Mike McMahan, who has written several episodes of Rick & Morty, has signed a deal with CBS All Access to create an animated comedy series within the Star Trek universe.
The show is called Star Trek: Lower Decks, and it will focus on the less heroic characters that work behind the scenes on Starfleet’s iconic space crafts.
Alex Kurtzman, the current custodian of the Star Trek brand, said this about McMahan and his pitch for the show:
“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. He’s brilliantly funny and knows every inch of every ‘Trek’ episode, and that’s his secret sauce: he writes with the pure, joyful heart of a true fan. As we broaden the world of ‘Trek’ to fans of all ages, we’re so excited to include Mike’s extraordinary voice.”
McMahan himself said this about the project:
“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 Star Trek: 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.”
We don’t yet know when the series will air, but we’ll be sure to keep you posted as more news comes to light.