CBS is developing an animated Star Trek comedy
Star Trek has been parodied countless times, but now the franchise itself is ready to start getting silly.
CBS All Access is currently working on an animated Star Trek comedy series called Star Trek: Lower Decks, Entertainment Weekly reported Thursday. The network has lined up Rick & Morty writer Mike McMahan to develop the series, which will revolve around the support crew of a random, unimportant Starfleet ship. Star Trek: Discovery co-creator Alex Kurtzman will produce, and he told EW that McMahan's pitch was 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." Variety reports that two seasons of Lower Decks have already been ordered, featuring half-hour episodes.
This will be the first comedic take on Star Trek to actually carry the franchise's name, although there have been plenty of unofficial takes like Fox's The Orville. It won't, however, be the first animated Star Trek show; Star Trek: The Animated Series ran on NBC for one year starting in 1973.
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Lower Decks is just one of several new Star Trek shows on the way for CBS All Access, the network's streaming service. Star Trek: Discovery currently airs there, and a new live-action series with Patrick Stewart returning as The Next Generation's Jean-Luc Picard is also in the works. In fact, Variety reported earlier this year that at least four separate Star Trek shows were in development, likely making CBS All Access' monthly subscription fee an offer Trekkies can no longer refuse.
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Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.
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