List of Star Trek: Lower Decks characters

Star Trek: Lower Decks is an American adult animated television series created by Mike McMahan for the streaming service CBS All Access. It is the ninth series in the Star Trek franchise, and was launched in 2020 as part of executive producer Alex Kurtzman's expansion of the franchise. Lower Decks is the first animated series created for All Access, and the first animated Star Trek series since the 1973–74 series Star Trek: The Animated Series. It follows the support crew of the U.S.S. Cerritos in the year 2380.

Tawny Newsome, Jack Quaid, Noël Wells, and Eugene Cordero voice "lower decks" crew members of the Cerritos, with Dawnn Lewis, Jerry O'Connell, Fred Tatasciore, and Gillian Vigman also starring. Characters seen previously in Star Trek also appear, including John de Lancie as Q, Jonathan Frakes as William Riker, and Marina Sirtis as Deanna Troi. The following list includes the main cast of Lower Decks, all guest characters with recurring roles, and a supplementary list of other noteworthy guests.

Overview[]

  = Main cast (Credited main cast member)

  = Recurring cast (3+ appearances in a season)

  = Guest cast (1-2 appearances per season)

Actor	Character	Seasons
		1	2
Main Cast
Tawny Newsome	Beckett Mariner	Main
Jack Quaid	Brad Boimler	Main
Noël Wells	D'Vana Tendi	Main
Eugene Cordero	Sam Rutherford	Main
Dawnn Lewis	Carol Freeman	Main
Jerry O'Connell	Jack Ransom	Main
Fred Tatasciore	Shaxs	Main
Gillian Vigman	T'Ana	Main
Recurring Cast
Jessica McKenna	Barnes	Recurring
Ben Rodgers	Stevens	Recurring
Paul Scheer	Andy Billups	Recurring
Sam Richardson	Vendome	Recurring
Marcus Henderson	Jet Manhaver	Recurring
Tim Robinson	Fletcher	Recurring	Does not appear
Jack McBrayer	Badgey	Recurring	Does not appear
Lauren Lapkus	Jennifer	Recurring
	Kayshon	Does not appear	Recurring
Guest Cast
John de Lancie	Q	Guest	Does not appear
Jonathan Frakes	William T. Riker	Guest
Marina Sirtis	Deanna Troi	Guest	Does not appear
Robert Duncan McNeill	Tom Paris	Does not appear	Guest
Alice Krige	Borg Queen (hologram)	Does not appear	Guest
Lycia Naff	Sonya Gomez	Does not appear	Guest

Main characters[]

Beckett Mariner[]

Beckett Mariner (voiced by Tawny Newsome) is a human ensign aboard the U.S.S. Cerritos and the daughter of Captain Freeman.^[1][2] Newsome described the character as irreverent and a rule-breaker, though she is actually "very good at all things Starfleet, she just doesn't care" and has been demoted several times. Newsome added that Mariner "just wants to ride her skateboard and eat her piece of pizza in peace, man."^[3] Mike McMahan confirmed that Captain Amina Ramsey was her former lover at Starfleet Academy.^[4] The namesake for Mariner is McMahan's own daughter, Beckett Mariner McMahan.^[5] In June 2019, Mike McMahan, the series and character creator, hinted that Lower Decks would feature mainly original characters.^[6] The next month, Tawny Newsome was cast as Beckett Mariner, one of those new characters.^[7] As for the second season, McMahan also felt the writers did not adequately address LGBTQ characters and relationships in the first season, especially since it was their intention to portray Mariner as bisexual which is never made explicit. He said the second season would address this better.^[8] Furthermore, for much of the first season, when production was impacted due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Newsome recorded her lines in a recording studio set up at her house.^[9] Newsome began recording voice overs for the season in early June, in a recording studio which was not possible in the previous season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. She was unable to record with Quaid, as she did on the first season, due to his commitments filming The Boys.^[10]

In the first season of the series, Mariner wants to keep her relation with Captain Freeman a secret. In the second episode, "Envoys", Mariner is revealed to be the long-time friend of K'orin, a Klingon warrior. She convinces Boimler to stay at Starfleet after K'orin ditches them on an alien planet and Boimler cannot survive on his own in the environment. When Freeman wants Mariner transferred to another ship in "Moist Vessel", the captain gives Mariner continually harder and harder jobs, hoping she will grow bored and tired of the constant work and give up, then transfer herself. In the next episode, Mariner attempts to convince Boimler that his new girlfriend, Barbara, is an evil alien masquerading as human to seduce and cause harm to him, but instead the two find they have much in common and become friends. In the season finale, Boimler inadvertently reveals to the whole crew Mariner's connection to Freeman, but the mother and daughter make amends and reconnect.

Brad Boimler[]

Bradward "Brad" Boimler (voiced by Jack Quaid) is a human ensign aboard the Cerritos,^[1] Boimler is a stickler for the rules and will need to learn how to improvise if he is to become a captain one day.^[11] Quaid described the character by saying "he would nail the written portion of the driving test with flying colors but once it actually got to him being in the car, it would be a complete and total disaster."^[3] Quaid originally auditioned for the role of Rutherford.^[12] Quaid additionally called Boimler the direct opposite of friend Beckett Mariner. According to Variety, "while great at sci-fi stuff, he's completely bound to the rules. He doesn't know how to follow his gut, and if he wants to be a captain some day he's going to have to learn how to improvise."^[13] Brad Boimler has also been likened Quaid's character on the Amazon Prime Video original series The Boys, Hughie.^[14] Rolling Stones called Boimler "easily flustered try-hard who doesn't understand why his rigorous rule following goes ignored by Captain Carol Freeman" but likened the character nonetheless.^[15] In July 2019, Quaid was cast as Boimler.^[7]

In the beginning of season one, Boimler is tasked with keeping his friend and co-worker Beckett Mariner in check by the USS Cerritos captain Carol Freeman, who, unbeknownst to him, is Mariner's mother. He sees his friend smuggling supplies to a pair of poor farmer down on a planet the Cerritos is making second contact to, and so he must decide to either follow the rules and report Mariner's behavior or break the rules like Mariner and do what's right. In the end, Boimler decides not to help Mariner but also not to report her. At the end of the first season, after discovering that Mariner is actually the daughter of Captain Freeman, he gets transferred to the USS Titan, serving under Captain William Riker, much to Mariner's dismay.

D'Vana Tendi[]

D'Vana Tendi (voiced by Noël Wells) is an Orion ensign in the medical bay aboard the Cerritos,^[11][16] Tendi is a big fan of Starfleet,^[11] who is always thrilled to be working on a starship. She is new to the Cerritos at the start of the series, and helps introduce the audience to the setting and characters. Creator Mike McMahan believes he would act like Tendi if he ever got the chance to work on a starship.^[3] Wells was cast as Tendi for the series in July 2019.^[7] McMahan noted that the writers would be telling a story in the second season with the characters Beckett Mariner and D'Vana Tendi together.^[17] During her time on the ship, Tendi quickly befriends Sam Rutherford. She has experiences with an incredibly powerful dog that she creates, though Tendi, having never seen a real dog before, believes this is normal. The dog later flies away, leaving her. Later, Tendi befriends an Exocomp who dubs themself "Peanut Hamper", believing this is a regular name. Tendi and Peanut Hamper grow close, until Peanut Hamper betrays Tendi during a crisis and flies away to the enemy ship. After Shaxs sacrifices himself so an injured Rutherford can escape, Tendi stays by his side in the hospital until he wakes up. When he states he has amnesia, she is excited, as she looks forward to their friendship growing again. In the season 2 finale "First First Contact", Tendi transfers to Senior Science Officer training.

Sam Rutherford[]

Samanthan "Sam" Rutherford (voiced by Eugene Cordero) is a human ensign aboard the Cerritos,^[1][18] Rutherford is adjusting to a new cyborg implant.^[11] McMahan compared Rutherford to the Star Trek: The Next Generation character Geordi La Forge, saying they are both "amazing at engineering stuff" but Rutherford does not always solve the problem like Geordi because he is still learning.^[3] Rutherford is a good friend of D'Vana Tendi in the series. In the season finale, Shaxs sacrifices himself for Rutherford so the latter can escape. Rutherford's implant is torn out in the process, so he gets amnesia. Tendi stays by his side in the hospital until he wakes up. When he states he has amnesia, she is excited, as she looks forward to their friendship growing again.

Carol Freeman[]

Carol Freeman (voiced by Dawnn Lewis) is the human captain of the Cerritos.^[1] McMahan described her as a capable Starfleet captain whose starship is not very important.^[19] Freeman does not want her daughter, Mariner, to be on the Cerritos and is looking for a reason to have her transferred to another ship.^[2] In the first-season finale, Freeman's relationship with Mariner is revealed, but by the end of the episode they realize they can work together rather than be enemies aboard the ship. In the second season, Freeman receives a scathing performance review that leads her to believe she needs to be less controlling of her away teams. She does not check in while Tendi, Rutherford, Mariner, and Jet Manhaver are in danger on a collector's ship, however they still make it out okay.

Jack Ransom[]

Jack Ransom (voiced by Jerry O'Connell) is the human first officer of the Cerritos, whom McMahan compared to Next Generation's William Riker, if he was on speed and had less shame.^[1][3]

Shaxs[]

Shaxs (voiced by Fred Tatasciore) is a Bajoran tactical officer aboard the Cerritos.^[1][3] Shaxs /ˈʃæks/ is extremely aggressive with a warrior ethos and a willingness to go into battle; he has been described as a parody of Worf. Shaxs dies in battle at the end of the first season while saving Rutherford but sacrificing himself.^[20][21] The second season introduces a new security chief for the Cerritos,^[17] and Shaxs returns in the third episode of season two, apparently revived by unspeakable methods.^[22]

T'Ana[]

T'Ana (voiced by Gillian Vigman) is a Caitian doctor and head of medical aboard the Cerritos.^[1] McMahan described her as "a good doctor, but she's an unpleasant cat." Including a Caitian in the series is a reference to Star Trek: The Animated Series which also starred a member of that species, M'Ress.^[19]

Recurring characters[]

Introduced in season one[]

Barnes

Barnes (voiced by Jessica McKenna) is a female Trill ensign on the Cerritos.^[23][24]

Steve Stevens

Steve Stevens (voiced by Ben Rodgers) is a human lieutenant commander on the Cerritos. Rodgers is a writer for the series.^[25]

Andy Billups

Andy Billups (voiced by Paul Scheer) is a human lieutenant commander and the chief engineer of the Cerritos, and the direct boss of Rutherford.^[26]

Vendome

Vendome (voiced by Sam Richardson) is a Bolian ensign on the Cerritos.^[27][24]

Cerritos computer

The USS Cerritos computer is voiced by Jessica McKenna.

Jet Manhaver

Jet Manhaver (voiced by Marcus Henderson) is a human lieutenant on the Cerritos. He dated Barbara Brinson before Boimler did.^[28][24] In season two, Jet competes with Mariner after Jet takes Boimler's position. Eventually, on a dangerous mission that goes south, the two realize they need to let Rutherford and Tendi take change, and they make it out alive.

Fletcher

Fletcher (voiced by Tim Robinson) is a human ensign on the Cerritos who is promoted to lieutenant and transferred to the Titan, before being fired from Starfleet.^[24]

Badgey

Badgey (voiced by Jack McBrayer) is a malfunctioning sentient hologram in the form of an anthropomorphic Starfleet badge.^[24] After Rutherford creates Badgey as a training simulation, but Badgey soon betrays his so-called "father". Rutherford, with Tendi's help, is able to subdue Badgey and freeze him to death. During the final moments of his life, Badgey apologizes to Rutherford for his misdoings. Rutherford reactivates Badgey in the series finale, realizing he is the only one who can help in his moment of need to deliver a virus to an alien ship attacking the Cerritos to destroy it. Badgey does so, but also activates the ship's self destruct to kill Rutherford out of revenge. Rutherford walks away, but with amnesia, but Shaxs, who was with him, is killed.

Jennifer Sh'reyan

Jennifer Sh'reyan (voiced by Lauren Lapkus) is an Andorian ensign on the Cerritos.^{[24][additional citation(s) needed]}

Introduced in season two[]

Kayshon

Kayshon (voiced by ) is a Tamarian lieutenant on the Cerritos.^[29]

Guest characters[]

Introduced in previous series[]

• Q (voiced by John de Lancie, season 1), a member of the Q Continuum who accidentally teleports onto the Cerritos.^[30]
• Leonardo da Vinci (voiced by Gary Cole, season 1)^[31]
• William Riker (voiced by Jonathan Frakes, seasons 1–2), captain of the USS Titan^[32] After the end of the first season, McMahan confirmed that Jonathan Frakes would return as his Star Trek: The Next Generation character William Riker in the second season after guest starring in the first season finale.^[17]
• Deanna Troi (voiced by Marina Sirtis, season 1), a character from The Next Generation.^[32] Along with the announcement that Frakes would reprise his role in a larger capacity in the second season of the series, it was also revealed that Marina Sirtis would not return as Deanna Troi because "the stories didn't go that way".^[33]
• Tom Paris (voiced by Robert Duncan McNeill, season 2), a character from Voyager. He visits the Cerritos on a handshake tour much to the excitement of Boimler.^[34]
• Borg Queen (voiced by Alice Krige, season 2), an antagonist that was introduced in First Contact and killed during the final season finale of Voyager. Krige reprises the role, voicing the Borg Queen as a hologram in one of Starfleet's holographic training drills.^[35]
• Sonya Gomez (voiced by Lycia Naff, season 2), a character from the second season of The Next Generation. She appears as the captain of the USS Archimedes in the second season finale of Lower Decks.^[36]

McMahan added that there would be other characters in the second season returning from previous Star Trek series, and said they would "come in a way that you don't expect".^[37] McMahan also stated in May 2021 that there would be "legacy guest roles" in the third season, but they would be "people you're not going to expect when you get them" which he felt was more surprising and satisfying for fans.^[38]

Introduced in season one[]

• Mariner's father (voiced by Phil LaMarr), a Starfleet admiral
• K'orin (voiced by Jess Harnell), a Klingon general who Boimler and Mariner are set to transport to his planet.
• Quimp (voiced by Tom Kenny)
• An injured Bajoran crew member (voiced by Ryan Ridley)
• Vindor (voiced by Kevin Michael Richardson)
• O'Connor (voiced by Haley Joel Osment)
• Durango (voiced by Al Rodrigo)
• Barbara Brinson (voiced by Gillian Jacobs)
• Ron Docent (voiced by Matt Walsh)
• Angie (voiced by Kari Wahlgren), an old friend of Mariner's
• Niko (voiced by Nolan North), an old friend of Mariner's
• Asif (voiced by Asif Ali)
• Karavitus (voiced by Artemis Pebdani)
• A Drookmani captain (voiced by J.G. Hertzler)
• Amina Ramsey (voiced by Toks Olagundoye), who was confirmed by series creator Mike McMahan as Beckett Mariner's former lover at Starfleet Academy, even though it wasn't explicit.^[4]
• The old/young ensign (voiced by Nolan North)
• The Dog (voiced by Jennifer Hale), a superpowered dog created by Tendi.
• Clar (voiced by Kurtwood Smith)^[30]
• Captain Seartave (voiced by Kenneth Mitchell)^[39]
• Migleemo (voiced by Paul F. Tompkins), a psychologist. In June 2020, Newsome was asked by a fan on Twitter if comedian Paul F. Tompkins would have a guest role in the series given Newsome was a frequent guest on Tompkins' podcast Spontaneanation. Tompkins expressed interest in the idea, and McMahan responded to say that he was organizing to have Tompkins cast for a guest role in the series' second season.^[40] He ultimately appeared as Migleemo in both seasons one and two.^[31][41]
• Lemonts (voiced by Gabrielle Ruiz)
• Peanut Hamper (voiced by Kether Donohue), a robot who joins the ensigns in the series finale but later betrays them in their time of need.
• A Solvang first officer (voiced by Merrin Dungey)
• Titan lieutenant #1 (voiced by Echo Kellum)

References[]