Star Trek: Lower Decks is an irreverent animated take on the Star Trek franchise, and has the unique advantage of being able to pull from the entire universe for source material.
For example, Betazoid/human officer Deanna Troi from The Next Generation made an appearance in last year’s finale, along with Captain William Riker.
In this year’s finale, the show is once again bringing back someone from The Next Generation, although maybe someone not as well known. The show will bring back Sonia Gomez. Who, you ask?
Gomez appeared in two episodes of TNG. She’s best known for the one who accidentally spilled hot chocolate on Captain Picard on the episode Q Who?
After the incident, she was known as Ensign Hot Chocolate, or HC for short.
Here’s that clip:
Now, Gomez is a captain. She’s played by the same actress from the show (Lycia Naff), so there’s some good continuity there.
Here’s a peek of the finale:
The animated show is fairly different from other Star Trek properties in that it intentionally follows the misadventures of the lesser-known characters on a Starfleet ship. It’s set in 2380 on the U.S.S. Cerritos, one of the least important ships in the Star Trek fleet.
This isn’t the first time the stories in the Star Trek universe have been animated. Another show, Star Trek: The Animated Series, ran from 1973 to 1974. This show, however, is much more adult in themes, humor, and presentation.
Star Trek: Lower Decks features the voice talents of Jerry O’Connell, Jack Quaid, Noel Wells, and Eugene Cordero. It airs on Paramount Plus, but it premiered on CBS All Access on Aug. 6, 2020. A third season is currently in production.