Spoilers for “The New Next Generation.”
When Starfleet said it had sent the Enterprise to help the Cerritos close the rift, I was worried. has spent the last four years emerging from the shadow of its more famous predecessor. Their grand finale didn't need a flashy cameo from any of the Next Generation cast (or even a subtle ). Fortunately, none arrived and we had one last chance to spend half an hour with the Cerritos team on their final trip. At least for now.
The length of Previously on… The sequence was enough of a clue: this was going to be an overstuffed episode. In fact, it seemed as if creator Mike McMahan set himself the task of resolving every plot in one episode. You can imagine some of these would have been addressed in some future episode if the show hadn't been cancelled. But even with a slightly longer running time, the episode moves too quickly for you to really savor it.
As usual, the Cerritos is the only ship close enough to . On the way to close the rift, the crew meets. and Malor, fleeing a fleet of Klingon warships led by Relga, and sister. The fleet pursues the Cerritos to the rift that is generating waves of uncertainty that jump dimensions. That creates a wonderful scene in which the Cerritos remakes itself into different classes of ships as it moves toward the center of the rift.
All of this plays out as Rutherford struggles with both his implant and his general dislike of the Cerritos. Tendi and T'Lyn are fighting for supremacy as senior science officer on the ship, and Boimler is still using his alternate self's diary to advance his career. A normal half-hour show can accommodate an A and B story; here we are at least in G or H. Since a lot of the fun of this show is in spend time with these charactersIt's a shame that their goodbyes were repeated like checked boxes on a list.
There are many wonderful moments, like when Mariner and Boimler come to Freeman and are instantly believed. In-universe, the characters have gained enough trust to be taken at their word, and it's heartwarming. It's also a sign of how far we've come compared to, say, the days of “.” Or when Rutherford realizes what's wrong and is able to solve the problem by remembering that the California Class is the Swiss Army Knife of Starfleet. Or when Boimler destroys his Padd to protect Mariner, since their friendship is more important than his career.
The episode ends with the rift stabilizing, creating a permanent interdimensional wormhole in the multiverse. Starfleet tows Starbase 80 there, and William Boimler is tasked with exploring the various dimensions it contains. But such a high-profile task needs an experienced boss, so Captain Freeman is assigned to take command of Starbase 80. This means Mariner has to say goodbye to her mother and Freeman to his dedicated team of misfits.
Ransom takes command of the Cerritos, with Mariner and Boimler acting as joint first officers, at least for now. Rutherford has the implant removed and suddenly it's obvious to everyone how interested he's been in Tendi this whole time. T'Lyn and Tendi are now happily scientist BFFs, sharing the role as the Cerritos head off to explore new parts of the galaxy. And Ransom's choice of phrase for his warp command fits perfectly with his love of exercise, and no, I won't share it here.
You'll never be able to escape Star Trek once it's on your CV, and I've said before that this isn't the last we'll see of the Cerritos crew. Animation doesn't need its actors to stay the same age and we could easily see a resurgence in a few years or so. McMahan made it clear that season five was also being used to set up possible spin-off ideas, so there's plenty of room for more. That's why I'm not going to write an obituary for Lower coversYou don't need one.
Still, it's crazy to think how things have changed since Lower covers debuted as the foolish joker alongside his more august brothers. Discovery and Picard were intended to be reputable programs with Lower covers little more than the class clown for die-hard fans. Both turned out to be much less than the sum of their parts, while Lower covers it maintained the spirit of Star Trek much more effectively than its supposed best. He was the only one of that trio to emerge with anything resembling a coherent legacy and genuine fan affection.
Lower covers he knows this and ends his episode with a celebration of the Cerritos and Star Trek in general. The show exists as a celebration of the daily work that would never be praised in those more daring, loud, punch fighter Hikes. The USS Cerritos is an island of misfit toys who have come together to better themselves and each other. Hell, that might be a comment on Star Trek or its fans in general, but it's cool to be one of those misfit toys.
Strong Cerritos!
