Star Trek: Lower Decksis ending, but its characters will continue to endure. The animated show has been a standout in theStar Trekroster, as it focuses largely on absurd and comedic events within the universe. Unfortunately, the show is coming to an early end. While Decks' final seasonwas revealed atNew York Comic Con, the season itself will premiere on October 24 and end with the final episode on December 19. The show will appear exclusively on Paramount+.
In an interview withScreen Rant, showrunner Mike McMahan opened up about the show’s final season. While he wanted nothing to do with developing a goodbye season,he helped create a series of episodes lacking any sense of finality. The characters will presumably move on with their journey after the season’s end, leaving the potential for a return if Paramount+ ever seeks a revival. Check out his response below:
I was a big baby.I didn’t want to do a final season, that felt like a big goodbye kind of thing.And then, as it was going, as we were writing it, that felt unfair to fans. So, this season does serve to be a great season of Lower Decks where we do great Star Trek stuff, really funny episodes, just all the stuff we love at Lower Decks. And then, as we get to the end of the season, it doesn’t feel like we’ve just stopped it. It’s not like a movie where it’s the end and then the credits roll. It’s more like — Eugene, you’ll get this, you’re a big Taylor Swift fan — an era, right?
Lower Decks the show is one era for these characters.They were there before, and they’re going to go on and do all sorts of interesting stuff after. And there’s little hints of what that awesome stuff is. But Lower Decks, these 50 episodes, we get to see this part of their lives, where they started in one place and they ended up in another, and we got to be there for it. We got to see them grow as people, and as friends, and Starfleet officers, and experience awesome stuff and laugh the whole time. So, I’m really proud of what we all did with this show, and especially this season, because it does feel final and it feels satisfying, but it does not feel like it’s the end.
What The Lower Decks Ending Means For The Show
Lower Decks Will Not Receive A Massive Farewell
All too often, shows end with enormous conclusions that speak to their extensive legacies. Characters' arcs are wrapped up, the narrative is drawn into a neat bow, weddings are planned, vacations are taken, and older characters step away for retirement. The completion of each narrative serves as a means of satisfying viewers, while also allowing them to see every major step in a character’s life. That would be a typical way to wrap up a show, and it is so ubiquitous thatThe Simpsonseven parodied that typical finale style.
LikeLower Decks,Star Trek: The Original Seriesdid not originally have a sense of finality with its last episode, as it was canceled too abruptly.
While it was an option forLower Decks, it is not one that the franchise will be taking. Maintaining a more open ending will allow the adventures of the U.S.S. Cerritos to continue without the tragedy of goodbyes. The characters could still exist in theStar Trekuniverse, allowing for future appearances and even a potential revival someday. Unfortunately,follow-up seasons are extremely unlikely, leaving that available means that there is the chance for a continuation of its story through books or comics.
Our Take On Star Trek: Lower Deck’s Ending
It Is An Excellent Tribute To The Original Series
While potentially intentional, the finale should have interesting ties toThe Original Series' ending. The show famously lacked a substantial ending until 1991’sStar Trek VI: The Undiscovered Countryallowed Kirk and his crew to pass on their legacy to the next adventurers. McMahan may be hoping to do the same for the Cerritos' crew. Someday, a spike in popularity could very well provide the cast a reason to band together again to provide a proper continuation. If so, it is a clever strategy that also keeps the bustling energy that madeStar Trek: Lower Decksso unique.
Star Trek Lower Decks
Cast
The animated comedy series Star Trek: Lower Decks follows the support crew on one of Starfleet’s least significant ships, the U.S.S. Cerritos, in 2380. Ensigns Mariner (Tawny Newsome), Boimler (Jack Quaid), Rutherford (Eugene Cordero), and Tendi (Noël Wells) have to keep up with their duties and their social lives often. At the same time, the ship is being rocked by a multitude of sci-fi anomalies.
