Why won't there be a Star Trek: Lower Decks season 6?

The show weathered a rocky start to become one of the most celebrated entries in the current Star Trek line-up, allowing Jack Quaid and Tawny Newsome to take their voice roles into live action with a surprising Strange New Worlds cameo.

But just as their standing in the franchise canon seemed to be going from strength to strength, word came from creator Mike McMahan and producer Alex Kurtzman that it would soon be curtains for Lower Decks.

Fans across the known universe were puzzled by the announcement – here's what McMahan and Kurtzman had to say about the cancellation, as well as some leading theories as to why there won't be a Star Trek: Lower Decks season 6.

Why won't there be Star Trek: Lower Decks season 5?

Paramount Plus confirmed in April 2024 that Star Trek: Lower Decks would be ending with its then-upcoming fifth season.

The news was accompanied with a joint statement from showrunner Mike McMahan and producer Alex Kurtzman, who said that it was "a miracle" and "a dream come true" that the show had lasted for so long.

They added: "We’re excited for the world to see our hilarious fifth season, which we’re working on right now, and the good news is that all previous episodes will remain on Paramount Plus, so there is still so much to look forward to as we celebrate the Cerritos crew with a big send-off."

No official reason has been given for exactly why the streamer called time on Lower Decks, but fans have pitched theories as to what could have influenced the decision.

Some have noted that the streaming business model focuses on acquiring new subscribers to a given service, and the best way to do that is considered all-new programming, as opposed to long-running returning shows.

In the animation space, this was a factor that led to the end of BoJack Horseman on Netflix, which was decided by the streamer rather than the creatives (as verified by both creator Raphael Bob-Waksberg and star Aaron Paul).

The rush to build subscriber numbers is particularly at the forefront of executives' minds due to recent struggles faced by the streaming industry, which is deemed by some to be a bubble on the cusp of bursting.

Will the Star Trek: Lower Decks characters return?

So, Star Trek: Lower Decks is going away for the time being, but that's not necessarily the end of the story.

Last year's Strange New Worlds crossover proved that there's great potential for the USS Cerritos crew to appear in both other animated projects as well as live-action Star Trek projects – and that's the dream for McMahan and Kurtzman.

They concluded their statement by saying: "We remain hopeful that even beyond season 5, Mariner, Boimler, Tendi, Rutherford and the whole Cerritos crew will live on with new adventures."

The cast have also made it clear that they'd love to return.

Eugene Cordero told RadioTimes.com of the show: "It feels great, and it feels like it could keep going," with Jack Quaid adding, "I'll play Boimler for 17 more years, until I can't do the Boimler scream anymore."

Tawny Newsome noted that season 5 "comes to a nice pause", adding: "We'll do this show until we're dust in the ground."

And the fighting talk didn't stop there, with Newsome telling RadioTimes.com: "Mike [McMahan] has re-written 5:10 [ the finale episode] so many times, and I feel like it gets longer and longer, and it’s great but you will feel the hanging on that he and we are all doing, like, 'We could keep making this! Let's keep making this.'"

Of course, we must take this with a pinch of salt for now – there are no confirmed post-season 5 appearances for the Lower Decks gang just yet – but it's somewhat comforting to know that the door is open for their potential return.

Star Trek: Lower Decks is available to stream on Paramount Plus.

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