After Star Trek: The Original Series concluded in 1969, followers have been left pining for extra thrilling area adventures involving Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner), his first officer Spock (Leonard Nimoy), Doctor Leonard McCoy (DeForest Kelley), chief engineer Montgomery “Scotty” Scott (James Doohan), chief communications officer Nyota Uhura (Nichelle Nichols), and helmsman Hikaru Sulu (George Takei). And so, thought-about by many Trekkies as TOS’ unofficial fourth season, The Animated Series was born, furthering the beloved Starfleet crew’s exploration of the Milky Way. Plots included being pulled right into a demise star, getting poisoned by a strolling plant, encountering hostile Klingons, and chasing an outlaw buying and selling in pretend love crystals.
The present solely lasted for 2 seasons, and the forged wasn’t seen as an ensemble once more till the movement footage. Meanwhile, 4 extra live-action reveals expanded the franchise and launched a plethora of memorable characters. Dozens of movies and collection later, the brand new and present Star Trek period, which was ushered in 2017 by Star Trek: Discovery and remains to be going sturdy, has produced two extra animated TV collection: Lower Decks and Prodigy.
Here is how the three animated reveals stack towards one another.
Star Trek: The Animated Series (1973 -1974)
Directed by Hal Sutherland and Bill Reed and that includes a lot of the unique forged, the 22 episodes of The Animated Series aired on NBC on Saturday mornings from September 8, 1973, to October 12, 1974. Due to finances restraints, the character of Pavel Chekov (Walter Koenig) didn’t return, however was changed by the Edosian alien Lieutenant Arex, additionally voiced by Doohan.
Except for the primary three episodes, which have been recorded as an ensemble, TAS was criticized for its chunky voice enhancing. Additionally, given the return of a lot of the unique forged, not a lot of the allotted finances was left for an in depth and practical animation. Per AV Club, “The characters all look roughly like their real-life counterparts, but shots are often composed at weird, Bergman-esque angles, with faces looming half into frame. Backgrounds are re-used, as are certain basic animations: there are a couple shots of Spock using equipment on the bridge that you’ll see maybe a thousand times if you go through all 22 episodes. Worse, the faces of the characters aren’t hugely expressive, which becomes a problem whenever a camera cuts to a non-speaker for a reaction shot.”
Nevertheless, the present’s second season received an Emmy for Outstanding Entertainment – Children’s Series in 1975, and the characters returned collectively within the franchise’s first live-action movie, Star Trek: The Motion Picture, in 1979.
Star Trek: Lower Decks (2020 – Present)
Created by Mike McMahan, the grownup animation Lower Decks premiered in 2020 and options 25-minute-long episodes. The most important forged consists of Jack Quaid because the proficient by-the-book command junior officer Brad Boimler; Tawny Newsome because the overbearing and fierce Beckett Mariner; Noël Wells because the optimistic and keen Orion science officer D’Vana Tendi; Eugene Cordero as Sam Rutherford, a younger engineer with a Vulcan cybernetic implant; Dawnn Lewis because the continually pissed off Captain Carol Freeman; Jerry O’Connell because the cocky First Officer Jack Ransom; Fred Tatasciore because the loud and courageous Bajoran Security Chief Shaxs; and Gillian Vigman because the grouchy cat-like alien Chief Medical Officer Dr. T’Ana.
The collection follows a minor ship, the USS Cerritos, within the late twenty fourth century, primarily from the viewpoint of the assist crew that crashes in bunk beds within the decrease decks. The widespread junior worker is lastly given a outstanding voice for the primary time within the franchise, and the characters have relatable and infrequently clashing personalities. Both the motion and the dialogue are fast-paced, and Trekkies have loved recognizing the plethora of Easter eggs referencing all previous Star Trek reveals and films, in addition to the entertaining cameos by beloved veterans, specifically Jonathan Frakes as Captain William T. Riker; Marina Sirtis as Commander Deanna Troi; George Takei as Captain Hikaru Sulu; Jeffrey Combs as AGIMUS; John de Lancie as Q; and Nana Visitor as Colonel Kira Nerys.
The present does poke enjoyable at canon characters and incidents, however it’s primarily a loving tribute encased in up to date and vivid packaging. As Inverse primarily places it, “Star Trek: Lower Decks does not go boldly where no franchise series has gone before, and that’s what makes it brilliant. What began as the riskiest new Star Trek show isn’t an underdog anymore, it’s now top dog.”
Star Trek: Prodigy (2021 – Present)
In January 2019, govt producer Alex Kurzman introduced an upcoming kids-focused, totally 3D-animated Trek present, the primary of its sort within the franchise. Because followers of Star Trek: Voyager, which concluded in 2001, have missed Captain Kathryn Janeway, who was portrayed by Kate Mulgrew (Red in Orange Is the New Black), govt producers/co-creators Kevin and Dan Hageman introduced her again in Star Trek: Prodigy, whose 24-minute-long episodes stream on Paramount+ and air on Nickelodeon.
The story begins in 2383. Five years after USS Voyager’s return from the Delta Quadrant, a gaggle of younger aliens discover an deserted Starfleet ship, the USS Protostar. As they journey to the Alpha Quadrant, they have to be taught to perform collectively as an environment friendly crew. The most important voices embrace Brett Gray because the augmented human Dal R’El; Ella Purnell because the gifted linguist Gwyndala; Jason Mantzoukas because the augmented Tellarite Jankom Pog; and Angus Imrie because the energy-based lifeform Zero.
In an interview for TrekFilm, when requested what probably the most tough factor to adapt from Star Trek for a youngsters’ present was, Dan Hageman replied, “We always try to blur the line. We never really view it as a kid show. We view it as a show for people who don’t know Star Trek, young or old. And so, we always had that perspective of the outsider, and that freed us up. We wanted to keep the stakes real for an older audience. We never want to dumb things down for kids.”
As for longtime Trekkies, they’re undoubtedly divided. A reviewer on Rotten Tomatoes writes, “At first, I didn’t give it a shot because I thought I would be too old. A nice way to open up the franchise for younger viewers and a well-structured mix between stand-alone stories and the main storyline.” Another one says, “Apart from the truly annoying Dal R’ El, I absolutely love this! Like Lower Decks, it’s a breath of fresh in the Star Trek franchise!”
And a 3rd person concludes, “Put the show into another universe, and it would be an average story.”
Prodigy has confirmed common amongst younger audiences and is usually effectively acquired by critics; it even received the Children’s and Family Emmy for Outstanding Animated Series in 2022.