REVIEW: Star Trek: Lower Decks season 1 on Blu-ray

Star Trek: Lower Decks on Blu-ray and limited edition steelbook. Images courtesy CBS Home Entertainment

MAY 23, 2021 - Star Trek: Lower Decks season one recently landed on shelves virtual and physical, but is it worth laying out the money for the physical copy when you’re already subscribed to Paramount+? Or if you’re not already a subscriber to Paramount+, is it worth committing to this new, animated, comedic Star Trek series?

In a word: yes. To both questions.

If you’re brand new to Star Trek: Lower Decks, the first thing you should know is that while it’s an animated show, it’s not for children. In fact, I once thought “oh it’ll be fine” and had my 10-year-old daughter sit with me to watch it...and I regretted that decision. I don’t remember which episode that was, but what you’ll find is that while there’s no swearing (Lower Decks bleeps itself), conversations can tend to be toward the adult in nature. So: not for kids.

If you’re a newbie, you should also know that while Lower Decks is a comedy, it’s not making fun of Star Trek. Quite the contrary. In much the same way that Galaxy Quest managed to both poke fun at and be a love letter to Star Trek fandom, Lower Decks makes fun of all the parts of Star Trek that you do, when you’re sitting around with your friends watching a Star Trek marathon.

Long story short: if you haven’t seen Lower Decks yet due to lack of Paramount+ subscription, then it’s fully worth your time to pick up the Blu-ray and watch it.

But what if you’ve already seen it?

Firstly, I personally think the Blu-ray is more consistently high-quality. It’s not subject to buffering or compression like you can get on streaming services. But mostly, picking up the Blu-ray, you’re getting loads of extra content that’ll help you feel closer to the show. Things like: interviews with the cast, behind-the-scenes on how they finished production on the show in the middle of a global pandemic, and for you completionists out there: an inside look at Star Trek Easter eggs hidden throughout the show, along with freeze frames and commentary from the crew.

Star Trek: Lower Decks is available now from amazon.com or wherever you get your Blu-rays. Choose from DVD, Blu-ray or limited edition Blu-ray steelbook.