Reviewed by Colin Jacobson (March 19, 2025)
An animated project, Star Trek: Lower Decks delivered a generally comedic affair that concentrated on the lives of lowly ensigns on Starfleet’s USS Cerritos. With this fifth season, the series draws to a close.
This two-disc Blu-ray set includes all 10 of Season Five’s episodes. The plot synopses come from IMDB.
Dos Cerritos: “A spatial anomaly forces the Cerritos crew to face their own faces.”
I think the concept of “alternate versions of Trek characters” goes back to Original Series Season Two episode “Mirror Mirror”. Of course, “Dos” nods in that direction with its Sliding Doors-style alternates who ended up in different spots than “our crew” due to slight variations in choices.
Later Trek followed similar paths, but that doesn’t make “Dos” a retread. It finds fun new ways to chase this theme so it turns into a lively opening to Season Five.
Shades of Green: “D’Vana Tendi (voiced by Noël Wells) races to stop a conflict while Brad Boimler (Jack Quaid) and Beckett Mariner (Tawny Newsome) race to stop capitalists.”
Though its title clearly elicits a nod to “Shades of Gray” from Season Two of Next Generation, “Green” doesn’t really echo that episode otherwise. And I regard that as a good thing, for “Gray” offered little more than a lazy and lame “clip show” that used snippets from prior programs.
Given all the racing that synopsis mentions, “Green” can veer a little “urgent” at times. Still, it comes with the usual cleverness and laughs, so it works.
The Best Exotic Nanite Hotel: “The Lower Deckers hunt nanites on a resort in space.”
Despite a title that refers to a 2011 dramedy about old folks, “Exotic” hearkens back to “Evolution” from Season Three of Next Generation. That one brought nanites into Trek universe.
Actually, because the crew of the Cerritos visits a resort, it does connect to the aforementioned 2011 movie as well. That seems like an appropriately goofy nod from this goofy series.
With Tendi back on the ship, I also feel happy we don’t branch out into her adventures with her Orion family. She blends back well and the episode’s different elements offer amusement.
A Farewell to Farms: “Dr. Migleemo (Paul F. Tompkins) cooks up some hot dishes. Mariner prefers hers served cold.”
Unmentioned in that vague synopsis: “Farms” brings back Klingon Ma’ah (Jon Curry) from the finale of Lower Decks’ fourth season. That episode delighted and “Farms” helps follow suit.
The plot with Dr. Migleemo brings amusement as well via the psychologist’s attempts to please snooty peers. Expect another solid show here.
’Starbase 80?!’: “Jack Ransom (Jerry O’Connell) uses too much disinfectant gel while Mariner gets paranoid about curses.”
In the category of obscure references, this episode’s title riffs on 1983’s Star 80, a mostly forgotten Bob Fosse flick about murdered Playboy Playmate Dorothy Stratten. Of course, that topic has nothing to do with this episode, but it’s a funny allusion.
“Starbase” offers a good twist because it focuses on the dirtier side of Starfleet. Given that Trek tends to concentrate on the shiny ‘n’ fresh side of things, this glimpse of something else amuses.
Of Gods and Angles: “The Cerritos hosts peace talks between warring civilizations.”
Here we find an allusion to TOS S2’s “Who Mourns for Adonais?” via demi-god Ensign Olly (Saba Homayoon). That fun wink becomes just one of the entertaining elements here, as we also get some development related to Boimler’s attempts to emulate “cool Boimler” from this season’s first episode.
Fully Dilated: “It's a pre-warp society undercover Girls Trip.”
A major guest star pops up here, as “Dilated” brings back Data (Brent Spiner) in an unusual way. The competition between Tendi and T'Lyn (Gabrielle Ruiz) seems a little tedious, but the episode still mostly succeeds.
Upper Decks: “The Lower Deckers have a pumpkin carving party.”
Well, that’s a brief synopsis, and not a very useful one. Curse you, IMDB!
As implied by the episode title, this one avoids the usual focus on the junior crew and instead concentrates on command officers. Of course, the series doesn’t avoid those roles, but it makes them subordinate most of the time, so the choice to look at senior Starfleet gives the show a twist.
“Upper” moves at a brisk pace and comes with decent amusement. However, it feels off to avoid the usual suspects so much and “Upper” doesn’t quite compensate well enough to make this a great show.
Fissure Quest: “Fissures must be closed before they get inflamed.”
“Quest” brings the first of a two-part finale. I’ll save comments from the next episode.
The New Next Generation: “The Cerritos crew faces a multiverse-spanning crisis.”
Lower Decks concludes with the expected Big Changes. This means it leans too heavily on cameos for my liking, as those can feel gimmicky.
Nonetheless, the finale wraps up matters in a largely compelling manner. It finishes the characters’ lower decks journeys and sends the series off in a pleasing manner.
