SDCC@Home – Star Trek: Lower Decks first look and character details

Star Trek: Lower Decks is a dark, comedic animated show.

During the Star Trek panel at SDCC@Home, series showrunner Mike McMahon introduced audiences to a sneak peek at the latest show in the franchise. The one scene shared from Star Trek: Lower Decks seems to live up to its promise of being a hilarious comedy that leverages its animated format. We’re hoping that the rest of the series keeps up.

Set in 2380 aboard the U.S.S. Cerritos, this is a ship that’s in charge of Second Contact with different species. McMahon said that the show is set during the Star Trek: The Next Generation era, sometime after Star Trek: Nemesis, but well before Star Trek: Picard. He also introduced the cast and their takes on each of their characters.

Who are the characters in Star Trek: Lower Decks?

The cast and characters include Eugene Cordero (Ensign Rutherford), Tawny Newsome (Ensign Mariner), Jack Quaid (Ensign Boimler), Noël Wells (Ensign Tendi), Dawnn Lewis (Captain Freeman), Jerry O’Connell (Commander Ramson), Fred Tatasciore (Lieutenant Shaxs) and Gillian Vigman (Dr. T’Ana).

Star Trek: Lower Decks seems to be from the point of view of Quaid’s Boimler, who he describes as a Starfleet nerd – he’s a fanboy of Bridge officers and is obsessed with ranking up. He has no demerits and goes by the book. Boimler seemingly lives in a fantasy world where he’s a captain because he keeps logs even though he’s an Ensign.

Newsome’s Ensign Mariner is the complete opposite. The character is very similar to the actor herself. Mariner doesn’t play by the rules and is very complacent because she’s good at things. We caught a glimpse of Mariner in the sneak peek, and she’s drinking illegal Romulan whiskey. While she’s on duty!

Ensign Tendi is the fresh eyes on the ship. She’s an alien, but unflappable. She’s able to turn ‘weird’ things into an optimistic point of view. Another optimistic character is Cordero (Ensign Rutherford). He’s a cyborg, but he loves the mechanics of his body. He’s in Engineering and knows the ins and outs about ships.

The senior officers on Star Trek: Lower Decks introduced include Dr. T’Ana, who looks like a cat, but has a rough bedside manner. That’s an interesting choice, seeing that the Doctor on Star Trek: Voyager also began his existence with a terrible bedside manner before he became an empathetic character.

Lieutenant Shaxs is the security officer, and he’s a Bajoran with a chip on his shoulder. From the sound of it, he’s a character who likes to shoot first and ask questions later, which isn’t a good combination for a security officer.

Jerry O’Connell is the Number One, which he recognized is a funny coincidence since his wife Rebecca Romijn will be playing Number One on Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. Ramson is not the easiest person to work for. He has a short fuse and apparently says things that aren’t allowed on other Star Trek shows.

It’s exciting to see that the Captain is a Black woman. Though she’s in control, this character doesn’t feel confident. Lewis said that Captain Freeman takes herself seriously because she’s vital. To Freeman, their mission to do second contact is far more important since they have to make sure that everything runs smoothly after you meet another species.

The cast believes that Star Trek: Lower Decks gives a very different perspective that could be a welcome introduction to fans and non-fans alike.

What did you think of the first look of Star Trek: Lower Decks? Are you looking forward to the show?

Star Trek: Lower Decks premieres on CBS All Access on August 6.