While speaking with Star Trek: Lower Decks showrunner Mike McMahan at New York Comic Con 2023, he mentioned one major change he made at the last minute to this week’s upcoming episode, titled “Caves,” that may forewarn a dire fate awaiting the crew of the USS Cerritos.
When I spoke to McMahan, he was just coming from a Star Trek panel at New York Comic Con where attendees were treated to an early screening of “Caves” almost a week ahead of when it drops on Paramount+. When asked about “Caves” being a standalone episode, leaving just two more episodes in the season after this week to wrap up the ongoing season-long storyline, McMahan gave a surprising answer:
“There’s one line I cut at the end of this episode, where when the Pendorians show up and they’re like, give them a little minute to, like– They originally said, ‘because, after this, it gets a lot harder for them’. And the Pendorians kinda know where it goes. And I was like– I cut it in editing because I was like, it was such a beautiful friendship moment at the end of the episode that I didn’t want to, like, fly in the ointment it. It just felt wrong. It felt right on the page but then, like, people are only going to have to wait a week to find out themselves, to see it. So I was like, let’s get that out of the episode. It’s better to end on a happy note, I think.”
The cut line suggests Lower Deck audiences can expect this season’s final two episodes will bring significant changes to The Cerritos. According to McMahan, Episode 10, the season finale, will have major ramifications going forward. “[Episode] 10 is like a movie,” McMahan said.
New episodes of Star Trek: Lower Decks release Thursdays on Paramount+.
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