Lower Decks! Lower Decks! Lower Decks! That’s the sound of Beckett Mariner, played by Tawny Newsome, celebrating IDW Publishing’s most recent announcement. First rumored in October 2021, after Star Trek: Lower Decks series creator Mike McMahan hinted on Twitter that fans would eventually see a continuation of the California class crew’s stories on the comic book page, IDW officially announced that the Lower Deckers are making their comic book debut in a new series from writer Ryan North (The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl, Adventure Time) and artist Chris Fenoglio (Goosebumps, X-Files).
Over the course of the first two seasons of Lower Decks, the series has shown Trekkies a side of Starfleet that’s rarely been seen before. Unlike the galaxy-ending missions of the USS Enterprise, the USS Cerritos is sent on missions that Starfleet deems a lower priority (like second contact missions). But instead of focusing on the Cerritos‘ bridge crew, the series focuses on the wacky antics of the ensigns who perform most of the starship’s support functions (like dealing with killer plants).
The official synopsis for IDW’s Lower Deck series reads:
Soon after leading her crew on a planetary expedition aimed at building bridges and advancing Federation technology, Captain Freeman begins to suspect that the planet and its people are not all what they seem… Meanwhile, the crew in the lower decks take to the holodeck, enjoying some much-needed recreational time-until a bloodthirsty visitor decides to join in on their games!
The Star Trek: Lower Decks comic series from IDW begins on September 14th, 2022.
Mike McMahan Hopes the Lower Decks Comics Mirror Rick and Morty’s Success
McMahan told Geek Girl Authority that he hoped the comic series and show could work in tandem, like the comic book adaptations of Rick and Morty. He said:
What I love about this stuff is you watch the show, and then between seasons, you get a new story that builds out the world even more. So that would be my favorite way to do it. But we’re still going slow because we’ve only aired two seasons. I was on Rick and Morty when they started making the comics, and that was always a blast because it was like, “Oh, look, here’s a whole different take on Rick and Morty.” I love that stuff.
Indeed, the comic book series appears to be building the Lower Decks world onscreen, with part of the story taking place on the ship’s holodeck. Some of the best episodes of Lower Decks take place on a holodeck, like “No Small Parts,” starring the murderous holographic Starfleet comm badge, Badgey, or “Crisis Point,” starring a murderous Mariner. So it will be exciting to see if either of these bloodthirsty characters will be the one crashing the Lower Deckers shore leave.
