Lower Decks: Ship Shot

The characters have been revealed; now we have both a launch date confirmed and our first look at the feature starship. 

Set to debut on August 6th via CBS All Access, Lower Decks will be the first animated Star Trek series since 1975 - we’re not counting the two Short Trek's in there! 

Google Images

Along with that announcement, we know there will be a total of ten episodes with one released weekly and that a second series is already well into production. Along with this, there's also the rumour that we might get to see a few regular characters drop in from time to time - but nothing so far on this has been set in stone. But that's not what’s really causing the rumblings in the forums this week because Lower Decks also gave us the first pass on the California Class USS Cerritos (pictured right on this latest teaser poster)

Used for ‘second contact’, these guys are rarely going where no-one has gone before, more often than not being the follow up team behind the Picard's of the galaxy once communications have been established.  Now what you might not know about the name is that Cerritos is a suburban city in Los Angeles County and is also known as Dairy Valley (hope I got that right). I'm getting the sense that the producers have gone for a very "average" place to reflect the more average and "normal" routine that we can expect from the latest starship to hit the small screen.

Set in 2380 just after Nemesis, the USS Cerritos definitely captures the era with that distinctive oval saucer section and the eye-shaped navigational deflector both reminiscent of the Galaxy Class and the kitbash that came from it, the Nebula Class. 

The California Class however seems to have taken that step further and added a spin on the Oberth Class with there seeming to be no logical way to move from the primary hull to the secondary hull without either a) the use of a transporter or b)a turbolift that would need to be heavily protected from the effects of travelling through a warp engine. Looks like there could be some fun times ahead for the feature group of lower deck ensigns we’re set to meet. 

Google images

Looking at the saucer though there are a few differences to the Galaxy Class - those cut-outs at the edge for one and the quartet of dips just forward of the yellow stripe. Gone too is the captain's yacht, replaced with a darker grey wedge shape that extends to the rim of the saucer. We can also see through the reflection dancing on the surface that there are rings of lifeboats so life preservation has been a consideration in its design!

At this point there's no ship name or registry emblazoned on the hull which is unusual but that number might be something they're holding back a reveal on.

The pylons are of a unique style too, resembling motorway bridge supports , attaching to the warp nacelles just behind the bussard collectors. Rather than being oblongs though, these two engine units seem to be octagonal in shape with the top four sides more elongated. Both the bussard collectors and the warp field grilles are of a totally new design with a lot more luminescence than we've experience in similar ships of the time. 

Now while we have been making a serious note of the choice to have the two hulls separated and seemingly impossible to step between, we may be overthinking this with more automation and the possibility that the secondary "hull" is really just jammed full of sensory equipment meaning the crew have no real need to ever go in there except for repairs. Again, this is just conjecture from myself and not actual scripted fact.

We haven't had a look to the back and top of the Cerritos so there's still a bit of mystery to the design. For one, where's the shuttlebay? Is the bridge the same style  as the Enterprise-D??  

It's a radical departure from the usual collection of bits we saw in The Next Generation especially with those girder-esque pylons but it's got us all talking because it is different, striking and isn't afraid to be different even though there are so many recognisable elements included. 

Whether I'll come to love it I can't say at the present time since there's only this one view to consider and it, as noted, leaves a lot unresolved. However, if the series is as unique as this, it will be an entertaining ten weeks!

In just over a month we'll be able to talk even more about the latest Star Trek series.

But what do you think to the new step in starship design? What's great? What would you want to see altered?

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