WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.083 --> 00:00:01.126 Star Trek is back 2 00:00:01.126 --> 00:00:02.961 with the premiere of Lower Deck Season 3, 3 00:00:02.961 --> 00:00:05.505 and I've got Creator/Showrunner Mike McMahan 4 00:00:05.505 --> 00:00:08.967 and Dawnnn Lewis in The Ready Room to discuss. 5 00:00:08.967 --> 00:00:13.054 But first, since I interviewed Mike and Dawnn, 6 00:00:13.054 --> 00:00:15.849 the Star Trek family and Star Trek community 7 00:00:15.849 --> 00:00:18.143 lost one of our brightest stars. 8 00:00:18.143 --> 00:00:20.478 And before we report to the Ready Room, 9 00:00:20.478 --> 00:00:22.731 I want to take a moment to honor 10 00:00:22.731 --> 00:00:24.733 and remember Nichelle Nichols. 11 00:00:25.984 --> 00:00:27.569 In the role of Lieutenant Uhura, 12 00:00:27.569 --> 00:00:30.196 Nichelle not only helped establish Star Trek 13 00:00:30.196 --> 00:00:32.949 as an optimistic vision of what could be, 14 00:00:33.825 --> 00:00:38.038 but also inspired generations of Black performers, 15 00:00:38.038 --> 00:00:41.875 scientists, and leaders in all fields 16 00:00:41.875 --> 00:00:44.044 through her onscreen representation. 17 00:00:45.211 --> 00:00:48.715 On behalf of all of us in the Star Trek family, 18 00:00:48.715 --> 00:00:50.675 we in The Ready Room celebrate her, 19 00:00:50.675 --> 00:00:53.094 not only for her contributions to our beloved 20 00:00:53.094 --> 00:00:57.015 Star Trek Universe, but especially for her influence 21 00:00:57.015 --> 00:00:58.975 on the world we currently live in. 22 00:01:00.477 --> 00:01:05.482 On a personal level, from the moment we met her in 1987, 23 00:01:06.566 --> 00:01:09.486 Nichelle was one of the Original Series cast members 24 00:01:09.486 --> 00:01:12.655 who welcomed all of us on The Next Generation 25 00:01:12.655 --> 00:01:16.785 into the Star Trek family with open arms. 26 00:01:16.785 --> 00:01:19.621 She wasn't just nice. 27 00:01:19.621 --> 00:01:24.125 She was kind. She didn't have to be, but she was. 28 00:01:25.502 --> 00:01:27.712 I never got to spend much time with her, 29 00:01:28.671 --> 00:01:33.676 but whenever I was around her, she was such a lovely human, 30 00:01:34.469 --> 00:01:37.430 always joyful and never more than a couple of seconds 31 00:01:37.430 --> 00:01:38.515 away from a song. 32 00:01:39.349 --> 00:01:42.811 She brightened every room she was in, 33 00:01:42.811 --> 00:01:47.816 and it is such a privilege to be a very, very small part 34 00:01:48.566 --> 00:01:49.526 of her legacy. 35 00:01:50.610 --> 00:01:54.989 Please join me in a moment of silence and reflection. 36 00:01:55.824 --> 00:01:57.742 May her memory be a blessing. 37 00:02:08.086 --> 00:02:09.546 Thank you. 38 00:02:09.546 --> 00:02:10.421 Let's get started. 39 00:02:18.096 --> 00:02:20.348 Hey nerds, I'm Wil Wheaton and this is The Ready Room, 40 00:02:20.348 --> 00:02:21.975 your official behind-the-scenes hub 41 00:02:21.975 --> 00:02:23.685 for all things Star Trek Universe. 42 00:02:23.685 --> 00:02:26.229 Here we are back in action and reporting for duty 43 00:02:26.229 --> 00:02:28.606 after a luxurious few weeks of shore leave. 44 00:02:28.606 --> 00:02:31.901 Season 3 of Star Trek: Lower Decks is here 45 00:02:31.901 --> 00:02:35.864 and I can't wait to dive into the hilariously nerdy ways 46 00:02:35.864 --> 00:02:38.074 this was a perfect first episode. 47 00:02:38.074 --> 00:02:40.743 But first, considering we're diving into an all-new season, 48 00:02:40.743 --> 00:02:42.912 picking up after a Season 2 cliffhanger, 49 00:02:42.912 --> 00:02:46.499 I would be remiss if I did not declare a red alert. 50 00:02:46.499 --> 00:02:48.585 If you haven't watched the Season 3 premiere, "Grounded," 51 00:02:48.585 --> 00:02:50.628 you're going to want to ground yourself to the couch, 52 00:02:50.628 --> 00:02:53.882 stream it first, and then report for duty to The Ready Room. 53 00:02:53.882 --> 00:02:55.884 We'll be going maximum warped to the spoiler zone 54 00:02:55.884 --> 00:02:58.553 and you do not wanna be caught unawares. 55 00:02:58.553 --> 00:03:01.556 So we're picking up after last season's cliffhanger 56 00:03:01.556 --> 00:03:03.600 with Captain Freeman arrested for the attack 57 00:03:03.600 --> 00:03:04.767 on Pakled Planet. 58 00:03:04.767 --> 00:03:08.021 Which is why we had to invite Dawnn Lewis and Mike McMahan 59 00:03:08.021 --> 00:03:10.857 to discuss all that played out in this first episode. 60 00:03:10.857 --> 00:03:14.027 I also very much need to personally know 61 00:03:14.027 --> 00:03:15.570 what it is going to take to make 62 00:03:15.570 --> 00:03:18.281 a First Contact amusement theme park 63 00:03:18.281 --> 00:03:20.533 in Bozeman, Montana a reality. 64 00:03:20.533 --> 00:03:22.327 Are you listening powers that be? 65 00:03:22.327 --> 00:03:25.288 I mean, worse ideas have been fully funded. 66 00:03:25.288 --> 00:03:27.999 Later, we'll get to hear from one of the series animators, 67 00:03:27.999 --> 00:03:29.542 as they describe the creative process 68 00:03:29.542 --> 00:03:32.253 and give us a tutorial on how to draw for Lower Decks. 69 00:03:32.253 --> 00:03:35.215 I have had the privilege of being animated in this style 70 00:03:35.215 --> 00:03:37.467 and now I get to say that I share that honor 71 00:03:37.467 --> 00:03:39.802 with James Cromwell. 72 00:03:39.802 --> 00:03:42.305 But first, of all the ways the Lower Deckers 73 00:03:42.305 --> 00:03:45.099 could get themselves to the Cerritos from Earth, 74 00:03:45.099 --> 00:03:48.519 hijacking a ride at historic Bozeman was by far 75 00:03:48.519 --> 00:03:50.480 the funniest way to go. 76 00:03:50.480 --> 00:03:53.983 I know I'm not the only one who would go to serious extremes 77 00:03:53.983 --> 00:03:55.443 for a ride on the Phoenix, 78 00:03:55.443 --> 00:03:58.279 piloted by Holo Zefram Cochrane, right? 79 00:03:58.279 --> 00:04:01.824 Speaking of, we will take any excuse to celebrate 80 00:04:01.824 --> 00:04:04.786 the advent of warp travel and that historic launch 81 00:04:04.786 --> 00:04:07.455 and I know the creators and Lower Decks cast members 82 00:04:07.455 --> 00:04:08.623 feel the same way. 83 00:04:08.623 --> 00:04:11.376 So here's what they had to say, when we asked them about it. 84 00:04:11.376 --> 00:04:13.211 Control room, engage. 85 00:04:16.130 --> 00:04:18.299 First stage separation, complete. 86 00:04:18.299 --> 00:04:22.220 Let's bring what I like to call the warp core online. 87 00:04:22.220 --> 00:04:26.516 I mean, James Cromwell is back. Guys, he's back. 88 00:04:26.516 --> 00:04:28.309 I can't believe that we actually got him 89 00:04:28.309 --> 00:04:31.980 to get in the booth and say the silliest things possible. 90 00:04:31.980 --> 00:04:34.357 I am so touched that he would come back 91 00:04:34.357 --> 00:04:36.567 and reprise his role in this way. 92 00:04:36.567 --> 00:04:38.695 Like what a cute, cool thing. 93 00:04:38.695 --> 00:04:40.780 Cromwell's amazing, and he's Star Trek royalty 94 00:04:40.780 --> 00:04:41.948 and I can't believe we got him. 95 00:04:41.948 --> 00:04:43.866 Let's rock and roll. 96 00:04:49.580 --> 00:04:53.459 Hello, explorers, and welcome to the 21st century. 97 00:04:53.459 --> 00:04:55.920 I love 301 for all of the Bozeman stuff. 98 00:04:55.920 --> 00:04:59.090 I loved having a revisit of First Contact 99 00:04:59.090 --> 00:05:01.092 and I love that they made it kind of a 100 00:05:01.092 --> 00:05:03.845 cheesy theme park, but that you still love. 101 00:05:03.845 --> 00:05:06.055 It kind of reminded me of Dollywood. 102 00:05:06.055 --> 00:05:09.684 The Vulcan ship is just a slide now, like-- 103 00:05:09.684 --> 00:05:11.519 they're like, oh, there's the ship the Vulcans landed on. 104 00:05:11.519 --> 00:05:13.521 The kid's just like, "Wheee." 105 00:05:13.521 --> 00:05:15.398 The fun thing about Lower Decks is that 106 00:05:15.398 --> 00:05:17.358 the writers are always really playing 107 00:05:17.358 --> 00:05:19.777 within the Star Trek Universe in a very inventive 108 00:05:19.777 --> 00:05:21.237 and clever and funny way. 109 00:05:21.237 --> 00:05:24.741 And the fact that they got Mr. Cromwell to come back 110 00:05:24.741 --> 00:05:29.746 and recreate his role, as the inventor of the warp drive, 111 00:05:29.829 --> 00:05:31.956 I think is just absolutely brilliant. 112 00:05:31.956 --> 00:05:34.625 And of course the Phoenix is a ride now, 113 00:05:34.625 --> 00:05:36.586 that makes absolute sense. 114 00:05:36.586 --> 00:05:39.672 It warms my heart to hear him instruct everybody 115 00:05:39.672 --> 00:05:42.675 as to what to do and keep their hands inside the vehicle, 116 00:05:42.675 --> 00:05:43.509 that kind of thing. 117 00:05:43.509 --> 00:05:46.637 Oh, hi, I'm just finishing up some repairs, 118 00:05:46.637 --> 00:05:49.098 and you should finish up any snacks. 119 00:05:49.098 --> 00:05:52.518 My reaction to seeing myself animated is sort of the same 120 00:05:52.518 --> 00:05:55.188 as seeing yourself as a plastic doll. 121 00:05:57.231 --> 00:05:59.233 It's very strange. 122 00:05:59.233 --> 00:06:02.570 Working in animation is a blessing. 123 00:06:02.570 --> 00:06:05.239 I have the opportunity to do practically anything I want 124 00:06:05.239 --> 00:06:07.116 because you're going to be recreated. 125 00:06:07.116 --> 00:06:10.370 Any mistake you make can be modified by the animators, 126 00:06:10.370 --> 00:06:12.747 bless their hearts, and it can be changed. 127 00:06:12.747 --> 00:06:15.792 So I feel most comfortable doing that. 128 00:06:15.792 --> 00:06:17.668 My character was a lot of fun. 129 00:06:17.668 --> 00:06:19.837 Thanks for riding with me, explorers. 130 00:06:19.837 --> 00:06:23.466 It's rare to have nostalgia and feel really touched, 131 00:06:23.466 --> 00:06:25.051 'cause you're like, "Oh, I miss this thing." 132 00:06:25.051 --> 00:06:28.054 And to also be laughing so hard kind of at and with it. 133 00:06:28.054 --> 00:06:29.305 I think Mike and the writers really 134 00:06:29.305 --> 00:06:31.015 walked that line beautifully. 135 00:06:31.015 --> 00:06:33.559 The thing about First Contact is, 136 00:06:33.559 --> 00:06:35.937 it's just a fricking amazing movie. Like, you could have-- 137 00:06:35.937 --> 00:06:37.814 I remember seeing it with friends who had never seen 138 00:06:37.814 --> 00:06:41.359 Star Trek, had no context and it's just-- 139 00:06:41.359 --> 00:06:43.486 the Borg are an amazing threat in it. 140 00:06:43.486 --> 00:06:46.406 It's got comedy, it's got action, it's got time travel. 141 00:06:46.406 --> 00:06:47.907 It's got a Borg Queen. 142 00:06:47.907 --> 00:06:49.158 Every movie should have a Borg Queen. 143 00:06:49.158 --> 00:06:50.993 I don't know, I'm a huge fan of that movie. 144 00:06:50.993 --> 00:06:52.620 I could go on and on about it forever. 145 00:06:52.620 --> 00:06:55.415 And it's up there with the best Star Trek movies, easily. 146 00:06:55.415 --> 00:06:59.335 It's so fun to see, you know, an Earth-- 147 00:06:59.335 --> 00:07:03.506 a pre-Starfleet Earth and it's also really fun to see 148 00:07:03.506 --> 00:07:06.050 these kind of horror movie aspects to the movie. 149 00:07:06.050 --> 00:07:08.094 I mean everything with Picard and the Borg, 150 00:07:08.094 --> 00:07:09.929 is kind of terrifying. 151 00:07:09.929 --> 00:07:10.721 I don't know. 152 00:07:10.721 --> 00:07:15.726 It's just got like a real homespun hero kind of energy. 153 00:07:15.935 --> 00:07:17.270 It's an adventure. 154 00:07:17.270 --> 00:07:20.898 It's got all those fun classic sci-fi elements. 155 00:07:20.898 --> 00:07:24.444 I think First Contact is a popular Star Trek film 156 00:07:24.444 --> 00:07:27.155 because it gives us a sense of beginning. 157 00:07:27.155 --> 00:07:31.117 Well, without First Contact, Star Trek wouldn't exist. 158 00:07:31.117 --> 00:07:34.287 It's really a bridging of the Trek that we know 159 00:07:34.287 --> 00:07:37.582 and the sort of pre-history of Trek. 160 00:07:38.416 --> 00:07:40.793 And you know, the moment that the Vulcans first arrive 161 00:07:40.793 --> 00:07:44.630 on Earth and, you know, everything about it is the, 162 00:07:44.630 --> 00:07:48.176 the Book of Genesis of Star Trek. 163 00:07:48.176 --> 00:07:51.804 It had a relationship to the entirety of the series 164 00:07:51.804 --> 00:07:54.474 because it was first content. 165 00:07:54.474 --> 00:07:58.227 It was a visualization of what happened 166 00:07:58.227 --> 00:08:01.105 that started the whole thing, from nothing 167 00:08:01.105 --> 00:08:03.774 to this incredible journey. 168 00:08:03.774 --> 00:08:05.776 Prepare to make history. 169 00:08:05.776 --> 00:08:06.694 Here we go. 170 00:08:15.953 --> 00:08:17.455 To dive into the Star Trek: Lower Decks 171 00:08:17.455 --> 00:08:20.124 Season 3 premiere, I can't think of anyone else 172 00:08:20.124 --> 00:08:22.793 I would want to talk to more than Creator and Showrunner 173 00:08:22.793 --> 00:08:26.130 Mike McMahan and, of course, the falsely accused captain 174 00:08:26.130 --> 00:08:29.717 of the Cerritos, Dawnn Lewis a.k.a Captain Freeman. 175 00:08:29.717 --> 00:08:32.720 Welcome, I am so happy that you are here in person. 176 00:08:32.720 --> 00:08:34.805 I'm thrilled to be here in person. 177 00:08:34.805 --> 00:08:36.724 I think it's okay, I like being online more, 178 00:08:36.724 --> 00:08:39.227 but as long as I'm with you guys, I'll do it in person. 179 00:08:39.227 --> 00:08:42.230 Well, we appreciate you coming all the way here 180 00:08:42.230 --> 00:08:43.898 to the studio. 181 00:08:43.898 --> 00:08:46.317 Let's start out at the beginning of Season 3. 182 00:08:46.317 --> 00:08:49.111 We have Captain Freeman, wrongly imprisoned 183 00:08:49.111 --> 00:08:52.073 -and charged with conspiracy. -Correct. 184 00:08:52.073 --> 00:08:55.076 And we have our Lower Deckers just killing themselves, 185 00:08:55.076 --> 00:08:57.912 trying to secure her freedom, prove that she's innocent. 186 00:08:57.912 --> 00:08:59.080 -Why would Freeman do this? -No comment. 187 00:08:59.080 --> 00:09:01.082 -What did you hear? -I said no comment, please. 188 00:09:01.082 --> 00:09:02.291 A little respect, please. 189 00:09:02.291 --> 00:09:03.918 Will you get the f*** out of our way?! 190 00:09:03.918 --> 00:09:07.296 And then she shows up at the end, 191 00:09:07.296 --> 00:09:09.840 like the entire trial happened off camera. 192 00:09:09.840 --> 00:09:11.259 -[Dawnn] Off camera. -[Mike] Yeah. 193 00:09:11.259 --> 00:09:14.387 And it's so funny and that is so hilariously A-story 194 00:09:14.387 --> 00:09:15.221 of her to happen. 195 00:09:15.221 --> 00:09:17.348 You talked about this being about the B-story. 196 00:09:17.348 --> 00:09:19.225 So of course, we don't see the A-story. 197 00:09:19.225 --> 00:09:20.851 Well, you know, first off, 198 00:09:20.851 --> 00:09:22.645 we left with this big cliffhanger. 199 00:09:22.645 --> 00:09:25.940 Everybody's upset, Captain Freeman, Dawnn Lewis, taken away. 200 00:09:25.940 --> 00:09:27.441 Mariner's especially upset. 201 00:09:27.441 --> 00:09:29.860 That's her mom, that's her captain, right? 202 00:09:29.860 --> 00:09:32.780 And then, in Lower Decks fashion--look, 203 00:09:32.780 --> 00:09:34.240 we've only got 10 episodes. 204 00:09:34.240 --> 00:09:35.866 They're only a half hour each. 205 00:09:35.866 --> 00:09:37.326 How long are we not gonna have the captain 206 00:09:37.326 --> 00:09:38.786 -of the ship on it, right? -Let's get to it. 207 00:09:38.786 --> 00:09:42.331 So like, one full episode is a tenth of our entire season. 208 00:09:42.331 --> 00:09:44.584 So I felt like, that would be enough. 209 00:09:44.584 --> 00:09:47.837 You know, like, let's miss the captain for one whole episode 210 00:09:47.837 --> 00:09:50.381 and then we're gonna get her back in the mix. Right? 211 00:09:50.381 --> 00:09:53.634 And so at the same time, we've seen some pretty amazing 212 00:09:53.634 --> 00:09:55.720 Star Trek court procedurals. 213 00:09:55.720 --> 00:09:56.846 -Right? -Yes we have. 214 00:09:56.846 --> 00:09:59.015 But our guys aren't important enough to be in that, 215 00:09:59.015 --> 00:10:00.766 -the Lower Deckers. -[Wil] Right. 216 00:10:00.766 --> 00:10:02.184 So, while Mariner's trying to steal the ship 217 00:10:02.184 --> 00:10:05.271 and she's, you know, rallying the crew, 218 00:10:05.271 --> 00:10:07.857 of course, Captain Freeman is having a 219 00:10:07.857 --> 00:10:10.443 proper, A-story, big-- 220 00:10:10.443 --> 00:10:12.987 A whole "Measure of a Man," like, absolute-- 221 00:10:12.987 --> 00:10:15.239 -Hourlong, prestige-- -Like, "The Cage" trial. 222 00:10:15.239 --> 00:10:16.073 -Yeah. -Yes, yes. 223 00:10:16.073 --> 00:10:17.658 Your honor, a courtroom is a crucible. 224 00:10:17.658 --> 00:10:20.244 In it we burn away irrelevancies until we are left with 225 00:10:20.244 --> 00:10:22.580 a pure product, the truth, for all time. 226 00:10:22.580 --> 00:10:24.540 When she comes swooping in, it's like, 227 00:10:24.540 --> 00:10:27.209 "We've told you a million times that that's happening." 228 00:10:27.209 --> 00:10:30.004 -And even her dad, you know-- -[Dawnn] Trust the process. 229 00:10:30.004 --> 00:10:32.840 Trust in Starfleet, trust the Starfleet process. 230 00:10:32.840 --> 00:10:34.550 And, Mariner at the end is like, "Ugh. 231 00:10:34.550 --> 00:10:38.095 You know, I may have been Kirking a little too hard here, 232 00:10:38.095 --> 00:10:39.263 a little too fast." 233 00:10:39.263 --> 00:10:43.309 I love that she actually calls that out. 234 00:10:43.309 --> 00:10:44.435 The Kirking, you are not Kirking. 235 00:10:44.435 --> 00:10:45.978 You are not Kirking. 236 00:10:47.271 --> 00:10:49.190 Okay. Kirk is cool. Kirk is on point. 237 00:10:49.190 --> 00:10:50.566 You are just like all over the place. 238 00:10:50.566 --> 00:10:52.735 Mariner is cool too, but I think Kirk maybe 239 00:10:52.735 --> 00:10:56.614 has a couple more Starfleet miles under his belt, too. 240 00:10:56.614 --> 00:10:59.742 He does, Mariner is so impetuous. 241 00:10:59.742 --> 00:11:02.787 She really is and she hears you, 242 00:11:02.787 --> 00:11:04.080 but doesn't really hear you. 243 00:11:04.080 --> 00:11:06.415 You think Mariner and Ensign Kirk would share 244 00:11:06.415 --> 00:11:07.416 a lot of qualities. 245 00:11:07.416 --> 00:11:09.752 Oh, I think they'd get into some real trouble. 246 00:11:09.752 --> 00:11:11.087 They'd get into some real trouble, together. 247 00:11:11.087 --> 00:11:12.963 Do they like each other, or are they so similar, 248 00:11:12.963 --> 00:11:14.715 they're just constantly butting heads? 249 00:11:14.715 --> 00:11:16.759 You know in Starfleet, I think you see 250 00:11:16.759 --> 00:11:18.552 the best in each other, right? 251 00:11:18.552 --> 00:11:19.387 -Yeah, yeah. -Yeah. 252 00:11:19.387 --> 00:11:22.348 I really enjoyed that, actually. Just, like--to be serious 253 00:11:22.348 --> 00:11:23.724 for a moment as a Star Trek fan, 254 00:11:23.724 --> 00:11:27.687 the message of Starfleet is an organization for good. 255 00:11:27.687 --> 00:11:30.106 Starfleet is an organization where truth matters. 256 00:11:30.106 --> 00:11:33.984 Starfleet is an organization where the right thing 257 00:11:33.984 --> 00:11:36.028 is the best thing. 258 00:11:36.028 --> 00:11:38.280 And of course that's what happened, right? 259 00:11:38.280 --> 00:11:41.117 Of course, we were supposed to trust the process. 260 00:11:41.117 --> 00:11:43.077 Dawnn, tell me about the Season 2 cliffhanger. 261 00:11:43.077 --> 00:11:45.579 Did you know how this was going to be resolved? 262 00:11:45.579 --> 00:11:46.414 [Dawnn] I never know. 263 00:11:46.414 --> 00:11:47.748 [Wil] So like the rest of us, 264 00:11:47.748 --> 00:11:49.542 you sat around wondering what was gonna happen. 265 00:11:49.542 --> 00:11:51.502 -Mike, how dare you. -Mike McMahan makes it 266 00:11:51.502 --> 00:11:54.255 a point to not share information. 267 00:11:54.255 --> 00:11:57.299 I'm really glad they gave me the whole script. 268 00:11:57.299 --> 00:11:59.760 -And not just my pages. -[Wil] Your pages, yeah. 269 00:11:59.760 --> 00:12:02.847 No, no. We did not know how it was gonna flesh out. 270 00:12:02.847 --> 00:12:06.600 But what we do know is that all of these specific people 271 00:12:06.600 --> 00:12:09.478 are integral, to the telling of the story 272 00:12:09.478 --> 00:12:11.272 and the journey of the story. 273 00:12:11.272 --> 00:12:14.316 So if he got me into a jam, I knew one way or another, 274 00:12:14.316 --> 00:12:15.818 I was gonna get out of a jam. 275 00:12:15.818 --> 00:12:19.655 The question was, do we see being released from, 276 00:12:19.655 --> 00:12:20.489 from the jam? 277 00:12:20.489 --> 00:12:22.783 Or do we trust that it's happening to get me back 278 00:12:22.783 --> 00:12:25.286 in the mix and what did I learn from being in the jam? 279 00:12:25.286 --> 00:12:29.206 Where, where does that propel me and my crew to go next? 280 00:12:29.206 --> 00:12:31.709 You know, two-parters are so hard 281 00:12:31.709 --> 00:12:34.879 because the first part is a blast and the second part, 282 00:12:34.879 --> 00:12:37.590 how do you make, like--it just is gonna end up feeling 283 00:12:37.590 --> 00:12:39.550 like the second half of a better episode. 284 00:12:39.550 --> 00:12:42.845 And how do you do it without cheating the audience? 285 00:12:42.845 --> 00:12:44.305 You have to earn it. 286 00:12:44.305 --> 00:12:48.017 You have to earn that anticipation of the entire off season. 287 00:12:48.017 --> 00:12:51.479 And for us it was like, okay, it's been a long time. 288 00:12:51.479 --> 00:12:53.564 Animation takes a long time to make. 289 00:12:53.564 --> 00:12:55.941 We wanted to do an episode that felt big. 290 00:12:55.941 --> 00:12:58.068 We go to a place we've never been in the show before. 291 00:12:58.068 --> 00:12:59.195 We go to Earth. 292 00:12:59.195 --> 00:13:01.530 We're stealing the Cerritos, we're doing big stuff. 293 00:13:01.530 --> 00:13:04.366 But then on top of that, if anybody in the audience 294 00:13:04.366 --> 00:13:07.953 feels like, oh, they wanted a bunch of this plot 295 00:13:07.953 --> 00:13:09.163 across the season. 296 00:13:10.080 --> 00:13:13.417 The choices that Mariner makes in that episode, 297 00:13:13.417 --> 00:13:17.087 with the captain, echoes across the season. 298 00:13:17.087 --> 00:13:18.297 It's not like we erase it. 299 00:13:18.297 --> 00:13:19.131 -Yes. -[Dawnn] Right, right. 300 00:13:19.131 --> 00:13:22.009 Yeah, which actually tees up my next question. 301 00:13:22.009 --> 00:13:26.722 Mariner and Freeman's relationship really changes. 302 00:13:26.722 --> 00:13:27.556 It does. 303 00:13:27.556 --> 00:13:30.142 In this episode, particularly. 304 00:13:30.142 --> 00:13:34.438 Talk about the character development between the two of them 305 00:13:34.438 --> 00:13:36.690 as captain and junior officer 306 00:13:36.690 --> 00:13:37.858 and also as mother and daughter. 307 00:13:37.858 --> 00:13:41.320 What I love about, like what Mike was just saying, 308 00:13:41.320 --> 00:13:43.781 there's so many aspects of us 309 00:13:43.781 --> 00:13:48.744 as humans or as beings in this show, that are maintained. 310 00:13:48.744 --> 00:13:50.871 There's still the bumping heads. 311 00:13:50.871 --> 00:13:54.959 There's still the, I wish you could do something better 312 00:13:54.959 --> 00:13:58.712 and differently, but at the same time in this coming season, 313 00:13:58.712 --> 00:14:01.841 you realize that there are things that we do recognize 314 00:14:01.841 --> 00:14:04.218 and appreciate in each other. 315 00:14:04.218 --> 00:14:09.223 So it's not just based on, we're just at odds all the time. 316 00:14:09.390 --> 00:14:11.183 It's at odds with love. 317 00:14:11.183 --> 00:14:14.186 And with concern and with appreciation. 318 00:14:14.186 --> 00:14:16.272 And I'm only saying what I'm saying 319 00:14:16.272 --> 00:14:17.815 because I see you and I appreciate you 320 00:14:17.815 --> 00:14:19.233 and I expect you to do better. 321 00:14:19.233 --> 00:14:22.987 Now that I know, and the same thing from her. 322 00:14:22.987 --> 00:14:25.990 We're not always successful at it, but you know, 323 00:14:25.990 --> 00:14:27.783 we're taking baby steps. 324 00:14:27.783 --> 00:14:30.286 I love that relationship that exists 325 00:14:30.286 --> 00:14:32.037 -between the two of them. -Me too. 326 00:14:33.706 --> 00:14:35.875 It's really interesting to me, 327 00:14:35.875 --> 00:14:40.462 and I just--having been a kid on a spaceship, 328 00:14:41.380 --> 00:14:46.218 it's always really cool to me to see how the parent 329 00:14:46.218 --> 00:14:48.679 and child, even if the child is an adult. 330 00:14:48.679 --> 00:14:51.056 How the parent and child relationship plays out. 331 00:14:51.056 --> 00:14:53.726 It's actually very similar to my relationship 332 00:14:53.726 --> 00:14:54.810 -with my mom, -[Wil] Yeah. 333 00:14:54.810 --> 00:14:57.229 when I was growing up. As a teenager, 334 00:14:57.229 --> 00:14:59.440 my mom could just say my name and it would be like, 335 00:14:59.440 --> 00:15:01.609 ah, and then it was like, I was like, "What, 336 00:15:01.609 --> 00:15:03.110 what do you want?" 337 00:15:03.110 --> 00:15:06.322 But as you get older and you grow, you mature, 338 00:15:06.322 --> 00:15:07.740 you put some distance between you 339 00:15:07.740 --> 00:15:09.491 and then put us back together, 340 00:15:09.491 --> 00:15:11.577 you see each other other differently, 341 00:15:11.577 --> 00:15:13.454 and you respond to each other differently. 342 00:15:13.454 --> 00:15:16.540 And every now and then, you hear yourself responding 343 00:15:16.540 --> 00:15:18.000 the way you did when you were 14 344 00:15:18.000 --> 00:15:20.002 and go, "Yeah, let me not do that." 345 00:15:20.002 --> 00:15:21.670 -Like, wait a minute. -That's not cool. 346 00:15:21.670 --> 00:15:23.964 I remember when I was you. 347 00:15:23.964 --> 00:15:25.507 So we're gonna make a different choice here 348 00:15:25.507 --> 00:15:28.969 and that's what I see happening with Beckett and Freeman. 349 00:15:28.969 --> 00:15:31.180 Did you and Tawny get to spend any time together 350 00:15:31.180 --> 00:15:32.306 in the same location? 351 00:15:32.306 --> 00:15:34.016 Were you in the booth together at all this season? 352 00:15:34.016 --> 00:15:36.101 -Very early on. -Oh, that's great. 353 00:15:36.101 --> 00:15:37.978 In Season 1, we were, 354 00:15:37.978 --> 00:15:40.230 and then I left to work on a different gig. 355 00:15:40.230 --> 00:15:42.066 Then everything became remote and the pandemic. 356 00:15:42.066 --> 00:15:43.567 -You were on Broadway. -I was on Broadway. 357 00:15:44.777 --> 00:15:47.404 Yeah, I mean, "I'm on Broadway, carries a bit more weight 358 00:15:47.404 --> 00:15:48.781 than "I was doing a different gig." 359 00:15:48.781 --> 00:15:50.157 [Wil] Like I think maybe you should-- 360 00:15:50.157 --> 00:15:52.159 Listen, I'm not the boss of you, Dawnn Lewis, 361 00:15:52.159 --> 00:15:54.078 but I feel like maybe lean into that a little bit. 362 00:15:54.078 --> 00:15:56.372 When I'm on a different gig, I work at In-N-Out. 363 00:15:58.791 --> 00:16:00.960 In the first season, there was this amazing moment 364 00:16:00.960 --> 00:16:03.796 where Dawnn and Tawny were in the booth together. 365 00:16:03.796 --> 00:16:05.965 It's in the episode where the ship gets terraformed. 366 00:16:05.965 --> 00:16:08.050 And they're stuck digging through it together, 367 00:16:08.050 --> 00:16:10.552 and they're arguing, and they're arguing over each other. 368 00:16:10.552 --> 00:16:13.430 Oh my God. Why do you have to second-guess every choice-- 369 00:16:13.430 --> 00:16:15.057 I'm trying to help you, Beckett. 370 00:16:15.057 --> 00:16:16.684 What am I supposed to do? 371 00:16:16.684 --> 00:16:20.938 What I would prefer is if you would let me do me. 372 00:16:22.022 --> 00:16:24.149 And that's one of the few times where they're literally 373 00:16:24.149 --> 00:16:25.818 in the booth, arguing over each other, 374 00:16:25.818 --> 00:16:29.279 but honestly, I could never even tell, you guys are so good. 375 00:16:29.279 --> 00:16:30.531 -Thank you. -That like, 376 00:16:30.531 --> 00:16:32.574 it's almost like you're talking to Tawny 377 00:16:32.574 --> 00:16:33.742 when you're performing it, 378 00:16:33.742 --> 00:16:34.827 even when she's not in the room with you. 379 00:16:34.827 --> 00:16:37.121 And the thing is, I was just saying earlier, 380 00:16:37.121 --> 00:16:40.165 that we established that kind of rhythm 381 00:16:40.165 --> 00:16:42.501 and that communication very early on. 382 00:16:42.501 --> 00:16:45.462 So I'm really grateful, that we got to have that, 383 00:16:45.462 --> 00:16:46.630 those couple of times together. 384 00:16:46.630 --> 00:16:50.009 Because having a story about an adult daughter. 385 00:16:50.009 --> 00:16:50.843 Yes. 386 00:16:50.843 --> 00:16:53.512 And her mom is different from a kid daughter and a mom, 387 00:16:53.512 --> 00:16:55.472 -Yes. -Yeah. Yes. 388 00:16:55.472 --> 00:16:57.599 And that she is an ensign in your crew 389 00:16:57.599 --> 00:16:59.685 because you're her boss, too. 390 00:16:59.685 --> 00:17:01.186 And that, all of that stuff mixed, 391 00:17:01.186 --> 00:17:03.772 the tone that you hit with her, 392 00:17:03.772 --> 00:17:08.777 as employee and subordinate to mom and boss, 393 00:17:09.403 --> 00:17:11.321 like I think that carried through from there on out. 394 00:17:11.321 --> 00:17:13.323 It's been great, and to be honest with you, 395 00:17:13.323 --> 00:17:16.994 when we're working, I get to hear--I hear Tawney's voice, 396 00:17:16.994 --> 00:17:19.288 in my head. 397 00:17:19.288 --> 00:17:23.125 So I get a sense--first of all, she doesn't breathe. 398 00:17:23.125 --> 00:17:23.959 So it's just like one-- 399 00:17:23.959 --> 00:17:25.419 That's not true, I've seen her breathe! 400 00:17:25.419 --> 00:17:26.879 One long run-on sentence, it's like, 401 00:17:26.879 --> 00:17:30.132 how do you say all of what you say in one breath? 402 00:17:30.132 --> 00:17:32.134 I just stand there, like...? 403 00:17:32.134 --> 00:17:34.303 Captain Freeman, come on, let's be nice. 404 00:17:34.303 --> 00:17:35.387 Oh, my gosh. 405 00:17:35.387 --> 00:17:38.182 But literally when I'm in the booth working on it now, 406 00:17:38.182 --> 00:17:42.019 whether she's with me or not, I really do hear her voice 407 00:17:42.019 --> 00:17:43.854 and her cadence in my ear. 408 00:17:43.854 --> 00:17:45.856 And I've asked her about that, 409 00:17:45.856 --> 00:17:47.316 she says, "Dawnn, I feel the same way." 410 00:17:47.316 --> 00:17:49.818 I was like, "I know, I hear it in my head. 411 00:17:49.818 --> 00:17:53.447 How you would deliver this line," and it causes us 412 00:17:53.447 --> 00:17:56.283 to bring this energy to it and then the mastery 413 00:17:56.283 --> 00:18:01.038 of the editors that we work with and the voice directors. 414 00:18:01.038 --> 00:18:04.541 Because they hear our characters in their heads, as well. 415 00:18:04.541 --> 00:18:07.961 They hear Eugene, they hear Noël, they hear Jack, 416 00:18:07.961 --> 00:18:09.505 and they know our cadences now 417 00:18:09.505 --> 00:18:11.298 and they direct us accordingly. 418 00:18:11.298 --> 00:18:13.467 And when they bring it all together, 419 00:18:13.467 --> 00:18:14.635 it really is remarkable. 420 00:18:14.635 --> 00:18:17.471 You would really think that we're all in the room together. 421 00:18:17.471 --> 00:18:18.305 It's really, really great. 422 00:18:18.305 --> 00:18:20.432 I can hear Jerry O'Connell right now. 423 00:18:20.432 --> 00:18:21.391 As can I. 424 00:18:21.391 --> 00:18:22.643 He says we're doing great. 425 00:18:24.478 --> 00:18:27.689 This episode brings in James Cromwell. 426 00:18:30.859 --> 00:18:35.155 All right, buckos, prepare for your trek amongst the stars. 427 00:18:35.155 --> 00:18:35.989 Ugh! 428 00:18:35.989 --> 00:18:37.449 -I love him. -[Wil] I mean, come on. 429 00:18:37.449 --> 00:18:38.283 The king! 430 00:18:38.283 --> 00:18:39.326 -[Wil] So like, -I love him. 431 00:18:39.326 --> 00:18:43.247 you bring in James Cromwell to be Zefram Cochrane. 432 00:18:43.247 --> 00:18:47.292 So many amazing, just sublime 433 00:18:47.292 --> 00:18:49.419 First Contact references. 434 00:18:49.419 --> 00:18:51.839 Having Mr. Cromwell in there, it's like, 435 00:18:51.839 --> 00:18:53.423 not only is it having James Cromwell, 436 00:18:53.423 --> 00:18:54.258 but it's also having 437 00:18:54.258 --> 00:18:55.676 -Zefram Cochrane, like. -[Dawnn] Yes. 438 00:18:55.676 --> 00:18:56.885 -Kind of a big deal. -[Mike] That's crazy. 439 00:18:56.885 --> 00:19:00.722 It's pedigree from TOS, it's pedigree from First Contact. 440 00:19:00.722 --> 00:19:02.891 And it's kind of that amazing Enterprise episode 441 00:19:02.891 --> 00:19:04.643 where they did the alt history opening. 442 00:19:04.643 --> 00:19:06.812 You know, where it goes wrong, right? 443 00:19:06.812 --> 00:19:09.648 Like we finally get to be in on that party, too. 444 00:19:09.648 --> 00:19:12.693 And having Cromwell in there is just-- 445 00:19:12.693 --> 00:19:17.698 it's such a silly carnival version of Bozeman 446 00:19:17.906 --> 00:19:20.367 that it adds this like layer of legitimacy 447 00:19:20.367 --> 00:19:21.535 that we don't deserve. 448 00:19:21.535 --> 00:19:23.162 It's so funny and fun. 449 00:19:23.162 --> 00:19:25.581 I actually really love--I have, 450 00:19:25.581 --> 00:19:28.333 I have publicly said, I feel like Lower Decks 451 00:19:28.333 --> 00:19:30.961 is a love letter to Next Generation 452 00:19:30.961 --> 00:19:32.546 and the Next Generation universe, 453 00:19:32.546 --> 00:19:33.714 Deep Space Nine, Enterprise, 454 00:19:33.714 --> 00:19:36.341 Voyager, like, it is a love letter to that 455 00:19:36.341 --> 00:19:37.634 part of Star Trek. 456 00:19:37.634 --> 00:19:40.596 And I think about--the moments where I feel like 457 00:19:40.596 --> 00:19:43.432 that love letter just jumps up 458 00:19:43.432 --> 00:19:46.935 and does the Say Anything boombox 459 00:19:46.935 --> 00:19:48.770 is in moments like this, 460 00:19:48.770 --> 00:19:51.231 where we see these things that--yeah, of course 461 00:19:51.231 --> 00:19:53.483 there would be an amusement park in Bozeman. 462 00:19:53.483 --> 00:19:57.696 And of course it would be a a tacky, touristy thing. 463 00:19:57.696 --> 00:19:59.573 We just take it for granted. 464 00:19:59.573 --> 00:20:04.369 Like, I mean, it's Gatorland, right, but in the future. 465 00:20:04.369 --> 00:20:05.579 I mean, it's a post-scarcity future. 466 00:20:05.579 --> 00:20:07.539 Nobody's buying anything at the carnival, right? 467 00:20:07.539 --> 00:20:11.418 But I do love in Star Trek that like, 468 00:20:11.418 --> 00:20:15.339 the Borg strip you of your individualism and your humanity. 469 00:20:15.339 --> 00:20:19.968 And that you always celebrate human nature in Star Trek. 470 00:20:19.968 --> 00:20:23.764 And so it's human nature to take things that were important 471 00:20:23.764 --> 00:20:26.516 and make it accessible for kids like that. 472 00:20:26.516 --> 00:20:31.188 [Wil] Absolutely, we gotta train the Mariners of tomorrow. 473 00:20:31.188 --> 00:20:33.649 We gotta inspire the next generation of Rutherfords 474 00:20:33.649 --> 00:20:34.483 to get out there. 475 00:20:34.483 --> 00:20:36.318 It was just so, so very cool. 476 00:20:36.318 --> 00:20:38.946 And then the bar, with the one song 477 00:20:38.946 --> 00:20:40.030 -in the jukebox. -Oh, the one-song 478 00:20:40.030 --> 00:20:40.864 jukebox, baby! 479 00:20:40.864 --> 00:20:43.492 That killed me. 480 00:20:43.492 --> 00:20:45.285 There are moments like that where I feel like 481 00:20:45.285 --> 00:20:47.996 Lower Decks is going, "We see you, audience." 482 00:20:47.996 --> 00:20:49.957 -That's the balance. -Exactly. 483 00:20:51.792 --> 00:20:53.126 That's where I feel like you, 484 00:20:53.126 --> 00:20:54.544 like, kind of like lean in and go, 485 00:20:54.544 --> 00:20:57.631 like, "What's up, fellow nerds, I see you." 486 00:20:57.631 --> 00:20:59.675 That's like, "What's up, fellow nerds" is like, 487 00:20:59.675 --> 00:21:02.052 "We see you, but we also love the thing you love." 488 00:21:02.052 --> 00:21:03.053 Yeah, totally. 489 00:21:03.053 --> 00:21:06.431 We went to Sisko's and we didn't make Sisko's into 490 00:21:06.431 --> 00:21:08.016 a TGI Friday, do you know what I mean? 491 00:21:08.016 --> 00:21:10.310 Like Sisko's has to be like Sisko's. 492 00:21:10.310 --> 00:21:11.937 We'll add a little, you know, Ketracel White 493 00:21:11.937 --> 00:21:12.813 Hot Sauce joke. 494 00:21:14.022 --> 00:21:15.565 But like, if we had changed Sisko's, 495 00:21:15.565 --> 00:21:18.110 I feel like that would've been saying-- 496 00:21:18.110 --> 00:21:20.195 it would've been doing a disservice to a thing we love, 497 00:21:20.195 --> 00:21:22.072 but then Bozeman is like... 498 00:21:22.072 --> 00:21:24.241 Bozeman is awesome in First Contact. 499 00:21:24.241 --> 00:21:26.660 It has its huge moment. 500 00:21:26.660 --> 00:21:28.412 -It's already a place. -It's a place. Yeah. 501 00:21:28.412 --> 00:21:29.955 It's already a place. 502 00:21:29.955 --> 00:21:31.498 And then taking our characters there, 503 00:21:31.498 --> 00:21:32.916 that's why I think it's a little-- 504 00:21:32.916 --> 00:21:34.584 we're allowed to have a little bit more fun with it, 505 00:21:34.584 --> 00:21:35.460 in a sillier way, 506 00:21:35.460 --> 00:21:37.754 but we never would've done that to Sisko's. 507 00:21:37.754 --> 00:21:39.339 I appreciate you not turning Sisko's 508 00:21:39.339 --> 00:21:40.716 into a Rainforest Cafe. 509 00:21:42.050 --> 00:21:43.677 I would've been really bummed out. 510 00:21:43.677 --> 00:21:44.594 It would've been a bummer 511 00:21:44.594 --> 00:21:47.764 to have franchised Sisko's, I think. 512 00:21:47.764 --> 00:21:51.018 Dawnn, you have been captain on the Cerritos 513 00:21:51.018 --> 00:21:53.854 -for three seasons now. -Yes. 514 00:21:53.854 --> 00:21:56.440 And your legacy, as a Starfleet captain, 515 00:21:56.440 --> 00:21:57.774 is well underway. 516 00:21:59.192 --> 00:22:01.320 I would love to hear you talk about 517 00:22:01.320 --> 00:22:06.283 being this non-traditional, comedic, animated captain 518 00:22:06.742 --> 00:22:11.371 in the Star Trek universe and like, what does that-- 519 00:22:11.371 --> 00:22:13.290 What does that mean? 520 00:22:13.290 --> 00:22:17.669 First of all, just being a part of this Star Trek world 521 00:22:17.669 --> 00:22:18.962 is everything. 522 00:22:18.962 --> 00:22:22.424 I have been a Trekkie since the very first episode 523 00:22:22.424 --> 00:22:24.760 of Star Trek back in the day. 524 00:22:24.760 --> 00:22:28.972 I used to risk getting whippings for watching Star Trek, 525 00:22:28.972 --> 00:22:31.516 'cause we were supposed to be in bed, my brothers and I. 526 00:22:31.516 --> 00:22:33.685 We were so young, and my mom would be at school 527 00:22:33.685 --> 00:22:36.813 or she'd be working and leave the woman upstairs 528 00:22:36.813 --> 00:22:38.899 to watch us, to make sure we were in bed. 529 00:22:38.899 --> 00:22:41.485 So my brothers and I would put blankets over our heads 530 00:22:41.485 --> 00:22:43.528 and stand as close to the TV as we could 531 00:22:43.528 --> 00:22:47.032 and keep the volume down, so we could watch it. 532 00:22:47.032 --> 00:22:50.202 And we knew every line, every episode. 533 00:22:50.202 --> 00:22:51.328 Was the blanket to muffle the sound? 534 00:22:51.328 --> 00:22:52.287 The blanket was to 535 00:22:52.287 --> 00:22:53.246 -muffle the sound. -Smart. 536 00:22:53.246 --> 00:22:55.916 But it didn't work because we could hear from upstairs 537 00:22:55.916 --> 00:22:59.002 the banging on the, boom, boom, turn that TV off. 538 00:23:00.212 --> 00:23:02.339 So yeah, we would risk getting in trouble. 539 00:23:02.339 --> 00:23:04.674 So I'd always wanted to be some kind of alien, 540 00:23:04.674 --> 00:23:07.302 some kind of warrior, Klingon, Romulan, somebody... 541 00:23:07.302 --> 00:23:08.303 You were an alien once, weren't you? 542 00:23:08.303 --> 00:23:13.016 No, that's my dream to be, but this was before animation. 543 00:23:13.016 --> 00:23:16.311 I wanted to be some kind of alien somebody. 544 00:23:16.311 --> 00:23:19.940 So when they were auditioning for Star Trek, 545 00:23:19.940 --> 00:23:21.983 they gave us sides, 546 00:23:21.983 --> 00:23:26.029 had to sign an NDA, and we were all animals or something. 547 00:23:26.029 --> 00:23:28.740 Yeah, we were so afraid people would find out 548 00:23:28.740 --> 00:23:30.742 we were making the show, we changed everything on it. 549 00:23:30.742 --> 00:23:31.576 Yes. They changed everything. 550 00:23:31.576 --> 00:23:34.496 So I had no idea what I was actually auditioning for. 551 00:23:34.496 --> 00:23:36.832 So when they were directing me, saying, "Okay, yeah. 552 00:23:36.832 --> 00:23:38.125 All right, we're gonna--okay, great." 553 00:23:38.125 --> 00:23:39.709 And you go to the audition and you're done 554 00:23:39.709 --> 00:23:40.669 and you walk away. 555 00:23:40.669 --> 00:23:42.629 And next thing you know, you get a call saying, 556 00:23:42.629 --> 00:23:44.214 "You're gonna be Captain Freeman 557 00:23:44.214 --> 00:23:46.091 on the next Star Trek series." 558 00:23:46.091 --> 00:23:48.343 That was the look that I had. 559 00:23:48.343 --> 00:23:53.348 I was like, "No, no, you're--no, you're kidding. Right? No." 560 00:23:53.557 --> 00:23:57.727 So that journey after that has just been such a blessing 561 00:23:57.727 --> 00:24:01.523 to me, to all of the first time non-traditional captains 562 00:24:01.523 --> 00:24:05.485 that we got to see, from Madge Sinclair to Sisko. 563 00:24:05.485 --> 00:24:07.112 I mean, all of these different people 564 00:24:07.112 --> 00:24:08.488 and a woman in charge, 565 00:24:08.488 --> 00:24:10.699 it just meant the world to me 566 00:24:10.699 --> 00:24:14.244 because Nichelle Nichols was my absolute hero growing up. 567 00:24:14.244 --> 00:24:17.038 To see this African American woman, she was a badass. 568 00:24:17.038 --> 00:24:18.373 She would go on away trips. 569 00:24:18.373 --> 00:24:20.750 She would fight with--she could handle her own. 570 00:24:20.750 --> 00:24:22.502 And she was gorgeous. 571 00:24:22.502 --> 00:24:25.589 I swear--and I told them this--when they first showed me 572 00:24:25.589 --> 00:24:27.340 the rendering of Captain Freeman, 573 00:24:27.340 --> 00:24:30.343 I said, "Oh my God, she looks just like Nancy Wilson" 574 00:24:30.343 --> 00:24:32.304 because--with the white streak in her hair, 575 00:24:32.304 --> 00:24:35.056 I said, and Nancy is like a goddess. 576 00:24:35.056 --> 00:24:36.266 She's just amazing singer. 577 00:24:36.266 --> 00:24:38.393 I mean, so being a part of that legacy 578 00:24:38.393 --> 00:24:41.396 and being this person who is capable, 579 00:24:41.396 --> 00:24:44.191 who is in charge, yet very human, 580 00:24:44.191 --> 00:24:47.194 which is what I love about our show. 581 00:24:47.194 --> 00:24:50.363 On all of the other Star Trek manifestations, 582 00:24:50.363 --> 00:24:53.366 everybody's at their best game, just about all the time. 583 00:24:53.366 --> 00:24:55.702 Or working through to their best game. 584 00:24:55.702 --> 00:24:58.163 Lower Decks pulls back the cover 585 00:24:58.163 --> 00:25:01.625 and shows us how often none of us are on our best game. 586 00:25:01.625 --> 00:25:03.502 We have best intentions, 587 00:25:03.502 --> 00:25:06.588 but the game is a little shaky from time to time. 588 00:25:06.588 --> 00:25:09.341 So you can see yourself and relate 589 00:25:09.341 --> 00:25:13.345 to this non-perfect person trying to do an amazing, 590 00:25:13.345 --> 00:25:16.556 helpful, creative, collaborative thing. 591 00:25:16.556 --> 00:25:18.350 And that's who Captain Freeman is. 592 00:25:18.350 --> 00:25:20.644 She's gonna get an ulcer, I'm sure. 593 00:25:20.644 --> 00:25:22.979 I will say, the way you perform 594 00:25:22.979 --> 00:25:25.315 Captain Freeman, though, it's her show. 595 00:25:25.315 --> 00:25:27.859 -Like she's the captain. -There you go. 596 00:25:27.859 --> 00:25:30.654 She is a, as much of a Starfleet captain, 597 00:25:30.654 --> 00:25:32.030 -as anybody ever has been. -Thank you. 598 00:25:32.030 --> 00:25:33.823 You're doing an amazing, amazing job. 599 00:25:33.823 --> 00:25:35.909 Thank you so much. Thank you so much. 600 00:25:35.909 --> 00:25:38.954 -It is just a great season. -Thank you. 601 00:25:38.954 --> 00:25:43.291 I'm incredibly excited for the audience to see all of it. 602 00:25:44.167 --> 00:25:46.503 And I'm grateful to both of you for making time 603 00:25:46.503 --> 00:25:48.046 to come and talk with me. 604 00:25:48.046 --> 00:25:49.589 I know the audience appreciates it. 605 00:25:49.589 --> 00:25:51.758 I appreciate it, thanks so much for being here today. 606 00:25:51.758 --> 00:25:53.510 -Of course, anytime. -Absolutely. 607 00:25:53.510 --> 00:25:55.887 We love The Ready Room, we love talking about Star Trek 608 00:25:55.887 --> 00:25:58.640 and about Lower Decks, and it's such an amazing time 609 00:25:58.640 --> 00:25:59.975 to be making these shows. 610 00:26:21.329 --> 00:26:23.248 Last season of Star Trek: Lower Decks, 611 00:26:23.248 --> 00:26:25.500 we got to learn first-hand from Robby Cook, 612 00:26:25.500 --> 00:26:27.043 one of the series animators, 613 00:26:27.043 --> 00:26:30.672 how to draw Ensign D'Vana Tendi, and it was delightful. 614 00:26:30.672 --> 00:26:32.424 It was especially delightful for me, 615 00:26:32.424 --> 00:26:34.467 when he threw in a bonus animation of me 616 00:26:34.467 --> 00:26:36.595 as a Starfleet officer. 617 00:26:36.595 --> 00:26:39.055 We in The Ready Room love the hand-drawn style 618 00:26:39.055 --> 00:26:41.933 of the show and how it lends itself so well to both 619 00:26:41.933 --> 00:26:44.853 the comedy in the series and the Star Trek stories 620 00:26:44.853 --> 00:26:46.021 at play in the series. 621 00:26:46.021 --> 00:26:48.189 So of course, we had to go back and get some more time 622 00:26:48.189 --> 00:26:49.691 with these talented animators. 623 00:26:49.691 --> 00:26:51.776 Now you might want to take some notes, if you too 624 00:26:51.776 --> 00:26:54.154 want to draw yourself into the Star Trek Universe. 625 00:26:54.154 --> 00:26:56.031 And if you do, I'd love to see it. 626 00:26:56.031 --> 00:26:57.240 Take a look. 627 00:26:57.240 --> 00:26:59.367 Hi, my name is Marisa Livingston. 628 00:26:59.367 --> 00:27:02.329 I'm the character design lead on Star Trek: Lower Decks. 629 00:27:02.329 --> 00:27:04.331 And today I'm gonna show you how to draw 630 00:27:04.331 --> 00:27:06.833 one of my favorite characters from the show, Dr. T'Ana. 631 00:27:06.833 --> 00:27:09.502 You want me to see a doctor? I am the doctor. 632 00:27:11.671 --> 00:27:13.840 We're gonna get started with an under drawing 633 00:27:13.840 --> 00:27:15.467 to kind of lay out our design. 634 00:27:15.467 --> 00:27:18.678 So just start with a big circle for her head. 635 00:27:18.678 --> 00:27:21.264 All right. Let's just get this over with. 636 00:27:21.264 --> 00:27:22.098 [T'Ana screeches] 637 00:27:22.098 --> 00:27:24.517 Now, I'm gonna add some smaller circles. 638 00:27:25.769 --> 00:27:30.774 These are going to represent her muzzle and her big eyes. 639 00:27:31.316 --> 00:27:35.278 The characters on Lower Decks have pretty big eyes. 640 00:27:35.278 --> 00:27:37.447 They're wide and circular and expressive. 641 00:27:37.447 --> 00:27:38.406 Oh, s***. 642 00:27:38.406 --> 00:27:41.242 So now that we kind of have our under drawing very light, 643 00:27:41.242 --> 00:27:42.994 but we're gonna go over it darker. 644 00:27:42.994 --> 00:27:46.581 I'm gonna start by putting kind of like a pause symbol, 645 00:27:46.581 --> 00:27:47.999 in between her eyes here. 646 00:27:47.999 --> 00:27:50.669 And these are gonna be her furrowed brows. 647 00:27:50.669 --> 00:27:52.712 She's pretty grumpy. 648 00:27:52.712 --> 00:27:57.592 So from here, just big, straight, heavy lines 649 00:27:57.592 --> 00:28:01.805 for her dark heavy expressive eyebrows. 650 00:28:01.805 --> 00:28:04.224 And I might even fill them in a little bit, 651 00:28:04.224 --> 00:28:06.017 even though we're just getting started, 652 00:28:06.017 --> 00:28:08.728 just helps the character come out faster. 653 00:28:08.728 --> 00:28:13.525 And from here, we're gonna go into those expressive eyes. 654 00:28:13.525 --> 00:28:18.530 Dr. T'Ana kind of expresses a cool aloofness. 655 00:28:18.530 --> 00:28:19.989 She's been around the block. 656 00:28:19.989 --> 00:28:22.117 You really showed me something today, kid. 657 00:28:22.117 --> 00:28:22.992 Thank you, doctor. 658 00:28:22.992 --> 00:28:24.077 But this isn't your patient, 659 00:28:24.077 --> 00:28:25.370 so get the f*** out of our way. 660 00:28:25.370 --> 00:28:28.665 And then we'll lay in her pupils, which are slit pupils 661 00:28:28.665 --> 00:28:30.041 because she is a Caitian. 662 00:28:30.041 --> 00:28:33.670 So unlike our other characters on Star Trek: Lower Decks, 663 00:28:33.670 --> 00:28:36.631 she does not have the cute little circular pupils, 664 00:28:36.631 --> 00:28:38.007 hers are unique. 665 00:28:38.007 --> 00:28:41.678 From here, three ridges in between her eyes. 666 00:28:41.678 --> 00:28:44.180 This is just kinda like the top of her little, 667 00:28:44.180 --> 00:28:47.142 her little muzzle, where the color of her fur is different. 668 00:28:48.685 --> 00:28:53.523 Draw her muzzle out, big circle, about the size of her eyes. 669 00:28:55.316 --> 00:28:59.112 And then we'll lay in her cute little triangle nose. 670 00:29:01.072 --> 00:29:03.658 And from here, we'll put in her-- 671 00:29:03.658 --> 00:29:05.618 she's got kind of a grimace. 672 00:29:07.871 --> 00:29:10.081 She's got a little snaggle tooth in here, 673 00:29:10.081 --> 00:29:12.208 so we've got her face kind of in here now. 674 00:29:12.208 --> 00:29:14.544 And we're gonna start building out her head. 675 00:29:14.544 --> 00:29:16.880 Here comes the messy part, any slight error here 676 00:29:16.880 --> 00:29:18.214 can result in instant death. 677 00:29:18.214 --> 00:29:20.175 We're gonna put two tufts of fur 678 00:29:21.760 --> 00:29:24.763 on each of her cheeks, just like that. 679 00:29:24.763 --> 00:29:28.016 And then she also has a cute little tuft of kinda like 680 00:29:28.016 --> 00:29:31.144 platinum blonde hair on her orange fur. 681 00:29:31.144 --> 00:29:35.815 And that's going to have three tufts of fur on top. 682 00:29:35.815 --> 00:29:37.984 But you know, if you're drawing Dr. T'Ana, 683 00:29:37.984 --> 00:29:40.862 maybe she's real frazzled and, like, her hair 684 00:29:40.862 --> 00:29:42.363 is really all over the place. 685 00:29:44.783 --> 00:29:47.869 She doesn't have perfectly pointed triangle cat ears. 686 00:29:47.869 --> 00:29:50.997 Hers are a little more down turned to kind of suit 687 00:29:50.997 --> 00:29:53.249 that weariness that she exudes. 688 00:29:53.249 --> 00:29:56.252 That just tough, confident, 689 00:29:56.252 --> 00:29:59.464 but also, like, a lot of rage underneath. 690 00:29:59.464 --> 00:30:01.549 She can hiss at people, freak out, 691 00:30:02.842 --> 00:30:03.676 cuss a lot. 692 00:30:03.676 --> 00:30:06.596 F*** you, you big ****. F***. 693 00:30:06.596 --> 00:30:11.601 Out of this ear, she's got kind of like two semicircles, 694 00:30:11.935 --> 00:30:15.355 maybe like somebody took a bite out of that ear, who knows. 695 00:30:15.355 --> 00:30:19.234 And then she's got really cool kinda crooked zigzag, 696 00:30:19.234 --> 00:30:21.319 three whiskers coming off each side. 697 00:30:21.319 --> 00:30:23.363 They were probably straight at one point, 698 00:30:24.739 --> 00:30:25.949 but now they've been through it. 699 00:30:25.949 --> 00:30:28.827 Godspeed, you crazy f****. 700 00:30:28.827 --> 00:30:32.997 We wanna make sure that Dr. T'Ana exudes knowledge. 701 00:30:33.998 --> 00:30:35.500 But with all that knowledge and experience, 702 00:30:35.500 --> 00:30:36.584 you get a little tired. 703 00:30:36.584 --> 00:30:41.589 So your shoulders droop, her posture is a little grouchy, 704 00:30:41.673 --> 00:30:42.715 a little droopy. 705 00:30:44.551 --> 00:30:46.594 And we'll draw two lines straight down 706 00:30:47.846 --> 00:30:49.722 for the sides of her doctor coat. 707 00:30:50.974 --> 00:30:55.311 Her lapels are just kind of simple triangle shape. 708 00:30:55.311 --> 00:30:57.480 And then she's got just the edge of a comm badge 709 00:30:57.480 --> 00:30:58.815 sticking out underneath. 710 00:31:00.024 --> 00:31:02.110 You know, she's ready whenever. 711 00:31:03.069 --> 00:31:06.531 And then we'll draw in the lines of the super cool 712 00:31:06.531 --> 00:31:08.366 California class uniform, 713 00:31:08.366 --> 00:31:11.578 which has got these cool angles that closes over 714 00:31:11.578 --> 00:31:12.453 on the side. 715 00:31:14.998 --> 00:31:17.709 Pop on the collar and then, 716 00:31:17.709 --> 00:31:20.336 because she is the Chief Medical Officer on the Cerritos, 717 00:31:20.336 --> 00:31:21.880 she's got three pips. 718 00:31:21.880 --> 00:31:24.507 At least someone around here appreciates rank. 719 00:31:24.507 --> 00:31:27.510 And that is how I would draw Dr. T'Ana 720 00:31:27.510 --> 00:31:29.220 from Star Trek: Lower Decks 721 00:31:29.220 --> 00:31:30.346 and now you can, too. 722 00:31:31.514 --> 00:31:34.350 Congratulations, you look like a f****** scratching post. 723 00:32:10.053 --> 00:32:13.514 Season 3 of Lower Decks is just beginning. 724 00:32:14.432 --> 00:32:16.976 Part of my job here means I have already gotten to see 725 00:32:16.976 --> 00:32:17.810 all of it. 726 00:32:17.810 --> 00:32:21.314 So I am telling you right now, this season is amazing 727 00:32:21.314 --> 00:32:22.899 and I wish I could show you all of it, 728 00:32:22.899 --> 00:32:24.359 but that's not the way TV works. 729 00:32:24.359 --> 00:32:26.027 I can only show you an exclusive clip 730 00:32:26.027 --> 00:32:27.779 of next week's episode. 731 00:32:27.779 --> 00:32:28.863 So here it comes. 732 00:32:28.863 --> 00:32:30.698 Control room, give them a peek. 733 00:32:31.741 --> 00:32:33.034 -Oh hey. -Hey. 734 00:32:33.034 --> 00:32:34.202 What's with all the new faces? 735 00:32:34.202 --> 00:32:35.912 We're hosting everyone that got stranded on the orbital 736 00:32:35.912 --> 00:32:37.205 lift while it gets repaired. 737 00:32:37.205 --> 00:32:38.039 That's cool. 738 00:32:38.039 --> 00:32:39.874 Listen, you were totally right earlier. 739 00:32:39.874 --> 00:32:41.459 I've been saying yes to everything today, 740 00:32:41.459 --> 00:32:43.044 going way outside my comfort zone, 741 00:32:43.044 --> 00:32:45.088 and so far, Shax says he owes me a favor. 742 00:32:45.088 --> 00:32:47.298 I'm not afraid of Chief Lundy anymore. 743 00:32:47.298 --> 00:32:49.258 It's just been a really great day. 744 00:32:49.258 --> 00:32:51.135 Ah, I love that for you Boims. 745 00:32:51.135 --> 00:32:52.720 See, when you get rid of the plan, 746 00:32:52.720 --> 00:32:54.389 you leave room for good things. 747 00:32:54.389 --> 00:32:57.475 From now on, the new plan is say yes to everything. 748 00:32:57.475 --> 00:32:59.352 But, that's still a plan. 749 00:32:59.352 --> 00:33:00.645 How about just no plan? 750 00:33:00.645 --> 00:33:04.649 Nope. Today I am a new Boimler, a bold Boimler. 751 00:33:04.649 --> 00:33:06.859 And the next person who asks me to do something, 752 00:33:06.859 --> 00:33:09.404 I'm saying, yes, no matter what. 753 00:33:09.404 --> 00:33:12.865 Excuse me, I am Kranch. 754 00:33:12.865 --> 00:33:15.576 I was supposed to be on the planet by now, 755 00:33:15.576 --> 00:33:18.079 but the space elevator is broken. 756 00:33:18.079 --> 00:33:20.206 Hi Kranch, welcome to the Cerritos. 757 00:33:20.206 --> 00:33:22.333 I'm Tendi and this is Boimler. 758 00:33:22.333 --> 00:33:27.046 My species has an undeniable natural urge to hunt. 759 00:33:27.046 --> 00:33:30.967 This delay to the planet has been weighing on me. 760 00:33:30.967 --> 00:33:33.428 Would either of you be willing to-- 761 00:33:35.722 --> 00:33:38.391 be willing to be hunted? 762 00:33:38.391 --> 00:33:39.809 Aw, no, thank you. 763 00:33:39.809 --> 00:33:41.644 Maybe you should see if Dr. T'Ana can help you out 764 00:33:41.644 --> 00:33:42.437 in sick bay. 765 00:33:42.437 --> 00:33:45.565 Wait, Mr. Kranch, I'm gonna say yes to the hunted-- 766 00:33:45.565 --> 00:33:47.191 to, to being hunted. 767 00:33:48.151 --> 00:33:49.694 Just because you said you were going to say yes 768 00:33:49.694 --> 00:33:51.446 to the next person who asked you to do something, 769 00:33:51.446 --> 00:33:52.989 doesn't mean you have to do this. 770 00:33:52.989 --> 00:33:54.699 You can do the next one. 771 00:33:54.699 --> 00:33:57.785 You're right, is what the old Boimler would've said. 772 00:33:57.785 --> 00:34:01.122 It would be an honor if you hunted me, sir. Let's do it. 773 00:34:03.416 --> 00:34:05.585 [roaring] 774 00:34:06.836 --> 00:34:09.213 Clearly, we're in for a very funny 775 00:34:09.213 --> 00:34:12.633 and very exciting season of Star Trek: Lower Decks. 776 00:34:12.633 --> 00:34:17.096 It is so good to be back watching Star Trek with you all. 777 00:34:17.096 --> 00:34:19.474 Thank you for joining me today. 778 00:34:19.474 --> 00:34:20.850 I'll be back in a few weeks, 779 00:34:20.850 --> 00:34:22.560 when we get midway through the season. 780 00:34:22.560 --> 00:34:24.145 Tawny Newsome will be joining me right here 781 00:34:24.145 --> 00:34:25.813 in The Ready Room to discuss all the things 782 00:34:25.813 --> 00:34:27.690 that happened between now and Episode 5. 783 00:34:27.690 --> 00:34:30.943 Which is to say, I will have no shortage of questions. 784 00:34:30.943 --> 00:34:32.862 And finally, not that you need a reminder, 785 00:34:32.862 --> 00:34:35.156 but Star Trek Day is fast approaching, 786 00:34:35.156 --> 00:34:37.408 on Thursday, Sept. 8, and you won't want to 787 00:34:37.408 --> 00:34:38.993 miss this year's celebration 788 00:34:38.993 --> 00:34:40.620 of all things Star Trek Universe. 789 00:34:40.620 --> 00:34:42.538 There will be plenty of ways to watch the event, 790 00:34:42.538 --> 00:34:44.040 both live and on demand. 791 00:34:44.040 --> 00:34:46.667 So mark your calendars and stay tuned to Paramount+ 792 00:34:46.667 --> 00:34:50.213 for details. Until next time, I'm Wil Wheaton. 793 00:34:50.213 --> 00:34:52.131 Live long and prosper.