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Star Trek: Lower Decks

Star Trek: Lower Decks is an American adult animated science fiction television series created by Mike McMahan for the streaming service CBS All Access (later rebranded as Paramount+). It is the ninth Star Trek series and debuted in 2020 as part of executive producer Alex Kurtzman's expanded Star Trek Universe. The franchise's first animated series since Star Trek: The Animated Series concluded in 1974, and also its first comedy, Lower Decks follows the low-ranking support crew of the starship Cerritos in the 24th century.

"Lower Decks" redirects here. For the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode, see Lower Decks (Star Trek: The Next Generation). For ship decks, see Deck (ship).

Star Trek: Lower Decks

Mike McMahan

Star Trek
by Gene Roddenberry

Mike McMahan

Chris Westlake

United States

English

4

40

23–30 minutes

CBS All Access

August 6 (2020-08-06) –
October 8, 2020 (2020-10-08)

Paramount+

August 12, 2021 (2021-08-12) –
present

Tawny Newsome, Jack Quaid, Noël Wells, and Eugene Cordero voice the lower decks crew members of the Cerritos, with Dawnn Lewis, Jerry O'Connell, Fred Tatasciore, and Gillian Vigman providing voices for the ship's senior officers. Work on an animated Star Trek series began in June 2018. McMahan joined as creator and showrunner by that October, when Lower Decks was ordered for two seasons by All Access. The series is produced by CBS Eye Animation Productions in association with Secret Hideout, Important Science, Roddenberry Entertainment, and animation studio Titmouse. The latter began work by February 2019, and the main cast was announced that July. Production on the first two seasons shifted to taking place remotely in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The series features many connections and references to past Star Trek series.


Star Trek: Lower Decks premiered on CBS All Access on August 6, 2020, and its 10-episode first season was released weekly through October 2020. The second season was released on Paramount+ from August to October 2021, a third season was released from August to October 2022, a fourth season was released from September to November 2023, and a fifth and final season is expected to be released in late 2024. The series has received positive reviews and several accolades, including a Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Award nomination.

Premise[edit]

Star Trek: Lower Decks is set in the late 24th century in the Star Trek universe, where Earth is part of the multi-species United Federation of Planets. The Federation's military and exploration division, Starfleet, operates a fleet of starships that travel the galaxy establishing contact with alien races; Lower Decks focuses on one of Starfleet's least important starships, the USS Cerritos.[1] Unlike previous Star Trek series, whose principal characters are typically starship captains and other senior officers, Lower Decks focuses on the missions and adventures of the "lower deckers", low-ranking officers with menial jobs, while the captain and other senior staff appear as supporting characters.[2]

as Beckett Mariner:
A human ensign aboard the USS Cerritos and the daughter of Captain Freeman.[1][10] Newsome described Mariner as an irreverent rule-breaker who has been demoted several times, though she is actually "very good at all things Starfleet".[11] She is promoted to lieutenant (junior grade) in the fourth season.[12] The character is named after showrunner Mike McMahan's sister, Beckett Mariner McMahan.[13]

Tawny Newsome

as Brad Boimler:
A human ensign aboard the Cerritos,[1] Boimler is a stickler for the rules and will need to learn how to improvise if he is to become a captain one day.[14] He is promoted to lieutenant (junior grade) in the fourth season.[12] Quaid said the character would "nail the written portion of the driving test with flying colors but once it actually got to him being in the car, it would be a complete and total disaster."[11]

Jack Quaid

as D'Vana Tendi:
An Orion ensign in the medical bay aboard the Cerritos,[14][15] Tendi is a big fan of Starfleet,[14] and is thrilled to be on a starship. She is new to the Cerritos at the start of the series, and helps introduce the audience to the setting and characters. McMahan said he would act like Tendi if he ever got to work on a starship.[11] She is promoted to lieutenant (junior grade) in the fourth season.[12]

Noël Wells

as Sam Rutherford:
A human ensign aboard the Cerritos,[1][16] Rutherford is adjusting to a new cyborg implant.[14] McMahan compared Rutherford to the Star Trek: The Next Generation character Geordi La Forge, saying they are both "amazing at engineering stuff" but Rutherford does not always solve the problem like Geordi because he is still learning.[11] He is promoted to lieutenant (junior grade) in the fourth season.[12]

Eugene Cordero

as Carol Freeman:
The human captain of the Cerritos and Mariner's mother.[1] McMahan described her as a capable Starfleet captain whose starship is not very important.[17] Freeman initially does not want Mariner to be on the Cerritos and is looking for a reason to have her transferred to another ship,[10] but over the course of the series the pair grow closer as they discover things that they have in common.[4]

Dawnn Lewis

as Jack Ransom:
The human first officer of the Cerritos whom McMahan compared to Next Generation's William Riker, if he was on speed and had less shame.[1][11]

Jerry O'Connell

as Shaxs:
A Bajoran tactical officer aboard the Cerritos.[1][11] Shaxs dies sacrificing himself for Rutherford at the end of the first season,[18] but he returns to life in the second season in a storyline that plays on the numerous times and ways that characters have been resurrected in previous Star Trek series.[19]

Fred Tatasciore

as T'Ana:
A Caitian doctor and head of medical aboard the Cerritos.[1] McMahan described her as a "good doctor, but she's an unpleasant cat". Including a Caitian in the series is a reference to Star Trek: The Animated Series which also features a member of that species, M'Ress.[17]

Gillian Vigman

Official website

on Paramount+

Star Trek: Lower Decks

at IMDb

Star Trek: Lower Decks

at Memory Alpha

Star Trek: Lower Decks