There's Only One Good Thing About Star Trek: Lower Decks Ending With Season 5

Spoilers for "Star Trek: Lower Decks" to follow.

Well, that's all folks. "Star Trek: Lower Decks" has officially wrapped with its fifth and final season. Sayonara, USS Cerritos, it's been a truly unforgettable five year mission. 

It stings because it doesn't feel like "Lower Decks" needed to end here. It's been reported that the show is wrapping up because of behind-the-scenes going-ons at Paramount, from trimming due to the company's planned merger with Skydance to "Lower Decks" reaching its limit as a premium for Paramount+. 

That's why the series finale "The New Next Generation" balances an open ending with leaving things different enough. Captain Freeman leaves the Cerritos and so Ransom becomes the new captain — with Boimler and Mariner as his two co-second in commands. Rutherford ditches his implant, while Tendi and T'lyn's friendship as co-senior science officers continues to blossom. (Another problem with "Lower Decks" ending here — not enough time with T'Lyn, the show's much welcome straight woman, in the main cast.)

But whenever something cherished ends, you shouldn't only mourn, you should also celebrate that it did exist. "Lower Decks" had 50 episodes and it never hit a downward slope. In fact, it refused to settle for being a mere parody of "Star Trek," but instead was a loving and earnest one that feels at home with the rest of the property's long history. "Lower Decks" season 5 kept up the strong streak (we at /Film ranked it some of 2024's best TV). Ending here keeps Trekkies' fond memories of "Lower Decks" as fond as they can be.

With "Lower Decks" having completed its run, there's a thought I cannot escape from: it might be the most consistently good "Star Trek" show ever. Oh sure, "Deep Space Nine" was more ambitious (and had many more, twice as long episodes). There are other individual seasons of past "Star Trek" shows I'd also rank over "Lower Decks" — "The Original Series" season 1, "The Next Generation" season 5, etc. But by operating on the 26-episodes-a-season model, old "Star Trek" series would inevitably have some misses. "Lower Decks" never did, nor did any individual season bring about a downturn.

Rather than running out of steam, season 5 even brought some of the show's best episodes. "A Farewell To Farms" delivered the Klingon-focused episode of Trekkie dreams. "Fully Dilated" had a familiar premise (Starfleet officers visiting a pre-warp planet and blending in with the locals) but it fired on all cylinders, complete with strong characterization, humor, and drama. You almost wonder, wistfully, what the "Lower Decks" writers could've done on the longer seasons model. But again, sometimes it's better to just accept what you do have.

"Lower Decks" flies off having secured its place in "Star Trek" history, from having delivered classic episodes to some of the greatest "Trek" characters ever like Beckett Mariner herself (not to mention her unforgettable voice actor, Tawny Newsome). Not bad for a show that could've easily backfired on itself, improperly mixing the "Star Trek" formula with humor when, in practice, it achieved a perfect balance and never lost it.

"Star Trek: Lower Decks" is currently streaming on Paramount+.