Star Trek animated comedy series ordered from Rick and Morty writer

[Ubiquitous]

The first-ever official Star Trek comedy series has been ordered.

CBS All Access has greenlit an animated series from Emmy-winner Mike
McMahan, a writer on Adult Swim’s sensation Rick and MortyThe half-
hour series is titled Star Trek: Lower Decks and will tackle the
Federation from a comedic perspective, focusing “on the support crew
serving on one of Starfleet’s least important ships.”

“Mike won our hearts with his first sentence: ‘I want 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,'” said executive producer
Alex Kurtzman. “[McMahan’s] cat’s name is Riker. His son’s name is
Sagan. The man is committed. He’s brilliantly funny and knows every
inch of every Trek episode, and that’s his secret sauce: he writes
with the pure, joyful heart of a true fan. As we broaden the world
of Trek to fans of all ages, we’re so excited to include Mike’s
extraordinary voice.”


Added McMahan: “As a life-long Trekkie, it’s a surreal and wonderful
dream come true to be a part of this new era of Star Trek. While
Star Trek: Lower Decks is a half-hour, animated show at its core,
it’s undeniably Trek — and I promise not to add an episode at the
very end that reveals the whole thing took place in a training
program.”

Fans will recognize the Lower Decks title as referencing the name of
one of the best episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation. In 2011,
McMahan started a Twitter account posting fake TGN plots, then
scored a book deal to turn his tweets into Star Trek: The Next
Generation: Warped: An Engaging Guide to the Never-Aired 8th Season.

The new project will bring to mind Fox’s The Orville, a dramedy from
Family Guy‘s Seth MacFarlane which is clearly inspired by Trek.

And previously, there was a much-loved Star Trek: The Animated
Series which expanded on The Original Series episodes and ran from
1973-74 (but was not a comedy).

The new show is the latest Trek project by the CBS All Access
streaming service, which also has Star Trek: Discovery, which
returns for its second season in January, and a new show with
Patrick Stewart reprising his TNG character Jean-Luc Picard in the
works.

[Ted Nolan <tednolan>]

Post by Ubiquitous
And previously, there was a much-loved Star Trek: The Animated
Series which expanded on The Original Series episodes and ran from
1973-74 (but was not a comedy).

Though there were some comedy episodes (as in TOS).

Here's a no-brainer, which I am not sure why it has not already happened:

You have the animated series with the TOS original cast voices, some decent
scripts, and absolutely *awful* Filmation animation. Now is the time to
redo the series in CGI, keeping the original voice tracks and scripts.

[Adam H. Kerman]

Damn Ubi and his moronic crossposts; one group deleted which doesn't
exist. I don't know which other groups are real.

Post by Ted Nolan <tednolan>

Post by Ubiquitous
And previously, there was a much-loved Star Trek: The Animated
Series which expanded on The Original Series episodes and ran from
1973-74 (but was not a comedy).

Though there were some comedy episodes (as in TOS).
You have the animated series with the TOS original cast voices, some decent
scripts, and absolutely *awful* Filmation animation. Now is the time to
redo the series in CGI, keeping the original voice tracks and scripts.

I re-watched the series recently. The scripts were largely terrible. And
the voice tracks? Toss 'em. None of the actors recorded together and
there is no illusion that characters in the same scene were speaking to
each other.

[anim8rfsk]

Post by Adam H. Kerman
Damn Ubi and his moronic crossposts; one group deleted which doesn't
exist. I don't know which other groups are real.

Post by Ted Nolan <tednolan>

Post by Ubiquitous
And previously, there was a much-loved Star Trek: The Animated
Series which expanded on The Original Series episodes and ran from
1973-74 (but was not a comedy).

Though there were some comedy episodes (as in TOS).
You have the animated series with the TOS original cast voices, some decent
scripts, and absolutely *awful* Filmation animation. Now is the time to
redo the series in CGI, keeping the original voice tracks and scripts.

I re-watched the series recently. The scripts were largely terrible. And
the voice tracks? Toss 'em. None of the actors recorded together and
there is no illusion that characters in the same scene were speaking to
each other.

And yet somehow this then became standard for animation recordings.

[Adam H. Kerman]

Post by anim8rfsk

Post by Adam H. Kerman

Post by Ted Nolan <tednolan>

Post by Ubiquitous
And previously, there was a much-loved Star Trek: The Animated
Series which expanded on The Original Series episodes and ran from
1973-74 (but was not a comedy).

Though there were some comedy episodes (as in TOS).
You have the animated series with the TOS original cast voices, some decent
scripts, and absolutely *awful* Filmation animation. Now is the time to
redo the series in CGI, keeping the original voice tracks and scripts.

I re-watched the series recently. The scripts were largely terrible. And
the voice tracks? Toss 'em. None of the actors recorded together and
there is no illusion that characters in the same scene were speaking to
each other.

And yet somehow this then became standard for animation recordings.

Are you saying that this was the first time that voice acting for
animation was no longer being done radio style?

[anim8rfsk]

Post by Adam H. Kerman

Post by anim8rfsk

Post by Adam H. Kerman

Post by Ted Nolan <tednolan>

Post by Ubiquitous
And previously, there was a much-loved Star Trek: The Animated
Series which expanded on The Original Series episodes and ran from
1973-74 (but was not a comedy).

Though there were some comedy episodes (as in TOS).
You have the animated series with the TOS original cast voices, some decent
scripts, and absolutely *awful* Filmation animation. Now is the time to
redo the series in CGI, keeping the original voice tracks and scripts.

I re-watched the series recently. The scripts were largely terrible. And
the voice tracks? Toss 'em. None of the actors recorded together and
there is no illusion that characters in the same scene were speaking to
each other.

And yet somehow this then became standard for animation recordings.

Are you saying that this was the first time that voice acting for
animation was no longer being done radio style?

I'm sure it wasn't the first, but it was the benchmark at which the corner
turned and the Rec-V went off the cliff.

[Mike Van Pelt]

Post by Adam H. Kerman

Post by Ted Nolan <tednolan>
You have the animated series with the TOS original cast voices, some decent
scripts, and absolutely *awful* Filmation animation. Now is the time to
redo the series in CGI, keeping the original voice tracks and scripts.

I re-watched the series recently. The scripts were largely terrible. And
the voice tracks? Toss 'em. None of the actors recorded together and
there is no illusion that characters in the same scene were speaking to
each other.

I just noticed they were on NetFlix the other day, and
re-watched one I had fond memories of from back when it was
originally on TV, "The Jihad".

Some decent ideas and worldbuilding. I was particularly
intrigued by the Vedala "the oldest known species in the
galaxy", I think they said. My vague recollection from
1970mumble was that they'd said the Vedala were the founders
of the Federation, but that wasn't stated.

One thing I liked about the animated series was that freed from
the practical constraints of the aliens having to be humans in
rubber suits, the aliens weren't all humans in rubber suits.
Or with this week's fashion in forehead bumps.

Alas... Yeah. Wretched animation, really cut-rate.

The voice acting, they kind of seemed to be phoning it in.

The writing of this episode at least seemed mostly OK, probably
could have been carried with better voice acting.

One thing struck me -- I always thought that the original "Gene
Roddenberry" premise of Andromeda was "The Enterprise gets stuck
in a space-time wedgie for 300 years, and when it comes out, the
Federation has fallen, and all is barbarism. James Tomcat Kirk
takes it upon himself to re-build the Federation from scratch."
They filed off all the serial numbers and made it "Not Trek", of
course. Some was pretty good. Much was unspeakbly putrid.

Part of the background of Andromeda is that the Commonwealth was
founded by the Vedarans (?sp?) some 10,000 years ago.

That similarity of the name... I wonder if there's some
connection in whatever notes the writers of TAS may have been
working from? Was Roddenberry's concept (though never stated in
Star Trek, and contradicted by post-Roddenberry Trek) that the
Federation was much older than human space travel?

[Your Name]

Post by Mike Van Pelt

Post by Adam H. Kerman

Post by Ted Nolan <tednolan>
You have the animated series with the TOS original cast voices, some decent
scripts, and absolutely *awful* Filmation animation. Now is the time to
redo the series in CGI, keeping the original voice tracks and scripts.

I re-watched the series recently. The scripts were largely terrible. And
the voice tracks? Toss 'em. None of the actors recorded together and
there is no illusion that characters in the same scene were speaking to
each other.

I just noticed they were on NetFlix the other day, and
re-watched one I had fond memories of from back when it was
originally on TV, "The Jihad".
Some decent ideas and worldbuilding. I was particularly
intrigued by the Vedala "the oldest known species in the
galaxy", I think they said. My vague recollection from
1970mumble was that they'd said the Vedala were the founders
of the Federation, but that wasn't stated.
One thing I liked about the animated series was that freed from
the practical constraints of the aliens having to be humans in
rubber suits, the aliens weren't all humans in rubber suits.
Or with this week's fashion in forehead bumps.

<snip>

Even in the original Star Trek show not quite all the aliens were
humans in rubber suits / bumpy foreheads. For example, there was the
Horta and at least a couple of sparkly-cloud beings. :-)

[anim8rfsk]

Post by Your Name

Post by Mike Van Pelt

Post by Adam H. Kerman

Post by Ted Nolan <tednolan>
You have the animated series with the TOS original cast voices, some decent
scripts, and absolutely *awful* Filmation animation. Now is the time to
redo the series in CGI, keeping the original voice tracks and scripts.

I re-watched the series recently. The scripts were largely terrible. And
the voice tracks? Toss 'em. None of the actors recorded together and
there is no illusion that characters in the same scene were speaking to
each other.

I just noticed they were on NetFlix the other day, and
re-watched one I had fond memories of from back when it was
originally on TV, "The Jihad".
Some decent ideas and worldbuilding. I was particularly
intrigued by the Vedala "the oldest known species in the
galaxy", I think they said. My vague recollection from
1970mumble was that they'd said the Vedala were the founders
of the Federation, but that wasn't stated.
One thing I liked about the animated series was that freed from
the practical constraints of the aliens having to be humans in
rubber suits, the aliens weren't all humans in rubber suits.
Or with this week's fashion in forehead bumps.

<snip>
Even in the original Star Trek show not quite all the aliens were
humans in rubber suits / bumpy foreheads. For example, there was the
Horta and at least a couple of sparkly-cloud beings. :-)

Dogs with headgear! (Enemy Within) Balok! (Corbomite Maneuver)
Plastic Vomit/Three or four pounds of tapioca (Operation: Annihilate!)
Robots! (The Changeling) Giant Dragon Heads! (The Apple)
The Doomsday Machine! Dr. Suess Marionettes! (Catspaw)
Tribbles! Disembodied brains! (The Brainsters of Triskelion)
Giant Space Amoebas! (The Immunity Syndrome)
Sargon! (Return to Tomorrow) Space Cats! (Assignment: Earth)
Melcots! (Spectre of the Gun) Glowy pinwheels! (Day of the Dove)
Tholians! (and their Web) Glowy Face Effects! (Lights of Zetar)
Yarnak! (Maaaaaammmeeeeeeee, Maaaammeeeee)

[anim8rfsk]

Post by Mike Van Pelt

Post by Adam H. Kerman

Post by Ted Nolan <tednolan>
You have the animated series with the TOS original cast voices, some decent
scripts, and absolutely *awful* Filmation animation. Now is the time to
redo the series in CGI, keeping the original voice tracks and scripts.

I re-watched the series recently. The scripts were largely terrible. And
the voice tracks? Toss 'em. None of the actors recorded together and
there is no illusion that characters in the same scene were speaking to
each other.

I just noticed they were on NetFlix the other day, and
re-watched one I had fond memories of from back when it was
originally on TV, "The Jihad".
Some decent ideas and worldbuilding. I was particularly
intrigued by the Vedala "the oldest known species in the
galaxy", I think they said. My vague recollection from
1970mumble was that they'd said the Vedala were the founders
of the Federation, but that wasn't stated.
One thing I liked about the animated series was that freed from
the practical constraints of the aliens having to be humans in
rubber suits, the aliens weren't all humans in rubber suits.
Or with this week's fashion in forehead bumps.
Alas... Yeah. Wretched animation, really cut-rate.
The voice acting, they kind of seemed to be phoning it in.

That's an unavoidable side effect of recording each actor individually.
Without the other readings to react to, they go monotone. The Shat recorded
one of his eps in a toilet stall on location. They apparently sent out tape
recorders with the scripts; "here, read this into this and send it all back"

Post by Mike Van Pelt
The writing of this episode at least seemed mostly OK, probably
could have been carried with better voice acting.
One thing struck me -- I always thought that the original "Gene
Roddenberry" premise of Andromeda was "The Enterprise gets stuck
in a space-time wedgie for 300 years, and when it comes out, the
Federation has fallen, and all is barbarism. James Tomcat Kirk
takes it upon himself to re-build the Federation from scratch."
They filed off all the serial numbers and made it "Not Trek", of
course. Some was pretty good. Much was unspeakbly putrid.
Part of the background of Andromeda is that the Commonwealth was
founded by the Vedarans (?sp?) some 10,000 years ago.
That similarity of the name... I wonder if there's some
connection in whatever notes the writers of TAS may have been
working from? Was Roddenberry's concept (though never stated in
Star Trek, and contradicted by post-Roddenberry Trek) that the
Federation was much older than human space travel?

[Dimensional Traveler]

Post by anim8rfsk

Post by Mike Van Pelt

Post by Adam H. Kerman

Post by Ted Nolan <tednolan>
You have the animated series with the TOS original cast voices, some decent
scripts, and absolutely *awful* Filmation animation. Now is the time to
redo the series in CGI, keeping the original voice tracks and scripts.

I re-watched the series recently. The scripts were largely terrible. And
the voice tracks? Toss 'em. None of the actors recorded together and
there is no illusion that characters in the same scene were speaking to
each other.

I just noticed they were on NetFlix the other day, and
re-watched one I had fond memories of from back when it was
originally on TV, "The Jihad".
Some decent ideas and worldbuilding. I was particularly
intrigued by the Vedala "the oldest known species in the
galaxy", I think they said. My vague recollection from
1970mumble was that they'd said the Vedala were the founders
of the Federation, but that wasn't stated.
One thing I liked about the animated series was that freed from
the practical constraints of the aliens having to be humans in
rubber suits, the aliens weren't all humans in rubber suits.
Or with this week's fashion in forehead bumps.
Alas... Yeah. Wretched animation, really cut-rate.
The voice acting, they kind of seemed to be phoning it in.

That's an unavoidable side effect of recording each actor individually.
Without the other readings to react to, they go monotone. The Shat recorded
one of his eps in a toilet stall on location. They apparently sent out tape
recorders with the scripts; "here, read this into this and send it all back"

Hee. There was an episode of (I think) 'Dirty Jobs' where they showed
Mike Rowe (who does a lot of voice-over narration) sitting in the
bathtub of the hotel room under a blanket recording some voice-over stuff.

[anim8rfsk]

Post by anim8rfsk

Post by Mike Van Pelt

Post by Adam H. Kerman

Post by Ted Nolan <tednolan>
You have the animated series with the TOS original cast voices, some decent
scripts, and absolutely *awful* Filmation animation. Now is the time to
redo the series in CGI, keeping the original voice tracks and scripts.

I re-watched the series recently. The scripts were largely terrible. And
the voice tracks? Toss 'em. None of the actors recorded together and
there is no illusion that characters in the same scene were speaking to
each other.

I just noticed they were on NetFlix the other day, and
re-watched one I had fond memories of from back when it was
originally on TV, "The Jihad".
Some decent ideas and worldbuilding. I was particularly
intrigued by the Vedala "the oldest known species in the
galaxy", I think they said. My vague recollection from
1970mumble was that they'd said the Vedala were the founders
of the Federation, but that wasn't stated.
One thing I liked about the animated series was that freed from
the practical constraints of the aliens having to be humans in
rubber suits, the aliens weren't all humans in rubber suits.
Or with this week's fashion in forehead bumps.
Alas... Yeah. Wretched animation, really cut-rate.
The voice acting, they kind of seemed to be phoning it in.

That's an unavoidable side effect of recording each actor individually.
Without the other readings to react to, they go monotone. The Shat recorded
one of his eps in a toilet stall on location. They apparently sent out tape
recorders with the scripts; "here, read this into this and send it all back"

Hee. There was an episode of (I think) 'Dirty Jobs' where they showed
Mike Rowe (who does a lot of voice-over narration) sitting in the
bathtub of the hotel room under a blanket recording some voice-over stuff.

heh

[anim8rfsk]

Post by Ted Nolan <tednolan>

Post by Ubiquitous
And previously, there was a much-loved Star Trek: The Animated
Series which expanded on The Original Series episodes and ran from
1973-74 (but was not a comedy).

Though there were some comedy episodes (as in TOS).
You have the animated series with the TOS original cast voices, some decent
scripts, and absolutely *awful* Filmation animation. Now is the time to
redo the series in CGI, keeping the original voice tracks and scripts.

That's been suggested many times. Remember that Paramount would have just
done it with anybody that happened to be in the office that day, like they
did with 'remastered'

[Ubiquitous]

Post by Ted Nolan <tednolan>

Post by Ubiquitous
And previously, there was a much-loved Star Trek: The Animated
Series which expanded on The Original Series episodes and ran from
1973-74 (but was not a comedy).

Though there were some comedy episodes (as in TOS).
You have the animated series with the TOS original cast voices, some decent
scripts, and absolutely *awful* Filmation animation. Now is the time to
redo the series in CGI, keeping the original voice tracks and scripts.

Alas, the scripts were awful as well.