Ever since its first show was personally greenlit by Desilu Productions head Lucille Ball over 50 years ago, Star Trek has never not been around. And now, thanks to our ravenous streaming future, we have more Trek than ever before. Along with Discovery and Picard, CBS All Access also promises that the teen-driven Prodigy, the early days-centered Strange New Worlds, and a spin-off about Michelle Yeoh’s Discovery character Philippa Georgiou are en route. And of course, there’s Star Trek: Lower Decks, an animated series from Rick and Morty writer and producer (as well as Solar Opposites co-creator) Mike McMahan.
The latter is due in a couple weeks, on August 6, and during its requisite panel at this year’s at-home Virtual Comic Con, they were confident enough in its abilities to show the opening scene.
If you saw the trailer from a couple weeks back, not all of it is new. They open the same way, with Jack Quaid’s Brad recording what seems like a traditional Captain’s Log only to reveal he’s merely an ensign low down on the food chain. They don’t do first contact, he says, but “second contact,” which he claims is “still pretty important: we get all the paperwork signed, make sure we’re spelling the name of the planet right, get to know all the good places to eat.”
What is new is what happens next: He’s mocked and attacked by Tawny Newsome’s fellow ensign Beckett Mariner. Drunk on illegal Romulan wine, she starts wielding a sharp Klingon weapon, and, well, let’s just say it’s here that the presence of a Rick and Morty writer can be most felt.
You can watch the full Star Trek: Lower Decks panel below and watch the show itself starting on August 6 on CBS All Access.