Star Trek: Lower Decks

[Drunk Monk]

JANUARY 08, 2019 10:30am PT by Lesley Goldberg
'Star Trek': Second Animated Series, More 'Short Treks' Coming to CBS All Access (Exclusive)

Craig Barritt/Getty Images for New York Comic Con

Alex Kurtzman

Alex Kurtzman tells The Hollywood Reporter that there will be a "minimum of two" animated series as he continues to build out the franchise.
Alex Kurtzman isn't done building out the Star Trek franchise for CBS All Access.
The franchise captain has plans for at least one more animated series to join the previously announced Star Trek: Lower Decks, the half-hour animated comedy from Mike McMahan (Rick and Morty). Additionally, CBS All Access has ordered two more installments of shortform series Star Trek: Short Treks — both of which will be animated. Both installments will debut in the spring, after Star Trek: Discoverywraps its second season on CBS All Access. 
"Our goal is to not only expand the definition of Star Trek and what has qualified as traditional Star Trek, but also to tell stories that are both self-contained in a very short period of time that also connect to the larger picture of what we're doing, not only in Discovery but in the world building of Trek in general," Kurtzman told The Hollywood Reporter during an extensive Creative Space interview set to publish Wednesday. "And you get to tell these very intimate, emotional stories that are side stories to characters. So you get the benefit of the experience in and of itself but then when you watch Discovery you'll see that these were all setting up things in the world of season two."
Animation is one of the specific areas of interest to Kurtzman, who knows there will be a "minimum of two" and possibly more. "Each show has to have its own identity," he said, calling McMahan's Lower Decks a "wonderful perspective change."
Picked up with a two-season, straight-to-series order in October, Lower Decks will focus on the support crew serving on one of Starfleet's least important ships. It joins flagship Star Trek: Discovery and shortform entry Short Treks, as well as the Patrick Stewart-led untitled Picard series at CBS All Access. A Discovery spinoff starring Michelle Yeoh and younger-skewing Starfleet Academy from Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage (The O.C.) are among other projects in the works.
"[Lower Decks] is totally different from anything we're doing on any of these other shows and we decided to tell that story and make those people the heroes," Kurtzman said. He noted that while Lower Decks is an animated comedy, the series — nor any of the other Trek series in the works — will "never" laugh at it. "It's embracing and loving of all the tropes of Star Trek but it's never laughing at it."
The push is part of Kurtzman's larger plans to build out Star Trek for the SVOD platform as he looks to retain the "soul and spirit" of the iconic franchise while exploring different perspectives.
"There's other animated things that we're building that are an entirely different perspective and an entirely different tone [from Lower Decks]," Kurtzman said of the kids-focused series, which could land elsewhere beyond CBS All Access. "What's exciting about it is not only looking at each animated series as what's the different tone, but what's the different technology we can apply to these things so that visually they're entirely different?" (Additional details about the second animated Trek series for CBS All Access are being kept under wraps.)
Overall, Kurtzman notes expansion plans for Trek is driven "by what feels right." His larger plan includes appealing to young children, which is the central reason he's interested in animated Trek series.
"I go back to my childhood and Luke Skywalker, the [Star Wars] farm boy who looks out at the twin suns of Tatooine and imagines his future. Treknever gave me that. Trek was always fully formed adults, already in Starfleet and people who have decided who they are. And it never was aspirational that way," Kurtzman said. "It's important to me to find a way to go back and reach younger kids in a way that Trek should and never really has."
As Discovery inches closer to its Jan. 17 season-two return, the series is also moving closer to its original mythology with the casting of Ethan Peck as Spock. Discovery still has a 10-year gap to fill in before Captain Kirk's arrival on the Enterprise, and there are no current plans for Discovery to introduce the iconic character originally played by William Shatner.
"There's a 10-year gap between where we are in Discovery and Kirk's arrival on the Enterprise. There would [have to] be a major time jump if we were going to do something like that. What Kirk was doing at this particular time is another question, but we don’t have any immediate plans [for the character]," Kurtzman said. "I have not spoken to Shatner about it."

Might as well start this thread here now.  

I'm so glad of this because it'll further justify investing in CBS Access for me - this and the Twilight Zone reboot.  It's been awkward justifying the subscription for just one show.

[Greg]

You're a big time magazine publisher. It's totally justified.

[Drunk Monk]

You're a big time magazine publisher. It's totally justified.

Right?  And there's Klingon weapons and Michelle Yeoh. 

TOTALLY JUSTIFIED

[Drunk Monk]

[Drunk Monk]

[Drunk Monk]

Well that was okay. It keeps up the pace of the previews for the 20+ mins of the show so if you like the previews, it's pretty much 20+ mins of that. Being short, it moves at a steady clip. There are some good in-jokes as to be expected. It didn't blow me away like DISCO eventually did but there are much worse ways to spend 20+ mins. I giggled at one line but I can't remember what it was. I want to see more easter eggs, or even some guest appearances (this is set in the TNG/VYGR era). 

I'll keep watching because I'm still trekkin. 

I like Ensign Mariner - she's an amusing character and the only one that has a back story at this point. The rest are so so, so far. The other lower deckers are all nooBs. I also like the Caitian Doctor T'Ana - a throwback to ST: TAS. The U.S.S. Cerritos is a California-class vessel. I don't know what that means but the Captain's room has a tattered CA flag on the wall. 

There was a good line about fighting a yeti for shoes in prison. There was also a shout out to Sulu's sword. DOOM trekker recommended (but y'all should catch up on DISCO first - that's where ST lives on most of all).

[Drunk Monk]

FYI 'The Lower Decks' was TNG S7e15 which centers around 4 lower deck ensigns. I watched it when ST:LD was announced and I just watched it again. It's one of the better TNG eps, looking at the commanding officers from a different perspective and seeing how they can all be assholes of a sort, especially when as an ensign, you're not privy to what's going on. It's an odd jumping off point for this new series because it's not a comedy. It's a tragedy. 

I didn't really care for TNG when it was being broadcast and didn't watch it that much. I caught up to it years later after it went into syndication and grew to enjoy it much more.

[Drunk Monk]

I peeped some ST: TAS to check in on M'Ress, the original Caitian. She's exactly as I remembered, purring all the time like Catwoman.

Here's a comp:


I was hoping to find 'The Surivor' which was her first appearance, but my ninja site swaps out ST:TAS Season 1 with Sabrina the Teenage Witch (animated). Buzzkill. I wound up watching 'The Practical Joker' and was amused to discover that in this ep, the Enterprise has the 'Rec Room', precursor to the holodeck. 

I disliked the holodeck in TNG. I guess I have issues with holograms. While watching the first few TNG seasons, I thought it would be a great twist if it was actually all a long holodeck experience instead of a new Enterprise, and then Black Mirror explored sort of went there with 'USS Calister', which hooked me into that show. 

Holograms. Give me a Caitian any day over a hologram.

[Drunk Monk]

[Drunk Monk]

E2&3: more of the same. Funny, fast paced, lots of Easter eggs (and the Easter eggs run deep) but not overwhelmingly awesome. The stories are predictable. It’s the quick banter to get through them that works. It kind of reminds me of LEGO Star Wars only that’s more endearing and childlike while this is more acerbic like a lot of more adult animated comedies. They’re short tho, so it’s like eating candy. It’s really all about Mariner.

---

One more thing - E3 has a sword.

[thatguy]

Someone should write a series where all of the ST universe actually was faked and just took place on the holodeck...

--tg

[Drunk Monk]

Someone should write a series where all of the ST universe actually was faked and just took place on the holodeck...

For years, that's what I said ST: TNG should be, tg. But then, there's Black Mirror. 

That and they should do Worf's World - an ST series that's from the Klingon perspective.

[Greg]

Does Bob Newhart wake up in bed at the end with Suzanne Pleshette?

[Drunk Monk]

No. He plays a force jedi in Sheldon's dream. Although BBT did more for Trek with Wil Wheaton playing himself. That role redeemed his career. He's doing the Ready Room now, which is a bit annoying.

[Drunk Monk]

Wil Wheaton just posted on his facebook:

At least once a day, I walk outside and say, "Computer, end program," just in case.

Coincidence? I think not.