All good things must end … and apparently, all great things must end way too soon. The series finale of Star Trek: Lower Decks, “The New Next Generation,” was written by Mike McMahan and directed by Megan Lloyd.
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At the edge of Klingon space, Rellga, the sister of Dorg and Bargh, commands several Birds of Prey. But after detecting a tachyon burst, the fissure from the previous episode appears. The ships turn to flee. However, one of them is hit by a wave from the fissure. After being engulfed in red energy, the crew and ship are transformed into the Klingon style from Star Trek: Discovery. The transformed Bird of Prey crashes and burns. Rather than report the incident, Rellga says this is just what she needed.

Aboard the U.S.S. Cerritos, Jack Ransom (Jerry O’Connell) records a first officer’s log. The Cerritos has completed repairs on the joint Federation-Klingon research station, and the crew is enjoying some downtime. In the ship’s bar, T’Ana (Gillian Vigman) approaches Shaxs (Fred Tatasciore) and proposes some sexy play in the holodeck.
Meanwhile, Samanthan Rutherford (Eugene Cordero), D’Vana Tendi (Noël Wells), Beckett Mariner (Tawny Newsome), Bradward Boimler (Jack Quaid) and T’Lyn (Gabrielle Ruiz) sit around a nearby table. Tendi and T’Lyn are working on senior science officer stuff. Rutherford has grown frustrated with his implant, which isn’t connecting with the Cerritos systems.
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Boimler is still cribbing his personality from the PADD he stole in the season premiere, “Dos Cerritos.” But then receives the message sent by his transporter clone, William, in the previous episode. He immediately panics.
Star Trek: Lower Decks Recap, “The New Next Generation”
In the Captain’s Quarters, Boimler and Mariner share what they’ve learned with Ransom and Captain Carol Freeman (Dawnn Lewis). Freeman immediately takes them at their word and says they need to get command on the line.
In Klingon space, Ma’ah (Jon Curry) and Malor (Sam Witwer) are traveling to deliver bloodwine. They are surrounded by Rellga’s ships. She contacts them and accuses them of destroying one of her ships. Malor says they don’t know what she’s talking about.
But Rellga says there’s enough truth to the accusation to convince the council. Ma’ah says Rellga has no honor, like her brothers. Rellga asserts her brothers were weak, but she is not. She orders her ships to fire on their ship. Ma’ah is prepared to ram the bridge. But Malor says it is not a good day to die. He locks Ma’ah out of the ship’s controls, evades the attack and takes the ship to warp.
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On the Cerritos, command confirms that Freeman’s report is accurate. If the fissure is not contained, it will destroy their quantum reality. The rift can be easily sealed. But the trick is reaching the rift, as it is surrounded by a Schrödinger possibility field. The S-field remaps matter into different possibilities from elsewhere in the multiverse.
While the U.S.S. Enterprise-E is on the way, only the Cerritos is close enough. This is due to the fact that the Boimlers are entangled on a quantum level. Fortunately, command has a theoretical strategy for blocking the effects of the field. The Cerritos is the only option for dealing with the universe-threatening crisis. Everyone blames Bradward for this.
Klingon Complications
In engineering, Andy Billups (Paul Scheer) leads a team that includes Ensign Meredith (Charlotte Nicdao), Olly (Saba Homayoon) and Rutherford in updating the shields. Rutherford is frustrated with the older equipment’s inability to effectively connect with his implant. Billups reports to Freeman that the update didn’t account for the ship’s hull. The shield update will ensure the crew is unaffected by the S-field. But it won’t protect the Cerritos hull. While Billups is working on a fix, it’ll take time.
They’re interrupted when Ma’ah and Malor’s ship drops out of warp. Malor wants to speak to Mariner and is requesting asylum. Fighting with him, Ma’ah says he doesn’t want asylum. Freeman says to bring them aboard so the issue can be parsed.
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In the Cerritos observation lounge, Ma’ah and Malor explain the situation with Rellga. Freeman posits that Rellga’s ship may have been destroyed by the same fissure the Cerritos is dealing with. Ma’ah says he’d gladly die facing Rellga in battle. But Malor points out she’d never give him a fair fight. Freeman agrees to grant their asylum, but they must remain confined to quarters.
Freeman is called to the bridge, as Rellga has just arrived. The Cerritos is surrounded by her ships. Freeman contacts Rellga. Rellga demands the “criminals” be handed over. Freeman declines. The ship receives an incoming call from Admiral Alonzo Freeman (Phil LaMarr). Alonzo states they’re harboring criminals and must turn them over to Rellga. The communication is abruptly concluded. Ransom observes it was odd. However, Ransom is ordered to bring the Klingons to the bridge.
S-Field of Dreams
Kayshon (Carl Tart) arrives with Ma’ah. But Ransom can’t locate Malor, and he isn’t showing up on sensors. Freeman tells Rellga that the Cerritos is dealing with a dangerous rift. Since they’re allies, Freeman sends Rellga the information on how to update shields to deal with the S-field. But Rellga is only interested in her vengeance. She destroys Ma’ah and Malor’s ship and begins firing on the Cerritos. The Cerritos engages in evasive maneuvers and then, after setting a course for the rift, warps away.
On the bridge, Freeman believes Mariner didn’t hide Malor. But nevertheless, Freeman needs Mariner to find him now. Mariner and Ma’ah leave the bridge to search for him. Meanwhile, the Cerritos drops out of warp. They’re approaching an S-field. But without the updated shield, the hull could be transformed. Freeman says that’s still better than being destroyed by Klingons. They enter the field, and the Cerritos is transformed into a single nacelle Freedom-class vessel.
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But that’s when the Klingons catch up. Another energy wave hits the Cerritos. In the Jeffries Tubes, Rutherford laments the way the new quantum reality relays fail to connect with his implant. Meanwhile, one of the ships accompanying Rellga is hit by the S-field. It transforms into an ancient Klingon sailing barge, killing all aboard.
In a Cerritos hallway, Tendi and T’Lyn work at a viewscreen. Tendi says they must disable non-essential systems to reroute energy to preserve the hull. T’Lyn disagrees with the strategy. Instead of working together, they fall to arguing. Rutherford arrives and tells Tendi that he thinks he’s falling out of love with the Cerritos. While he thought it was a rough patch, it isn’t getting any better.
Klingon Fugitives
In Cetacean Ops, Boimler is spraying down Kimolu while Matt quips. Mariner and Ma’ah arrive looking for Malor. At Mariner’s urging, Boimler checks the PADD for any guidance. Boimler reports that in that reality, Mariner’s variant hid the Klingons. Ma’ah believes this reveals Mariner hid Malor and begins arguing with her. Boimler insists they should focus on repairs.
Another wave hits the Cerritos. It is transformed into a Terran Empire ship. On the bridge, Shaxs is excited by the weaponry. But weapons are immediately knocked offline. Rellga contacts them and demands the “fugitives” be handed over. A volley from Rellga’s ship knocks the Cerritos engines offline and leaves them dead in space. Freeman asks why Rellga’s ship isn’t changing. T’Ana postulates that it probably is; Klingons just have very consistent ship designs.
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Mariner, Ma’ah and Boimler arrive on the bridge. Ma’ah asserts Boimler has proof that Mariner has hidden Malor. Freeman believes Mariner’s disavowal of the accusation. Ma’ah demands Boimler’s alternate universe PADD. But Boimler breaks it rather than handing it over. Mariner says the PADD was working for him. Boimler says he doesn’t want it in his life if it means not having Mariner’s back.
Ma’ah challenges Mariner to battle. But Ransom stops Ma’ah’s attack. Ransom admits he hid Malor, having been skeptical of the message from Alonzo. Kayshon brings up the message from Alonzo, revealing it was faked by Rellga. But how can they fight back without weapons? Billups has an idea.
All Sovereign Class
Freeman contacts Rellga and reveals they know the message was faked. Rellga says the crew must die for having uncovered the truth. Freeman says she shouldn’t have shared the shield update and will have to take it away. Rellga wants to see her try. On the Cerritos hull, an EV suit-clad Olly fires a giant floppy lightning bolt at Rellga’s ship. This disables their shields, leaving them fully exposed.
Rellga orders the Cerritos destroyed, but it’s hit by a wave. The crew is transformed into proto-Klingons, consumed by their own rage. They begin fighting with each other, resulting in the destruction of the ship. But the waves are coming with more frequency. This time the Cerritos is transformed into a Sovereign class ship, and it is once again operational. Freeman orders the ship to travel to the rift at full impulse.
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As the Cerritos travels, it is hit by many more waves, transforming it into various different classes of Starfleet ship. But eventually it transforms back into its original California class variant. At first Rutherford is disappointed, but then he’s excited. On the bridge, Boimler says they won’t reach the rift in time to stop it. Mariner laments that they didn’t change into a “bigger, better ship.”
But Rutherford counters that there is no better ship. Sliding under a console and pulling out isolinear chips, Rutherford declares the Cali class is the best. He says his problems weren’t with the Cerritos but with his implant. He disconnects his implant and casts it aside. Because the Cali class was designed for all kinds of functionality, it is uniquely suited to being reconfigured. The rest of the engineers cheer Rutherford on as he works on the ship.
Destination: Starbase 80
Rutherford has routed the rift’s energy direction into the Cerritos dilithium chamber. The ship is being fueled by interdimensionality. The ship travels towards the rift. But soon, the ship bifurcates into two quantum possibilities. Each ship’s system is controlling the other. Both sets of Tendi and T’Lyn says that although the chaos has driven them apart, that’s when they must be most in synch. Control must be relinquished, and trust must be maintained. Together, they unite as science besties. The two Cerritos ships are realigned.
Malor arrives on the bridge. The Cerritos arrives in range of the rift. The beam is activated. But it’s too late to close the rift. Malor says that on his farm when the river cannot be stopped, it threatens to destroy the crops. But a dam can be built. Mariner says he’s right and springs into action at a console. The energy is contained, but the rift is permanently open. The crew realizes they saved the universe. They begin to celebrate.
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Later, the Cerritos is joined outside the rift by several other Starfleet vessels, including the Enterprise-E. Boimler records a log saying Ma’ah and Malor are heading back to Qo’noS. But Ma’ah has now been given command of Rellga’s fleet. The rift is now considered a gate to a new frontier by Starfleet. But since no modern starbase can be located nearby, Starbase 80 is relocated nearby.
The Anaximander arrives, tasked with assisting in the exploration of strange new realities. While Kassia Nox (Nicole Byer) will still run Starbase 80, both Carol and Alonzo Freeman will be heading the missions into the rift. Carol tells Mariner that Mariner no longer needs her mother. It’s Carol’s turn to go on an adventure.
Engage the Core
In the Cerritos bar, Tendi and T’Lyn are sitting at a table. Rutherford arrives, now without his implant. He explains he had to choose between the implant and the Cerritos. However, without the dopamine inhibitor, his feelings for Tendi are more obvious than ever. T’Lyn says she didn’t realize their relationship was romantic. Tendi insists they’re just friends. But Rutherford’s emotions threaten to overwhelm him.
Boimler and Mariner arrive, the latter with a platter of margaritas. Mariner begins a speech about how much the entire crew of the Cerritos kicks ass. A montage shows many familiar faces engaged in various activities around the ship. Mariner says that while other crews are more professional than the Cerritos, you can’t prepare for the unknown. No one on the Cerritos is close to perfect. They don’t fit in anywhere else. But they’re a family, who believe in the mission and each other.
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While Carol is gone, she handpicked this crew, and that gives Mariner confidence. In the turbolift, she tells her friends it isn’t the end of the story. It’s the beginning. They arrive on the bridge and take their positions. The ship’s new captain is revealed: Ransom. He says they’ve been tasked with investigating some talking goo. He orders the Cerritos away from Starbase 80.
Ransom tells Mariner and Boimler that they’ll be serving as co-provisional first officers. He says he may eventually promote one of them. Boimler protests that they’re still lower decks. But Ransom says they’re in charge of the lower decks. From Starbase 80, Carol and Alonzo watch the ship depart. Ransom orders the ship to warp using a workout joke.
All 50 episodes of Star Trek: Lower Decks are currently available for streaming on Paramount+.
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