Summary
The fourth season ofStar Trek: Lower Decksgave fans everything they’d come to expect from the franchise’s animated series: clever callbacks to classicStar Trekshows, Easter eggs galore, a deeper look at some of the franchise’s most neglected species, wacky action, and, of course, lots of laughs. It also gave viewers more insight into its characters and Starfleet as a concept and an institution than ever before.
The season finale “Old Friends, New Planets,” neatly tied up the themes and story lines present throughout the season, but also left fans with enough questions to get them psyched for season 5. Ahead of thefifth and final season, here’s a reminder of what went down in season 4 and how it ended.
What Happened in Lower Decks Season 4?
Though season 4 lived up toLower Decks' reputation for cleverly done fan service, that wasn’t its strongest point. The season really shines because of the themes that run throughout: history, growth, and legacy. These themes turned out to be prescient, given that they were conceived long before the team behindLower Decksknew thatseason five would be their last.
Promotions All Around
Early in the season, the Lower Deckers get promoted to Lieutenant Junior Grade, making them, technically, not Lower Deckers anymore. Jack Quaid’s Bradward Boimler, Eugene Cordero’s Sam Rutherford, and Noël Wells' D’Vana Tendi are, of course, delighted and through themselves into their new duties with characteristic enthusiasm and dedication.
Meanwhile, Mariner is furious. In response to her inevitable post-promotion tantrum, Jerry O’Connell’s Commander Jack Ransom promises Mariner that he’ll support her no matter what. Mariner pulls a classic Mariner and goes on a rebellion spree. But for the first time, everyone around her continues to support her in spite of her behavior, and Mariner is forced to accept that self-sabotage isn’t what she really wants.
Throughout the season, fans get to watch as the rest of their favorite awkward, fumbling Lieutenants Junior Grade come into their own as well. Boimler leads his first away mission and learns that he literally can’t do everything himself, and has to trust his crew mates to do things well. He also has to grapple with the reality that Starfleet is dangerous, and as a leader, his actions can get people hurt, or even killed. Meanwhile, Rutherford’s past comes back to haunt him when Badgey returns seeking revenge, and he finds out what it means to take accountability. Rutherford also discovers the power of conflict resolution instead of avoidance in the weirdest, and mostStar Trek, way possible: by dressing up as Mark Twainon the holodeck.
Of all the season’s transformations, Tendi’s is the most dramatic. After she’s forced to revealher past on Orion, Tendi realizes that it isn’t something she needs to hide, especially from her friends. She learns to embrace her fierce identity and takes that confidence into her Starfleet service.
Tendi’s Backstory: The Orion Assassin
When Tendi gets an invitation to her sister’s wedding, which is actually a plea for her to save her kidnapped sister, Mariner and T’Lyn tag along. They learn that Tendi wasraised as an Orion Syndicate assassinand comes from a wealthy family. On Orion, Tendi demonstrates her expertise with weapons, hand-to-hand combat, and violent drinking games. Though she’s embarrassed that her friends are seeing her past self, Mariner and T’Lyn are impressed.
When they finally find Tendi’s sister, D’Erika, she reveals that she kidnapped herself to get Tendi’s attention. D’Erika feels abandoned by her older sister and is anxious about taking on the role of Prime, which fell to her when Tendi left for Starfleet. D’Erika and Tendi make up, though D’Erika doesn’t fully accept that Tendi prefers Starfleet to Orion.
When they all return to the Cerritos, Tendi realizes that her friends love her even though they know who she really is, and her past is an asset, not a detriment. That asset plays a major role in the final episode of the season.
Mariner’s Backstory: A Past With Some Familiar Faces
Throughout the season, fans learn that Mariner’s life before the Cerritos — and her disillusionment with Starfleet — is deeply entwined with a familiarStar Trek: The Next Generationcharacter,Sito Jaxa. For fans who need a refresher, Sito was part of the infamous Nova Squad, the flight squad that performed an illegal flight maneuver which ended up killing one of their squad mates, led by Nick Locarno. Sito went on to serve on the Enterprise because Captain Picard thought she deserved a chance to redeem herself. However, during a top-secret mission, Sito was killed in the line of duty.
In the penultimate episode of the season, Mariner explains that Sito was her best friend. When she found out that Sito was sent on such a dangerous mission when she was merely an ensign, then died on that mission, Mariner’s disillusionment with Starfleet began. Mariner then reveals thatshe fought in the Dominion Warshortly after Sito’s death, which furthered her disillustionment and engendered a fear of rising up the ranks because she didn’t want to order anyone to their death.
In this context, Mariner’s insubordination, constant challenges to Starfleet regulations, and reluctance to get promoted make much more sense. And once she confronts her past, she can finally move past it. However, as soon as she does, her past smacks her in the face in the form of Nick Locarno.
How Did Season 4 End?
Throughout the season, a mysterious spacecraft has been attacking random shipsall over the Alpha Quadrant. In the season finale, the owner of that ship is revealed as Nick Locarno. After kidnapping Mariner, Locarno explains that he hasn’t been destroying the ships; he’s been recruiting their captains and crews into his Nova Fleet — a coalition of independent crews, working together without a hierarchical leadership structure. Assuming Mariner’s history of defying Starfleet makes her a perfect recruit, Locarno tries to convince her to join.
This is where Mariner’s growth shines. While she understands Locarno’sdisillusionment with Starfleet, Mariner has finally realized that no organization can entirely live up to its ideals, but Starfleet does a better job than most. Instead of joining up with Nova Fleet and self-sabotaging once again, Mariner steals the Genesis Device that Locarno has been using as leverage against Starfleet and a shuttle, then leaves Locarno behind.
Meanwhile, the crew of the Cerritos is trying to save Mariner. When they realize they don’t have the firepower to get through the shield Locarno has set up around his fleet, Tendi suggests a trip to Orion to enlist her sister’s assistance. Unfortunately, D’Erika is facing fierce opposition as a Prime within the Syndicate and refuses to help Starfleet. After demanding barter by combat and losing, Tendi makes her sister an offer she knows she won’t refuse. Tendi swears that if her sister lends them an Orion battle cruiser, she’ll come back to Orion and resume her role as the Mistress of the Winter Constellations. D’Erika agrees and lends them a ship, but in true Orion fashion, she double-crosses them by giving them a clunker.
After raging about the unfair deal, the Cerritos crew comes up with a so-crazy-it-might-work idea: driving the Orion battleship into the shield. Of course, the plan works, the crew rescues Mariner, and thwarts Locarno’s schemes. Unfortunately, they don’t do it before Locarno accidentally sets off the Genesis device, killing himself and creating a new M-Class planet.
As the final episode ends, the Lower Deckers are celebrating another wacky victory with drinks at the bar when Captain Freeman interrupts. She informs Tendi that an Orion ship has arrived to take her back to her home world. The season ends with Tendi saying goodbye, and her friends watching her leave.
The feeling that everything is about to change is pervasive as the credits roll. To see how it all plays out, check out season 5, streaming on Paramount+ as of October 24th.
