One of the best reasons to have a Paramount+ subscription is so you can access the modern era of Star Trek TV. Ever since Star Trek: Discovery premiered on then-CBS All Access in 2017, the small screen corner of the sci-fi franchise has been revitalized, with some of the other shows including Strange New Worlds and Lower Decks. Well, there’s some good news and bad news that’s come in today. Strange New Worlds has been renewed for Season 4, but Lower Decks will be ending.
For those of you who’ve enjoyed watching the adventures of Captain Christopher Pike and the crew of the USS Enterprise in the immediate years ahead of The Original Series, there’s yet another batch of episodes on the way, though it’ll be a while until that specific group arrives since Strange New Worlds Season 3 isn’t expected to premiere until 2025. Unfortunately, those of you who have enjoyed the comedic hijinks of Boimlier, Mariner, Tendi and Rutherford on the animated Lower Decks must now prepare for the last hurrah with Season 5, which will premiere later this year on the 2024 TV schedule. Executive producers Mike McMahan and Alex Kurtzman released the following statement regarding the news:
We wanted to let you know that this fall will be the fifth and final season of Star Trek: Lower Decks. While five seasons of any series these days seems like a miracle, it’s no exaggeration to say that every second we’ve spent making this show has been a dream come true. Our incredible cast, crew and artists have given you everything they have because they love the characters they play, they love the world we’ve built, and more than anything we all love love love Star Trek. We’re excited for the world to see our hilarious fifth season which we’re working on right now, and the good news is that all previous episodes will remain on Paramount+ so there is still so much to look forward to as we celebrate the Cerritos crew with a big send-off. Finally, thank you for always being so creative and joyful, for filling convention halls and chanting “LOWER DECKS!” We remain hopeful that even beyond season five, Mariner, Boimler, Tendi, Rutherford and the whole Cerritos crew will live on with new adventures. LLAP
Now it is worth noting that Star Trek: Lower Decks ending shouldn’t come as a complete shock. Last October, Mike McMahan told CinemaBlend’s own Mick Joest that he wasn’t sure if Season 6 was in the cards, saying that “ you shouldn’t assume that this stuff is gonna stick around unless you vocally and watch it early on.” Sure enough, Season 5 will be the show’s last, so hopefully the writers were able to craft a conclusive ending rather than leave fans with any lingering plot threads.
All this being said, just because Star Trek: Lower Decks is ending doesn’t mean we’ll never see its characters again. After all, Jack Quaid and Tawny Newsome played Boimler and Mariner in live-action for last year’s Strange New Worlds/Lower Decks crossover, so perhaps there’ll be another opportunity for them to return to that show or some other live-action venue. Maybe they could even be joined by costars like Noël Wells or Eugene Cordero. And then, of course, these characters could simply keep being explored in books and comic book series.
As for Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, Season 2 ended with Pike being forced to decide whether he should follow Starfleet’s orders and retreat from the battle with the Horn, or defy them to save his captured crew members. So with Season 3 needing to resolve that plot thread and explore various other stories, it’ll obviously be a while until we learn what Season 4 holds in store.
The upcoming Star Trek TV shows lineup also includes Starfleet Academy, and the Michelle Yeoh-led Section 31 movie will also exclusively play on Paramount+. Meanwhile, the theatrical side of the franchise is beginning development on a Star Trek origins movie, so keep visiting CinemaBlend for the biggest updates on all these projects.
