New ‘Star Trek’ Animated Series Being Developed by ‘Rick and Morty’ Writer
45 years ago, the crew of the Enterprise entered the field of animation with Star Trek: The Animated Series (pictured above), a trek the long-running sci-fi series has not made since. But that looks to be changing soon, as Rick and Morty writer Mike McMahan is working to bring a new animated show to CBS All Access.
TVLine reports that the new series, entitled Star Trek: Lower Decks, focuses on the redshirts working in what is described as one of the least-important vessels in all of Starfleet. McMahan explained that he can’t wait to dig into the Star Trek in a completely new light with this series:
“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. While [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.”
Executive producer Alex Kurtzman was also enthusiastic about the opportunity to collaborate with McMahan on the new show, noting that he really liked the pitch he presented:
“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.”
Star Trek: Lower Decks is in development for CBS All Access. A release date for the series has not been announced. There are plans for other shows in the franchise on the streaming platform, including a show about Captain Picard that serves as a sequel to Star Trek: The Next Generation, a show about Starfleet, and a show focusing on infamous villain Khan Noonien Singh. In addition, Star Trek: Discovery will begin its second season on January 17, 2019.
Grant Davis is a freelance writer who has covered entertainment news for more than seven years. His articles have frequently appeared in Star Wars News Net as well as as other entertainment-related websites. As someone who grew up on Star Wars and comic book movies, he’s completely thrilled with the current era of genre entertainment.
