Not content with just having the USS Discovery flying around, US streaming service CBS All Access has been busy figuring out other ways to visit the Star Trek universe, including short films, limited series and a new show starring Patrick Stewart as the iconic Jean-Luc Picard. And now there will also be an animated series via Star Trek: Lower Decks, which has won a two-season order.
Rick And Morty writer Mike McMahan is the driving force behind this new series, which will take a comic look at the support crew serving on one of Star Fleet's least important ships. An affirmed Trek fan, McMahan first gained notice with a Twitter account that chronicled a fictional eighth season for Star Trek: The Generation and scored a book deal on the back of it. He's since come up with another animated TV comedy, Solar Opposites (due on screens in 2020) and contributed the episode The Escape Artist to the current Trek team's Short Treks series.
“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,'" incumbent Trek overlord and executive producer Alex Kurtzman said in a statement. "His cat’s name is Riker. His son’s name is Sagan. The man is committed. 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."
It's not the first time that Star Trek has gotten animated – The Animated Series, featuring the voices of several of the original series cast, aired two short seasons in the 1970s. You can get a taste here{
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