I Forgot Star Trek: The Next Generation Already Introduced A Multiverse Problem 31 Years Before Lower Decks

Star Trek: Lower Decks introduced a multiverse problem that had previously been faced on Star Trek: The Next Generation. When mysterious quantum fissures started popping up throughout the galaxy in Star Trek: Lower Decks season 5, the USS Cerritos was asked to investigate. Captain William Boimler (Jack Quaid) and his crew of "interdimensional castaways" on the starship Anaximander discovered the cause of the fissures, but the Cerritos ultimately helped save the day.

This multiverse storyline allowed Star Trek: Lower Decks to bring back several characters from various Star Trek shows and eras. The vastness of Star Trek's multiverse allows for an infinite number of possible realities, meaning characters from any timeline could appear, and even return from the dead. Multiverse stories have become popular in modern media like the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but Star Trek has explored parallel universes since Star Trek: The Original Series. Star Trek: The Next Generation took things even further, exploring the exact same phenomena the USS Cerritos encounters in Star Trek: Lower Decks season 5.

Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 7 Introduced Lower Decks' Quantum Fissure Multiverse Problem

Lt. Worf Encounters A Quantum Fissure In The TNG Season 7 Episode, "Parallels"

In Star Trek: The Next Generation season 7, episode 11, "Parallels," Lt. Worf (Michael Dorn) returns from a Bat'leth tournament and soon begins noticing changes on the USS Enterprise-D. As the changes become more and more significant, the crew of an alternate reality Enterprise determines that Worf encountered a “quantum fissure in the space-time continuum," causing him to shift between various quantum realities. At the end of "Parallels," hundreds of Enterprise-Ds start appearing through various quantum fissures, and the Enterprise crew must find the one from which Worf originated.

"Parallels" makes great use of the concepts of quantum fissures and parallel universes bleeding over into one another in only a single episode, but Star Trek: Lower Decks season 5 expands on the idea. Stretching the idea over a whole season allowed Lower Decks to explore Star Trek characters from alternate realities and touch upon "What if" scenarios from Trek lore. "Parallels" is a great episode of TNG, and I'm glad Lower Decks found a way to revive the concept of quantum realities in a really fun way.

Will Star Trek Ever Explore The Multiverse Lower Decks Season 5 Set Up?

I Hope Star Trek Finds A Way To Continue Exploring The Multiverse

Star Trek: Lower Decks season 5 ended with a bang, as the USS Cerritos saved the universe, resulting in the creation of a stable wormhole to the multiverse. This opens the door for all kinds of fun Star Trek stories, but it remains to be seen if the franchise will capitalize on this potential. As an animated series, Star Trek: Lower Decks was able to bring back several classic characters, regardless of the age of the actors who portrayed them. Actors like Star Trek: Enterprise's Jolene Blalock returned to voice their characters, offering a glimpse at the types of stories a future Star Trek project could explore.An animated anthology series, for example, would allow Star Trek to explore "What if" scenarios and maybe even revisit some of the universes that have already been introduced. I, for one, would love to see more of the purple universe glimpsed in Star Trek: Lower Decks season 5, episode 7, "Fully Dilated," or the one from Star Trek: The Next Generation's "Parallels" where the Borg won. Star Trek on Paramount+ doesn't currently have any shows or upcoming projects set in the 24th or 25th centuries, but the multiverse portal introduced in Star Trek: Lower Decks' final season has too much story potential to pass up.