Star Trek: Lower Decks' Tendi and Rutherford enjoyed a big Season 4 development when she returned to the Orion homeworld after negotiating for a battleship to help Starfleet. While we know from Season 5 clips we'll see Orion Pirate Tendi in full effect , trailers have also shown her reunion with best Starfleet buddy Rutherford. So, will their time apart lead their relationshio into a potential romance? Of course, I had to ask about what "surprises" may happen between Tendi and Rutherford and had the voice actors responsible give their takes on it, and I feel like I learned a lot.
Without any upcoming Trek series guaranteed to feature Tendi or Rutherford, I had to ask if fan shippers of the duo will be satiated by this final Lower Decks season. Here's how Eugene Cordero responded when I asked about "surprises" in store for Rutherford's relationship with Tendi:. Not surprises necessarily. I think they constantly get surprised by each other of how well they are connected.
There's just more of that. I mean, the cool thing that you don't get to see on shows, especially comedies, is a couple just being really great friends and that's it. I mean, we don't know, maybe that changesβ¦I think we're very happy together, as friends. I can feel the wind being let out of some readers' sails after reading that quote, but just hang on for a second! Okay, so that's a little more ambiguous than the first statement.
And to her credit, I can't say I'd be outwardly surprised or shocked if Tendi and Rutherford either did engage in a romance, or if they remained best buddies.
That said, I think it's pretty clear which direction it's headed by the end of this series, based on their comments. I'm not entirely surprised to hear it, but it seems Eugene Cordero hinted heavily that Tendi and Rutherford will remain best friends and nothing more at the end of Star Trek: Lower Decks Season 5. For some, this may not be the satisfying conclusion promised by co-creator Mike McMahan , but I would disagree. I'm sure many would appreciate a close-knit, but still platonic, co-ed relationship in this series.
