Stardate 57436.2 (June 8, 2380). Under the command of Captain Carol Freeman (Dawnn Lewis) the Starship USS Cerritos boldly go to wherever Starfleet sends them. While the command staff take credit for all the successes, the real heroes are the crew of the lower decks, who - time and time again - save the day.

The captain's rebellious daughter, Ensign Beckett Mariner (Tawny Newsome), has been transferred to her mother's ship from the USS Quito. Beckett has previously served on five other ships and was demoted to lower decks. She has more experience, talent and intelligence in her little finger than anyone else there, but because of her continued insubordination she is not considered to follow in the footsteps of her parents (mother - captain, father - admiral).

On the other hand, the clumsy, shy, 'stickler for the rules' Ensign Brad Boimler (Jack Quaid) is told by the captain that he might be put on the fast track to becoming a captain, if he keeps an eye on her daughter and reports regularly on any breaches of protocol. However, impressed by Beckett's dominant, assertive and 'cool' attitude he decides to not report her. She in turn promises that - despite his lack of command abilities - under her mentorship he will one day become a captain.

Is it the beginning of a blossoming romance and more?

• "Love is a drunk with a bat'leth"

Cybernetically augmented Ensign Sam Rutherford (Eugene Cordero) has to repair anything on the ship that Chief Engineer Andy Billups (Paul Scheer) cannot fix himself. Sam is romantically interested in the Trill female Ensign Barnes (Jessica McKenna), but he annoys her when he does not react after she kisses him in the turbolift.

The Orion female Ensign D'Vana Tendi (Noël Wells) is the medical assistant of the Caitian female Chief Medical Officer T'Ana (Gillian Vigman). Still inexperienced, her first important task is to hold the human heart of Lieutenant Commander Stevens (Ben Rodgers) and manually pump it with her hands. She shows some interest in Sam.

Together these four ensigns - Mariner, Boimler, Rutherford and Tendi - will discover that the lower decks is not the final frontier... and neither is space.

• "The beginning of a beautiful friendship?"

So, let's see what they're up to in the first episode.