Star Trek: Lower Deckshas a perfect way to jump to live-action if Tawny Newsome’sStar Trekcomedy happens.Star Trek: Lower Decksseason 5is the final season on Paramount+, and it’s unclear what’s next for Newsome’s Lt. Beckett Mariner, Jack Quaid’s Lt. Brad Boimler, and their fellow Lower Deckers on the USS Cerritos.Star Trek: Lower Deckscreator Mike McMahan hinted that his animated comedy’s finale will close a chapter on the Lower Deckers' lives.Perhaps Tawny Newsome can help determine what’s next.
Tawny Newsome and Jack Quaid were able to portray Mariner and Boimler in live-action inStar Trek: Strange New Worldsseason 2’s acclaimed comedic crossover. Even though Newsome is saying goodbye to voicing Mariner onStar Trek: Lower Decks,she has become a creative force behind the scenes forStar Trek.Star Trekexecutive producerAlex Kurtzman praised Newsome as"a stone-cold assassin"as a writer and brought Tawny into the writer’s room ofStar Trek: Starfleet Academy.From that success, Newsome and Justin Simien began developingStar Trek’s first live-action workplace comedy, which was announced at San Diego Comic-Con.
Tawny Newsome’s Star Trek Comedy Can Bring Lower Decks To Live Action
It’s part of Newsome’s plan
Tawny Newsome’s live-actionStar Trekcomedy could be where she and herStar Trek: Lower Deckscast mates revive their characters, but this time, in the flesh. In an interview withCinemaBlend,Newsome affirmed that her in-developmentStar Trekcomedy is set in Star Trek: Picard’s 25th-century era by design so thatcharacters fromLower DecksandPicardcan potentially appear, and be roughly the appropriate ages of the characters who play them. Check out Tawny’s quote below:
I mean, I always wanna work with my friends. So yes, without being able to like – there’s not even anything to spoil – I can definitely say that part of my and Justin’s idea for setting it in the 25th century was so that everybody that we’ve come to love in the franchise, like everyone in the Picard era, all of our friends here from Lower Decks, like the possibility is definitely there. That was why I was like, this is the time period I want so that we don’t have to [de-age] Jonathan Frakes' face [laughs]. Like let, let everybody kind of be vaguely the ages they are. We have nothing actually planned so this isn’t a spoiler, but that was definitely the promise of setting it in that time period.
Star Trek: Picardseason 3 endedin 2402, and Tawny Newsome and Justin Simien’sStar Trekcomedy is set afterward or around that same time frame. Their in-development comedy is reportedlya workplace comedy set on a pleasure planet, which opens the door for all manner ofStar Trekcharacters to appear, perhaps looking for shore leave. But it also sounds like creating a means forStar Trek: Lower Deckscast to reprise their characters in live-action was part of Newsome’s design. Although the Lower Deckers would be roughly 20 years older inPicard’s 25th century, Jack Quaid, Noël Wells, and Eugene Cordero have already toldScreen Rantthey’d love to play their Lower Deckers in live-action.
Star Trek: Legacy Could Partly Happen In Tawny Newsome’s Comedy
Newsome’s show could be the next place to see Star Trek: Legacy characters
Tawny Newsome mentioning not having to de-age Jonathan Frakes in her untitledStar Trekworkplace comedy indicates she and Justin Simien have an eye on incorporatingStar Trek: Picard’s characterslast seen at the end of season 3.Picardwrapped with an unfulfilled setup for a continuation about Captain Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan) and the USS Enterprise-G that has been dubbedStar Trek: Legacy.However,Paramount+ never putStar Trek: Legacyin development; while the cast and creative team have expressed their desire to return,Picard season 3 showrunner Terry Matalas moved on to new projects at Marvel Studios and 20th Century Studios.
I’m Doubtful Star Trek: Legacy Will Actually Happen (While 1 Other Show Is Still Airing)
As much as I want to see Star Trek: Legacy with Jeri Ryan as Captain Seven of Nine, we might have to wait for another Star Trek to end.
It’s quite possible thatStar Trek: Legacyis a pie-in-the-sky idea that may not come to fruition. However,Tawny Newsome’sStar Trekcomedy could incorporateStar Trek: Legacyguest stars.The comedic possibilities of Captain Seven of Nine, Commander Raffi Musiker (Michelle Hurd), and Ensign Jack Crusher (Ed Speleers) staying in a dysfunctional resort world are endless. PerhapsCaptain Will Riker(Jonathan Frakes) and his wife, Counselor Deanna Troi (Marina Sirtis), could even vacation on Tawny Newsome’sStar Trekpleasure planet.
Will Tawny Newsome’s Star Trek Comedy Happen?
Paramount+ hasn’t greenlit Newsome’s Star Trek show
Tawny Newsome was quick to stress toCinemaBlendthather untitledStar Trekcomedy is only in developmentand that she and Justin Simien have not received a green light from Paramount+. Star Trek on Paramount+ has scaled down to just three upcoming projects:Star Trek: Section 31, which premieres as the firstStar Trekstreaming movie on July 13, 2025,Star Trek: Strange New Worldsseason 3 in 2025, and season 4 in 2026, andStar Trek: Starfleet Academy, which is filming season 1 and 2 back-to-back for potential 2026 and 2027 premieres.
Tawny Newsome’s untitled Star Trek workplace comedy seems to be designed with a welcome open-door policy for Star Trek: Lower Decks characters to appear in live-action.
It’s possible that Star Trek on Paramount+ may ramp up moreStar Trekproductionfollowing the end ofStar Trek: Discovery, Star Trek: Picard, Star Trek: Lower Decks,andStar Trek: Prodigyon the streamer. If so, Tawny Newsome and Justin Simien’s untitledStar Trekworkplace comedy is in a prime position to go from development to production. While Newsome and Simien will populate their show with new and original characters, Tawny Newsome’s untitledStar Trekworkplace comedy seems to be designed with a welcome open-door policy forStar Trek: Lower Deckscharacters to appear in live-action.
