“Star Trek: Deep Space Nine” is unquestionably the greatest of all “Star Trek” shows, but the animated sitcom “Star Trek: Lower Decks” is certainly aiming for the title, with some of the sharpest and most humanist writing the franchise has seen, hidden under a wacky workplace comedy. And in the new “Lower Decks” Season 3 trailer, those two great tastes finally taste great together with not one but multiple references to “Deep Space Nine.” Watch it below now.
Obviously there’s a lot more than that — even if we’re stoked that the gang eats dinner as Sisko’s in New Orleans and later the U.S.S. Cerritos actually visits Deep Space Nine… and recreates that show’s opening credits. The Season 2 shocker ending, when Captain Freeman was arrested after being framed for a terrorist act, looms large, and it sure looks like however that gets cleared up, there’s a lot more for the lower decks workers to worry about. We can’t wait, and luckily we don’t really have to, since the show returns on Paramount+ on August 25.
During the show’s panel at Comic-Con, the series showrunners also promised that fans “might see some friendly faces” in Deep Space Nine, adding that “it feels like one last look around” the station.
Of course, there’s a reason there’s such a smooth overlap between “Star Trek” shows. Executive Producer Alex Kurtzman was on hand, and explained that the various series showrunners meet up roughly once a month to make sure everyone’s on the same page and not overlapping stories, and work out possible crossovers.
“Star Trek: Lower Decks” stars the voice talent of Tawny Newsome as Ensign Beckett Mariner, Jack Quaid as Ensign Brad Boimler, Noël Wells as Ensign Tendi and Eugene Cordero as Ensign Rutherford. Rounding out the cast are Dawnn Lewis as U.S.S. Cerritos Captain Carol Freeman, Jewrry O’Connell as Commander Jack Ransom, and Gillian Vigman as Doctor T’Ana.
It’s produced by CBS’ Eye Animation Productions, CBS Studios’ animation arm; Secret Hideout; and Roddenberry Entertainment. Secret Hideout’s Alex Kurtzman, Roddenberry Entertainment’s Rod Roddenberry and Trevor Roth, Katie Krentz (219 Productions) and Heather Kadin serve as executive producers alongside creator and showrunner Mike McMahan. Aaron Baiers (Secret Hideout), who brought McMahan to the project, also serves as an executive producer. Titmouse (“Big Mouth”), the Emmy Award-winning independent animation production company, serves as the animation studio for the series.