Warning: SPOILERS For Star Trek: Lower Decks' Season 5 Finale - “The New Next Generation"Star Trek: Lower Decksseason 3 revealed the answer to a big question about theCaptain of the USS Enterprise. The USS Enterprise-E briefly returned inStar Trek: Lower Decks’explosive series finale, but the flagship of the United Federation of Planets does not arrive in time to save the day.Nor did “The New Next Generation” show the Enterprise’s Captain or crew.While this might seem likeStar Trek: Lower Decksleaves the question about who is in command of the Enterprise-E up in the air, the show actually answered that question two seasons ago.
When a massive and unstable quantum fissure threatens to destroyStar Trek’sentire Prime Universe inStar Trek: Lower Decks’finale, Starfleet has no choice but to rely on the USS Cerritos. In the end, the Cerritos crew rallies together and saves the universe by stabilizing the quantum fissure. In the final scenes of the finale,several Starfleet ships are docked at Starbase 80, including the USS Enterprise-E.Star Trek: Lower Decksnever shows the ship’s crew, although the show has already made clear that Captain Worf (Michael Dorn) should be in command at this point in theStar Trektimeline.
Star Trek: Lower Decks Season 3 Revealed Picard Is Already An Admiral
Worf Has Still Never Been Seen On Screen As Captain Of The Enterprise
Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) took over command of the USS Enterprise-D in 2363 at the beginning ofStar Trek: The Next Generation, and remained captain until that ship’s destruction in 2371 inStar Trek Generations. Picard then became Captain of the USS Enterprise-E forStar Trek: First Contact, Star Trek: Insurrection,andStar Trek: Nemesis. Commander William Riker (Jonathan Frakes) became Captain of the USS Titan inNemesiswhilePicard remained in command of the Enterprise.Picard was promoted to Admiral sometime in 2381,as revealed inStar Trek: Lower Decksseason 3, episode 10, “The Stars At Night.”
Where Star Trek: TNG’s Crew Is In Lower Decks’ Finale
The USS Enterprise-E made a cameo appearance in Star Trek: Lower Decks' finale, but most of TNG’s iconic crew wouldn’t have been aboard.
In theStar Trek: Lower Decksseason 3 finale, Beckett Mariner briefly joins the Independent Archaeologists Guild alongside Petra Aberdeen (Georgia King). Mariner soon grows uncomfortable not knowing where Petra’s funding is coming from and confronts her. Petra reveals thather benefactor is none other than Admiral Jean-Luc Picard.This confirms that Picard has already become Admiral by 2381, meaning that Captain Worf (Michael Dorn) would be in command of the USS Enterprise-E by the time ofStar Trek: Lower Decksseries finale in 2382.
What Happens To The USS Enterprise-E After Star Trek: Lower Decks’ Finale
Whatever Happened To The Enterprise-E Was Not Worf’s Fault
While very little has been revealed about Captain Worf’s tenure in command of the USS Enterprise-E,Star Trek: Picardseason 3 offered a hint about the ship’s ultimate fate. InPicardseason 3, episode 9, “Vox,” Commodore Geordi La Forge (LeVar Burton) reveals that he has spent the last twenty years rebuilding the USS Enterprise-D. As Admiral Picard and his crew admire their former ship,La Forge points out that they"obviously can’t use the Enterprise-E.“Worf promptly responds with,“that was not my fault,“implying that the ship was destroyed or somehow lost while Worf was in command.
What Happened To Captain Worf’s Enterprise? Star Trek: Picard Mystery May Have Been Solved
A Star Trek fan theory suggests what happened to the USS Enterprise-E is tied to Star Trek: Prodigy, but is it really not Captain Worf’s fault?
Star Trek: Picardseason 3 takes place in 2401, meaning about twenty years have passed since the events ofStar Trek: Lower Decks’final season. Worf appears to have been working on his own for a while by the time ofPicardseason 3 and is a"subcontractor"for Starfleet Intelligence in 2401. This suggests that Worf’s time in command of the Enterprise may have been relatively brief before the event that destroyed the ship. Hopefully, a futureStar Trekproject will offer more insight into the fate of the Enterprise-E or even show Captain Worf in command afterStar Trek: Lower Decks.
