7 Ups & 1 Down For Star Trek: Lower Decks 5.10 - The New Next Generation
3. UP — Parallels To Starbase 80
Though she had no dialogue in the episode, The New Next Generation still marked the second appearance for T'Pol since Star Trek: Enterprise. That is an UP in and of itself! Along with the rest of the alternates, and duplicate captain, of the Anaximander, the Vulcan had popped over to Prime through the now "permanently open rift to other quantum realities".
With 80 the only Starbase that could withstand the tachyons, "a whole new frontier" had opened for Starfleet and the Federation in 2382. They certainly kept the multidimensional branch of their exploration quiet afterwards! At least Garak and Bashir found a universe to call home, it would seem! "Help from familiar friends" was, then, also all the Harrys (bar one) and Lily Sloane!
Equally heartwarming (if you can hold back the tears), we learnt that Starfleet's best — Captain Freeman and Admiral Freeman — would be supervising the missions through the rift. Her alternate universe counterpart from Dos Cerritos had been sent to Starbase 80 as some sort of punishment. Our Freeman was going there willingly — a triumphant tribute to a Starfleet captain who deserves to go down in history with the greatest.