One of the best parts offered by some Star Trek books are the behind-the-scenes peeks at the various shows and movies. While pretty much every Trek series has gotten such a spotlight, it’s time for Lower Decks to get its due in a beautiful new volume.
Just released by IDW Publishing, The Art of Star Trek: Lower Decks by Megan Trevino is the love letter to the animated series that fans have been asking for. The 344-page volume first runs down the characters of the lower decks and then the bridge crew of the USS Cerritos, providing bios of each along with concept designs through finished artwork.
There’s also an in–depth examination of the California-class Cerritos, including some initial layouts for it. It’s fascinating to see how much care the animators put into the details which address the realities of a new style of Federation starship with fresh areas.Â
If you’re a fan of Lower Decks, it’s a must-have!
With so many characters to choose from, it’s hard to narrow down favorites. For the lower deckers, though, Rutherford is a fun one. The character took numerous designs to get his facial visor to look right, and this includes some unexpected early concepts which can be seen at the end of the first chapter.
For the bridge crew, Shaxs is intriguing in that the animators went through numerous possible species he could have been before settling on Bajoran, including a koala-looking alien that would have altered the character. Shaxs is featured in chapter 2 with the other bridge crew members.
The entire book shares the show's tongue-in-cheek humor. However, it doesn't provide a major, detailed analysis as it puts the emphasis on the artwork.
That’s logical for an animated show, and the comments from the animators and showrunners are fun. For any Lower Decks fan, this is a must-buy as a celebration of one of the best Star Trek shows.
The Art of Star Trek: Lower Decks is currently available through Amazon in both hardcover ($46.59) and Kindle ($19.99) formats.
For more Star Trek content, visit the Redshirts Always Die Facebook and X pages. And Lower Decks is streaming on Paramount+.
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