Noël Wells' MTG x STAR TREK foil card dress is the latest evidence of LOWER DECKS' enduring legacy

Tendi's got cards, the Cerritos crew showed up, and a memorial for Patrick Stewart and Walter Koenig reminded everyone what this fandom is really about. The MTG x Star Trek launch event in Los Angeles was one for the books, and Trash Kitty has major FOMO.

As Lower Decks fans, I thought this one's for us. Noël Wells hit the Magic: The Gathering | Star Trek launch party Friday night in a handmade dress, which was made of foil MTG cards, and honestly? Tendi would approve. The craftsmanship was out of this world.

The Star Trek: Lower Decks star, who voices D'Vana Tendi, wore a linked-card mini-dress with a square neckline and a slit skirt, paired with black tights, tall patent boots, and a green fuzzy bag to Friday’s launch event, according to a post on the actor’s Instagram account. Her caption asks if you knew she, as Tendi, is "now in Magic: The Gathering, and goes on to joke that space-age designer Paco Rabanne arose from the dead to create the look, calling it a "Françoise Hardy meets Commander Deck" moment. The carousel even includes time-lapse clips of the dress coming together, to prove it's not “Dior AI.”

Then come the actual cards, and they're so Tendi:

• D'Vana Tendi, Optimistic Ensign, is a green-blue Orion Scientist (2/4) who untaps permanents and surveils. Her flavor text, "I got to hold a heart!", is pure Tendi. Micah Epstein did the art.

• Tendi, Exploring the Future is a Thrasios, Triton Hero showcase, a 1/3 Merfolk Wizard with Partner. Its flavor text is "I did it! I updated the dog!" The art is by Chris Fenoglio.

This isn't a fluke. A couple of years after Lower Decks left the air, the U.S.S. Cerritos crew is getting an afterlife in cardboard, with a party full of its own people. Wizards’ designers clearly love the U.S.S. Cerritos. As Trash Kitty previously reported, the Welcome Decks snuck in Badgey, Malicious Glitch, and Moopsy. Online, creator Mike McMahan was floored, exclaiming, "WAIT MOOPSY TOO??" 

Then, Brad Boimler and Beckett Mariner were revealed back in July at San Diego Comic-Con 2026, with Tendi and others being announced that they were joining them on the MTG cards at Star Trek Las Vegas 2026. Excitingly, for fans, these are real, castable cards that new players will actually play — while getting to step into the Starfleet issue boots of their favorite Lower Decker (or practically any other Star Trek character your heart may desire).

However, the show's inclusion in the deck hits harder knowing Paramount cancelled it after Season 5, so it’s been off-air since late 2024, much to fans’ dismay. With the die-hard fans ever eager for more Lower Decks, in any form, the show’s inclusion in the MTG x Star Trek decks comes as welcome news. Proof that the show’s legacy lives on.

Wells was joined by castmates Tawny Newsome and Eugene Cordero, plus McMahan himself. On social media, McMahan said, "Day 1 of writing Lower Decks, the goal was just not to be forgotten. I just wanted to be a small, fun part of a thing I loved. Seeing these LD magic cards feels like we did it."

Also in attendance were Robert Picardo, who posted with Jess Bush, calling her "fabulous in red." Plus, a who’s who of Star Trek actors across the various franchise shows, including Celia Rose Gooding, Ethan Peck, Jeri Ryan, Brent Spiner, Bonnie Gordon, Nana Visitor, so many more.

Trek YouTuber Jessie Gender called the night "truly singular" at the "USS Gathering," and Trek historian and podcaster Larry Nemecek was in the mix too.

However, not everything about the night was a celebration. According to attendee photos, the event featured a memorial plaque, Sic Itur Ad Astra ("thus one journeys to the stars"), for Sir Patrick Stewart (July 13, 1940 – Oct. 28, 2026) and Walter Koenig (Sept. 14, 1936 – Oct. 25, 2026). Each is paired with their character. Captain Jean-Luc Picard says, "time is a companion who goes with us on the journey." Commander Pavel Chekov says, "I am proud of what I am." The plaque carries CBS Studios and Wizards of the Coast copyright lines, so it appears to be an official installation.

For fans who've been following Trash Kitty's coverage, the tribute lands close to home. It also adds poignancy to Stewart's signed Captain Picard Headliner card, announced at SDCC.

Magic: The Gathering | Star Trek prereleases run November 6–12. Go get your Tendi.