by Nick Ferro, Contributing Writer
The series finale of Star Trek: Lower Decks has arrived, and I don’t think five years can be categorized as being a long road, getting from there to here. Lower Decks was unceremoniously cancelled before its time and to set the tone of this review, that is my biggest gripe. This new model of television, where seasons are only 10 episodes long and are cancelled after 30 to 50 episodes, is ridiculous. How can a show really find its footing if you cancel it before what is statistically its best season. Look at any TV show form the ‘80s, ’90s and early 2000s, and you will see that they’re at their best around seasons three and four. And that was when shows had 20 to 24 episodes a season. The Office, Seinfeld, Friends, Cheers, Modern Family, Scrubs… the list goes on. They all needed room to grow in order to find an audience and work out the kinks so that they could understand their formula. 10 episodes a year can’t do that. And mark my words, in 20 years people will still be binging old episodes of The Office, and not revisiting any of the shows that were created in this decade. But people keep saying not to be sad that it’s over, be glad that it happened, so I will do my best to tell you all about the fifth and final season of Star Trek: Lower Decks grateful that it existed to be my second favorite Star Trek series of all time.
I am not going to sugarcoat it: Lower Decks Season Five is the weakest season of the series. If you have been keeping up with my yearly reviews of the previous seasons (Season Four, Season Three, Season Two), you’ll know that means Season Five is an A-, while the rest of the show is a resounding A+. So we can dispense with the, “Why this show is the worst show ever” jokes. The reason it slipped is twofold. One, the show was cancelled as they were in post-production, but prior to the 2023 writers’ strike. Which means the filmmakers had just enough time to do nothing major to fix the final season, but just enough time to adjust the final episode to give the characters a proper sendoff. Because nothing could be fixed, every episode this year feels as though they were being more experimental and trying out new things. When you try something new, you inevitably will run into some bumps in the road. The writers didn’t go in with the mindset that this would be their last chance, so they couldn’t take the necessary precautions to deliver a truly excellent season to go out with a bang.
The second reason is expectations. I’m only human, and even though Mr. Spock would be quick to remind me that nobody is perfect, I can’t help but feel that my own selfish need for this season to be great is the reason I was disappointed. When a show you love ends on a less than stellar season, it opens up the criticism: “Well at least it ended before it could get any worse.” And I hate that sentiment, the assumption that it was only going to be downhill from here. I really believe that this season would have led into something even better. If the events in the finale were the original idea before the rewrites, then the shakeup of the conclusion could have given us a refreshing look at the show going into a Season Six. It could have even brought us to a more natural ending down the road. But as it stands, it really feels like a mid-series season that ends with a series finale. The relationship dynamics of the characters feel off in the finale because the show needed them to be several seasons further along in order to drive home the punch of the final scene. The results just serve as a reminder that the thing I love is being taken away too soon, and that put a sour taste in my mouth. My only hope is that upon rewatches, this annoyance will go away, and I’ll be able to enjoy each episode on its own in a vacuum.
Which leads me to what I do love about this season: its independent episode format. One of my favorite styles of TV is the “freak of the week.” I love it when you can turn on an episode of television not having watch the previous episode in order to enjoy what you’re watching. Star Trek has always been great at this format, but Lower Decks is perfect for this style. Season Five is no different: It is an amazing sitcom, and the rewatchability of these episodes is top tier. The comedy is never too reliant on deep cuts or references (there are some, but not to an overwhelming degree), and this final season is the least reference-heavy of them all. I have to really hand it to creator Mike McMahan and his team, because they took a risk that Star Trek had never tried before, and as a result, we are now seeing the creatives and producers behind the scenes thinking about the franchise in brand new ways. As long as they continue to get creatives who actually watch and love Star Trek the way guys like McMahan, Terry Matalas, and Aaron Waltke, to name a few, do then I am excited to see where the series goes from here.
Looking back at the series as a whole, I can’t help but be proud of the show they were able to create for us within this vast universe of science fiction. It started on the premise of an old Next Generation episode that posed the question, “What if we only saw things from the perspective of the lowest officers on the ship?” And Lower Decks evolved into a show that said, “What if the whole ship was the lowest ship in the fleet?” And when the show realized it’s potential, it became something special. We started with our four main characters being nothing but lowly ensigns. Mariner (Tawny Newsome): a complete screw up, one wrong move away from being kicked out of Starfleet for good. Boimler (Jack Quaid): a goofy try-hard doing his own mock captain’s logs in a closet. Tendi (Noël Wells): the bright-eyed optimist joining Starfleet for the first time. And Rutherford (Eugene Cordero): the most optimistic and lovable ensign ever. Over five years, these four new characters came together in a way where we got to laugh with them (and at them as they screwed up), and watch them learn lessons, form bonds, and grow into some of the best officers in Starfleet. They did it all in the most irreverent way imaginable. Every character in the show was in some way a lower decker, and there was someone for every audience member to relate to in some way. That is what makes Lower Decks a top tier Trek show for me.
My final bit of praise will be aimed at the music of not only this season, but of the series as a whole. I have really enjoyed the new takes on music in Star Trek the last several years, but the Lower Decks theme and all of its variations are by far my favorite. The blending of Jerry Goldsmith’s original The Motion Picture theme and the more modern themes gives us a theme song that is both nostalgic and new all at the same time. I especially loved when the grand orchestra version of the song started playing during the finale. When the music swelled as they were solving the final problem, it took me back to Avengers: Endgame when the Avengers theme started belting after Cap said, “Avengers, assemble.” When music can elevate what you’re watching to that level of excitement it truly is special.
Star Trek: Lower Decks may be done, but the mission continues, because this franchise has nowhere to go but up! I can’t wait to see what the next project from the 2380s is going to be! Hopefully we will see more of these characters crossing over into Star Trek: Prodigy Season Three (if Netflix renews, so watch Season Two, please!) and there is always the hope that we can see a live action or even an aged-up version of these characters in a Star Trek Legacy show, which has been rumored all over the place. I would love for the powers that be to realize their mistake and give Lower Decks a revival, but if not, I trust that Star Trek will continue to boldly go where no fan could expect, and I will be there for it all.
Rating: Loved It
Star Trek: Lower Decks is currently streaming on Paramount+
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