Summary

• Star Trek: Lower Decks showrunner confirms that D'Vana Tendi will return in season 5 and will "kick some ass" after departing the USS Cerritos for Orion.
• Tendi's choice to return to Orion will be explored in season 5, as she grapples with her identity as both a Starfleet officer and the Mistress of the Winter Constellations.
• Lower Decks has provided a fresh perspective on the Orion culture, with Tendi's character development offering a protagonist's point of view.

Star Trek: Lower Decks showrunner Mike McMahan assures fans that D'Vana Tendi (Noël Wells) wasn't written off of the show and will be back to "kick some ass" in Lower Decks season 5. Tendi was promoted to Lieutenant, junior grade along with the rest of her friends aboard the USS Cerritos in Lower Decks season 4. However, in order to secure the help of her sister, D'Erika Tendi (Ariel Winter), in order to save Lieutenant Beckett Mariner (Tawny Newsome), D'Vana agreed to return to the Orions at the end of Lower Decks season 4.
Discussing Star Trek: Lower Decks season 4's finale with Inverse, Mike McMahan assured fans that D'Vana Tendi will be back in Star Trek: Lower Decks season 5. Read his quote below:
[indent]“Tendi will return. Tendi is not being written out of the show… this isn’t a bad thing for Tendi. She is going to go and kick some ass.”
[/indent]McMahan went deeper while speaking to The Mary Sue about why Tendi chose to return to Orion, and what it will mean for Star Trek: Lower Decks season 5. Read his quote below:
[indent]“Tendi’s been trying to figure out is she Starfleet or is she the Mistress of the Winter Constellations? And, at the end of this episode, she’s like, “No, I’m D’ Vana Tendi. I’m something new that exists in both. And my sister wants me to come back to Orion. Well, she might’ve bit off a little more than she can chew.”
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