CBS All Access is going all in on the Star Trek franchise. They’ve bookended the iconic TV and movies series with a prequel (Discovery) and a sequel (Picard), and now they’re launching an animated comedy series, Star Trek: Lower Decks.
The new show, developed by Rick and Morty’s Mike McMahan, will take place in the year 2380, between Next Generation and Picard. While Captain Carol Freeman (Dawnn Lewis) and her extremely capable senior staff lead the Starship Cerritos, Lower Decks will focus more on a few of the less decorated crewmen—a future Gosford Park or Downton Abbey in space.
Tawny Newsome stars as Beckett Mariner, a rule-breaking ensign with no ambition for advancement, alongside Jack Quaid, Noël Wells and Eugene Coredero. The name is a nod to the Next Generation episode “Lower Decks,” told from the perspective of four junior officers aboard the Enterprise.
The new series premieres Aug. 6 and will feature 10 half-hour episodes. Watch the first trailer from Star Trek: Lower Decks below: