become a museum displaying exhibits about its adventures in the [[Delta Quadrant]]. When a dormant Delta Quadrant "macrovirus" is awakened, Boimler's distraction allows it to combine with [[Borg]] technology, contaminate the other exhibits, and take control of the ship. After encouraging words from Ensign Mariner, Boimler enlists Ensign Rutherford's aid to disable the ship's systems with a sample of homemade cheese that once infected ''Voyager''. Meanwhile, on the ''Cerritos'', a stray Delta Quadrant flower petal causes a [[transporter (Star Trek)|transporter]] accident that merges Dr. T'Ana and chief engineer Billups into one person, "T'illups". Captain Freeman learns that when this happened on ''Voyager'', [[Captain Janeway]] killed the merged person, [[Tuvix]], to restore the original two individuals. Not wanting to suffer the same fate, T'illups begins "Tuvixing" other members of the Cerritos crew. Ensigns Tendi and T'Lyn end up merging all the Tuvixed individuals into a huge ball of flesh before separating them out again. Once the chaos is over, Boimler, Tendi, T'Lyn, and Mariner all receive promotions to [[lieutenant (junior grade)]]. Meanwhile, the [[Klingon]] ship ''Che'Ta'' is attacked by an unknown vessel. |
||
|LineColor = A12F2C |
|LineColor = A12F2C |
||
}} |
}} |
||
Revision as of 09:00, 18 October 2023
| Star Trek: Lower Decks | |
|---|---|
| Season 4 | |
 Promotional poster | |
| Starring | |
| No. of episodes | 7 |
| Release | |
| Original network | Paramount+ |
| Original release | September 7, 2023 – present |
| Season chronology | |
The fourth season of the American adult animated television series Star Trek: Lower Decks is set in the 24th century and follows the adventures of the "lower deckers" (low-ranking officers with menial jobs) on the starship Cerritos, one of Starfleet's least important starships. The season is produced by CBS Eye Animation Productions in association with Secret Hideout, Important Science, Roddenberry Entertainment, and animation studio Titmouse, with Mike McMahan serving as showrunner and Barry J. Kelly as supervising director.
Tawny Newsome, Jack Quaid, Noël Wells, and Eugene Cordero voice the lower decks crew members of the Cerritos, with Dawnn Lewis, Jerry O'Connell, Fred Tatasciore, and Gillian Vigman providing voices for the ship's senior officers. A fourth season of Lower Decks was ordered in January 2022. Writing began by that April, and voice recording started by June.
The season premiered on the streaming service Paramount+ on September 7, 2023, with its first two episodes. The rest of the 10-episode run will be released weekly. A fifth season was ordered in March 2023.[1]
Episodes
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 31 | 1 | "Twovix" |
| Mike McMahan | September 7, 2023 |
| 32 | 2 | "I Have No Bones Yet I Must Flee" | Megan Lloyd | Aaron Burdette | September 7, 2023 |
| 33 | 3 | "In the Cradle of Vexilon" | Brandon Williams | Ben Waller | September 14, 2023 |
| 34 | 4 | "Something Borrowed, Something Green" | Bob Suarez | Grace Parra Janney | September 21, 2023 |
| 35 | 5 | "Empathological Fallacies" | Megan Lloyd | Jamie Loftus | September 28, 2023 |
| 36 | 6 | "Parth Ferengi's Heart Place" | Brandon Williams | Cullen Crawford | October 5, 2023 |
| 37 | 7 | "A Few Badgeys More" | Bob Suarez | Edgar Momplaisir | October 12, 2023 |
| 38 | 8 | "Caves"[2] | Megan Lloyd[2] | Ben Rodgers[2] | October 19, 2023 |
Cast and characters
Main
- Tawny Newsome as Beckett Mariner[3][4]
- Jack Quaid as Brad Boimler[3][4]
- Noël Wells as D'Vana Tendi[3][4]
- Eugene Cordero as Sam Rutherford[3][4]
- Dawnn Lewis as Carol Freeman[3][4]
- Jerry O'Connell as Jack Ransom[3][4]
- Fred Tatasciore as Shaxs[3][4]
- Gillian Vigman as T'Ana[3][4]
Notable guests
- Gabrielle Ruiz as T'Lyn[4]
- Carl Clemons-Hopkins as Narj
- James Sie as Doctor Chaotica
- Nolan North as Livik / Betazoid Gift Box
- Kimiko Glenn as G
- Lauren Tom as Shona Tendi
- Max Grodénchik as Rom
- Chase Masterson as Leeta
- Jack McBrayer as Badgey / Goodgey / Logic-y
- Jeffrey Combs as AGIMUS
- Kether Donohue as Peanut Hamper
- Rachel Dratch as Dolorex
- Janelle James as Katrot
- Wendie Malick as Cathiw
- Dave Foley as Parth
Production
Development and writing
Paramount+ ordered a 10-episode fourth season of Star Trek: Lower Decks in January 2022, when it also announced season renewals for the other Star Trek Universe series.[5] Writing for the season began by that April,[6] and was mostly completed by September.[7]
After the success of the second-season episode "wej Duj", which had a different format than previous episodes of the series, McMahan said the writers were trying to bring those types of ideas to the whole fourth season.[8] He later said the season would have an episode that continued from the third-season episode "A Mathematically Perfect Redemption", in which the narcissistic exocomp Peanut Hamper met the evil computer AGIMUS,[9][10] but said there would not be a standalone Peanut Hamper episode in the season like that episode was. McMahan added that there would be an episode set on the planet Orion, a romantic episode, and a wedding.[11]
Casting and voice recording
The series stars a group of ensigns serving in the "lower decks" of the Cerritos—Tawny Newsome as Beckett Mariner, Jack Quaid as Brad Boimler, Noël Wells as D'Vana Tendi, and Eugene Cordero as Sam Rutherford—and the ship's bridge crew who believe "the show is about them, but it's not"—Dawnn Lewis as Captain Carol Freeman, Jerry O'Connell as first officer Commander Jack Ransom, Fred Tatasciore as security chief Lieutenant Shaxs, and Gillian Vigman as chief medical officer Dr. T'Ana.[3][4] Newsome had begun recording voice overs for the season by June 2022, when she was also doing additional dialogue recording (ADR) for the third season.[12]
McMahan did not anticipate the positive fan reaction to second-season guest star Gabrielle Ruiz's T'Lyn when working on the third season, so she only has a small role there, but he hoped to explore her further in future seasons;[13][14] he later described the fourth season as going "to T'Lyn town. I want to know what she's up to."[8] T'Lyn is a "provisional ensign" aboard the Cerritos in the fourth season.[4]
Animation and design
Independent animation studio Titmouse provides the animation for the series,[15] with Barry J. Kelly serving as supervising director for the season.[citation needed] The art team was about to begin work on the season in mid-July 2022.[8] The animation style reflects the look of "prime time animated comedy" series such as The Simpsons, but with more detailed backgrounds and environments than is traditional for prime time animation.[16]
Marketing
A trailer and the key art poster for the season were revealed at San Diego Comic-Con in July 2023, when the season's premiere date was also announced. The poster continues the series' theme of referencing the posters of the Star Trek films, with this one being an homage to the Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986) poster.[4]
Release
The season premiered on Paramount+ in the United States and Latin America on September 7, 2023, with its first two episodes.[4] The rest of its 10-episode run will be released weekly.[1] Each episode is broadcast in Canada on the CTV Sci-Fi Channel, and will be made available on Paramount+ in the U.K., Australia, Italy, France, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and South Korea later in 2023.[4]
Reception
The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 100% approval score with an average rating of 8.7/10 based on 11 reviews.[17]
References
- ^ a b Otterson, Joe (March 28, 2023). "'Star Trek: Strange New Worlds,' 'Lower Decks' Renewed at Paramount+, Set Summer Premieres". Variety. Archived from the original on March 28, 2023. Retrieved April 22, 2023.
- ^ a b c "Star Trek: Lower Decks Storyline". Paramount Press Express. October 16, 2023. Retrieved October 16, 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "Comic-Con 2019: 'Star Trek: Lower Decks' Characters and Voice Cast Revealed". TrekMovie.com. July 20, 2019. Archived from the original on July 21, 2019. Retrieved January 19, 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Milligan, Mercedes (July 22, 2023). "SDCC: 'Star Trek' Universe Panel Reveals 'Lower Decks' S4 Trailer & Premiere Date". Animation Magazine. Archived from the original on July 22, 2023. Retrieved July 23, 2023.
- ^ Andreeva, Nellie (January 18, 2022). "'Star Trek' Universe News: 'Discovery', 'Strange New Worlds' & 'Lower Decks' Renewed, 'Picard' Gets Season 2 Premiere Date". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on January 19, 2022. Retrieved January 19, 2022.
- ^ McMahan, Mike [@MikeMcMahanTM] (April 5, 2022). "the more Trek news the better! We're having a blast finishing season 3 and writing season 4 right now :)" (Tweet). Archived from the original on April 5, 2022. Retrieved April 26, 2022 – via Twitter.
- ^ Pascale, Anthony (September 8, 2022). "Interview: Mike McMahan On "Big" Season 3 Finale And The Future Of 'Star Trek: Lower Decks'". TrekMovie.com. Archived from the original on September 28, 2022. Retrieved October 9, 2022.
- ^ a b c Bennett, Tara (July 11, 2022). "Star Trek: Lower Decks Creator Mike McMahan on Season 2 Triumphs, Teases Seasons 3 and 4". IGN. Archived from the original on July 11, 2022. Retrieved July 18, 2022.
- ^ Cecchini, Mike (October 6, 2022). "Star Trek: Lower Decks - Why Peanut Hamper's Return Matters". Den of Geek. Archived from the original on October 6, 2022. Retrieved October 8, 2022.
- ^ Pascale, Anthony (October 6, 2022). "Recap/Review: 'Star Trek: Lower Decks' Soars In The Strange "A Mathematically Perfect Redemption"". TrekMovie.com. Archived from the original on October 6, 2022. Retrieved October 8, 2022.
- ^ "Mike McMahan Teases 'Star Trek: Lower Decks' Season 4 Wedding, Visit To Orion & More Peanut Hamper". TrekMovie.com. January 17, 2023. Archived from the original on January 17, 2023. Retrieved March 4, 2023.
- ^ Ryan, Danielle (June 28, 2022). "Star Trek: Lower Decks Star Tawny Newsome Is Stoked About Replicator Nachos [Interview]". /Film. Archived from the original on June 28, 2022. Retrieved June 30, 2022.
- ^ Orquiola, John (October 14, 2021). "Mike McMahan Interview: Star Trek Lower Decks S2 Finale". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on October 14, 2021. Retrieved January 2, 2022.
- ^ Kaplan, Rebecca (December 15, 2021). "Mike McMahan Dishes on Star Trek: Lower Decks and Cali-Class Cuisine". Geek Girl Authority. Archived from the original on December 15, 2021. Retrieved January 2, 2022.
- ^ "Breaking News - Paramount+ Announces Premiere Dates and Additional Seasons for "Star Trek" Universe Series". The Futon Critic. January 18, 2022. Archived from the original on June 30, 2022. Retrieved July 1, 2022.
- ^ Reilly, Ken (August 15, 2020). "Interview: Mike McMahan on Star Trek: Lower Decks' Animation Design, Balancing Canon and Creativity, and "Good People Doing Good Things" in Starfleet". TrekCore.com. Archived from the original on August 20, 2020. Retrieved April 25, 2022.
- ^ "Star Trek: Lower Decks". rottentomatoes.com. Retrieved September 7, 2023.
