Star Trek: Lower Decks - U.S.S. Cerritos Crew Handbook

Star Trek: Lower Decks

by Chris Farnell

Join the crew of the U.S.S. Cerritos as they seek out new life and travel where people may, or may not, have been before!

Based on the hit Paramount+ animated series Star Trek: Lower Decks, Mariner, Boimler and all their friends offer advice and insider knowledge to new crewmembers. This hilarious and informative handbook will help you come to grips with the ship, your duties, and your fellow lower deckers, especially as they've generously left comments throughout.
 

Genres: Star Trek, Science Fiction, Fiction

176 pages, Paperback

First published December 19, 2023

Reviews

[Daniel Kukwa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not quite as funny as the TV series...but this still gets a lot of great laughs as it explores life aboard the USS Cerritos. This is a lovingly crafted tribute to a lovingly crafted (and occasionally under-appreciated) corner of the Trekverse...and fans will lap it up.

[Sarah AF · Rating 4 out of 5]

The most Lower Decks book executed in the most Lower Decks way possible. ❤️

[James Bowman · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun guidebook for fans of Lower Decks, if not very revelatory. The first two-thirds or so, which focus on the ship and crew, are a bit stronger than the last third, which is more on the larger Trek universe (viewed through the lens of Lower Decks). As a bonus, there's a bit of a story woven throughout the text! (B+)

[Nate Billy · Rating 2 out of 5]

As nice as the presentation and the jokes are, the book overall feels very rushed. Not just rushed, but cheap—for instance 100% of the pictures are simply screen grabs from the show or taken from promotional literature. The thing is, I’d be fine with this if it actually felt like they spent time on the book’s “content”. Having it set up as a “Crew Handbook” for the starship the USS Cerritos you’d figure they’d at least pepper in some actual information from Star Trek (History, Technobabble, etc.) and not simply be page after page of jokes that barely scratch the surface of the “Lower Decks” show let alone the Star Trek Universe.
Two instances I particularly see as cheap and rushed are the sections “Allies” and “A Ship of the Line: The Cerritos Through History”. “Allies” is cheap and rushed because it only lists one ally species—the Ferengi. Not only is one species mentioned, but the second page explaining the Ferengi simply shows a picture of a Mugato next to a Ferengi—an obvious reference to a particular episode of lower decks without any sort of explanation at all. Now, “The Ship of the Line” portion, this was simply made cheaply because the section is 95% text. They could’ve had someone draw the past ships named Cerritos or found pictures, but instead they just wrote out the history. Granted, this was the most interesting part of the book because it’s the only item that went beyond what we already know from watching the show.
All in all, the people responsible for the layout did an amazing job, but there simply wasn’t enough content for a book of this size and the reader really feels it. There’s a lot of wasted space, entire pages of filler images, and content enough for a single page spread out amongst 2.
I’m honestly not sure who the target audience is, because this book doesn’t give fans what they want. It’s good for the casual viewer, but a casual viewer doesn’t buy a book about a show they casually watch.
I’m very disappointed.

[Timothy Grubbs · Rating 5 out of 5]

An invaluable guide to being a new crewman about the California-class USS Cerritos!!!

Star Trek: Lower Decks - Crew Handbook by Chris Farnell is an in universe manual to serving about one of Starfleet’s top second contact vessel.

This is a fun throwback to the old starfleet manuals that used to come out (some in computer form) while perfectly capturing the quirky humor of Lower Decks.

The book uses only photos from the show, but there are tons of trek references throughout.

In addition to interviews with various senior staff, you’ll get a tour of various notable locations that are key to Cerritos’s ongoing operations.

With much of the work written by Boimler, it also features commentary by Mariner and many of the other regular and guest cast of the show (in character naturally).

One surprising nice insight is a list of prior “Cerritos” ships that bore the name…all drawn from Star Trek history.

Other interesting sections of holodeck programs (including banner programs), sample replicator menus, equipment (including color based recorders), and various informational sections given by Badgy.

There’s also a fun Cerritos bingo for new lower deckers to pursue…

[Leonard Kearon MSc · Rating 4 out of 5]

Star Trek: Lower Decks - U.S.S. Cerritos Crew Handbook is a fun book which gives an interesting take of a guide to Lower Decks. The book is well written with a nice balance of information and jokes, and all the characters act like they should. The main problem with the book is the bizzare rushed end of the book when it comes to Alien Species. There is only one Ally (Ferengi) and the only Enemy is the Pakled (the Borg is just a number of images), no Breen or Texas Class despite appearing in season 3 and this is set in season 4.

Still, it is a fun book and something that fans of the show will enjoy

[Lamadia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love Star Trek: Lower Decks, so this was a must have! I loved that it was written with the premise that it was real with edits left in by the characters, but I would have liked it more if it was truly meant to look real, like with instructions for fictional duties, and more complete, rather than just easter eggs of episodes. I enjoy remembering episodes, but I would have liked it more if it was more like a prop than a book for the masses.

[Karel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m an absolute sucker for a graphic book that accompanies the show. I love how this gives details and expands upon the background of the show as well as introducing new concepts. I will say my one tiny critique is that in the icons used for when characters are speaking they could do with more variety as well as matching the expression to what the characters are saying more, but again it’s not that big a deal. Need to buy my own copy of this asap.

[Simon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Recent Reads: USS Cerritos Crew Handbook. An in-universe companion to Star Trek Lower Decks, written by Chris Farnell, working with the show's writers and artists. Glossy art, with a Next Gen design aesthetic, and of course very funny.

[H · Rating 3 out of 5]

Was this book a cash-in? Yes. Was it amusing? Moopsy!

[Adam Lauver · Rating 4 out of 5]

Laughed out loud a lot. Very fun 🖖🏻

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Delightful and fun and has some good observations about Star Trek.

[Kasie Cavanagh · Rating 5 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️➕ Star Trek: Lower Decks – U.S.S. Cerritos Crew Handbook (Paperback)
By Chris Farnell

At this point, if you’ve been reading my reviews, you know I’m a sci-fi fan—and yes, I’m a Trekkie. When Lower Decks came out, of course I dove in headfirst, and this crew handbook was a dream come true. I actually gave it mega stars in my book journal.

Some of my favorite quotes:

“Let us get to that, please.”
“The T88 makes the D53 look like the 172.”
“Tricorders make great glove puppets for entertaining.”
“Warm coffee with phasers.”

This book is such a cool idea—a full Lower Decks experience. I loved the live chat commentary on all the pages, which feels so now in pop culture. The glossy, colorful pages and faithful Lower Decks artwork make it a joy to flip through, while the informative descriptions of devices, jobs, and crew roles let you really immerse yourself in the Cerritos universe.

I took my time reading it because I wanted to feel like a Lower Decker. Fun fact: I learned that Rutherford’s first name is Samantha. I’m now fully wishing there were crew handbooks for all the ships in the fleet—maybe there are, and I just haven’t found them yet.

Final thoughts:
🚀 Mega fan energy, more than 5 stars
🎨 Glossy, colorful, and perfectly Lower Decks
🖖 Pop culture commentary + in-universe info
💡 Perfect for immersive reading and fandom fun

Chef’s kiss. If you love Lower Decks, this is a must-have for your collection.

[Courtney Floyd · Rating 3 out of 5]

This crew handbook is a fun romp through the Lower Decks world for fans. Newcomers should start elsewhere if they want to understand.

Thank you to the publisher for a review copy of this title. For a full review, see Geeks Under Grace.com