'Star Trek: Lower Decks' Star Tawny Newsome Teaming With Justin Simien For Live-Action Comedy 'Trek' Series

'Lower Decks' is heading to a somewhat early end, but one of its stars is looking to stick around with a combination of medium and genre that hasn’t been done before

There’s always space for comedy and laughter in the galaxy. Actor-writer Tawny Newsome, who has voiced junior-grade lieutenant Beckett Mariner on Star Trek: Lower Decks for its five seasons (and more), has teamed with writer-director Justin Simien to develop a new live-action Star Trek comedy series. Newsome announced this during the Lower Decks segment of the Star Trek Universe panel in Hall H of San Diego Comic-Con Saturday afternoon.

The entire panel was moderated by Simien, with Newsome joined by her co-stars of five seasons Jack Quaid, Noël Wells and Jerry O’Connell, series creator and executive producer Mike McMahan and modern franchise shepherd, executive producer Alex Kurtzman, who will be executive producing this comedy series as well. It will be set in the 25th century, and will follow “Federation outsiders serving a gleaming resort planet find out their day-to-day exploits are being broadcast to the entire quadrant.”

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Simien, Newsome and Kurtzman will also write on the show. In addition to five seasons of Lower Decks and reprising the role in live action for a crossover with Strange New Worlds, Newsome picked up writing experience on Star Trek: Starfleet Academy, which is quickly manifesting as the next series in the storied franchise, and had its official cast unveiling in the segment following. She however has not confirmed if she will take on acting duties in her own series. Her previous acting credits include Bajillion Dollar Propertie$, Physical, Space Force, and Brockmire.

Simien is best known for his feature directorial debut Dear White People, which he also wrote and then adapted into a four-season Netflix series which ran from 2017 to 2021 and he wrote and directed for. He also wrote and directed the satirical horror film Bad Hair from 2020 and last year’s Haunted Mansion remake. He was also attached as showrunner for the Star Wars series Lando, back when it was being developed as a series.

Aaron Baiers, Rod Roddenberry and Trevor Roth will executive produce as well. The last of Lower Decks is set to premiere on October 24 with two of its ten episodes and run through December 19.

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Source: Variety