Warning: contains spoilers forStar Trek: Lower Decks#1!
Star Trek: Lower Decks, to the disappointment of many, will soon be ending its five-season run on Paramount +, but its story continues on in IDW’s excellent comic adaptation. One of the signature shows ofStar Trek’snew era,Lower Decks,is a loving send-up of the franchise, made by fans for fans. Thisspirit is on display inStar Trek: Lower Decks#1.
Star Trek: Lower Decks#1 is written by Ryan North and drawn by Derek Charm. TheCerritosand its crew are caught in a rut, with no truly exciting missions. Bored beyond belief, some of the crew, such as Beckett Mariner, are losing their minds. Salvation comes when theCerritosdiscover a derelict ship from the past. As theCerritosinvestigate, they find a mystery that ties back to one ofStar Trek: The Animated Series’best episodes.North and Charm packLower Decks’first issue withTrek-related Easter Eggs, which is a hallmark of the show.
Star Trek: Lower Decks Is a True Love Letter to the Franchise
Star Trek: Lower DecksHas Already Proven It Can Work in Comic Book Form
Star Trek: Lower Deckswas created by Mike McMahan, who also worked onRick and Morty.
Premiering in 2020,Star Trek: Lower Deckswas unique among the franchise. While notTrek’sfirst animated outing,Lower Deckswas different. Rather than focus on senior officers,Lower Decksfollowed a group of ensigns at the beginning of their Starfleet careers.Lower Deckswas notable for taking a lighter tone than otherTrekshows, which made it controversial at first.Lower Deckshas since been embraced byStar Trekfans, thanks to the unbridled love the show’s producers have for the source material.It is not uncommon forLower Decksto dive deep intoTreklore to mine jokes.
IDW’s line ofStar Trekcomics has so far netted four Eisner nominations, including Best New Series, Best One-Shot and Best Colorist.
IDW, who has held the rights to produceStar Trekcomics since 2006, released aLower Decksminiseries shortly after the show premiered. Written by North (who writes this new series) and drawn by Chris Fenoglio, the three-issue series perfectly replicated the show’s vibe, and set the stage for otherLower Deckscomics. IDW thenreleasedDay of Blood: Shaxs’ Best Day,by the same creative team behind the newLower Deckscomic. The one-shot was nominated for an Eisner. Finally, IDW released a special, interactiveLower Decksgraphic novel, titledWarp Your Own Way.
Ryan North and Derek Charm Know What Makes Star Trek: Lower Decks Special
The Future (On-Screen) ForStar Trek: Lower DecksIs Bleak–But It’s Bright in the Comics
Now, North and Charm have reunited for the first issue ofIDW’s newStar Trek: Lower Deckscomic.The duo recreate the tone ofLower Decksperfectly.Lower Decksstrikes a balance between irreverence and respect, and North and Charm have not forgotten this.North manages to duplicate the speech ofLower Decks’characters, and fans can actually hear the characters speak these lines in their mind. The issue’s opening sequence, where theCerritosis sent on a series of boring missions, riffs on famousStar Trekepisodes, such as “Miri,” keeping the Easter Egg tradition alive.
Star Trek: Lower Decks Just Debuted Its Own Version of Data
Star Trek Lower Decks regularly sends up franchise tropes, and now it pokes fun at Data, as Rutherford and Tindi create their own version of him.
Unfortunately,Star Trek: Lower Decksends after its current season wraps up. This move was greeted by confusion and anger by fans, who felt the show still had stories left in it. North and Charm have proven the fans were correct, as they create aLower Decksstory that stands right next to anything on television. While fans wait to see ifStar Trek: Lower Decksreturns in a new form, IDW has them covered with a new comic series that keeps the show’s spirit alive.
