Spoilers for The Next Next Generation.
When Starfleet announced that it had sent the Enterprise to help Cerritos close the rift, I became concerned. has spent the last four years emerging from the shadow of his more famous predecessor. Its grand finale didn't need a cameo to steal the spotlight from either actor. Next generation cast (or even subtle ). Luckily no one came and we had one last chance to spend half an hour with the Cerritos team on their last trip. At least for now.
Length Previously On… the sequence was enough of a clue that this was going to be an exaggerated episode. In fact, it seemed like creator Mike McMahan made it his mission to cover every storyline in a single episode. You can imagine that some of these issues would have been addressed in some future episode had the show not been cancelled. But even though it's a little longer, the episode moves too quickly for you to really enjoy it.
As usual, the Cerritos is the only vessel close enough to . On the way to closing the rift, the crew meets and Malor, fleeing a fleet of Klingon warships led by Relga, And sister. The fleet pursues the Cerritos to a rift that emits waves of uncertainty that travel between dimensions. This sets up a great scene where the Cerritos is repurposed into different classes of ships as it approaches the center of the rift.
All of this happens while Rutherford struggles with both his implant and his general distaste for Cerritos. Tendi and T'Lin fight for supremacy as the ship's senior science officer, with Boimler still using his alternate self's journal to advance his career. A typical half-hour show can accommodate stories A and B; here we've at least made it to G or H. Given the amount of fun this show has, it's just in spend time with these charactersIt's a pity that their farewell rattled off like ticks on a list.
There are many great moments, such as when Mariner and Boimler come to Freeman and are immediately believed. In-universe, the characters have earned enough credibility to be taken at their word, and it's touching. It's also a sign of how far we've come compared to, say, the days of “” Or when Rutherford realizes what's wrong and is able to solve the problem by remembering that the California-class is Starfleet's Swiss Army Knife. Or when Boimler breaks his Padd to protect Mariner because their friendship is more important than his career.
The episode ends with the rift stabilizing, creating a permanent interdimensional wormhole in the multiverse. Starfleet tows Starbase 80 there, and William Boimler is tasked with exploring its various dimensions. But such a high-profile mission requires an experienced leader, and so Captain Freeman is given command of Starbase 80. This means Mariner must say goodbye to her mother, and Freeman must say goodbye to her loyal crew of misfits.
Ransom takes command of the Cerritos, with Mariner and Boimler acting as joint first officers, at least for now. Rutherford had his implant removed, and it suddenly became obvious to everyone how into Tendi he had been all along. T'Lin and Tendi are now happily the top scientists, sharing the role while the Cerritos go exploring new parts of the galaxy. And Ransom's choice of phrase for his warp command fits perfectly with his love of exercise, and no, I won't share it here.
You can never escape Star Trek if it's on your resume, and like I said, this won't be the last we see of Cerritos' team. Animation doesn't require actors to stay the same age, and we could easily see a revival in a few years or so. McMahan has made it clear that season five will also be used to explore potential additional ideas, so there's plenty of scope for more. That's why I'm not going to write an obituary for Lower Decksit's not needed.
However, it's crazy to think how things have changed since then. Lower Decks debuted as a goofy wildcard alongside his more august siblings. Opening And Picard should have been authoritative shows with Lower Decks little more than a class clown for die-hard fans. Both turned out to be much less than the sum of their parts, while Lower Decks have preserved the spirit of Star Trek far more effectively than its so-called best. It was the only album from the trio that maintained anything close to a coherent legacy and was truly loved by fans.
Lower Decks knows this and ends his episode with a celebration of Cerritos and Star Trek in general. The show exists as a celebration of the everyday work that would never be glorified in these more brash, flashy, punch fighter Tracks. USS Cerritos is an island of misfit toys who come together to make themselves and each other a little better. Hell, this could be a commentary on Star Trek or Star Trek fans in general, but it's great to be one of those misfit toys.
Cerritos Strong!