Warning: SPOILERS for Star Trek: Lower Decks Season 5, Episode 7 - "Fully Dilated"Star Trek: The Next Generation's USS Enterprise-D and Lt. Commander Data (Brent Spiner) are back in Star Trek: Lower Decks, and apparently, Star Trek Generations never happened for this version of Captain Jean-Luc Picard's (Patrick Stewart) Galaxy Class starship. Star Trek: Lower Decks season 5, episode 7, "Fully Dilated," continues the USS Cerritos' mission of plugging holes that lead to other Star Trek timelines. A new rift in dimensional space briefly brings an alternate universe purple USS Enterprise-D into the Prime Timeline.
In Star Trek: Lower Decks season 5, episode 7, "Fully Dilated," Lieutenants Beckett Mariner (Tawny Newsome), D'Vana Tendi (Noel Wells), and T'Lyn (Gabrielle Ruiz) undergo a Starfleet surgical procedure for an away mission to Dilmer III, a primitive pre-warp civilization. During their mission to rid Dilmer III of debris from the purple USS Enterprise-D that could violate the Prime Directive, the Lower Deckers encounter the severed head of Lt. Commander Data, who Tendi reactivates. But this Data lived a different life from Star Trek's Prime Timeline android.
Star Trek: Lower Decks Brings Back Data & TNG's USS Enterprise-D LIke Star Trek Generations Never Happened
Time Isn't The Fire In Which The Purple Enterprise-D Burns
Apparently, Star Trek Generations has not happened yet in the purple dimension where the purple Lt. Commander Data is from, if it ever will. Star Trek: Lower Decks season 5 takes place in 2381, ten years after the events of Star Trek Generations. Not only did Star Trek Generations see Captain Picard meet Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner), and witness Kirk's death, but the Galaxy Class USS Enterprise-D was destroyed by Klingons, with the saucer section crash landing on Veridian III.
However, in the alternate Star Trek purple dimension, the USS Enterprise-D was never destroyed, and it's ten years later when it happened in Star Trek Generations.Data also died in Star Trek: Nemesis, which took place in 2379, just two years before Star Trek: Lower Decks season 5. But Data is alive and well in the purple dimension, so Star Trek: Nemesis never happened either. Data is also still a Lieutenant Commander, which indicates Commander William Riker (Jonathan Frakes) is still First Officer of the Enterprise and hasn't become Captain of the USS Titan.
How Star Trek: Lower Decks' Purple Dimension Is Different From TNG
Star Trek: The Next Generation Is Still Happening In The Purple Dimension
The most likely explanation for Star Trek: Lower Decks' purple dimension is that Star Trek: The Next Generation is still happening in the alternate reality, and their time isn't current with time in Star Trek's Prime Universe. If Captain Picard ever commands a purple USS Enterprise-E, it would be because the Enterprise-D is destroyed, but it's possible Star Trek Generations doesn't happen at all in the purple dimension. It's also possible none of the Star Trek: The Next Generation movies happen or occur considerably later in the purple dimension.
Captain Carol Freeman (Dawnn Lewis) notes in her Captain's log that the purple Enterprise-D was fighting "a clone of Tasha Yar, or something," so the purple reality also has events that never happened in the Prime Timeline on Star Trek: The Next Generation.
Curiously, the purple Lt. Commander Data tells Lt. D'Vana Tendi that his head has been severed before, and the android recounts the events of the Star Trek: The Next Generation season 5/season 6 two-parter, "Time's Arrow," when Data and the USS Enterprise-D crew time travel to 19th century San Francisco. Star Trek: Lower Decks season 5, episode 7 is actually the second instance when purple Data's head is severed from his body. But Data and purple Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge (LeVar Burton) are still best friends, so it's nice to see some things don't change regardless of alternate timelines.
Brent Spiner Plays TNG's Data Again In Star Trek: Lower Decks
Spiner Has Reprised Data Since Star Trek: Nemesis
Brent Spiner returning to voice Data in Star Trek: Lower Decks season 5 is a welcome surprise. Spiner is iconic as the beloved android, and Brent is among the biggest Star Trek legacy guest stars ever on Lower Decks. Spiner also joins Jonathan Frakes as Captain Will Riker and Marina Sirtis as Counselor Deanna Troi, as well as Q (John de Lancie), as Star Trek: The Next Generation cast members who have appeared on Star Trek: Lower Decks.
Even more delightful is Brent Spiner is playing the original Data from Star Trek: The Next Generation, albeit a version from a purple dimension. After Data's death in Star Trek: Nemesis in 2002, Spiner has played the classic Data only a few times in Star Trek: Picard season 1. In a dream sequence, Brent played Data playing poker with Jean-Luc on the USS Enterprise-D in Star Trek: Picard's very first scene and he made more appearances throughout Picard's series premiere, "Remembrance."
The USS Enterprise-D returned in Star Trek: Picard season 3, fully rebuilt by Commodore Geordi La Forge.
Brent Spiner played the dying Data in Star Trek: Picard season 1's finale, as well. In his Picard appearances, it was evident how difficult it now is for Brent to play the android who doesn't age.Star Trek: Picard season 3 solved this problem by resurrecting Data in a new synthetic body that ages, which allows Brent Spiner to play Data without attempts at de-aging. But Star Trek: Lower Decks' animation allows the Data from Star Trek: The Next Generation to return just as fans remember him, although he's from a purple alternate reality.
Will Patrick Stewart's Captain Picard Appear Before Star Trek: Lower Decks Ends?
Captain Picard Would Be The Ultimate 'Get' For Star Trek: Lower Decks
Star Trek: Lower Decks season 5 is the final season on Paramount+ for the animated comedy, and there are only three episodes remaining to fulfill perhaps the biggest guest voice on fans' wish list: Patrick Stewart as Captain Jean-Luc Picard. Certainly, Jonathan Frakes, Marina Sirtis, and Brent Spiner were huge 'gets' for Star Trek: Lower Decks, but Patrick Stewart's Picard would be the ultimate guest star. In Star Trek: Lower Decks' 2381 timeframe, Picard would either be in his waning days as Captain of the USS Enterprise-E, or he has newly been promoted to Admiral to lead the United Federation of Planets' Romulan supernova relocation mission.
Picard could appear on Star Trek: Lower Decks to give the Cerritos the benediction Captain Freeman and the Cerritos deserve.
Because Star Trek: Lower Decks is such a loving tribute to Star Trek; The Next Generation's era, and TNG in particular, Captain Picard appearing on the show would be a fitting milestone to close out on. The USS Cerritos is ever on the cusp of change, with Mariner and her Lower Decker friends receiving promotions from Ensigns to Lieutenants, while Captain Carol Freeman is perpetually fighting for respect for her California Class starship. Picard could appear at the end of Star Trek: Lower Decks to give the Cerritos the benediction Captain Freeman and the Cerritos deserve.
Meanwhile, Star Trek: Lower Decks season 5, episode 7's purple Data and USS Enterprise-D were an ingenious way for the animated show to deliver a slice of classic Star Trek: The Next Generation without breaking canon. In Mariner's own words, purple Data's appearance on Lower Decks was great, and everything one wants it to be. Perhaps in the future, audiences can find out more about Star Trek: Lower Decks' purple dimension where Star Trek: The Next Generation continues and where Star Trek Generations may never happen.
