Paramount has gotten comfortable with animated series in the Star Trek franchise, but there is more to be explored
Animation is growing more popular, allowing voice actors to record their lines at home, if necessary, or in the studio alone. There is little need for person-to-person contact which makes it ideal in the world we’re currently living in. Paramount is working on another Star Trek animated series that will see Kate Mulgrew reprising her role as Captain Kathryn Janeway, and while that series might be a breath of fresh air compared to Lower Decks, there are so many others that would work today.
With the actors getting older, live action shows might not be a possibility, but as Jonathan Frakes and Marina Sirtis have proven in Lower Decks, their presences, even though it was only their voices, was welcome. And that would certainly be the case for future animated series, especially with actors who probably won’t return to our screens as their former characters as some, like Brent Spiner, feel they are simply too old to continue to play that character.
And though Lower Decks isn’t proving to be a ratings blockbuster, that doesn’t mean that the right series, with the right characters, wouldn’t be, especially with familiar characters and voices that fans have missed over the years. Even series with new characters could work if done right. Let’s take a look at some of the animated series that could work and would be a breath of fresh air to the franchise.