Star Trek fans rejoice. This week marks the return of the animated series Star Trek: Lower Decks for its third season. New episodes will debut weekly on Thursdays in the US via Paramount+. Here in the UK and in international markets you can catch new episodes on Friday’s via Prime Video.
The season premiere, “Grounded”, will pick up right where season 2 left off, with Captain Freeman (Dawnn Lewis) under arrest for the destruction of the Pakled home world. With the rest of the crew on shore leave, it’s up to Mariner (Tawny Newsome) and co. to try and get to the bottom of the mystery. Here’s a look at the official synopsis:
Mariner enlists her friends on a rogue mission to exonerate her mother as Captain Freeman faces a military tribunal for the destruction of Pakled Planet
Today we’ve got 14 brand new stills from the episode for you to check out below. From the looks of it there are certainly some call backs to the classic TNG episode “Family”.
Season 3 picks up directly in the wake of season 2’s bombshell cliffhanger, with Captain Freeman (Dawnn Lewis) framed for destroying the Pakled Planet. With the Cerritos grounded, the crew is trying to make the most of their forced down time. The scandal appears to prevent Beckett Mariner and Brad Boimler from recruiting new Starfleet cadets at a career fair. It also seems that Freeman is struggling to remain calm, as she’s seen freaking out around a group of cute puppies.
It doesn’t take long for Beckett and her friends to steal the Cerritos and head off a mission, perhaps to prove her mother’s innocence?
Created by Rick & Morty writer Mike McHMahan, Star Trek: Lower Decks features the voices of Tawny Newsome, Jack Quaid, Noël Wells and Eugene Cordero as the support crew serving on one of Starfleet’s least important ships, the U.S.S. Cerritos.
The series returns to Paramount+ in the US on August 25, 2022. Seasons 1 and 2 of Star Trek: Lower Decks are available to stream now.