Four-letter swearing in Star Trek became a hot-button issue when Discovery Season 1 featured the franchise's first and second f-bombs back in 2017, as followed by Picard also jumping on the swear train. The animated comedy Lower Decks features more swearing in a single episode than an entire series of other Trek shows, and yet has never allowed an unedited F-bomb through like the other shows, opting instead to bleep out the harsher language. CinemaBlend recently spoke to animator Barry Kelly and producer Brad Winters about why that choice was made in the age of adult animation, and they shared a pretty illuminating f#%@ing answer.
I spoke to Barry Kelly about Star Trek: Lower Decks Season 4 and my curiosity surrounding the show's continued censorship of swears. I theorized, perhaps, that because it's an animated comedy, CBS requested certain swears be cut. Brad Winters was listening in on the call and reassured me that the network has never tried to step in and stop Lower Decks from swearing:
I can confirm it’s self-imposed. CBS has never told us anything. We’ve never been censored.
Winters reassured me that there's no interference from those on high, and any censorship found in Star Trek: Lower Decks is self-imposed and in-house. It's comforting to hear the show is free to push the envelope as far as it wants and has the restraint not to show us Boimler's genitals, even if Jack Quaid was largely unphased by that scene thanks to his time on The Boys.
It is curious, however, to see Star Trek: Lower Decks does not keep at least one heavy swear in the mix in a season when other shows aren't so hesitant to do so. Animator Barry Kelly talked about the decision to self-censor further and stated the reality is bleeping is funnier at times than allowing the swear:
We just think it’s funnier. It’s funnier to self-censor. It tells you something bad happened without having to say it. There are a few times we’ve left an occasional s-word in there, or ‘ass’ makes it through. It’s the big ones that got more bite on them [that we censor]. Sometimes, I don’t even know what potty mouth our actors and actresses have because what they're saying we don’t use.
As Barry Kelly pointed out, Star Trek: Lower Decks doesn't censor every swear. He also noted that while the show only had about one major bleep an episode early on, the number has increased over time. This also means more unedited swears have found their way into Season 4, and who knows, maybe there will come a day when Lower Decks decides to drop the big one.
If that day does come, it'll ultimately come down to showrunner Mike McMahan. Barry Kelly said the staff always defers to his wisdom and past experience when it comes to the funniest call to make, and he's usually spot on:
A lot about the show is Mike [McMahan’s] sensibilities. He’s kind of like our North Star in what’s funny and he’s usually dead right on everything because it usually ends up being pretty damn funny at the end.
Even Star Trek: Strange New Worlds has used LD creator Mike McMahan for some of its comedic episodes, so it's fair to say he's a trusted mind when it comes to comedy. There's also no denying that McMahan is one of the biggest Trek fans working in Hollywood and an advocate for all Treks, as he mentioned during the Mission Chicago convention in 2022. If he thinks it's best that Lower Decks strays away from using the heavier swear words even when the other shows seemingly have no problem doing so, who are we to judge? Could you imagine how extreme the show would be if it did let everything fly unedited?
Catch new episodes of Star Trek: Lower Decks on Thursdays using a Paramount+ subscription. Season 4 is off to a great start, and hopefully, it [bleep] stays that way.
