Star Trek is setting a course for animation. Star Trek: Lower Decks, the franchise’s first animated comedy, is set to debut in 2020. But then there’s also an animated series headed to Nickelodeon. The series comes from Dan and Kevin Hageman and, according to an interview that producers Heather Kadin and Alex Kurtzman gave to TrekCore, the series will be computer-animated and isn’t going to be seen for some time. According to Kadin, even hoping to see some footage by 2021 is overly optimistic. “Looooonger,” Kadin said. “I was surprised! As someone who makes big, live-action shows, I heard how long it was going to take and I was like, ‘What?!’ Because it’s 3D animation, so just takes that much longer… But the Hageman brothers [come from] Ninjago and TrollHunters, they’re doing it, so it’s definitely going to be more in that visual look.”
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Their experience with computer animation isn’t the only reason that Kadin and Kurtzman sought out the Hageman’s for the new Nick series. There’s also their storytelling skills. “The reason we went to the Hagemans is because if you’ve seen their work, you know that they’re not writing Muppet Babies,” Kadin explained. “It’s not Little Spock and Little Kirk. It’s not playing down [to viewers] that way. Even [with] their characters in Ninjago — they are teenagers — I was able to watch that with my kids and they write with a very epic quality. They tell stories the way we tell stories in live-action: serialized, turning over cards… I think it will be a great way for fans to introduce the franchise to their kids, and for new fans to be formed because it’s such a big franchise, [it can be hard] to get into as a kid.”
The producers also confirmed that the new Star Trek animated series does have a title, they’re just not sharing it at this time. With years left before fans get their first peek at the series, that’s understandable.
Studios involved in the development of the new series include CBS’ new animation arm Eye Animation Productions, Alex Kurtzman’s Secret Hideout, and Roddenberry Entertainment. The series is being overseen by Ramsey Naito, Nickelodeon’s executive vice president of production and development. The show will follow a group of teenagers who come upon an abandoned Starfleet starship and take it on a journey in search of adventures.
“Star Trek, Nickelodeon, and the state of animation are doing incredibly ambitious things as of late. We couldn’t be more excited to jump aboard,” the Hagemans said in a statement when the series was greenlit.
Are you excited about the new animated Star Trek show? Let us know in the comments.
