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Star Trek: Lower Decks teases post-Nemesis timeline and reveals voice cast
Make it so! Attendees at the "Star Trek Universe" panel at San Diego Comic-Con’s Hall H on Saturday were given details of the upcoming Star Trek: Lower Decks, including when it takes place along the Star Trek timeline and its cast.
Creator Mike McMahan, known for his work on Rick and Morty, joined cast members Tawny Newsome and Jack Quaid and executive producers Alex Kurtzman and Heather Kadin on the stage at Hall H to deliver the goods on this new half-hour animated series. Taking place in 2380, right after Star Trek: Nemesis, Star Trek: Lower Decks is a half-hour animated series focusing on four ensigns residing in the “lower decks” of the U.S.S. Cerritos, one of Starfleet’s least important ships.
“I loved the B stories on [The Next Generation]," said McMahan. “To write a show that's primarily those kinds of social stories and is sci-fi at the same time, animation helps to bridge that."
Tawny Newsome portrays Ensign Becket Mariner, a badass who doesn't play by the rules and who’s not surprisingly been demoted a few times. Jack Quaid plays Ensign Brad Boimler, who does everything by the book and wants to be captain, but gets in his own way. Noel Wells plays Ensign Tendi, a green-skinned female officer who works in the medical bay who’s just excited to be in Starfleet.
And Eugene Cordero plays Ensign Rutherford, an engineer with a new cyborg implant in his eye that he’s unsure how to operate.
The Starfleet characters comprising the ship’s bridge crew include Captain Carol Freeman, voiced by Dawnn Lewis; Commander Jack Ransom, voiced by Jerry O’Connell; Lieutenant Shaxs, voiced by Fred Tatasciore; and Doctor T'Ana, voiced by Gillian Vigman.
"The original animated series was a huge fan favorite, and we're in an incredible animation renaissance right now,” said Kurtzman. “Some of the best stories are being told in animation.”
Kadin said she thinks this could be a gateway show for people to discover the other Star Trek shows.
Although the panel provided a look of the main characters, they did not show the ship. Attendees were promised, however, that the ship is a brand-new design and class (the California class, if you must know).
Also on the Lower Decks portion of the Star Trek panel, Kurtzman announced the launch of the Official Star Trek podcast later this year, with Newsome hosting.
Star Trek: Lower Decks’ 10-episode first season will premiere in 2020 on CBS All Access.
Click here for SYFY WIRE's full coverage of San Diego Comic-Con 2019, including up-to-the-minute news, exclusive interviews, and videos.
