1. Season 4
Season 4 is absolutely my favorite season of Star Trek: Lower Decks. There are a few reasons for this: One is that T’Lyn joins the crew and becomes a frequent recurring character, and T’Lyn is the best character on Lower Decks (in my opinion). She really optimizes the dynamic for comedy and drama among the core cast, and she’s also just a great Vulcan character.
Alas, this is not an article about how great T’Lyn is, and there are other reasons why Season 4 is the best season of Lower Decks. Namely, it offers a considerable amount of growth for several of the main characters. Seeing as its characters are its greatest asset, growth was absolutely necessary at this point in Lower Decks.
The two characters with the most growth in this season were probably D’Vana Tendi and Beckett Mariner. Tendi’s growth is mostly about her grappling with her Orion heritage and trying to establish what she wants her life to be, rather than just accepting what her parents expect. This arc is carried on into Season 5, but Season 4 is where the bulk of the growth happens.
Like Tendi, Mariner’s growth centers around defining what she wants out of life. The major difference, though, is that Mariner’s lackadaisical, self-sabotaging behavior is actually flying in the face of what she wants, but that it is rooted in trauma. She is scared, and she is uncertain that Starfleet can actually offer what she believes it should offer.
The fact that the show allows Mariner to come to terms with all of this earnestly is a testament to the quality of writing for Lower Decks and for Season 4 in particular. Furthermore, paralleling Mariner’s epiphany and growth with the completely maladaptive approach of Nick Locarno as the season’s “big bad” just adds to the power of Mariner’s arc.
Fortunately, these great dramatic moments don’t eclipse the humor. There’s still plenty of comedy. Balancing these tones can be difficult for any show, but Season 4 of Lower Decks does it with aplomb. It makes it so that the individual episodes are usually entertaining and fun, while the overarching season plot is also compelling and poignant.
Across 5 seasons, Star Trek: Lower Decks managed to quickly find its footing and be a show that is funny while keeping the spirit of Star Trek alive. Even its worst season is still pretty fun to watch, and some of its best episodes and stories are arguably among the best in all of Star Trek.
Sure, the tone of Lower Decks is more like “The Trouble with Tribbles” than “Chain of Command,” but that’s okay. It’s actually good. Star Trek can handle a variety of tones, so long as it remains true to its core. Lower Decks proves that. While I’m sad it’s over, at least we have these 50 episodes to enjoy across five pretty stellar seasons.