Mike McMahan Can Save Star Trek
Mike McMahan joined the legions of Star Trek fans who mourned the premature cancellation of Lower Decks, his seminal animated comedy that has consistently been the best part of the NuTrek era. In a recent interview with TrekMovie, he confirmed that he plans to bide his time and, with the help of those same fans, make a serious push to eventually bring his show back. This would do more than bring back a killer comedy…the return of Lower Decks would, in many ways, save Star Trek from the most pernicious enemy it has ever faced: Paramount.
In that same interview, Mike McMahan pointed out that the end of Lower Decks isn’t the end of new franchise content, mentioning how much he is excited to see Section 31, Starfleet Academy, and further seasons of Strange New Worlds. Why, then, are we making the bold proclamation that it will take the return of Lower Decks to save Star Trek? Frankly, we don’t need the telepathic powers of a Betazoid to know that Paramount execs have no idea what they are doing with this beloved franchise.
The Future Of Star Trek
Let’s start with an important disclaimer: Strange New Worlds is a nearly perfect show, and we join Mike McMahan in his enthusiasm for it. However, the future of the entire franchise can’t rest on the well-toned shoulders of Ansom Mount’s Captain Pike, and it’s important for Paramount to focus on future productions to keep the franchise healthy. Unfortunately, everything we know about the current productions points to the overwhelming need for something, anything, to save Star Trek from its current creators.
Section 31 looks to be a creative misfire for many reasons, including the fact that a series planned around Oscar-winning actor Michelle Yeoh suddenly got downgraded into a made-for-TV movie that nobody really cares about. Once it releases, it will be difficult to vibe with a cast of new characters that we’ll likely never see again. And like many Trek fans, we’re not entirely comfortable with the franchise going all in on the idea of Section 31 because such a rogue, wetworks-intensive Starfleet organization seems contrary to all of the franchise’s core idealism.
Starfleet Academy has built quite a great cast, but at the end of the day, it’s a spinoff of Discovery, a show that turned off so many fans that Paramount prematurely canceled what was once its flagship series. Beyond that and an untitled Office-like series, the only known production on the horizon is a similarly untitled Star Trek origin movie featuring humanity’s early encounters with aliens and the formation of the Federation. Considering that we’ve already covered that ground with First Contact and Enterprise, it’s quite apparent Paramount is willing to cannibalize its beloved shows and movies in a desperate attempt to create a hit new film.
How Mike McMahan Can Save Star Trek
All of this leads us to why Mike McMahan’s plans might be the only thing that can save Star Trek. Now that Paramount has made it clear that we’ll never be getting the Star Trek Legacy show everyone wants, Lower Decks remains the only NuTrek content willing to consistently engage with our favorite classic characters. After all, it’s the show that brought back everyone from Garak to Bashir to Tom Paris and the TNG bad boy he’s based on.
And even if you don’t love Mike McMahan’s sense of humor, it’s always been clear that Lower Decks was made by people who grew up as fans of Gene Roddenberry’s hit franchise. These writers consistently manage to tell new stories while diving into old lore in a way that doesn’t disrupt existing canon. That may not sound so hard on paper, but when you look at all the canon-shattering happening in Discovery and even Strange New Worlds, it’s easier to respect the hard work that goes into every frame of Lower Decks.
The return of that show could save Star Trek. In fact, it’s looking increasingly like it might be the only thing that can do so. As much as we’re looking forward to the laughs Tawny Newsome will bring to her upcoming live-action Trek show (the aforementioned Office-like series), we can’t wait for her to return to voicing the rebellious Mariner. Judging from the bevy of mistakes that Paramount has made with this franchise in recent years, it’s clear they could learn a thing or two from Mariner about breaking the rules, especially if it means returning us (as Lower Decks so often did) to Star Trek’s golden age.
Source: TrekMovie
Login with Google