Star Trek: Lower Decks

Star Trek: Lower Decks is the ninth main series set in the Star Trek universe, the tenth including the companion series , and the twelfth Star Trek series overall. It is the second series to be entirely animated, after , with episodes running half an hour, and the third series to have animated episodes, after Short Treks. Lower Decks is the first original animated series commissioned by CBS All Access, as well as the first produced by the new CBS animation arm, CBS Eye Animation Productions, and was announced in , with All Access committing to a two-season order. 
Created by Mike McMahan, the series is an adult animation comedy produced in association with Titmouse, Inc. and forms part of Alex Kurtzman's five-year deal with CBS to expand the Star Trek franchise. Lower Decks focuses on "the support crew serving on one of Starfleet's least important ships." 
The show takes place aboard the on the "lower decks". The show's time period is described as the -era, more specifically 2380, after . 
A full-length trailer was released on 12 July 2020. 
The first season was nominated for the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Animated Series. 
In , it was announced that Lower Decks had been renewed for a third season. 
McMahan has acknowledged that some fans have referred to the four leading characters as "the warp core four," though the production team's shorthand for them is "The Lower Deckers." 
↑ John Van Citters has chosen "LDS" as the series' official abbreviation, while also alluding to it being a reference to Kirk's line about LSD in . This is consistent with the three letter abbreviations for other series, though no "official" abbreviations have been given for , , or . MA will use the abbreviation "LD" for Lower Decks to remain consistent with using the first letter in titles with more than one word after Star Trek.
On , it was announced that Lower Decks had been renewed for a fourth season, followed a year later by a fifth season renewal announcement on . The series was canceled on and will end with the fifth season.
__TOC__
==Cast of characters==
===Starring=== 
*Tawny Newsome as Beckett Mariner
*Jack Quaid as Brad Boimler
*Noël Wells as D'Vana Tendi
*Eugene Cordero as Sam Rutherford
*Dawnn Lewis as Freeman
*Jerry O'Connell as Ransom
*Fred Tatasciore as Shaxs
*Gillian Vigman as T'Ana
===Special guest stars===
*James Cromwell as Dr. 
*Jeffrey Combs as AGIMUS
*John de Lancie as Q
*Shannon Fill as Sito Jaxa
*Jonathan Frakes as Capt. William T. Riker
*Susan Gibney as Dr. Leah Brahms
*Max Grodénchik as Rom
*J.G. Hertzler as 
**
**Drookmani Captain
*Alice Krige as Borg Queen
*Chase Masterson as Leeta
*Robert Duncan McNeill as 
**Tom Paris
**Nick Locarno
*Lycia Naff as Sonya Gomez
*Armin Shimerman as Quark
*Marina Sirtis as Deanna Troi
*George Takei as Hikaru Sulu
*Nana Visitor as Col. Kira Nerys
*Wil Wheaton as Wesley Crusher
===Additional recurring characters===
*Carlos Alazraqui as Les Buenamigo
*Eugene Cordero as Winger Bingston, Jr.
*Kether Donohue as Peanut Hamper
*Phil LaMarr as Alonzo Freeman
*Lauren Lapkus as Ensign Jennifer Sh'reyan
*Jack McBrayer as Badgey
*Jessica McKenna as 
**Barnes
**Cerritos Computer
**
*Ben Rodgers as Steve Stevens
*Gabrielle Ruiz as 
**Castro
**T'Lyn
* Paul Scheer as Andy Billups
*Carl Tart as Kayshon
*Fred Tatasciore as Vassery
*Paul F. Tompkins as Migleemo
*Gillian Vigman as Dayton
*Ariel Winter as D'Erika Tendi
==Opening credits==
The opening credits for Star Trek: Lower Decks contain imagery of the passing near various spatial phenomena, often with deleterious effects.
==Episode list==
===Season 1 ===
LD Season 1, 10 episodes:
=== Season 2 ===
LD Season 2, 10 episodes:
===Season 3===
LD Season 3, 10 episodes:
=== Season 4===
LD Season 4, 10 episodes:
===Season 5===
LD Season 5, 10 episodes:
==Crew==
*Casting
**Ruth Lambert
**Robert McGee
*Casting assistants
**April Caputi
**Robert Lee Terry
* Consultant
**David Mack
*Co-executive producers
**Aaron Baiers
**Chris Kula
*Co-producers 
**Robyn Johnson
**Brad Winters
*Executive producers
**Heather Kadin
**Katie Krentz
**Alex Kurtzman
** Mike McMahan – head writer
**Rod Roddenberry
**Trevor Roth
*Head writer 
**Mike McMahan – executive producer
*Staff writers
**Garrick Bernard
**John Cochran
**Dave Ihlenfeld
**Ben Joseph
**Ann Kim
**Ben Rodgers
**Dave Wright
*Story editor
**M. Willis
* Supervising Producers 
**Ben Kalina
** Chris Prynoski
**Shannon Prynoski
*Producers
**Dave Ihlenfeld
**David Wright
==Production companies==
* CBS Eye Animation Productions
*Roddenberry Entertainment
*Secret Hideout
*Important Science
*Titmouse, Inc.
==About== 
;From Paramount+
====Season 1====
:The animated comedy series STAR TREK: LOWER DECKS follows the support crew on one of Starfleet’s least important ships, the U.S.S. Cerritos, in 2380. Ensigns Mariner (Tawny Newsome), Boimler (Jack Quaid), Rutherford (Eugene Cordero) and Tendi (Noël Wells) 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.
====Season 2====
:Developed by Emmy Award winner Mike McMahan (“Rick and Morty,” “Solar Opposites”), season two of STAR TREK: LOWER DECKS is bigger, funnier and Star Trekkier than ever before. Fans can expect strange new (and familiar) aliens to challenge the crews of the U.S.S. Cerritos and the U.S.S. Titan. For Mariner, Tendi, Rutherford and Boimler, the animated adventure is just beginning.
====Season 3====
:Created by Emmy Award winner Mike McMahan (“Rick and Morty,” “Solar Opposites”), season three of STAR TREK: LOWER DECKS challenges the U.S.S. Cerritos ensigns in (hilarious) ways they could never imagine, starting with a shocking resolution for season two’s epic cliffhanger finale.
:
:The Starfleet crew residing in the “lower decks” of the U.S.S. Cerritos includes Ensign Beckett Mariner, voiced by Tawny Newsome; Ensign Brad Boimler, voiced by Jack Quaid; Ensign Tendi, voiced by Noël Wells; and Ensign Rutherford, voiced by Eugene Cordero. The Starfleet characters that comprise the U.S.S. Cerritos’ bridge crew include Captain Carol Freeman, voiced by Dawnn Lewis; Commander Jack Ransom, voiced by Jerry O’Connell; Lieutenant Shaxs, voiced by Fred Tatasciore; and Doctor T’Ana, voiced by Gillian Vigman.
====Season 4====
:Created by Emmy Award winner Mike McMahan (Rick and Morty, Solar Opposites), in season four of STAR TREK: LOWER DECKS, an unknown force is destroying starships and threatening galactic peace. Luckily, the crew of the U.S.S. Cerritos isn’t important enough for stuff like that! Instead, Ensigns Mariner, Boimler, Tendi, Rutherford and Provisional Ensign T’Lyn are keeping up with their Starfleet duties, avoiding malevolent computers and getting stuck in a couple caves – all while encountering new and classic aliens along the way.
:
:The Starfleet crew residing in the “lower decks” of the U.S.S. Cerritos includes Ensign Beckett Mariner, voiced by Tawny Newsome; Ensign Brad Boimler, voiced by Jack Quaid; Ensign Tendi, voiced by Noël Wells; and Ensign Rutherford, voiced by Eugene Cordero. The Starfleet characters that comprise the U.S.S. Cerritos’ bridge crew include Captain Carol Freeman, voiced by Dawnn Lewis; Commander Jack Ransom, voiced by Jerry O’Connell; Lieutenant Shaxs, voiced by Fred Tatasciore; and Doctor T’Ana, voiced by Gillian Vigman.
===Development===
In 2018, Mike McMahan, then head writer of the animated comedy Rick and Morty, was brought in to pitch an idea for his ideal Star Trek series to production company Secret Hideout. Won over by his pitch of a series following "the people who put the yellow cartridge in the food replicator so a banana can come out the other end", Secret Hideout moved forward and eventually sold the series to CBS All Access, the streaming service airing Star Trek: Discovery. On 25 October 2018, they announced that Star Trek: Lower Decks, named after an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation, was picked up for two seasons.
===Promotion ===
;Season 1
File:LD season 1 poster.png|Season 1 first poster
File:LD season 1 poster 2.jpg|Season 1 second poster
File:LD season 1 poster 2 variant.jpg|Season 1 second poster variant
File:LD season 1 poster 3.jpg|Beckett Mariner Season 1 poster
File:LD season 1 poster 4.jpg|Sam Rutherford Season 1 poster
File:LD season 1 poster 5.jpg|D'Vana Tendi Season 1 poster
File:LD season 1 poster 6.jpg|Brad Boimler Season 1 poster
File:23 Weeks of Trek.png|23 Weeks of Trek promotion
File:LD Boimler.jpg|Ensign Brad Boimler
File:LD Mariner.jpg|Ensign Beckett Mariner
File:LD Rutherford.jpg|Ensign Sam Rutherford
File:LD Tendi.jpg|Ensign D'Vana Tendi
File:Crisis Point The Rise of Vindicta poster.jpg|Poster for the in-universe movie Crisis Point: The Rise of Vindicta from the episode 
 
;Season 2
File:LD Season 2 poster.jpg|Season 2 poster
File:LD Season 2 poster, alt.png|Season 2 expanded alternate now steaming poster
File:LD Strange Energies poster.jpg| poster
File:LD wej Duj poster.jpg| poster
;Season 3
File:LD Season 3 poster.jpg|Season 3 poster
File: LD season 3 poster.jpg|Season 3 poster 2
File: LD season 3, poster 3.jpg|Season 3 poster 3
File:Crisis Point II Paradoxus poster.jpg|Poster for the in-universe movie Crisis Point II: Paradoxus from the episode 
;Season 4
File:LD Season 4 poster.jpg|Season 4 poster
File:LD Season 4 poster 2.jpg|Season 4 poster 2
====Products====
Eaglemoss/Hero Collector revealed that the , , and have been manufactured as starship miniatures and confirmed that its Lower Decks ships line would debut at retail in . After an introductory XL January outing in the main Star Trek: The Official Starships Collection, a separate Star Trek: Lower Decks The Official Starships Collection was indeed launched in April 2022, but was cut short however due to the August 2022 Eaglemoss bankruptcy.
These three starships are also explored in the second edition of the company's Star Trek: Shipyards - Starfleet Ships 2294 to the Future reference book, which was released in . 
On , ViacomCBS Consumer Products and Playmates Toys jointly announced that the latter had acquired new licensing for "action figures, vehicles and ships, role play and other toy categories", and slated the first of these products for retail release in 2022. Among other Star Trek series and films, this licensing encompasses Lower Decks, , , and . 
===Cancellation===
On The fifth season announcement in March 2023 was followed by an announcement on that the series was canceled and would end following that season. No explanation was given for the cancellation, but unlike franchise sibling , it was not slated for removal from Paramount+. Yet, while discussing cancellation of , also a post-season five termination, with CinemaBlend.com, franchise head Alex Kurtzman expressed his thoughts on how he considered ostensibly premature cancellations a recent symptom of a very changed television landscape: "I don't know, it's very hard. I mean, the fact that [Discovery went to] go on five seasons is sort of a miracle. I think most people watch two seasons of a streaming show, and they check out, you know, and that's not specific to Trek. I just think that's the watch pattern for television in the streaming world. It's hard to know." 
 was declared to be the "All Hands On Decks Streamathon" on which fans of the show were encouraged to binge-watch the program to show support for it. 
==Reception==
Star Trek: Lower Decks has been nominated for one Emmy Award, in the category of "Outstanding Sound Editing For A Comedy Or Drama Series (Half-Hour) And Animation".
==Related topics==
*LD directors
*LD performers
*LD recurring characters
*LD studio models
*LD writers
==Media==
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*
==External links==
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de:Star Trek: Lower Decks
ja:スタートレック：ローワー・デッキ
ru:Звездный путь: Нижние палубы
Category:Star Trek series
Category:NAACP Image Award nominees
Category:Astra TV Awards nominees