Lower Decks Season 5 will set the right broadcast

Key things

• Star Trek: Lower Decks faced fan skepticism and then won over many with its insane love letter to the Trek universe.
• Season 5 explores deeper themes and relationships and adds familiar faces for more laughs.
• Despite the series ending after season 5, the creator hints at future opportunities for the beloved characters.

When Paramount+ announced that they brought Rick and Morty writer Mike McMahan to create the animated Star Trek comedy series, fan reaction has been mixed, to say the least. Although some were excited to see the first animated Trek series since then Star Trek: The Animated Seriesothers were skeptical that the animated comedy was set in Star Trek the universe would work. Their skepticism was not unfounded. Although Star Trek universe was full of both intentional and unintentional comedic moments, all shows in the Trek canon fit firmly into the sci-fi drama category. AND Star Trek the comedy was a brand new venture that fans weren't sure they wanted.

When the show premiered in 2020, the first few episodes caused an uproar in the fandom. Although some fans loved the casual, irreverent look of Star Trek universe, others insisted that McMahan's creation lacked the dignity that characterizes it Star Trek universe. While some were pleased with the Easter eggs and callbacks, others criticized the show as fan service. But as the series went on, the awkward, brash crew of the USS Cerritos and their hijinks grew to have many fans. Although Lower decks still has its detractors, many come to see the show for what it is: a crazy love letter Star Trek universe.

Now in its fifth and final season, Lower decks continues to live up to its reputation for injecting new adventures into the established Star Trek canyon. It promises more silly shenanigans, but also a deeper look at the Trekverse, the ideals of Starfleet and its fledgling heroes. As the show draws to a close, Star Trek: The Lower Decks faces the daunting task of giving their characters a breakup that satisfies the fans who have come to love them.

They reunited and it's so good…so far

At the end of Season 4, D'Vana Tendi left Cerritos to return to her life as a pirate on her homeworld, Orion. No one knew when or if he would return. In the first two episodes of Season 5, which aired on October 24, Tendi made it clear that she intended to return to Starfleet, but had no clear path to make it happen. Back in Cerritos, her friends were struggling with her absence – none other than Rutherford, who was working around the clock so he didn't have to think about how much he missed his best friend. Fortunately, Tendi brokered a deal with her sister D'Erika and returned to Cerritos at the end of the second season episode, “Shades of Green”.

While Tendi's return to its roots brought some hilarious twists and a deeper look into Orion culture than any other Trek series, it also set the stage for themes that would persist throughout the season. Part lower decks' the brilliance lies in its ability to show fans the flip side of Starfleet: what it's like outside of the action, in the mess of day-to-day tasks for people not on the bridge. This perspective also does Lower decks the perfect medium to explore aspects of Starfleet that don't fit into the lofty stories that follow the organization's heroes.

In the third and fourth seasons, Lower decks did an excellent job of exploring the not-so-noble aspects of Starfleet: what happens to people who make mistakes, who don't fit the mold, who are just a little too rebellious. The fifth season delves into the reality of what it means to dedicate your life to an ideal and make everything a duty, and how these realities affect relationships.

For the first time, this gang of minors who have become a family will be separated. They must face what this means for their friendship. They are more often separated by missions and their work makes it harder to find time for each other. And as friends outside of their inner circle begin to transfer to other ships, the Lower Deckers begin to understand that their little family will have to adjust as they grow in their careers and be separated from each other. Luckily for fans, the Lower Deckers face this new chapter in their lives and their friendship with the same messy attitude they've always had, and the heartfelt lessons are accompanied by plenty of laughs.

Meeting with a familiar below deck

Another power Lower decks exhibited during its four seasons, showing fans what some of their favorite legacies are Star Trek the characters were only on screen from the end of their stories. In previous seasons, Tom Paris, Kira Nerys, Quark, Rom, Leeta, Tuvok, Martok and others returned to the screen. The fifth season will also feature at least one familiar face: Harry Kim.

Kim's appearance Lower decks it proves not only love for the show Star Trek canon, but the pleasure it requires when it's hilariously meta. Kim became a bit of a joke within the fandom because he somehow lasted several years on a ship stuck in space without ever getting promoted. He infamously remained Warrant Officer Harry Kim, despite demonstrating exemplary skill and devotion to his crew. Even in the flash-forwards at the end Star Trek: VoyagerFans never found out if Kim ever got that promotion.

With a bunch of Kims shown in the season 5 trailer, Lower decks is to reveal whether Kim ever got his due. The trailer confirms that at least one Kim has been promoted to lieutenant, but fans don't yet know if it's the Prime Universe Kim or another. And since the Cerritos have already been in an alternate universe this season, nothing can be ruled out.

Are Lower Deckers gone forever?

If there is anything that Paramount+ Star Trek universe has taught Trekkies is that there's always a chance they'll see their favorite characters again. So just because Lower decks is done after Season 5 doesn't necessarily mean fans will never see Boimler, Mariner, Tendi, Rutherford, T'Lyn, or other members of the Cerritos crew again. In an interview with TrekMovie.com, McMahan didn't directly say that his Lower Deckers would return, but hinted that they might.

“The show is an era for these characters, and we got to experience an era from start to finish… the way the show ends, even though it seems final, it also blossoms into all these other opportunities that we could do.” or we could do comics or write books, or fans could fully imagine these characters still doing amazing Star Trek things.”

He also promised that the show will end in a satisfying way that gives its beloved characters a proper start. Fortunately, fans will have to watch the rest of season five and judge for themselves. New episodes Star Trek: The Lower Decks air on Paramount+ every Thursday.

Source: Episodes of Star Trek: The Lower Decks on Paramount+, TrekMovie.com