The two current Star Trek animated shows–Prodigy and Lower Decks–have been making some news lately, and it appears that both of them could be heading into their final seasons. The former series has been picked up by Netflix after getting cancelled by Paramount+ and removed from streaming, but that may just be for a burn-off run. The latter show has been renewed through its fifth season, but the showrunner is warning that could be its last.
Yesterday, the news broke that Netflix has picked up Star Trek: Prodigy after it became only the third entry in the franchise to be officially cancelled (the other two being TOS and Enterprise). Back in June, Paramount+ made the surprising announcement that the show would not continue on that service even though a second season was already in production. Fans lobbied to support the show and Paramount shopped the property around with Netflix deciding to take a flyer on it. The first season will be available on the service later this year and the second season will arrive in 2024 when it has completed post-production.
And while this does give the show a home and the chance for fans to see the second year, Netflix has not committed to future seasons. The streamer is likely looking at this as a quick subscription draw from a named property, but there is no reason to think that it is in this for the long run. The showrunners definitely have plans for more seasons (and a movie as well), but Netflix may not have an interest in keeping this around as an ongoing production. If Prodigy does prove to be a strong subscription draw and if viewership is high, then there is a chance it could continue to a third year, but for now I am looking at this as a burn-off run. Fans who want to see the show continue should focus their campaign on boosting subscriptions to Netflix if they want to get the attention of that streamer’s execs.
As for the other animated Trek show, Lower Decks is currently airing its fourth season and it was renewed in advance for a fifth year. But showrunner Mike McMahan has strongly suggested that the show could be heading into its final season:
Everything is changing. I think everything’s gonna continue to change. I would say nothing is safe. I don’t have any bad news for anybody, but also, I think you shouldn’t assume that this stuff is gonna stick around unless you vocally and watch it early on. I do not know if we’re going to have another season after the season we’re working on right now [Season 5]. Lower Decks could very well be a five-season show.
He is basically telling the fans to speak up if they want more episodes beyond the fifth season, but seeing as Paramount+ has been in cost-cutting mode for a while, even that may not help. The fact is that a five-year run and fifty episodes is pretty good for a streaming original these days. The fifth season of Star Trek: Discovery has been announced as its last and five years (at best) may be the cap on the shows in this franchise for Paramount+. But Lower Decks has been a fan-favorite, and perhaps it could stick around longer if it gets enough support.
Have you been watching Star Trek: Prodigy and/or Star Trek: Lower Decks and would you support fan efforts to keep the shows going? Chime in with your thoughts in the comments below.
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