After four seasons, the animated sitcom Star Trek: Lower Deck has become a cult favorite, despite early skepticism from Trekkies.
However, it seems all good things must come to an end, as Paramount has revealed that the show's fifth season, set to premiere this fall, will be its final season.
The negative news was balanced by Paramount's revelation that Star Trek: Strange New Worlds had been renewed for a second season and that a Star Trek origin movie is also in development.
Series creator Mike McMahan and Star Trek IP overseer Alex Kurtzman released a joint statement to fans [via the Star Trek website]:
"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."
Voice recording for the fifth and last season was completed in February, but with the announcement of the program's cancelation, fans have begun to wonder whether there is a chance the voice cast can go back and record new lines to ensure the show gets a fitting sendoff.
In most cases, the animation process starts after the voice recording has been completed so the animators likely haven't made a ton of progress prior to the cancelation announcement.
Following last weekend's news that the show had been canceled, series star Jack Quaid (The Boys, My Adventures With Superman) stated [via Instagram], "The good news is that everyone who makes Lower Decks LOVES making Lower Decks. I could play Boimler for 17 more seasons."
"No joke. I’m serious. I love that purple-haired nerd. Hopefully, we find a new home, but until then please look forward to an amazing season five (airing this fall)."
It doesn't seem like Paramount would allow Star Trek content to exist outside of CBS or Paramount+ so Quad's wish that Lower Decks gets picked up by another network/streamer doesn't seem all that likely.
Star Trek: Lower Decks Season 4 Synopsis: Boldly going where no man has gone before, but lower. Star Trek: Lower Decks is a half-hour animated comedy which focuses on the support crew who serve on one of Starfleet’s least important ships.
Star Trek: Lower Decks Season 4 is set to premiere on Paramount+ with two episodes on September 7th. Get a glimpse at the crew of the Cerritos' journey so far, and check out the wacky new adventures they'll be chasing in the new season. This Star Trek: Lower Decks trailer highlights Jack Quaid's Boimler, Tawny Newsome's Mariner, and the rest of the Lower Decks crew as their misadventures continue to spin out of control on the USS Cerritos. Will Boimler get that promotion? Will the crew wreak havoc on Voyager? Who's to say, really?