After five seasons, Star Trek saga, is coming to an end. The comic misadventures of Ensigns Mariner, Boimler, Rutherford, and Tendi have delighted audiences by skewering Star Trek's conventions while remaining true to the optimistic and progressive spirit of Gene Roddenberry's vision for the future of human cooperation.

entirety of Star Trek Voyager's seven-season run as an Ensign.

At New York Comic Con 2024, Screen Rant sat down with creator Mike McMahan and stars Tawny Newsome, Jack Quaid, Eugene Cordero, and Noël Wells to talk about the final season of Star Trek: Lower Decks. Needless to say, the sit-down conversation with comedy writers and acclaimed comedic actors frequently descended into delightful madness, particularly when it comes to the curious subject of whether or not Taylor Swift and Barack Obama ever appeared on Star Trek...

Nevertheless, the Lower Decks crew offers their particular insight into a variety of topics, including their favorite episodes, animated stories they'd like to see interpreted in live action, and Tawny Newsome's future as a writer on Starfleet Academy and an , as-yet-untitled live-action Star Trek show.

Checking In On The Cast Of Star Trek: Lower Decks & Their Season 5 Status Quo

"I don't think Mariner's ever at peace with anything. Because then we wouldn't have much of a show."

Screen Rant: I'm here with the gang of Star Trek: Lower Decks.

Eugene Cordero: Wow, we're a gang now.

Noël Wells: Watch out.

Jack Quaid: Five seasons, you're officially a gang.

Five seasons, you're a gang. I hear this is the final season. I also hear this might just be the best season. What can you tell me about that?

Tawny Newsome: Did you hear it was the best season from Garrett Wang?

I may or may not have heard that from Garrett.

Tawny Newsome: Because he's been dying to be on our show forever.

Mike McMahan: He has, and he killed it. He's so funny. He's so animated. We've been wanting to have Harry Kim in Lower Decks for so long. But we had to find a fun enough reason to have him on. We just didn't want him to come in and have it be window dressing or something, where it was like, and here he is. It's a really cool story we do with him.

I imagine it's related to the promotions that everyone got at the end of last season. Jack, you got a taste of captaincy last season. Is that an addiction? How are you going to deal with that? How's Boimler going to handle that?

Jack Quaid: I think Boimler loved that! I think that was something he's wanted to do since he was a tiny little Boimler boy, growing up on the raisin vineyard. He got a taste of that life, that captain life. I think his arc this season is very much about, how can I get back to that? That was me at my best. How can I be even more at my best? I don't want to give anything away. But basically, he starts to emulate someone that he really looks up to. And he tries to emulate this person to the letter. To hilarious results. Hijinks ensue. No, but it's one of my favorite arcs you've ever written for him, Mike. It's really, really cool.

Mike McMahan: Aw, thanks, man!

Jack Quaid: Again, I don't want to spoil anything. But something physically changes within him throughout the course of the season. And it was such a fun thing to see. And I can't wait for...

Mike McMahan: His heart grows, like the Grinch. That's the physicality.

Eugene Cordero: And you can see it, physically.

Jack Quaid: The first episode, he steals Christmas. It's really nuts. I'm sorry.

Tawny Newsome: But he gives it back in episode two. So it's kind of anticlimactic.

Noël, Star Trek: Lower Decks is hilarious. But your character has this devotion and obligation to Starfleet versus to her family. Tell me a little bit about where we pick up with Tendi when the show starts. And what's her dynamic with the rest of the cast now that things are just different?

Noël Wells: Well, we start the season with her on Orion. And she's not happy about it. I think this season is really Tendi coming to with her past, and this part of herself that she tried to get away from. She pursued another path. And then, eventually, I think she comes to learn that it is a part of her history. And it's something that is good about her. And we see her grow through that. And maybe integrate some of her pirate-y shadow self. We get to see her be a badass. And maybe inspiring people along the way.

Mike McMahan: Yeah, she's kind of like... It's sort of like Worf's stories in TNG. Where it's like, is he Starfleet or is he Klingon? That's kind of Tendi's path as well. And we walk down a slightly different one. But it feels good. It's cool to watch what Tendi goes through.

Noël Wells: It's cool, because I think a lot of people can relate to having... Parts of themselves that were not accepted in their... They're born into a situation that doesn't feel like them. They have a dream. They go and pursue it. And then, oftentimes, you come back. It's like a hero's journey.

Mike Mahan: Then you miss home, too. It's interesting. It's a balance.

Noël Wells: You miss home! Or you lose an agreement with your family. And then you get stuck on your home planet.

Mike Mahan: Your sister makes you come back to your home planet.

Noël Wells: Yeah, exactly. Totally.

Jack Quaid: We've all been there.

Noël Wells: We've all been there!

Mike McMahan: Relatable. Relatable.

Eugene, how is Rutherford handling being away from his best friend slash best... Maybe a little bit more than that?

Eugene Cordero: Oh, he's good. Why?

Oh, he's fine? He's over it?

Eugene Cordero: Yeah yeah yeah, yeah yeah, no...

Tawny Newsome: There's blood coming out of your nose, dawg.

Eugene Cordero: Did something else happen?

Tawny Newsome: You seem stressed, man.

Eugene Cordero: No, no, no. Everything's great. Everything is great! Couldn't be better... I think it's one of those amazing things that happen that you get to see in the show this year. That is, like, oh, I've been so focused on doing the best that I can. And then when you lose the person you've enjoyed that with the most, it's just not as fun. So he's just not having as much fun as he usually is. Still perky. Because you can't not be when you're Rutherford. But he's definitely a little bit edgier this season than not. So, yeah. But at the same time, it is kind of nice to see Rutherford where we're not necessarily worried about the "will they, won't they" for a little bit. And you can actually see them develop as individuals.

Incredible. I mean, time goes by. Characters grow. Things change. We've seen that most of all, perhaps. Tawny, with your character, her relationship with her mother, accepting this promotion. Tell me, is she at peace with it? Does she want to go full career, perhaps?

Tawny Newsome: I don't think Mariner's ever at peace with anything. Because then we wouldn't have much of a show. Have her at peace? At peace? What kind of a comedy has someone at peace? No, but she definitely has to figure out her leadership style. She gets an example of how she doesn't want to lead, for sure. She has to figure out how to be in charge of people who are also maybe charmingly insubordinate, just like she once got to be. But yeah, she's on her way towards making peace with it, I'll say that.

Star Trek: Lower Decks Creator Mike McMahan on Crafting An Ending To The Show

"It does feel final and it feels satisfying, but it does not feel like it's the end."

Mike, the captain of the ship. The man who makes things happen. Tell me a little bit about this being the final season and having a responsibility, maybe, to either send it home or to allow the adventure to continue forever and ever into eternity. What kind of finale can we look forward to?

Mike McMahan: I mean, I was a big baby. I didn't want to do a final season that felt like a big goodbye kind of thing. And then, as it was going, as we were writing it, that felt unfair to fans. So, this season does serve to be a great season at Lower Decks where we do great Star Trek stuff, really funny episodes, just all the stuff you love from Lower Decks. And then, as we get to the end of the season, it doesn't feel like we've just stopped it. It's not like a movie where it's like the end, and then the credits roll. It's more like, you know, Eugene, you'll get this. You're a big Taylor Swift fan.

Eugene Cordero: Huge. I'm ready.

Mike McMahan: It's more of like an era, right? Like, Lower Decks the show is one era for these characters. They were there before, and they're going to go on and do all sorts of interesting stuff after. And there's little hints of what that awesome stuff is. But Lower Decks, these 50 episodes, we get to see this part of their lives where they started in one place and they ended up in another, and we got to be there for it. We got to see them grow as people, as friends, and as Starfleet officers, and experience awesome stuff and laugh the whole time. I'm really proud of what we all did with this show and especially this season, because it does feel final and it feels satisfying, but it does not feel like it's the end.

Jack Quaid: That was really great.

Eugene Cordero: Spoken like a true Swiftie. Yeah, I love it.

Mike McMahan: As Taylor Swift would say, well... Eugene, you say it.

Eugene Cordero: As Taylor Swift would say, "Mike has brought it home every season, and every season has been amazing. And this one is one for the books." So, Taylor Swift, we love you.

Noël Wells: Let's all sing the Taylor Swift song, "One For The Books."

Eugene Cordero: One for the books.

Mike McMahan: Oh, I hope that's really a real song. Oh, man.

Noël Wells: Seems like it...

Mike McMahan: She has a lot of them.

Tawny Newsome Teases Her Immediate Future With Star Trek (Beyond Lower Decks)

"I'll be in my show that I'm developing, and we're writing it."

Obviously, Tawny, you have the mysterious live-action show that we can't talk about. No one knows what it is. And we've also got Starfleet Academy. Is there anything you can tease about your future behind the scenes in Star Trek?

Tawny Newsome: I guess my future behind the scenes is that I'm never really trying to do anything actually behind the scenes. So yeah, I'll be in my show that I'm developing, and we're writing it, and we're writing it until they tell us to stop writing it. So hopefully they'll like it, and as soon as they don't, I'll go home.

What more can you ask?

Tawny Newsome: Yeah, I love to be wanted in a place.

Mike McMahan: You're not writing it from home?

Tawny Newsome: (Sarcastically) No, I drive to Santa Monica every day. No, I write it from home, and then I e-mail it to the appropriate parties.

The Star Trek Lower Decks Crew on the Enduring Legacy of Twin Twains

"Find a friend to Twin Twain with you when you're at the con."

Looking back at five years of Lower Decks, fantastic, tremendous animation. But if there's one episode that you would like to see a live-action version of, is there one in particular? And please let it not involve pooping spiders.

Jack Quaid: Oh, no. I'd prefer that. I mean, I feel like maybe Eugene and I might be saying the same thing.

Eugene Cordero: Yeah, yeah.

Jack, Eugene, and Tawny, simultaneously: Twin Twains.

Jack Quaid: I want to do that.

Eugene Cordero: I want to do it, too.

Jack Quaid: Live, on stage with Eugene.

Tawny Newsome: Every convention.

Eugene Cordero: I want to fight over a bonsai tree. And I want to do Twin Twaining.

Tawny Newsome: I see so many Twains at the cons. Like, a group of seven Twains will just be walking through being like, "Dare I say, wah, wah, wah." It's wild. It's my favorite thing.

Jack Quaid: And what that means is, they're having a full-on argument.

Mike McMahan: I like the Girls Trip episode where you guys and T'Lyn all went to Orion and had to be undercover. I think that'd be a cool live-action episode to do. A bunch of Orions all over the place.

I don't know it for a fact, but I'm sure if you comb through the video, there will be some Twains down there in the background.

Tawny Newsome: Yeah, I know there are.

Jack Quaid: Any Twains in the house?

Mike McMahan: You need two. If it's one Twain, that's not a twin. Oh. Yeah, yeah, yeah. You need Twin Twains.

He's lost.

Mike McMahan: Find a friend to Twin Twain with you when you're at the con.

Taylor Swift, The Rock & Barack Obama: Noël Wells Has A Moment Of Miscommunication

"Iggy Pop was on Star Trek! The Rock was on Star Trek..."

So if your characters could time travel, so it can't be from the Lower Decks era, could time travel to another Star Trek ship and be Lower Deckers there, where would they go?

Mike McMahan: I mean, these guys already did it.

Jack Quaid:We already kind of did that. So what about y'all?

Tawny Newsome: Where do you guys want to go?

Noël Wells: (To Eugene) Yeah, where do you want to go?

Eugene Cordero: Where's Taylor Swift?

Jack Quaid: Where's Taylor Swift?

Mike McMahan: She should probably show up on Enterprise.

There's surely a ship named after her.

Noël Wells: I'm surprised. Has she ever been on Star Trek?

Mike McMahan: I don't know.

Eugene Cordero: You're surprised? Is that what you said?

Noël Wells: I don't know! It just seems like she would have been on... She seems like she'd want to have dominance over that.

Mike McMahan: Iggy Pop was on Star Trek! The Rock was on Star Trek...

Noël Wells: Barack was?

Tawny Newsome: Yeah. It's very fun.

Mike McMahan: Guess what he played? Space wrestler.

Noël Wells: Wait, this was before he was president?

Mike McMahan: It was on Voyager.

Eugene Cordero: No, no, no. THE Rock. Not BArack.

All Hell Breaks Loose Among the Star Trek: Lower Decks Cast

"It sucks when your day peaks early..."

(The room is completely overwhelmed by uncontrollable laughter from all parties, on camera and off)

Mike McMahan: I love you so much.

Jack Quaid: Hold on. That's the live-action Star Trek episode I want to see. That's it.

Mike McMahan: This is Star Trek Lower Decks. We premiere on October 24th. We've got Barack.

Tawny Newsome: We've got Barack Obama.

Mike McMahan: We love Taylor Swift!

Tawny Newsome: And we got Barack.

Noël Wells: I was like, he's so inter-galactic!

Mike McMahan: This is the future of America. Vote Democrat.

Tawny Newsome: "Was it before he was President?"

Mike McMahan: This could not have gone better.

Eugene Cordero: that Voyager episode where Barack Obama was on?

Mike McMahan: He played a wrestler.

Jack Quaid: He played a wrestler. And he was like, (In a Barack Obama voice) "Uh... Janeway."

Mike McMahan: And then after that, he was like, "I need to get into politics."

Tawny Newsome: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.

Eugene Cordero: (In a Barack Obama voice) "Uh... Janeway."

Mike McMahan: Oh, I'm so happy right now.

Tawny Newsome: He's like, "Sci-fi is for the birds!"

Mike McMahan: It sucks when your day peaks early and you're like, the rest of the day just...

Jack Quaid: Yeah, it's all downhill from here.

Noël Wells: I need some coffee.

Mike McMahan: I love you so much.

Jack Quaid: I'm so happy right now.

Tawny Newsome: Now I can't stop thinking about Barack Obama and Robert Picardo having a conversation.

Mike McMahan: Just like... Two holograms.

Jack Quaid: And I think, as Taylor Swift would say, "Watch Star Trek Lower Decks Season 5. Premiering on October 24th."

The Star Trek: Lower Decks Interview Gets Back on Track... More Or Less

"This guy's gonna die and there's nothing 'we can do!"

A perfectly natural segue to the next question. There's one more question that's completely... Noël and Eugene. You guys didn't get to do live-action yet.

Eugene Cordero: You're right.

Do you wanna?

Eugene Cordero: Of course, I'll take any job.

Noël Wells: You know, it took me a couple years. Like, when it first happened, everybody's like, will you be green? And I was like, I don't like makeup on me, I don't want things on my skin.

Eugene Cordero: But you're green right now!

Tawny Newsome: That's clothes, Eugene.

Noël Wells: But then, after the strike, I was like, I'll be green, whatever. I just gotta work! We need some work!

Tawny Newsome: I emailed my agents, give me a procedural, I don't care. I'll play a boring DA, I don't care.

Mike McMahan: Wait, I'm writing a show called "The Boring DA."

Tawny Newsome: Oh, really? Can she be stern faced and no nonsense?

Mike McMahan: As long as she's boring.

Eugene Cordero: Can I do the music?

Mike McMahan: Yeah, dude. Sing it, Taylor Swift. What about a live action episode where they go to the White House for a concert?

Noël Wells: Barack.

Mike McMahan: I don't know why I'm digging back into that, but it felt good.

Eugene Cordero: But yeah, I would love to be on the live action. The crossover was done so well that I was like, "Oh, me too, please?" You know, and it was great. And it'd be amazing to be, to have that.

Noël Wells: Also, I miss live action acting. Like, I miss doing that.

Eugene Cordero: You miss moving your body and people seeing it?

Noël Wells: People seeing it and being in physical space. Because in the booth, I'm very, I'll like act everything out and then I'm just like, I just look crazy.

Mike McMahan: (Sarcastically) Thanks, everyone. Thanks for all wanting to do live action.

Noël Wells: You can use both. What if you can use our voices and our bodies?

Jack Quaid: We like it, too.

Eugene Cordero: Yeah, no, we love yapping in a closet.

Tawny Newsome: Don't you have a live action show you refuse to put any of us in?

Jack Quaid: ...Yapping in a closet.

Mike McMahan: They haven't picked it up yet! (quietly) You can all be in it.

When you're writing, after five seasons, how much do you even have to write and how much do you go, I know that they can do it on the day?

Mike McMahan: You know, I do have to write the whole thing. And I will say, when we first started, it was like, oh, I'm gonna have to make them say Star Trek things. And now I'm writing up to them the whole time. Now I'm like, oh, I know this is something they're gonna love to do. They're gonna be so funny at this. They're gonna be emotional at this. So I think I know what you're asking. It is more fun to write the show now because I can really hear how they're gonna have fun with it.

And then because of that, you want to give them new stuff to try and see how they take it. I never quite know how they're gonna play with it and how they're gonna bend it. And I find that like, as much as we're laughing, we're also telling real Trek stories. And I do feel... The only time I'm feeling bad is when there's a block of like, engineering jargon for Eugene, where like, he's gonna have to rattle off some like plasma injector stuff and have it be funny. But you never punished me for it, dude. So I thank you for that.

Eugene Cordero: No, I mean, I just-

Jack Quaid: He's going to right now.

Eugene Cordero: No, I loved it. I just have to always that the very end of it has to end 'up.' Cause I'll do the whole thing and then at the very end, I gotta make sure I 'do this.' And if I don't, then we're in trouble.

And I'm sure it will prepare you for if any of you get cast on a medical show and have to talk about 10 CCs of this and that.

Noël Wells: Twenty season medical procedurals.

Jack Quaid: We know all the CCs.

Eugene Cordero: If I was on a procedural like that and I was that guy, I'd be down with a dead body eating the sandwich. And going like, (pantomimes eating a sandwich) "Oh yeah, yeah, I'll tell you about it."

Jack Quaid: But hold on, if you were a doctor on a show and you went 'up' at the end, I'd be terrified.

Mike McMahan: We need a curved endotracheal tube, 'stat?'

Jack Quaid: This man's about to die.

Eugene Cordero: This guy's gonna die and there's nothing 'we can do!'

Jack Quaid: I'm so scared.

More About Star Trek: Lower Decks Season 5

In Star Trek: Lower Decks season 5, the crew of the USS Cerritos is tasked with closing “space potholes” – subspace rifts that are causing chaos in the Alpha Quadrant. Pothole duty would be easy for Jr. Officers Mariner, Boimler, Tendi, and Rutherford ... if they didn’t also have to deal with an Orion war, furious Klingons, diplomatic catastrophes, murder mysteries, and scariest of all: their own career aspirations. This season on Paramount+ is a celebration of this underdog crew who are dangerously close to being promoted out of the lower decks and into strange new Starfleet roles.

Check out our other NYCC 2024 interviews:

• Cast & Director of Star Trek: Section 31
• Dune: Prophecy Cast & Crew
• Daredevil: Born Again Stars
• The Penguin's Cristin Milioti & Michael Kelly
• The Penguin Cast & Crew
• Cross Cast & Crew
• Lumina Director
• Leigh Whannell on Wolf Man
• Jason Blum on Blumhouse 2025 Slate
• Christopher Sean on Ultraman: Rising

The first 2 episodes of Star Trek: Lower Decks season 5 are available to stream on Paramount+, with new episodes dropping every Thursday.

Source: Screen Rant Plus