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Star Trek: Lower Decks is a hilarious and affectionate animated take on the Star Trek universe. It’s a show that’s clearly made by fans, for fans, and it’s packed with Easter eggs, references, and loving parodies of Trek tropes. Here’s my take on the Top 10 Episodes of Star Trek: Lower Decks so far:
Top 10 Episodes of Star Trek: Lower Decks
- “wej Duj” (Season 2, Episode 9): This episode is a masterpiece of Lower Decks storytelling, expanding the show’s scope beyond the Cerritos and showing us the “lower decks” of a Klingon and a Vulcan ship as well. The episode is full of hilarious observations about these different cultures, and it culminates in a satisfying and surprisingly heartwarming convergence of the three storylines. The title itself is Klingon for “Three Ships.”
- “Crisis Point” (Season 1, Episode 9): A brilliant parody of Star Trek movies, this episode features Mariner creating a holodeck movie where she gets to play the villain. It’s a hilarious and action-packed adventure that also delves into Mariner’s character and her relationship with her mother. The episode showcases the show’s ability to balance comedy with genuine emotional depth.
- “No Small Parts” (Season 1, Episode 10): The season one finale is a thrilling and action-packed adventure that features the return of a familiar TNG threat and some surprising character development for the Cerritos crew. It’s a great example of how Lower Decks can deliver a satisfying Star Trek story while still being incredibly funny. It also solidifies the lower deckers as a true team.
- “Kayshon, His Eyes Open” (Season 2, Episode 1): The season two premiere picks up where the previous season left off, and features the crew dealing with the aftermath of the Pakled attack. It introduces the new security chief, Kayshon, a Tamarian (the “Darmok” species), who communicates entirely in metaphors. The episode is both hilarious and a great example of how Lower Decks can expand upon established Trek lore.
- “An Embarrassment of Dooplers” (Season 2, Episode 5): This episode is pure, chaotic fun. The Cerritos is tasked with transporting a group of Dooplers, a species that multiplies when embarrassed, and things quickly get out of hand. It’s a hilarious and fast-paced episode with some great visual gags. It perfectly encapsulates the show’s brand of humor.
- “First First Contact” (Season 2, Episode 10): The second season finale features the Cerritos crew assisting another Starfleet ship on a first contact mission that goes hilariously wrong. The episode is a great example of how Lower Decks can take classic Star Trek scenarios and turn them on their head. The episode gives Rutherford a chance to shine, and showcases just how much these characters have grown over two seasons.
- “Hear All, Trust Nothing” (Season 3, Episode 8): Lower Decks visits Deep Space Nine! This episode is a nostalgic and hilarious trip back to the iconic station, featuring the return of several DS9 characters. It’s a love letter to Deep Space Nine that’s packed with Easter eggs and references that fans will adore. It also further cements the idea that Lower Decks is truly a part of the larger Star Trek universe.
- “Reflections” (Season 3, Episode 5): This episode delves into Rutherford’s past and the mystery surrounding his implant. It’s a surprisingly emotional and complex story that reveals new depths to Rutherford’s character. It features a dark mirror version of Rutherford that is both menacing and fascinating. It also has a great B-plot featuring Tendi trying to get Mariner to embrace her “bad girl” side.
- “Trusted Sources” (Season 3, Episode 9): A reporter comes aboard the Cerritos to do a story on the crew, leading to a series of hilarious and embarrassing revelations. The episode is a great showcase for the show’s ensemble cast and features some fantastic character moments. It’s a clever and self-aware episode that pokes fun at the way Star Trek is often portrayed in the media.
- “The Stars at Night” (Season 3, Episode 10): The third season finale is another exciting and satisfying conclusion, featuring a major threat to Starfleet and a heroic moment for the Cerritos crew. It ends on a major cliffhanger, showcasing how much the stakes have been raised for the characters and the show itself.
Honorable Mentions: “Second Contact,” “Envoys,” “Terminal Provocations,” “Much Ado About Boimler,” “I, Excretus,” “The Least Dangerous Game,” “A Few Badgeys More”, “Mining The Mind’s Mines”.
Star Trek: Lower Decks is a consistently funny and entertaining show that’s made with a deep love and respect for the Star Trek universe. Its fast-paced humor, clever writing, and endearing characters have made it a hit with fans, and it’s exciting to see where the show will go next. It’s a worthy addition to the Star Trek franchise, and it proves that there’s still plenty of room for laughter and fun in the final frontier.
10 Best Selling Books About Star Trek
The Fifty-Year Mission: The First 25 Years by Edward Gross and Mark A. Altman
This Star Trek history book uses an oral-history format to document how the franchise was conceived, produced, and sustained through its first quarter-century, with attention to creative decisions, studio dynamics, and shifting audience expectations. It is often selected by adult readers looking for a Star Trek behind-the-scenes book that focuses on the people who built the original era of the franchise rather than on episode recaps alone.
The Fifty-Year Mission: The Next 25 Years by Edward Gross and Mark A. Altman
This follow-on volume continues the Star Trek production history into the period dominated by The Next Generation and the later screen era, capturing how the franchise expanded in scale, tone, and business structure. It serves adult, nontechnical readers who want a detailed Star Trek book that connects creative choices to the realities of television production, film development, and brand management over time.
The Star Trek Encyclopedia: Updated and Expanded Edition by Michael Okuda
This Star Trek reference book compiles in-universe entries that organize characters, places, species, technologies, and organizations into a single navigable guide designed for fast lookup and cross-referencing. It is frequently used as a Star Trek companion book by readers who want consistent terminology and continuity cues across multiple series without needing a technical background.
Star Trek Chronology: The History of the Future by Michael Okuda
This Star Trek chronology organizes major events into a timeline-style narrative, helping readers place missions, political changes, and cultural milestones into a coherent sequence across eras. It is commonly used by readers who want a Star Trek timeline book that clarifies when key developments occur and how separate storylines relate without requiring deep prior knowledge of every series.
Star Trek: The Next Generation Technical Manual by Rick Sternbach and Michael Okuda
This Star Trek technical manual presents a structured, readable model of how the Enterprise-D and its systems are portrayed to function, using diagrams, subsystem descriptions, and operational concepts that remain accessible to non-engineers. It is often chosen as a Star Trek design and technology book by adult readers who enjoy the “how it works” side of the franchise while still wanting a narrative-friendly presentation rather than dense engineering text.
The Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion: Revised Edition by Larry Nemecek
This Star Trek guidebook provides a structured way to revisit The Next Generation through episode-focused entries that prioritize clear summaries and context for how the series was made and received. It is often used as a Star Trek episode companion by readers who want a practical, quick-reference format that supports rewatching while still supplying production-facing details in plain language.
The Star Trek Book New Edition by Paul J. Ruditis
This illustrated Star Trek overview surveys the franchise across multiple eras, using short topical sections to explain major themes, settings, ships, and recurring ideas in a way that supports browsing rather than linear reading. It is often selected by adult readers who want a single Star Trek book that orients them across series and films while still offering enough detail to be useful between viewings or while sampling new parts of the canon.
Imzadi by Peter David
This Star Trek novel centers on character-driven consequences and personal history within the Next Generation cast, using a plot that balances relationship dynamics with a broader sci-fi mystery structure. It is regularly recommended as a Star Trek Kindle book for readers who prefer Star Trek fiction that prioritizes voice, emotional stakes, and continuity-aware storytelling over purely episodic adventure.
Spock’s World by Diane Duane
This Star Trek Original Series novel uses the political and cultural history of Vulcan to frame a larger story about identity, governance, and the long-term pressures of federation membership. It is frequently picked up by readers seeking Star Trek books that develop worldbuilding through society-level detail while still keeping the narrative focused on recognizable characters and accessible themes.
The Physics of Star Trek by Lawrence M. Krauss
This nonfiction Star Trek science book uses well-known concepts from physics to discuss which elements of Star Trek align with real-world scientific understanding and which remain speculative, while staying readable for general audiences. It is commonly chosen by adult readers who want a Star Trek-themed way to think about space, energy, and constraints on technology without needing advanced math or a specialist background.
