Star Trek: Lower Decks Season 4, Episode 8 Preview Reveals a Classic Cave Episode

Star Trek: Lower Decks Season 4 will premiere a new episode this week, titled "Caves." It's the seventh episode of the season and one that draws on a classic Star Trek trope for its premise: In the episode, Star Trek: Lower Decks sends the Lower Deckers of the U.S.S. Cerritos crew -- Lieutenant Junior Grade Beckett Mariner (Tawny Newsome), Lieutenant Junior Grade Brad Boimler (Jack Quaid), Lieutenant Junior Grade D'Vana  Tendi (Noël Wells), and Lieutenant Junior Grade Sam Rutherford (Eugene Cordero) -- down to a planet to survey its subterranean caves. It's a familiar premise for a Star Trek episode and one that is likely to lend itself well to Star Trek: Lower Decks' brand of Star Trek-based humor. You can see images from the episode below.

Ben Rodgers wrote "A Few Badgeys More." Megan Lloyd directed the episode. The episode's synopsis reads, "The Lower Deckers go on a classic cave mission."

Star Trek: Lower Decks Season 4 Cast

Star Trek: Lower Decks stars "lower decks" crewmembers of the U.S.S. Cerritos Ensign Beckett Mariner (Tawny Newsome), Ensign Brad Boimler (Jack Quaid), Ensign Tendi (Noël Wells), and Ensign Rutherford (Eugene Cordero). Provisional Ensign T'Lyn (Gabrielle Ruiz) joined the crew in Star Trek: Lower Decks Season 3. The U.S.S. Cerritos' bridge crew includes Captain Carol Freeman (Dawnn Lewis), Commander Jack Ransom (Jerry O'Connell), Lieutenant Shaxs (Fred Tatasciore),  and Doctor T'Ana, (Gillian Vigman).

Mike McMahan (Rick and Morty, Solar Opposites) created Star Trek: Lower Decks. In Star Trek: Lower Decks Season 4, "an unknown force is destroying starships and threatening galactic peace. Luckily, the crew of the U.S.S. Cerritos isn't important enough for stuff like that! Instead, Ensigns Mariner, Boimler, Tendi, Rutherford, and Provisional Ensign T'Lyn are keeping up with their Starfleet duties, avoiding malevolent computers and getting stuck in a couple caves – all while encountering new and classic aliens along the way."

How to watch Star Trek: Lower Decks Season 4

CBS' Eye Animation Productions, Secret Hideout, and Roddenberry Entertainment produced Star Trek: Lower Decks Season 4. Secret Hideout's Alex Kurtzman, Roddenberry Entertainment's Rod Roddenberry and Trevor Roth, and Katie Krentz (219 Productions) are executive producers with showrunner Mike McMahan. Aaron Baiers (Secret Hideout) also serves as an executive producer. Titmouse (Big Mouth) serves as the animation studio for the series.

Star Trek: Lower Decks streams exclusively on Paramount+ in the U.S. and Latin America. In Canada, Star Trek: Lower Decks airs on Bell Media's CTV Sci-Fi Channel. Star Trek: Lower Decks will also be available to stream on Paramount+ in the UK, Australia, Italy, France, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and South Korea later this year.