ViacomCBS announced that the animated comedy from Rick and Morty alum Mike McMahan, Star Trek: Lower Decks, will premiere on Thursday, August 6th, exclusively on CBS All Access. The series comes as part of an overall deal between CBS Television Studios and the showrunner of Star Trek: Discovery, Alex Kurtzman, who was tasked with producing several new series that would expand the current Star Trek universe past Discovery.
ViacomCBS confirmed that, after the premiere on August 6th, fans can catch new episodes of Star Trek: Lower Decks every Thursday on CBS All Access. The first season will consist of ten episodes. The animated series will take on a different tone compared to other Star Trek shows, focusing on the comedic adventures of the U.S.S. Cerritos, a Starfleet ship more than several rings down the chain of command when compared to famous Star Trek ships like the Enterprise. True to it's namesake, the show will feature characters who work in the "lower decks," a part of the ship that is typically reserved for background characters in other Star Trek shows.
The show takes its name from what many consider to be one of the best episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation. The episode, titled "Lower Decks," subverted the typical Star Trek formula by focusing on the lower-ranking members of the Enterprise. McMahan confirmed that the series would take place during The Next Generation's era. Given the show's influence from The Next Generation and McMahan's work on shows like Rick and Morty and Solar Opposites, fans of Star Trek should be at ease that Star Trek: Lower Decks will be a refreshing take on the franchise.
The press release reads, "Developed by Emmy Award-winner Mike McMahan (Rick and Morty, Solar Opposites), Star Trek: Lower Decks focuses on the support crew serving on one of Starfleet’s least important ships, the U.S.S. Cerritos, in 2380. Ensigns Mariner, Boimler, Rutherford and Tendi have to keep up with their duties and their social lives, often while the ship is being rocked by a multitude of sci-fi anomalies."
Star Trek: Lower Decks will premiere on August 6th on CBS All Access.
Source: ViacomCBS