Just saw an interesting bit on his Bluesky, Mike McMahan’s story in this issue is the idea he had for how a season 6 of Lower Decks would have kicked off.

Naturally I’m watching debates about the canonicity claim break out in assorted places.

As far as I can find, the whole “it’s canon” claim comes from Webtoons in their press release, and no one from Paramount is being quoted making that claim. Unless there’s a separate Paramount press release I can’t find.

So this whole claim is just silly.

I find the idea that anyone is still talking about “Year One” with a straight face pretty frakking hilarious.

Yes, let’s finish celebrating this 60th anniversary in style! 😂

Here’s another one to ponder.

I commented on social media that even though the press reports say the question is open, his “farewell” letter in the reports read to me like someone on the way out talking to his successor. And Brian Tatosky (one of the VFX team) replied:

Yes, SFA being cancelled is part of ending his tenure of Trek once we finish the work we have.

So it sure seems like the end of the road.

Unfortunately, they did a cliffhanger.

Now you have to wonder if they can untangle it into one coherent finale episode, and if Paramount will even give them the approval to untangle it in the first place.

Here’s the first (big FWIW/grain of salt/etc) thing on the decision that’s I’ve seen (besides the TrekMovie article note that ‘it’s no secret that the show didn’t Nielsen chart’). From author Mike Chen on Bluesky.

From the few insiders I know, viewership was actually above expectations and this was more of a “future of the franchise” corporate decision. I’m expecting Trek to be in flux as there are SO MANY variables. Everything from tech stocks to Iran to midterms is impacting Paramount.

Leaving the link to his post here for reference but he has his posts hidden unless you’re logged into Bluesky.

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There wasn’t a goodbye letter at the time of the Variety exclusive — but Deadline and everyone has it now.

So you’re saying Variety added it after the fact? It was there when I saw it, which was like 15 minutes after the time of publication.

If so, I’m wondering if someone leaked the specific detail of the termination of Starfleet Academy with the hope of a fan campaign to save it…

Having a “goodbye letter” from Kurtzman etc released with the announcement doesn’t really scream “stealth leak” to me. IMHO.

Random reactions:

• Disappointed but not surprised.
• Even though the article leaves this an open question, I will be surprised if Kurtzman returns after this.
• At least they didn’t memory hole S2 as a tax write off.
• I wonder if they will attempt (and be allowed to attempt) to rework the S2 ‘cliffhanger-ish/lite’ ending into something else, or if it’s just impractical to rework a “part 1 of 2” episode into a 1 episode contained story.

I feel like she kind of missed the part where no one was clamoring for her and Frakes and any other TNG cast member you care to name to headline the thing.

But it’ll never happen anyway. If anyone was even considering it, I doubt they would have let IDW start a new comic book series that’s broadly the same idea.

Biding my time until Daredevil: Born Again drops season 2.

And waiting on For All Mankind season 5, but the trailer for it really didn’t do anything for me so I’m not as pumped about its return as I’ve been in prior years.

Oh shit, that was fun. I hate having to wait now. Also, the end credits are sublime and must be paused and read in their entirely. This is non-negotiable.

Personally I’m happy if there are no more pre-TOS series. And I really am “meh” about Paul Wesley’s Kirk so I don’t need a series with him in the lead.

I mean if they make it, I’ll check it out. But I’ll be perfectly fine if they just don’t.

Quieter episode but I enjoyed it. I wasn’t expecting a Genesis story this season from what’s been said, but I was glad to get one.

The Furies are part-Lynar, which makes their inner ears sensitive to high sonic frequencies.

Just wanted to note that Lynars are a throwback reference to “Chain of Command Part I”.

The title is from Shakespeare’s King Lear, Act V sc iii: "Come, let’s away to prison; We two alone will sing like birds i’ the cage”.

The line also appears in “Romeo and Juliet” and perhaps might be taken as an allusion to the Caleb/Tarima relationship.

I hadn’t heard that, other than they got his blessing basically (and the licensing) and he was given a copy of the script to read. Cirroc Lofton seems to be the one that was as close to hands-on involved as you can get when you’re not a writer of the script.

Presumably it’s a combination of “thank you for what you contributed to Star Trek” and maybe a way to acknowledge him letting them license the final scene narration off of an album he did some 20 years ago.