Star Trek: Lower Decks Panel At Comic-Con@Home 2021
3 min read
The second Trek panel at Comic-Con@Home 2021 spotlighted Star Trek: Lower Decks. In attendance were Jerry O’Connell (Commander Jack Ransom) as the moderator, Tawny Newsome (Ensign Beckett Mariner), Jack Quaid (Ensign Brad Boimler), Eugene Cordero (Ensign Rutherford), and Executive Producer/Showrunner/Creator Mike McMahan. Noel Wells (D’Vana Tendi) was not in attendance, but sent a brief video message for fans.
Fan reaction was a topic of discussion in the panel, with Newsome enjoying the fan response to Lower Decks. “I love this fandom,” she said. “Everyone’s so great and sweet and welcoming and funny.”
“The fans were so amazing right out of the gate, and I couldn’t be more grateful,” said Quaid.
O’Connell explained how he viewed Lower Decks. Lower Decks is “the canon downbeat,” he said. “We don’t hit you over the head with stuff, but we give you what you want.”
So what can fans expect in Season Two? “Some more of [Mariner and Freeman] attempting to work together,” said Newsome. Mariner “defines herself through rebellion. When that rebellion is taken away, how do you function?
“It’s going to get sticky and it’s weird and difficult for both of them.”
Season Two is funnier, bigger, [and] the same length as the first season,” said McMahan. “It’s a blast. Right now, we’re putting the final audio polishes, the final special effects polishes, fixing the animation. Like when somebody comes back and they’re just covered in pips. They’ve got one hundred pips, all over their shirt. We gotta take off ninety-nine of those pips.
“We left a lot of bills to pay with characters and with what was going on in the world and we just keep at it. There is a really great mix of serious Trek and silly Trek. Because if you’re on a Starfleet ship, you don’t know if you’re going to encounter the Jem’Hadar or a guy who traps you in a game, you know what I mean?”
“Expect to see some familiar faces,” McMahan added. “You’ll see a lot of new stuff. I can’t wait to share it with everybody.”
That new stuff will include, said Newsome, “glimpses of slightly different uniforms.”
Will there be more of the Pakleds in Season Two? “The Pakleds were a big bad force that has been growing out there that has to be dealt with,” said McMahan. “Every once in a while, because (the Cerritos) did encounter the Pakled first, they do get involved in some stuff. You’ll see the Titan kind of having to deal with more Pakled stuff. ‘Cause the Titan‘s a little bit more equipped and Riker kicks a little more butt.”
And expect two familiar Trek actors voicing a collectible plate (yes, that’s correct) and an evil computer which taunts Newsome.
After that, the new trailer was shown which can be seen in the article posted earlier this afternoon.
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