Star Trek: Lower Decks Season 4 Trailer: Can The U.S.S. Cerritos Crew Be More Than Lower Deckers?

It's a big week for "Star Trek: Lower Decks." Heroes Boimler (Jack Quaid) and Mariner (Tawny Newsome) are set to board the Enterprise in the next episode of "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds," and in the meantime, their 2-D counterparts are going on their biggest adventures yet in the trailer for season 4 of "Lower Decks."

There's a lot to unpack in the new trailer that just dropped in the midst of San Diego Comic-Con weekend, but the main theme seems to be that the Lower Deckers are actually becoming heroes in their own right. When non-Federation ships and Starfleet vessels alike begin to fall prey to mysterious attacks, it looks like the U.S.S. Cerritos crew is called into action to help — even if it is just with waste removal. There's also a promotion plotline on the horizon, meaning a few of our beloved underdogs might get to stop doing grunt work soon. Personally, I'm hoping Tendi (Noel Wells) and Rutherford (Eugene Cordero) get a raise, because those adorable geeks deserve it.

Elsewhere in the trailer, a whole lot of chaos unfolds, including a volcanic explosion, some sort of romantic party complete with heart confetti, and a visit to an Orion bar — where Mariner promptly gets hit in the shoulder by a throwing knife. There's also an adorable round creature that reminds me a bit of the suicidal star in "The Super Mario Bros. Movie," only instead of feeding on the depression of its fellow inmates, this cute little blob is feeding on the blood of some creepy-looking aliens.

This trailer feels a lot more serialized than "Star Trek: Lower Decks" usually is, but I wonder if it's just highlighting the promotion arc and the mysterious attacks as overarching plots when the majority of the season will still be episodic. If "Lower Decks" does plan to shake things up by giving its lost-to-history characters promotions, that would be okay too: over the first three seasons, they've proven themselves a lot more heroic than their ranks would indicate.

The promo spot even gets in a nod to the live-action crossover, confirming it's a part of the show's canon that's already happened by the time season 4 airs. "Dude, this is nothing compared to ... you know, that Pike thing we aren't supposed to talk about," Mariner tells Boimler at the last second. Intriguing! "Star Trek: Lower Decks" returns on Paramount+ starting September 7, 2023.