Star Trek: Lower Decks The Movie?

*Warning: This article contains spoilers for episode one of Star Trek: Lower Decks season five!*

Lower Decks kicked off events for the 'Star Trek: Universe' panel at New York Comic Con this year. It was as gloriously hilarious, dare I say, chaotic, as we might have hoped from the down-belows of the Cerritos and their showrunner. Those in the room at the Empire Stage got to see the entire first episode of season five. The rest of the world was treated to an exclusive clip containing all sorts of funky (and hirsute) parallels. Plus, was that really Mike McMahan or his extra-spoilery quantum double?

More seriously, the NYCC panel was the first time Jack Quaid, Tawny Newsome, Noël Wells (dressed in green in Tendi's honour), and Eugene Cordero had all been together on stage as such. Sat proudly next to McMahan, their energy and enthusiasm for the show was more palpable than duplicate Rutherford's mini-robotic arm (first seen in the San Diego Comic Con teaser trailer). A sign of how much they and this series are loved, the audience in the room booed the mere mention of "final season".

Five is, however, the end for this version of Lower Decks. McMahan confirmed as much during the panel. Asked if we might get a Lower Decks movie, McMahan replied that he would love to continue the show in animated or even live-action form, further revealing that he had planned what would happen to the characters post-season five.

Musing on such futures themselves, Newsome wanted a surprise sister for Mariner, and Cordero, simply more babies for Rutherford. More cave kids aside, McMahan added that, before doing more in whatever form, he would want to make sure that it was "worth doing," that it was "frickin' awesome".

There's also the possibility that the lower deckers will get to appear on Newsome's own live-action comedy series, in the works (though not officially greenlit) with actor/writer Justin Simien. Newsome recently told CinemaBlend's Mick Joest why the creative pair most deliberately chose a 25th century setting for the show:

Part of [the idea] […] was so that everybody that we've come to love in the franchise, everyone in the Picard era, all of our friends here from Lower Decks [can appear].

Beginning this week with two episodes, season five looks to be as pure concentrate of Star Trek "awesome" as ever. Doubly so, in fact, going by the exclusive clip of the first episode released out of NYCC. Quantum fissures ("space time potholes"), two Cerritoses (pl?), a very bearded Boimler, long-haired Shaxs,… and "Captain Becky Freeman"?! Stay tuned for our Ups & Downs!

Lower Decks season V final parody poster by me by way of Bob Peak.

I LOVED working on this poster… pic.twitter.com/vdiVh6avsY

— Matt Ferguson (@Cakes_Comics) October 19, 2024

So, let's hope we can have our (Worf's birthday) cake and eat it too, be that via a return in movie form for Lower Decks or otherwise. The finally promoted Harry Kim will hunt everyone down atop that purple-tinged targ (in homage) from the poster if not!