12 Most Beloved Star Trek: The Next Generation Episodes

Four junior officers looking to advance their Starfleet careers find themselves tested when the Enterprise engages in a covert mission shrouded in secrecy.

Lower Decks is a welcome shift in perspective told from the points of view of the main characters and four junior officers under them giving us a fresh look at how the Enterprise functions and how ordinary crew members view the people we know and love. It also provides a human face to all the nameless extras we see traipsing about every episode creating the sense that this vessel is an organization made up of multiple officers with their own ambitions and dreams.

The relationships are handled with efficiency allowing us to see all angles and understand where everyone is coming from. For example, Ensign Sam Lavelle, who is up for promotion to lieutenant, finds Riker intimidating and tries to have a friendly drink with him which turns painfully awkward. as Riker views him as too anxious to please. Meanwhile, Ensign Taurik is eager to implement some engineering enhancements not understanding that Geordi has to run the department as a cohesive unit and not a theoretical testing lab.

There is also a main plot deftly woven in involving Ensign Sito who is assigned a crucial assignment regarding a mysterious Cardassian patient who is actually an undercover operative. The mission requires different contributions from each Lower Deck members. For instance, Geordi and Taurik have to do some modifications to the shuttle not knowing what it will be used for. This allows all the interpersonal relationships to develop smoothly while flowing alongside and developing the main plot.

Lower Decks just works on every level and provides a breath of fresh air right when the series needed it most.