Star Trek: Why “Lower Decks” is more important to the future of Trek than “Discovery” Season 5

• Due to the long strike, 2024 could be a poor year for Trekkies, but the release of “Star Trek: Discovery” is certain.
• The upcoming fifth season is the series finale, which should be hyped and celebrated accordingly.
• For the future of the “Star Trek” franchise, the fifth “Discovery” season will probably not be the most important release in 2024!

Now that the actors’ union strike is over, production on “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds” Season 3 can resume. Nothing stands in the way of other “Star Trek” new releases either. It could now be tight for a release in 2024, so “Star Trek: Discovery” season 5 will probably be considered a standalone highlight next year.

The Paramount+ release is set to be a big deal as the series finale. So big that the animated series “Star Trek: Lower Decks”, which is already (in our opinion wrongly) receiving less attention, will go under alongside it, because it will also return with season 5 in 2024 – and in the overall context of the “Star Trek” future be significantly more relevant and groundbreaking than “Discovery” season 5!

Star Trek: The 32nd Century…a short excursion!

Since the third season of “Star Trek: Discovery” we have found ourselves further into the future than ever before in the “Star Trek” chronology, in the 32nd century. But this vision of the future doesn’t really catch on with fans. There is currently no other series that takes place in parallel, and after the end of “Discovery” it cannot be ruled out that we will not see the 32nd century again for a while.

There is a chance that “Star Trek: Starfleet Academy” will also be set in the 32nd century and will revolve around Michael Burnham’s (Sonequa Martin-Green) best friend Tilly (Mary Wiseman), but that is anything but confirmed.

One thing is clear: Paramount+ is not prioritizing the 32nd century and that makes the finale of “Discovery” less important in the context of the extensive “Star Trek” universe, because it will have little or no impact on other stories. But what if there was a series that was so in the middle of things that it had a powerful impact and also started in 2024?

Star Trek: The only series that looks into the future is “Lower Decks”!

We’re talking, of course, about “Star Trek: Lower Decks”. As an animated series, “Lower Decks” is not taken quite as seriously as its live-action counterparts and in Germany, “Lower Decks” is not yet as successful as the series perhaps deserves. But that doesn’t take away from the series’ importance in the overall context of the Trek universe!

“Lower Decks” takes place between “Star Trek: The Next Century” and “Star Trek: Picard” and is therefore not only a bridge between the two Picard series, but also the series that looks into the 25th century with one eye Future that “Picard” presented to us.

Star Trek: Will “Lower Decks” open the door to the “Picard” sequel “Legacy”?

The 25th century is probably the era to keep an eye on right now, as Picard ended around that time, leaving the door open for the spin-off Star Trek: Legacy with its finale. This hasn’t been officially confirmed yet, but “Picard” showrunner Terry Matalas is doing everything he can to ensure fans’ voices are heard and Paramount+ is convinced.

Since the 25th century is the era in which all the fan favorites from “The Next Century”, “Deep Space Nine” and “Starship Voyager” are still alive and new ones thanks to “Lower Decks” and also “Picard”. characters have been introduced, it is the time when the most crossover episodes can be made and when individual events have the most impact on the affairs of all series set there.

The fact that Lower Decks brought back the Breen in Season 4 and also showed the Ferengi joining Starfleet already sets up the late 24th and early 25th centuries for other series to build on later. One of them, of course, is “Star Trek: Legacy,” but also the ongoing series “Star Trek: Prodigy.”

Star Trek: The 25th Century is where the series and films should be working towards!

As already explained, most of what could leave a lasting impression on the entire franchise takes place in the 25th century. With the end of “Picard” we are not as far into the future as “Discovery”, but we are further into the future than the other series.

Although “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds” is currently considered the flagship of the franchise, the series is limited in that it can only cover a period of around seven years, as the events of “Star Trek” and SNW begin afterwards just plays in the past.

SNW has no future for spin-offs and other offshoots because the series itself is a spin-off. If Paramount+ is now working on comprehensively expanding the “Star Trek” franchise and wants to take advantage of opportunities for the series to relate to each other, then the 25th century is unavoidable!

“Star Trek: Lower Decks” Season 5 will most likely start in late summer 2024, while “Star Trek: Discovery” Season 5 will start in early summer or hopefully a little earlier in Paramount+’s new program. Specific start dates have not yet been announced. We list all new “Star Trek” releases for you!