Lower Decks Season 5 sets up a fitting send-off

Key conclusions

• Star Trek: Lower Decks was met with fan skepticism, then won over many with its silly love letter to the Trek universe.
• Season 5 explores deeper themes and relationships while adding familiar faces for more laughs.
• Although the series is ending after season 5, the creator hints at future possibilities for the beloved characters.

When Paramount+ announced that they had brought Rick and Morty writer Mike McMahon to create an animated film Star Trek comedy series, fan reaction has been mixed, to say the least. Although some were excited to see the first animated Trek series after Star Trek: The Animated Seriesothers were skeptical that an animated comedy takes place in the Star Trek The universe will work. Their skepticism was not unfounded. Although Star Trek The universe was filled with intentional and unintentional comedic moments, with all the shows in the Trek canon falling into the sci-fi drama category. A Star Trek the comedy was a brand new venture that fans weren't sure what they wanted.

When the show premiered in 2020, the first few episodes took fans by storm. Although some fans enjoyed the casual, irreverent look at Star Trek universe, others have insisted that McMahon's creation lacks the dignity that characterizes it Star Trek universe While some were excited about 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 shenanigans gained a lot of fans. Although Lower decks there are still haters, many have come to see the show for what it is: a silly love letter to Star Trek universe

Now in its fifth and final season, Lower decks continues to live up to its reputation by weaving new adventures into the established Star Trek canon. It promises more silly shenanigans, but also a deeper look at the Trekverse, the ideals of Starfleet and its young heroes. As the show draws to a close, Star Trek: The Lower Decks faces the difficult task of giving its characters leads that will satisfy the fans who have come to love them.

Reunited, and so good… For now

At the end of Season 4, D'Vana Tandy left Cerritos to return to her life as a pirate on her homeworld of Orion. No one knew if or when she would return. In the first two episodes of Season 5, which aired on October 24, Tandy made it clear that she wanted to return to Starfleet, but she didn't have a clear path to make that happen. Back on Cerritos, her friends struggled with her absence—none more so than Rutherford, who worked nonstop so he wouldn't have to think about how much he missed his best friend. Fortunately, Tandy made a deal with her sister D'Erika and returned to Serrito at the end of the second season episode of Shades of Green.

While Tandy's return to her roots provided some fun twists and a deeper look at 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 another side of Starfleet: what it looks like away from the action, amidst the day-to-day affairs of the people not on the bridge. This perspective does too Lower decks the perfect vehicle for exploring aspects of Starfleet that don't fit into the organization's noble hero narratives.

In the third and fourth seasons, Lower decks did a great 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 too rebellious. Season five delves into the realities of what it means to dedicate your life to ideals and put duty above all else, and how those realities affect relationships.

For the first time, this group of fidgets who have become a family is separated. They must face what this means for their friendship. They are separated more often due to missions, and their work makes it difficult to find time for each other. And as friends outside their inner circle begin to transfer to other ships, the lower deckhands begin to realize that their little family will have to adjust as they grow in their careers and apart from each other. Fortunately for fans, the Lower Deckers meet this new chapter in their lives and friendships with the same chaotic approach they've always had, and plenty of laughs to accompany the heartfelt lessons.

A meeting with a familiar lower decker

Another power Lower decks was on display for four seasons, showing fans some of their beloved heritage Star Trek what the characters did after their screen stories ended. In the previous seasons, Tom Paris, Kira Nerys, Quark, Rom, Lyta, Tuvok, Martok and others returned to the screens. Season 5 will also feature at least one familiar face: Harry Kim.

Kim's appearance in Lower decks demonstrates not only the show's love for Star Trek canon, but the fun of being a fun meta. Kim became a bit of a joke in the fandom because he somehow survived several years on a ship that ended up in space without ever getting promoted. He is infamously known as Warrant Officer Harry Kim, despite his display of exemplary skill and devotion to his team. Even in the flash forward at the end Star Trek: Voyagerfans never found out if Kim got that promotion.

With the pack of Kims featured in the Season 5 trailer, Lower decks is going to show if Kim got her due. The trailer confirms that at least one Kim has been promoted to lieutenant, but fans don't yet know if it's the Kim from the First Universe or another. And since the Cerritos have already been in an alternate universe this season, nothing can be ruled out.

Are the lower floors gone forever?

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

“The show is an era for these characters, and we have to live through an era from start to finish… the way the show ends, even though it feels like it's final, it also blossoms into all these other possibilities that we could do with the show, or we could do comics or write books, or fans could just totally imagine these characters still doing amazing Star Trek stuff.

He also promised that the show will end in a satisfying way that will give his beloved characters a proper send-off. Luckily, fans will have to check out the rest of season five and judge for themselves. New series Star Trek: The Lower Decks airs on Paramount+ every Thursday.

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