Following Captain Freeman's exit, Commander Jack Ransom (Jerry O'Connell) accepted a promotion to become the new Captain of the Cerritos. Several other characters have been promoted throughout Star Trek: Lower Decks' five seasons, including all of the lower deckers. Lieutenants Brad Boimler (Jack Quaid), Beckett Mariner (Tawny Newsome), Sam Rutherford (Eugene Cordero), and D'Vana Tendi (Noël Wells) all began the series as ensigns but ended as junior grade lieutenants. Promotions in Star Trek: Lower Decks happen at a much more realistic rate than they ever did on Star Trek: The Next Generation.
Star Trek: Lower Decks’ Starfleet Promotions Are More Realistic Than TNG
The Crew Members Of The USS Cerritos Got Promoted More Often
Star Trek: Lower Decks takes place from approximately 2380 to 2382, and several promotions happen on the USS Cerritos during that three-year span. Although Starfleet is not technically a military organization, its command structure is set up much like the United States Navy. Starfleet officers begin their careers as cadets at Starfleet Academy and work their way through the ranks after being assigned to a starship or space station. Starfleet Officers generally receive a promotion after a particularly impressive achievement or successful mission.
Why Star Trek: TNG Characters Rarely Got Promoted
The Crew Of The Enterprise-D Couldn't Change Too Much From Episode To Episode
Star Trek: The Next Generation's reluctance to promote its officers had more to do with the television landscape of the time than it did with any in-universe reasoning. Television of the 1980s and 1990s was mostly episodic, meaning each episode began and ended with the characters more or less in the same place, narratively speaking. If Riker had accepted a promotion to Captain during TNG, for example, it would have drastically changed the status quo. For this reason, the characters were rarely promoted, and even when they were, their ultimate role on the ship did not change much.
Worf (Michael Dorn) did not become a lieutenant commander until Star Trek Generations, after which he joined Star Trek: Deep Space Nine as the station's strategic operations officer.
Geordi La Forge (LeVar Burton) was promoted the most on TNG, becoming a full lieutenant at the start of season 2 and a lieutenant commander about a year later. Still, La Forge served as Chief Engineer from TNG season 2 onward, and his change in rank did not seem to alter his role on the show. Counselor Deanna Troi (Marina Sirtis) became a full commander in TNG season 7 and began wearing a Starfleet uniform. Star Trek: Lower Decks offered a more realistic timeframe for promotions, rather than the often static command structure of Star Trek: The Next Generation.
