It’s hard to make peace with the end of a new Star Trek show, especially after years without any Star Trek on the small screen at all — and especially when it comes to a great show like Lower Decks. The Trek franchise is always searching for a new corner of the final frontier to explore, but the animated comedy felt like the freshest addition to the world in decades. By focusing on characters who would likely be background features in any other Trek project, Lower Decks found a new sweet spot with an underdog story. Its cancellation in 2024 felt preemptive, not to mention disappointing: the show had so much potential, and even after five seasons, it didn’t seem to be slowing down.
Though creator Mike McMahan assured Inverse that he ended the show on his terms, more or less, it still felt bittersweet that it had to end at all. Fortunately, McMahan has landed on his feet with another animated project. He and his Solar Opposites co-producer, Dominic Dierkes, are reteaming with CBS Studios for a new futuristic sitcom — and it sounds a whole lot bleaker than Lower Decks ever got to be.
