10 BOLD Predictions For Star Trek's Next Decade

When Star Trek: Lower Decks ended in 2024, it came as quite a surprise to the audience, though the producers were warned as they were constructing the fifth season. The show had seemingly gone from strength to strength, only to come to a premature end. Thankfully, the final season both ended the show nicely, while leaving the door open for further adventures.

Those Old Scientists depicted Jack Quaid's Brad Boimler and Tawny Newsome's Beckett Mariner in live-action, easily serving as a proof of concept for a live-action version of these characters. The episode also pulled double duty, depicting the Strange New Worlds cast in cartoon form. 

Lower Decks was a gift to Star Trek fans, walking the line between fan service and engaging stories that could be enjoyed without prior Trek knowledge. Mike McMahan assembled a team that understood the assignment, resulting in a show that engaged audiences from the jump, while also offering a template for how to bring various Trek iterations together. For example, it remains the only project to bring Jolene Blalock back as T'Pol since Enterprise went off the air in 2005. 

Perhaps this is a project that might suit the aforementioned crossover event well. Eugene Cordero and Noël Wells drew the short straws in the crossover episode - they have yet to play their characters in live-action, which simply needs to be fixed. A live-action Lower Decks movie may sound like a gamble, but it appeals to existing fans and, with its nature as a comedy, serves as an inviting entry point for new fans of all ages as well.