Get ready, Trekkies! Star Trek: Lower Decks is back for its final season!
Lower Decks Season 5: The Final Voyage
The beloved animated comedy series is set to premiere its fifth and final season on October 24th, 2024 on Paramount+. After the cliffhanger ending of season 4, "Old Friends, New Planets," fans are eager to see what happens next to the crew of the USS Cerritos, especially after Lieutenant D'Vana Tendi's surprising career sacrifice.
What's Next for the Cerritos Crew?
Season 5 promises more wacky adventures, plenty of franchise in-jokes, and some romantic developments for Lieutenant Beckett Mariner (voiced by Tawny Newsome). Lieutenant Brad Boimler (voiced by Jack Quaid), will probably continue his awkward, endearing antics and pursue his captaincy aspirations while simultaneously avoiding (or not?) encounters with his transporter duplicate William Boimler. This sets the stage for what promises to be one heck of a season. There's even a hint at a potential crossover with multiple Ensign Harry Kims from Voyager!
The Final Season Confirmed
In April 2024, Paramount+ sadly announced that season 5 will indeed be the final season of Star Trek: Lower Decks. While showrunner Mike McMahan had expressed his hopes for more stories to be told and still has many ideas that remain unused, Paramount+ has greenlit the fourth season of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds instead. In a joint statement, McMahan and executive producer Alex Kurtzman expressed their gratitude to fans and said that while season 5 will be an epic finale that fans are going to remember!
Release Date and Production
The final season is scheduled to air two episodes at a time! This will last from October 24th until the season finale, on December 19th, 2024. Unlike many live-action shows in 2023 that suffered delays due to the dual WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, Lower Decks, being an animated show, avoided those issues, allowing actors to finish voice work without any major disruptions.
Cast: Returning Favorites and New Faces
The entire main cast will be returning for this thrilling conclusion to the series: Tawny Newsome, Jack Quaid, Noël Wells, Eugene Cordero, and Gabrielle Ruiz (as the newly added Lieutenant T'Lyn) will be back along with the series' supporting cast!
- The series explores how Lieutenant Mariner continues to be on board the Cerritos
- We will also see if she's been able to continue dealing with those issues relating to promotions.
- Boimler and Rutherford, everyone's favorite odd couple, are back for another season.
And despite leaving the USS Cerritos earlier in the storyline to rejoin the Orions, expect Lieutenant D'Vana Tendi's adventures to still factor in for a great and compelling new journey!
Storyline: Rumors and Teasers
While McMahan has kept some details hidden about the ending of the show, he has given viewers plenty of exciting moments with a full-length trailer to look forward to.
- Captain Freeman giving a touching praise to her team suggests a positive trajectory, but also, might signal a major change of course.
- There will likely be an important plotline that ties Boimler into becoming a captain.
- There will likely be the long anticipated visit to the planet that McMahan wants his crew to finally explore.
- With the inclusion of an Orion war and some major issues with Klingons, fans can rest assured that these plotlines give lots of opportunities for hilarity and intense situations!
The Future of Lower Decks
While Paramount+ has officially ended the run on its platform! The series may not necessarily be over! McMahan cleverly used the phrase "final season on Paramount+", giving everyone that there may indeed be a possibility that another network could pick it up. The fact that Star Trek: Prodigy, after getting canceled also went on to make its way on to Netflix is an exciting indication. So it really shows us that fans can make it happen!
The Trailer
Fans can check out a long and detailed trailer! Featuring clips with moments full of excitement, plenty of familiar scenes and faces. There's also plenty of the usual hilariousness.
It culminates in a truly unforgettable finale full of Ensign Harry Kims from Voyager! Fans will not be disappointed, particularly since one finally got his long-awaited promotion!
Fans will be excited to hear that Star Trek: Lower Decks Season 5 will not end with a bang. It will end with the promise of another amazing start! As you've likely experienced in other Star Trek releases.
