Space may be the final frontier, but the officers of Starfleet are constantly making new and exciting discoveries across the Star Trek universe. But back in 2020, former Rick and Morty writer and Solar Opposites co-creator Mike McMahon was tasked with an unprecedented mission. You might even say that McMahon and company were venturing into the undiscovered country as they developed the first comedy in the franchise’s history. Now, four years and five seasons later, Star Trek: Lower Decks has become a welcome addition to the long-running canon started by Gene Roddenberry in the 1960s. 

Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end. The fifth season of the animated Paramount+ series will also be the final one. To celebrate all things Lower Decks, the Newport Beach Film Festival hosted a screening of the two-episode premiere. And to make the night at the historic Lido Theater even more special, McMahon and stars Jerry O’Connell, Noël Wells, and Eugene Cordero joined a packed house of Star Trek fans for a post-screening Q&A. 

Before the evening got started, That Hashtag Show was able to speak with the members of the Cerritos crew, starting with the show’s creator and the ship’s first officer.   

A Commander’s Ransom: Jerry O’Connell on Star Trek: Lower Decks

During our chat about Star Trek: Lower Decks, we started by focusing on Jerry O’Connell’s Commander Jack Ransom, the second highest ranking officer on the USS Cerritos who can be quite goofy at times. But serving under Captain Carol Freeman, Ransom received an excellent education in being a leader, which he then passed on to Mariner, Boimler, and the rest of the crew. But here’s what the actor known for his roles in such beloved projects as Stand By Me, Sliders, and Jerry Maguire really attributes Commander Ransom’s leadership abilities to.

Jerry O’Connell: I think it’s his complete dedication to Starfleet. He really believes in Starfleet and he trusts the process. And I got to tell you, it’s a little bit like coming in and working under Mike McMahon. He’s my captain. I do what he tells me because I trust Starfleet and I trust Mike McMahon. [Star Trek: Lower Decks has] been a really special show to work on. I think the fans are going to be really happy with this final season.

THS: With so many memorable moments and quotes from Ransom throughout the run of the show, do you have a favorite?

Jerry O’Connell: I was fighting a monster and they were going to have me use the double fisted punch that William Shatner famously used on the original series. Mike McMahon said to me, “Hey, Jerry, do you think you can quickly say [the line]? Because it’s already animated.” So my punch comes fast. Like one second. And so we did a number of takes where I just went, “Double fisted Kirk punch!” “Double fisted Kirk punch!” And then when I saw my character punch the alien with the William Shatner double fisted Kirk punch, I just knew we were working on something special.

Strange New Worlds

Next, despite the fifth season of Lower Decks being the last one, O’Connell and McMahon are confident that the Lower Deckers will live on in one way or another. At the very least, if not literally, then spiritually. And thanks to the warm reception to the special crossover episode where stars Tawny Newsom and Jack Quaid brought their animated characters to life, potentially in live-action? 

Jerry O’Connell: I mean, it’s Star Trek. Does anybody ever really go away? Riker has been in a couple seasons of Picard. I don’t think this is the end for any of us. From a timeline standpoint, I don’t think I could get on the Enterprise with my wife, [Star Trek: Strange New Worlds star Rebecca Romijn] but you never know.

Mike McMahon: I would love these characters to live on past the show. But this show is made by an army of amazing artists and amazing art directors. The characters really live and breathe in animation. That’s how they were designed. To me, [this is] the truest form of this show. I can’t cut anybody out of the process that made this beautiful thing. Yes, I loved when Tawny and Jack went live action and I loved when we got to have animation be a part of that. And to me, animation is just as fun as live action. I would love to do a big animated movie. I would love to do big live action movie. I’d like to do a little series. I just really love these characters and how they inhabit the world of Star Trek. I think they work in everything. I think eventually, like right now, I don’t want to share my toys. I’m like, “No, I want to do that!” But I really want to see the show that Tawny’s making. I think it sounds cool. I really want to see Starfleet Academy. There’s a lot more fun to be had. And, yeah, I would love to continue the stories of these guys.

McMahon Champions The (Ryan) North Star

While a show or a movie isn’t currently in the cards for ensigns-turned-lieutenants (junior grade) Bradward Boimler, Beckett Mariner, D’vana Tendi, and Samanthan Rutherford at the moment, their previously untold adventures will be revealed thanks to IDW Publishing. Back at San Diego Comic-Con 2024, the company announced that they would be following up their Eisner-nominated one-shot Star Trek: Day of Blood – Shaxs’ Best Day and fan-favorite 2022 miniseries with an all-new Star Trek: Lower Decks ongoing series. Writer Ryan North and artist Derek Charm will return to Starfleet for the first issue, then a different artist will join the book for each new “episode.” Ahead of the premiere issue landing at local comic shops on November 13, 2024, McMahon revealed that he has been working with North and the rest of the team to insure the cohesiveness of this transition from screen to page.

Mike McMahon: I’ve been working with them the entire time. I handpicked Ryan because I’m a huge fan of his work. Not only in comics, but also web comics going way back and everything he writes. Every script that he writes comes to me. I approve all the art. I see everything as it’s coming through because I’m a big comic nerd, too. But it’s literally just because I love Ryan and I love the comics. Everything that’s coming down that you guys haven’t seen yet, I’ve been seeing all of it. And it’s cool because they’ve gotten really good. I don’t have to tell them where the sweet spot of the show is anymore. Instead, I can just guardrail a little bit and be like, “Oh, that character you guys are using, he’s actually on the Alhambra” and like stuff like that. And it means I get to see stories that we would never be able to tell in the show in another format. I grew up reading comics that were related to Star Trek and Star Wars and even The Simpsons. It’s cool to have an entire other avenue to enjoy the show. 

THS: Is the comic series going to be a sequel to the to the show or additional adventures that we didn’t get to see? 

Mike McMahon: It’s really like takes place in between existing episodes. It doesn’t happen after because those guys haven’t even seen how the show resolves. So that’ll be a conversation for another day with them, I think.

Generations – The Future of Star Trek

Finally, we ended our chat by discussing the legacy that Star Trek: Lower Decks will leave behind. Obviously, it’s already earned a spot in the history books as the first comedy in the series, as welll as the first animated series since Star Trek: The Animated Series. But fans have fully embraced this corner of the franchise whether they’ve been long-time members of the fandom or newly minted Trekkers. And now as the end approaches, both O’Connell and McMahon share their hopes for the crew of the Cerritos when their last mission is completed.

Jerry O’Connell: In true Ransom form, I want the Cerritos to go down as one of the more important ships in Starfleet. I want the Cerritos right up there with the Titan. Up there with the Enterprise! I want to make sure that the Cerritos gets the respect that it deserves. There’s a great crew on the Cerritos and I’m really proud of all of them.

Mike McMahon: I hope it’s one of the Star Trek [shows] that you can use to get new fans into the franchise. Or if you’ve been watching from the very get go, it’s like a joke that you can enjoy in a way that a new fan would have to watch 800 other episodes to get. If it can live in both of those realms, for the new fans and also for the long-time fans, then I think we’ve far overshot my my best intentions.

New episodes of the fifth and final season of Star Trek: Lower Decks premiere on Paramount+ every Thursday, with the series finale dropping on December 19, 2024.