Star Trek: Lower Decks is one of the more unique takes on the Star Trek property that have come out in a while. A fully animated, upbeat comedy series, the show stars some of the less glamorous workers on the U.S.S. Cerritos, one of the Starfleet's least important ships. With a new take on the universe however, comes the inevitable complaints from those who preferred the old versions of the property, and so quite a few voices rose in protests against this silly new version of their beloved sci-fi property. It was a protest that showrunner Mike McMahan found rather unsurprising.
When asked by Variety if he was at all shocked by the anger from some fans, he responded in the negative. "No, not at all. I mean, fans are taking issue with every season of Star Trek that has come out since the original series, and they didn’t watch TOS until it was in syndication. If fans hadn’t taken issue with everything, I would have been blown away." There was the sense that McMahan was prepared to make something that wouldn't resonate with everyone, and indeed it seems some more die-hard fans of Star Trek were unwilling to see the series dip its toes into the realms of animated comedy.
Star Trek: Lower Decks isn't the first parody of Star Trek, but it may be the first parody of Star Trek to carry the weight of the original brand. McMahan spoke to the challenge of creating a spoof of a property while still having to exist within that same property's continuity. "The thing that was scary to me was that you have stuff that works like Galaxy Quest and The Orville — they’re just not Star Trek, which is fine. They’re almost Star Trek. My challenge — this was my chance to get to make a Star Trek that I was proud of. And I really honestly felt like, listen, I’m going to do the best show that I can possibly do on a day-to-day basis, that really fulfills the joy and the sanctity that Star Trek has to me."
It seems that McMahan has a love for the series that runs deep, and it explains why he was so eager to take the helm of this latest version. Ultimately, no show is going to please everyone, and when it comes to the displeased fans, McMahan had only this to say: "They might not be fans of animation. They might not be fans of adult animation. They might not be fans of my type of adult animation. I can’t really control that." It is, at the very least, a healthy attitude to take towards criticism, accepting that at the end of the day, some things are simply out of his control.
Star Trek: Lower Decks is currently available on CBS All Access
Source: Variety