Warning: SPOILERS for Star Trek: Lower Decks Season 4 Finale - "Old Friends, New Planets"

Summary

• "Star Trek: Lower Decks" season 4 finale sets up the major Orion crime syndicate, the Emerald Chain, indicating that it was formed through a merger between two Orion criminal enterprises facilitated by D'Erika Tendi.
• The timing of the merger suggests that the foundations of the Emerald Chain could have been laid down as far back as 2381, which aligns with the events of "Lower Decks" season 4.
• It is possible that Osyraa, the leader of the Emerald Chain in "Star Trek: Discovery," is descended from Tendi's house, potentially even from D'Vana herself, making their connection a fascinating Easter egg for the franchise.

Star Trek: Lower Decks just set up Star Trek: Discovery's major Orion crime syndicate with one line. Lower Decks season 4 ended with an explosive finale that brought back some familiar faces from the Star Trek universe, revealing that the season's big bad was Nick Locarno (Robert Duncan McNeill), the disgraced former pilot from Star Trek: The Next Generation season 5, episode 19, "The First Duty." After Locarno captured Beckett Mariner (Tawny Newsome) to help him with his villainous Nova Fleet, Captain Carol Freeman (Dawnn Lewis) and the crew of the USS Cerritos sought a way to save Mariner by going to D'Vana Tendi's (Noël Wells) sister for help.

D'Erika Tendi (Ariel Winter) was first introduced in Lower Decks season 4, episode 4, "Something Borrowed, Something Green" where it was revealed that she had become head of the Tendi family criminal empire in her sister's absence. When the Cerritos crew asked for D'Erika's help in rescuing Mariner, she proved reluctant, forcing the crew to participate in the Orion system of barter by combat and then supplying them with an inoperable ship. During their initial plea for help, however, one of D'Erika's lines inadvertently laid the groundwork for a major storyline that took place in Star Trek: Discovery's 32nd century.

Star Trek: Lower Decks Set Up For Star Trek: Discovery’s Emerald Chain Explained

D'Erika initially refused to help the Cerritos' crew because she was facilitating a merger between two Orion criminal enterprises, indicating that she is working on setting up what will one day become the Emerald Chain. First introduced in Discovery season 3, the Emerald Chain was a massive Orion-led crime syndicate that took over the galaxy after The Burn decimated the Federation. Captain Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) and the crew of the USS Discovery helped end the Chain's reign of terror after they time-traveled to 3188, but the syndicate held huge sway before Michael finally killed its leader, Osyraa (Janet Kidder).

Although Discovery gave no real indication when the Emerald Chain was founded, the seeds for an operation of its magnitude could easily have been laid down as far back as 2381, when Lower Decks season 4 took place. It's certainly not unreasonable to assume that the merger D'Erika was facilitating could have grown into an ever-larger Orion crime ring, given the Orion's highly hierarchical society and penchant for piracy and violence. Additionally, the idea that Tendi's family may have been the first leaders of the Chain raises an interesting question about the heritage of Osyraa.

Could Star Trek: Discovery’s Osyraa Descend From Lower Decks’ Tendi?

Given the events of the Lower Decks season 4 finale, it's entirely possible that the Emerald Chain's future leader Osyraa is descended from Tendi's house, perhaps even directly from D'Vana herself. To finally ensure D'Erika's help with Mariner's rescue, Tendi made a deal that she would return to Orion and help her sister run their family's criminal empire. At the end of the episode, Tendi was shown making good on that promise on her way back to Orion, preparing herself for return by getting reacquainted with her criminal persona, the Mistress of the Winter Constellation.

The final shot hinted at a very different Tendi from the ones audiences are used to, indicating that her more ruthless side may come out in Star Trek: Lower Decks season 5. If Tendi does become involved in her family's criminal activity again, it's possible that her legacy will eventually include being the ancestor of Osyraa, especially if operations for Emerald Chain are kept within her family. Connecting Tendi and Osyraa would be a great Easter egg for the franchise and an interesting way to connect two of modern Star Trek's most popular shows.

All episodes of Star Trek: Lower Decks season 4 are available to stream on Paramount+.