SDCC 2019: 'Star Trek: Discovery' s3, 'Picard', 'Lower Decks' and 'Short Treks' to be released by CBS in 2020
The 'Enter the Star Trek Universe' panel during the San Diego Comic-Con 2019 can be termed a panel for the ages. In many ways, the title of the session was aptly named as fans were given a glimpse of what they could expect in the days to come.
The CBS series 'Star Trek: Discovery' released in 2017 and has had two impressive outings leaving fans to look forward to how the third season would pan out. One reward came in the form of executive producer Alex Kurtzman revealing that the plotline of season 3 is set 1000 years into the future.
He said there will be things fans will and won't recognize, and while they’re shaking things up, they aren’t erasing anything. “Don’t worry,” Kurtzman said. "It’s still Star Trek and it will always be Star Trek the way Gene Roddenberry wanted it."
The third installment will also see 'Supergirl' star David Ajala making an appearance. He plays Book, a character that Ajala terms "mischievous." Actor Sonequa Martin-Green also said the team would not end up on Terralusium as they had planned, but rather on a planet, no one knew about. They pass through the wormhole only to find themselves a thousand years into the future.
'Discovery' was just the beginning as 'Star Trek: Lower Decks' stepped up to dish out more of what was in store - a half-hour animated show from Mike McMahan. It followed four Ensigns on the USS Cerritos, a California class ship.
The main characters are Ensign Beckett Mariner (voiced by Tawny Newsome), Ensign Brad Boimler (Jack Quaid), Ensign Tendi (Noël Wells), and Ensign Rutherford (Eugene Cordero).
Mariner was described as someone terrific at her job, but preferred skateboarding and hence was never promoted. Boimler is smart, but way too nervous and is caught up in his own head, Tendi is a medical officer and enthusiastic on her first day. Rutherford cannot get anything done and he's dealing with the cyborg eye he's just got put in.
McMahan said the show won't take digs at 'Star Trek' but derives its humor from the characters. He also went on to say the show will be filled with references that would delight fans. The icing on the cake came when 'Star Trek: Picard' took the spotlight and Sir Patrick Stewart walked into a crowd that gave him a rousing welcome.
A trailer for the much-anticipated TV series was launched. It was revealed that Brent Spiner, Jonathan Del Arco, Jonathan Frakes and Star Trek: Voyager's Jeri Ryan will be appearing with the 'Star Trek: The Next Generation' captain when he returns.
Talking about 'Picard', executive Producer, Alex Kurtzman explained that the show is very different in tone from 'Discovery' and that Stewart pushed the creators to think outside the box, "And (to think) about what was important about the box that everybody loves so much, so we asked a lot of questions about what Trek meant to each of us," he said.
Producer Akiva Goldsman explained that 'Picard; wasn't exactly a sequel to 'The Next Generation'. "It’s a bit of a hybrid," he said — slower, more gentle, more character-based. He called it “a new kind of 'Star Trek' show made by people who love old 'Star Trek' shows."
CBS also announced the standalone mini-series 'Short Treks' would be brought back. The series was introduced alongside 'Discovery' last year and was used to showcase more about Discovery's different characters.
'Star Trek: Discovery' season 3, 'Star Trek: Picard', and 'Star Trek: Lower Decks' all come to CBS All Access in 2020.