“Lower Decks” Showrunner On S4 Finale, S5

With the finale of the fourth season of animated comedy “Star Trek: Lower Decks” having aired, the episode saw cameos from several “Star Trek” alum as it wrapped up an arc that had been teased throughout the season.

In the wake of the events of the episode, series creator Mike McMahan has discussed getting the actor’s back, several easter eggs for fans, and where things will go in the fifth season.

First up, he tells Collider that Tendi will still be a part of the show in the fifth season, whilst Mariner is expected to get her joy back in the new run after showing a gloomier side this run.

He adds T’Lyn’s fifth season story involves her and another character and will see her “embrace science and Starfleet more than I think people anticipate.”

The abundant “Wrath of Khan” references were deliberate as this was a story that took a one-episode villain from an old show (in this case Nick Locarno from “The First Duty” episode of “Star Trek: The Next Generation” thirty years ago) and brought him back in a more cinematic way.

The new ship seen in the episode that Mariner commands – the USS Passaro – is a Saberrunner class and yes, it comes with seatbelts. He adds some of the things he’s most proud of for the season are the Twain-ing and the Mariner and Bach the Klingon confession scene.

Work on the fifth season is well underway with the first four seasons now available to stream on the Paramount+ service.