The second Star Trek animated series since The Animated Series and the franchise's first comedic series, Lower Decks follows the lower-deck crew members of the USS Cerritos during the Next Generation era as they and the vessel's crew get into a series of misadventures across the galaxy, with no overreaching plot in the first season. Notable episodes in season one include a visit by Q, a nuisance in The Next Generation, who poses the relatable question about whether humanity is worth saving, the introduction of an anthropomorphic Federation badge mascot named Badgey, and a pretend-movie spearheaded by Ensign Brad Boimler.
The second season focuses more on the tense relationship between one of the main characters, Ensign Beckett Mariner, and her mother, Captain Carol Freeman, which I found relatable, and ends with a cliffhanger. Other notable characters include the cranky feline doctor T'ana, and an intelligent flying robot named Peanut Hamper. The third and fourth season don't have too many notable episodes, but the series overall accomplishes well its aim to get audiences to laugh "with" Star Trek rather than "at" Star Trek. However, there are quite a few violent moments, and I think the constant bleeping of "extreme" profanity was really stupid and unnecessary. Regardless, I will definitely watch the fifth and final season.