By Chris Snellgrove | Published
Mike McMahan joined the legions of Star Trek fans mourning the early cancellation of Lower deckshis groundbreaking animated comedy that was consistently the best installment of the NuTrek era. In a recent interview with TrekMovie, he confirmed that he wants to wait and, with the help of those same fans, make a serious effort to get his show back on the market at some point. This would do more than just bring back a killer comedy…the return of Lower decks would in many ways save Star Trek from the worst enemy it has ever faced: Paramount.
In the same interview, Mike McMahan pointed out that the end of Lower decks isn’t the end of new franchise content and mentions how excited he is to see it Section 31, Starfleet Academyand other seasons of Strange New Worlds. Why then do we make the bold proclamation of the need for return? Lower decks to save Star Trek? Honestly, we don’t need the telepathic powers of a Betazoid to know that Paramount executives have no idea what they’re doing with this popular franchise.
The future of Star Trek
Let’s start with an important disclaimer: Strange New Worlds is a near-perfect show, and we echo Mike McMahan’s enthusiasm for it. However, the future of the entire franchise cannot rest on the toned shoulders of Ansom Mount’s Captain Pike, and it is important for Paramount to focus on future productions to keep the franchise healthy. Unfortunately, everything we know about current productions points to the overwhelming need for something, anything, to save Star Trek from its current creators.
Section 31 seems like a creative misfire for many reasons, including that a series centered around Oscar-winning actress Michelle Yeoh was suddenly relegated to a made-for-TV movie that no one really cares about. Once it’s released, it’ll be hard to keep up with a cast of new characters we’ll likely never see again. And like many Trek fans, we’re not entirely happy with the franchise’s full embrace of the idea of Section 31, because such a breakaway, wetworks-based Starfleet organization seems at odds with the franchise’s core idealism.
Starfleet Academy has built a pretty great cast, but at the end of the day it’s a spin-off of discoverya show that turned off so many fans that Paramount canceled the once flagship series early. Beyond that and without a title Office-like series, the only known production on the horizon is a similarly untitled Star Trek origin film that explores humanity’s early encounters with aliens and the founding of the Federation. Considering we’ve already covered this area First contact And PursueIt’s pretty obvious that Paramount is willing to cannibalize its beloved shows and films in a desperate attempt to produce a successful new film.
How Mike McMahan can save Star Trek
All of this leads us to wonder why Mike McMahan’s plans may be the only thing that can save Star Trek. Now that Paramount has made it clear we’ll never get that Star Trek legacy show that everyone wants Lower decks remains the only NuTrek content that consistently engages with our favorite classics. After all, it’s the series that brought back everyone from Garak to Bashir to Tom Paris and the TNG villain he’s based on.
And even if you don’t love Mike McMahan’s sense of humor, that’s always clear Lower decks was made by people who grew up as fans of Gene Roddenberry’s hit franchise. These authors always manage to tell new stories and at the same time delve into old traditions without disturbing the existing canon. That might not sound so harsh on paper, but when you look at all the groundbreaking events that are happening here discovery and even Strange New Worldsit’s easier to respect the hard work that goes into every frame of Lower decks.
The return of this show could save Star Trek. In fact, it’s looking more and more like it’s the only thing capable of doing this. As much as we’re looking forward to the laughs Tawny Newsome will bring to her upcoming live-action Trek show (the one mentioned above). Office-like series) we can’t wait to see her once again embody the voice of the rebellious Mariner. Given how many mistakes Paramount has made with this franchise over the last few years, it’s clear they could learn a thing or two about breaking the rules from Mariner, especially if it means we’re coming back (like). Lower decks so often) to the golden age of Star Trek.
Source: Trek Movie