JULY 14, 2022 - With Star Trek: Strange New Worlds having ended its first season last week and no new Trek this week, it’s a fallow month for the franchise. Fortunately, we don’t have long to wait, for Paramount+ yesterday announced the release date of Star Trek: Lower Decks, season 3.

In a press release, the streaming service revealed that the animated comedy will be returning on Thursday, August 25. The release goes on to say:

Created by Emmy Award winner Mike McMahan (“Rick and Morty,” “Solar Opposites”), season three of STAR TREK: LOWER DECKS challenges the U.S.S. Cerritos ensigns in (hilarious) ways they could never imagine, starting with a shocking resolution for season two’s epic cliffhanger finale.

Along with the release date, Paramount+ gave fans a look at the key art, a poster that may look familiar to old-school Trek aficionados. As with past seasons of the series, the art is inspired by one of the Original Series films, this time Star Trek III: The Search for Spock. The comparison isn’t really surprising, given that the teaser trailer released in April pays homage to the film, as well.

During last week’s episode of the Wil Wheaton-hosted after-show The Ready Room, the actor acknowledged that he had no new Strange New Worlds clip to share. He went on, however, in that gleeful way he has, to admit that he did have a sneak peek at the first episode of Lower Decks season 3, which you can feast your eyes on below. Viewers will note another Trek homage, this one to the series finale of Star Trek: The Next Generation, “All Good Things…”

Finally getting some release news for Lower Decks is a relief, but we still have over a month before we get any new Trek. In fairness, though, we’ve just been through the longest continuous run of Star Trek EVER, so maybe we needn’t complain too loudly!

Star Trek: Lower Decks returns to our screens on Thursday, August 25 on Paramount+.