Paramount+ announced that Star Trek: Lower Decks will return for its third season on Thursday, August 25. Season 3 will consist of ten episodes, with the remaining nine episodes becoming available to stream weekly on Thursdays, exclusively on Paramount+ in the United States.
Created by Emmy Award winner Mike McMahan (Rick and Morty, Solar Opposites), Star Trek: Lower Decks follows the support crew on one of Starfleet's least important ships, the U.S.S. Cerritos, in 2380. Season 3 of the original, adult animated comedy series "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."
In celebration of the premiere date, Paramount+ also revealed the official key art for the third season.
Star Trek: Lower Decks features some incredible vocal talent including Tawny Newsome as Ensign Beckett Mariner, Jack Quaid as Ensign Brad Boimler, Noël Wells as Ensgin Tendi, and Eugene Cordero as Ensign Rutherford. The cast is rounded out by the Starfleet characters comrpising the U.S.S. Cerritos’ bridge crew: Captain Carol Freeman, voiced by Dawnn Lewis; Commander Jack Ransom, voiced by Jerry O’Connell; and Doctor T’Ana, voiced by Gillian Vigman.
Having premiered in 2020, Star Trek: Lower Decks was the franchise's first animated series since the 1970s series Star Trek: The Animated Series, and its first comedic series. A fourth season has already been ordered and is expected to arrive in 2023.
Season 1 received mixed reception with critics calling it "fun, but not very bold." It's sophomore season was much more well-received with a perfect 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes and an impressive 77% Audience Score. Despite the series following the adventures of the "lower deckers" on one of Starfleet's least important starships, the series features many connections and references to previous Star Trek series, including Star Trek: The Next Generation. The second season featured several popular returning guest stars including Jonathan Frakes as William Riker, Robert Duncan McNeill as Tom Paris and Marcus Henderson as Jet Manhaver.