The Star Trek franchise is no stranger to sharing characters across shows and has done so quite often in recent years. With that said, Star Trek: Lower Decks is not the typical Star Trek show, and it's not crazy to think a show with such an interesting premise may not feature characters from the other shows.
Mike McMahan, creator of Star Trek: Lower Decks, was asked the question by EW when it was noted that his animated Trek comedy was set during the time of Star Trek: The Next Generation. When asked about the possibility of seeing characters from that era or before, McMahan said this:
There are a lot of recognizable characters in the galaxy at that point. Next Gen is my favorite era. And as a huge Trek fan, I would definitely want to try to use some of them so that I could not only build out the world, but also work with some of my heroes. But I can't get more specific than that. You'll have to wait and see.
Star Trek: Lower Decks may focus on the lesser celebrated workers of the average Starfleet starship, but that doesn't mean there can't be cameos from big stars from the franchise. Popular characters from other ships could drop by for an episode, and maybe even make for a canon crossover episode. Plus, there's the added bonus of only needing these actors and actresses to appear for voice work, which means age or schedule availability may be less of an issue in making any cameos happen.
And like Mike McMahan, there's a healthy amount of Star Trek: The Next Generation fans. Seeing some of these characters brought back to life via animation could be a real treat, especially with more "out there" characters like Q. Major characters would also be a big plus and, with Patrick Stewart already back on as Jean-Luc Picard, it would be cool to see him reprise his "Captain" status from his Starfleet days.
Hell, there could even be a chance to bring William Shatner back into the fold. The actor has danced around coming back, and Star Trek: Lower Decks could be the perfect opportunity to do so. Obviously, the timelines are a bit problematic, but maybe a Starfleet worker stumbles across some documentary on Captain Kirk with interviews? Mike McMahan has made crazier things happen working with Rick and Morty on inter-dimensional cable episodes, so I have faith even the craziest cameos are possible with his creativity.
Star Trek: Lower Decks is said to be coming to CBS All Access sometime in 2020. Continue to stick with CinemaBlend for all the latest happening in the Star Trek franchise and for more on what's happening in the world of movies and television.
