Star Trek: Lower Decks

Creator Mike McMahan and the cast of Star Trek: Lower Decks give insight into their characters and roles on the series' ship, the U.S.S. Cerritos, and dish about some of their favorite moments from the upcoming debut season.

Series Creator, Showrunner and Executive Producer Mike McMahan highlights some of the callouts to Star Trek lore from the premiere episode of Star Trek: Lower Decks.

Creating an animated series is a multi-stage process. Get a behind-the-scenes look at some of the earliest forms of Star Trek: Lower Decks' premiere episode, "Second Contact," compared to the completed animated product.

Mica Burton speaks with Star Trek: Lower Decks Creator, Showrunner and Executive Producer Mike McMahan and voice cast members Tawny Newsome, Jack Quaid, Noël Wells, and Eugene Cordero. The group discusses favorite moments from the debut season, what it's been like joining the Star Trek family, and more.

A nice introduction to the origins of ‘Star Trek: Lower Decks,’ and to how Mike McMahan pitched the series to Alex Kurtzman and Secret Hideout. The short gives you quick glimpses of some of the content in McMahan’s original pitch, as well as some concept art of the look and feel of the series… including the USS Cerritos’ original name: the USS San Diego.

A look at the art design for the characters and locales of ‘Lower Decks.’ The most interesting thing I learned, which you won’t be able to un-see once you realize it, is that the aesthetics of the furniture aboard the Cerritos is shaped to emulate the look of Starfleet’s LCARS design, with all rounded corners and angular designs.

Mike McMahan and composer Chris Westlake break down the development of the visuals and the music for the ‘Lower Decks’ main theme, and explain what the titles are trying to tell us about the show as a whole. McMahan and Westlake also talk about how the music of the show influences the storytelling.

Many of the production personnel involved in the show’s animation go into detail about how they include previous ‘Star Trek’ aliens, focused on the series’ second episode “Envoys” and the multitude of canon aliens that appeared there.

This short explains how an episode of ‘Lower Decks’ gets made, from the script all the way through the finished episode. You learn a lot about animatics and the different stages of the animation process — there are different people who animate the backgrounds than the people, which I didn’t know! — that will give you a new appreciation for the amount of work that goes into each episode.

A look at the character designs for the Division 14 ship from “Much Ado About Boimler,” including the appearance of the Triexian doctor that harkens back to Lt. Arex from The Animated Series.

Mike McMahan talks about the use of the holodeck on ‘Lower Decks,’ including the origins of the infamous Badgey, a 90s era joke (based on Clippy, the infamous Microsoft Office virtual assistant) that McMahan argued would work well on ‘Lower Decks,’ since the show itself is an homage to 90’s-era Star Trek.

A more in-depth look at the use of music across the whole series by composer Chris Westlake, focusing on the episode “Crisis Point” and the movie music homages contained within. Mike McMahan also expands on his comments about the role of music on the show as a whole and how important it is to the humor.

The cast and producers of the show explain in more detail the dynamics between the series main characters and the supporting bridge crew, including the role that the relationship between the main characters and the bridge crew plays as the series progresses.

Extended look at the eight primary cast members of Lower Decks. Including interviews with Tawny Newsome (Mariner), Jack Quaid (Boimler), Eugene Cordero (Rutherford), Noel Wells (Tendi), Dawnn Lewis (Freeman), Jerry O’Connell (Ransom), Gillian Vigman (T’Ana) and Fred Tatasciore (Shaxs) — along with series creator Mike McMahan — the feature dives into what each actor thinks of their character and stories about each of their casting experiences. In addition, the feature also includes some fun audition tape recordings from several of the cast, with some funny outtakes that show off their spontaneity and vocal talents.

This feature charts the evolution of the relationship between the main characters over the course of Season 1, and goes into detail about the inclusion of legacy characters like Riker, Troi, and Q.

Discussion of the show’s many Star Trek references and deep cut Easter Eggs.

Promo for the Holo Adventure - Crisis Point

A look at season 2, including where we left the crew in season 1, and the goals for the second season. We hear from Alex Kurtzman, Mike McMahan, Tawny Newsome, Jack Quaid, Eugene Cordero, Noël Wells, and others.

Mike McMahan starts a discussion about the sounds of Star Trek and how important it is to set the tone for the different eras of Trek. Sound for an animated series is particularly important, go behind the scenes in an interview with the Emmy-nominated team (“No Small Parts” was nominated from season 1) that creates the dynamic audio for Lower Decks while they discuss how they bring the series to life.

Tawny Newsome and Mike McMahan discuss easter eggs in the episode "Strange Energies"

Noël Wells and Mike McMahan discuss easter eggs in the episode "Kayshon, His Eyes Open"

Eugene Cordero and Mike McMahan discuss easter eggs in the episode "We'll Always Have Tom Paris"

Eugene Cordero and Mike McMahan discuss easter eggs in the episode "Mugato, Gumato"

Tawny Newsome and Mike McMahan discuss easter eggs in the episode "An Embarassment of Dooplers"

Noël Wells and Mike McMahan discuss easter eggs in the episode "The Spy Humongous"

Tawny Newsome and Mike McMahan discuss easter eggs in the episode "Where Pleasant Fountains Lie"

Noël Wells and Mike McMahan discuss easter eggs in the episode "I, Excretus"

Eugene Cordero and Mike McMahan discuss easter eggs in the episode "Wej Duj"

Tawny Newsome and Mike McMahan discuss easter eggs in the episode "First First Contact"

A look at season 3.

Loving on the DS9 universe, animating the station and the wormhole, getting small details just right, writing and voicing the episode, and more.

Watch the premier full episode of Lower Decks in the rough cut Animatic form.

Looking at the "cold opens" and the recurring background narrative of the mystery alien vessel, the ninth episode of the season and its pacing, exploring character backgrounds in the season, legacy Star Trek characters and the actors who played them returning to the universe.

Looking at starting the season with a Voyager episode and promotions for the crew being moved up to the start of the season rather than the end.

The featurette explores the backstories and behind-the-scenes creation of Ensigns Beckett Mariner, Brad Boimler, Samanthan Rutherford, D'Vana Tendi, and other crew members of the U.S.S. Cerritos. Interviews: It features insights from the show's creator Mike McMahan, along with producers, writers, and the cast.

The featurette includes commentary from producers, creatives, and the cast regarding the background details, blink-and-you-miss-it references, and canonical nods inserted into the animation.