Endings are tricky. Part of a satisfying ending comes from having an adequate set-up. Part of it comes from feeling like a culmination of all that has come before. A lot of it comes from feeling like the characters have been well served. The worst kind of endings, in my opinion, are those where the characters' journeys are lost amid a plot.
Fortunately, Star Trek: Lower Decks has received a fair ending, even if it was sooner than it deserved. Things have changed by the end of the episode, but there is a sense of optimism—fitting for any Star Trek series—and hope that the door is open for more adventures to come.
Episode summary
Continuing directly from last week's episode, "The New Next Generation" shows us a fleet of Klingon ships, led by Captain Relga, be the first to encounter the new, massive dimensional rift sent to the prime universe by William Boimler. One ship is destroyed after it and its crew briefly transform into Discovery-style Klingons and the rest retreat.
Meanwhile, Brad Boimler receives a message from his transporter duplicate, explaining the situation with the dimensional rift. Boimler and Mariner take this to Captain Freeman, and the Cerritos is ultimately dispatched to deal with the rift. They will need to adjust their shields, however, to protect the ship and crew from the Schroedinger Field encompassing the rift.
As the Cerritos prepare to go to the rift, they encounter Ma'ah and Malor. The two Klingon brothers are being pursued by Relga, who wants to blame them for the destruction of her ship. The two come aboard the Cerritos, and then the ship is forced to enter the Schroedinger Field before their shields are completely recalibrated.
Chased through the Schroedinger Field by Relga, the Cerritos crew remains normal while the ship itself transforms into various alternate versions of itself. Eventually, the ship is stabilized when Rutherford realizes that his cybernetic implant is incompatible with the Cerritos systems and thus opts to make the repairs without assistance.
Once at the dimensional rift, Mariner makes a "dam," per Malor's suggestion, which stabilizes the rift without closing it. Starbase 80 is then moved to the rift, as its systems are old enough as to be unaffected by the rift's perturbations, and Captain Freeman takes a position on the station, leading the exploration of the rift.
With Commander Ransom promoted to Captain of the Cerritos, Mariner and Boimler are both designated "provisional first officers." Rutherford also receives treatment to no longer require his cybernetic implant, which T'Lyn observes leads him to display his affection for Tendi. The Cerritos then warps off to a new adventure.
Thoughts on the episode
This was a very good episode, in my opinion. While it did not really feel like a series finale until the last few scenes, it remained focused on the Lower Deckers as they helped to literally save the universe. This allowed it to exemplify Star Trek: Lower Decks at its best: a fun, light-hearted version of Star Trek with just a touch of cartoon zaniness.
Really, the only problem I have with this episode is that it is the last episode of Star Trek: Lower Decks. It doesn't fizzle out like "Turnabout Intruder" did for the original Star Trek, but it also seems clear that it was not always meant to be the ending. (Given production times for animation, though, it's unclear when exactly the shift from season finale to series finale took place.)
What I am most grateful for, however, is that the series ends with an open door. "There are always possibilities," as Spock says. With all of the characters moving up to more senior positions, perhaps the end of Lower Decks is an opportunity for our characters to transition to Upper Deckers in the future.
I will really miss Star Trek: Lower Decks, and I hope it can come back in another form. If it does, I'd hope it could keep its focus on its characters, which are this show's greatest strength. But, if this is truly the end of this series, I am glad that we have 50 episodes of fun stories, great characters, and (sometimes) clever Star Trek references!