Trailer Analysis: There Are Much More Than Four Highlights In ‘Star Trek: Lower Decks’ Season 2 Teaser

Unlike the Star Trek: Picard season two teaser trailer which had a story about time to tease out, the teaser for Star Trek: Lower Decks was just a seemingly random barrage from the upcoming season.

A quick moment on the USS Cerritos mess with Mariner asking Tendi and Rutherford “What up, we doing sci-fi stuff today?” starts us off and sets the tone for this short rapid-paced trailer full of freeze-frame moments showing us what our lower decker heroes are up to.

So once again, let’s take a closer look at the highlights…

A Miranda named Macduff

The first of the following quick moments shows a Miranda-class ship (like the USS Reliant in Star Trek II) being chased by some smaller craft firing phasers. This Miranda-class is called the USS Macduff, which is a name of a Shakesperean hero and that imposter crew member from the TNG episode “Conundrum.”

A Mugatu scares Denobulans

Our next scene finds two unknown Denobulans (like Enterprise’s Dr. Phlox) in a dark alien world facing down an angry Mugatu (okay, technically Mugato but everyone pronounced it “Mugatu” in the TOS episode “A Private Little War.”)

Mariner does ultimate martial arts

Next up is Ensign Becket Mariner showing off impressive skills – with the outfit and everything – at Anbo-jyutsu, which Riker’s dad said is the ultimate form of martial arts in the TNG episode “The Icarus Factor.”

Ransom the rainbow god

In a flash of energy, we see members of the Cerritos crew raising their arms as if in worship to a floating Commander Ransom, who fires rainbows of energy from his hands as he floats above what looks to be a Klingon city.

Again with these smart guys

A shot of some underground facility finds Boimler frantically working some controls while he is defended by some civilians (or members of the Titan crew in civvies) from a group of Pakleds, the not-so-smart aliens from TNG’s “Samaritan Snare,” who returned in the Lower Decks season one finale as much more dangerous adversaries. Showrunner Mike McMahan has previously teased the Pakleds will be back in season two.

There are four butts (to be kicked)

Mariner is back showing off her butt-kicking ways, this time fending off a group of Cardassians in an interrogation chamber straight out of the TNG episode “Chain of Command,” complete with the famous “four lights.”

Whatever this thing is

We next see Tendi, who is in a room with a number of different alien creatures in cages. She is surprised by a group of snake things that spring out behind her. These could all be attached below the screen as one single creature, possibly even an Andromedan Kelvan, which Spock described as, “Immense beings, a hundred limbs which resemble tentacles” in their natural form.

Oh no, Rutherford

There is a quick moment of Sam Rutherford clutching his head screaming in distress. In the season one finale Rutherford’s implant got a virus from his evil holographic creation Badgey, which required the implant to be rebooted, losing all of his memories since he got it. So, maybe this is a good moment when all his old memories rush back all at once? Or it could just be an ice cream headache.

Back to normal

Things slow down and we get a nice moment on the Cerritos. Mariner is again in the brig – which she made clear in season one was one of her favorite places. Tendi and Rutherford are hanging with her, with Tendi saying, “The only thing missing is Boimler… he’s got to be having the time of his life.”

They say don’t meet your heroes

Getting assigned to the USS Titan under the command of the legendary Captain William T. Riker was always Brad Boimler’s dream. And he got his wish along with a much-desired promotion at the end of season one, which is where we find him in this season two teaser. However, when we smash cut to the Titan, things don’t seem to be going so well for Brad, now at the helm of the ship in the middle of a tense battle.

Oh, the jazz

Of course, Riker is taking this battle in stride. After ordering his signature “red alert!” he lightens the mood for his bridge crew with the casual jazz music reference, “I’m starting to think this jam session’s got too many licks and not enough comps.”

This does nothing for the exasperated Boimler, who screams “What does that even mean!?”

Attack on Titan

We end zooming out during the same battle seeing the USS Titan entering some kind of anomaly and under attack from what could be the same little ships that were attacking the Macduff at the start of the teaser, but in this case their beams are a different color. So, who knows?

See you in August

We will find out much more on Thursday, August 12 when the second season starts.

Find more Star Trek: Lower Decks news and analysis.