star in ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ (Photo by Jan Thijs © 2018 CBS Interactive)
CBS All Access scored a win with their revival of the Star Trek television franchise, Star Trek: Discovery. They followed up on that success with Star Trek: Short Treks, a series of shorts tied to Discovery. Now they’re delving back into the Star Trek world with a new animated comedy series, Star Trek: Lower Decks.
The series was developed by Emmy Award winner Mike McMahan (Rick and Morty) and has earned a two-season order straight off the bat.
“Mike won our hearts with his first sentence: ‘I want to do a show about the people who put the yellow cartridge in the food replicator so a banana can come out the other end.’ His cat’s name is Riker. His son’s name is Sagan. The man is committed,” said executive producer Alex Kurtzman. “He’s brilliantly funny and knows every inch of every Trek episode, and that’s his secret sauce: he writes with the pure, joyful heart of a true fan. As we broaden the world of Trek to fans of all ages, we’re so excited to include Mike’s extraordinary voice.”
Star Trek: Lower Decks spotlights the support crew of “one of Starfleet’s least important ships.” The series will be produced by CBS Eye Animation Productions, Secret Hideout, and Roddenberry Entertainment. Mike McMahan, Rod Roddenberry, Trevor Roth, Katie Krentz, Alex Kurtzman and Heather Kadin are on board as executive producers.
“We couldn’t have imagined a better creative team to work with on CBS All Access’ first original animated series than Mike McMahan, Secret Hideout and Roddenberry Entertainment,” said Julie McNamara, Executive Vice President, Original Content, CBS All Access. “Star Trek: Lower Decks is a fantastic complement to our growing lineup of original series and our ongoing expansion of the Star Trek universe on CBS All Access.”
Back in 2011, Mike McMahan showed off his love for all things Star Trek by creating a Twitter account that posted Star Trek: The Next Generation episode plots for a season of the series that didn’t actually exist. It was such a hit with Trekkie’s that McMahan wrote Star Trek: The Next Generation: Warped: An Engaging Guide to the Never-Aired 8th Season for Simon & Schuster.
“As a life-long Trekkie, it’s a surreal and wonderful dream come true to be a part of this new era of Star Trek,” explained executive producer Mike McMahan. “While Star Trek: Lower Decks is a half-hour, animated show at its core, it’s undeniably Trek – and I promise not to add an episode at the very end that reveals the whole thing took place in a training program.”
