Star Trek: Lower Decks' final season: A Farewell...Or Just the Beginning?
Lower Decks Season 5: Not a Goodbye, but an "Era"!
Get ready, Trekkies! Star Trek: Lower Decks is ending with season 5! Premiering on Paramount+ on October 24th, and running through December 19th! It is coming sooner than some fans were hoping for; yet that ending doesn’t mean the crew of the U.S.S. Cerritos is done! In an exclusive chat with Screen Rant, showrunner Mike McMahan confirmed season 5 has NO sense of finality—instead serving as a satisfying yet open conclusion!
McMahan explained: "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."
Why This Open Ending Makes Perfect Sense for Lower Decks
Many shows wrap up with those mega-conclusions; and often provide satisfying closure: all those character arcs are resolved, storylines tied up neatly (even weddings, retirement, etc.) That's a standard approach! And it's something often mocked (like that parody from The Simpsons)! But this show avoids that approach; creating an alternate vision instead.
Lower Decks' open ending keeps the story alive for future projects! There’s a chance that the U.S.S. Cerritos crew will return (and an almost guaranteed release through either comics or books which would allow some interesting alternative approaches toward new creative plots and other narratives not available in the format already achieved!), continuing adventures with that fun ensemble of the U.S.S. Cerritos!
Lower Decks' Open Ending and Star Trek History: The "Next Generation" Model?
McMahan’s decision, perhaps intentionally or otherwise, creates interesting connections with Star Trek: The Original Series’ ending. TOS got canceled abruptly– and those conclusions? Largely absent; later films would bring that final closure.
Perhaps McMahan plans a similar long-term approach; adding closure long after it technically ended – perhaps aiming to establish a similar style which continues the Cerritos crew’s narrative. A return? Totally possible, depending on Paramount+'s and viewers' continued interest. And if they ever do reunite, that strategy could still sustain Lower Decks' unique, energized approach for future installments, as those existing plots continue into another generation!
Conclusion: Farewell for Now...Until Next Time, Trekkies
Star Trek: Lower Decks season 5 may end– but it is far from ending that main story arc. It could end as another pivotal moment, an incredible climax! It makes us await for another season. That open-endedness might make it more compelling. McMahan creates a potentially brilliant way to generate other opportunities, as fans await those various avenues which that crew will possibly travel and expand those ongoing story lines into many creative alternatives and new narrative options never previously contemplated. The show leaves a perfect set up that makes sense for long term development– if Paramount+ wants it!
