Star Trek: Lower Decks, the upcoming animated series from ViacomCBS, promises to show what goes on “behind the scenes” of working aboard the U.S.S. Cerritos. Series creator Mike McMahan spoke with Entertainment Weekly to discuss the series, and audiences got their first look at brand new artwork. Entertainment Weekly showed off two new exclusive images, showing audiences just a bit more of what we can expect to see when the U.S.S. Cerritos soars across television screens sometime later this year. 

Lower Decks will be different from other Star Trek series as the show is centered around the supporting staff on the ship instead of the bridge crew. And while the show may be animated, it isn’t necessarily intended for children. “It’s definitely not a kids show, but only because it’s a little bit more complex than a kid’s show would be,” McMahan said in the interview.

Fans get a chance to see a bit of that complexity taking shape in the newly released images. The first shows several members of the bridge crew as well as our four main “lower deckers” with phasers drawn as though in the middle of an armed conflict. McMahan noted in the interview that the characters will “also spend a lot of time in the bar” as the second image is far more relaxed, with the four Ensigns (Mariner, Tendi, Rutherford and Boimler) each holding margarita glasses.

McMahan also hinted at the possibility of seeing characters from his favorite Trek series make an appearance in the show. We already know Star Trek: The Next Generation and Lower Decks will be sharing the same timeline in Star Trek canon and McMahan seemed enthusiastic about the potential crossover of characters. Without confirming the rumor, McMahan said, “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.”

And if you’re itching for more of McMahan’s work while you’re waiting for Lower Decks, it’s well worth checking out his new show Solar Opposites on Hulu, or his book Warped: An Engaging Guide to the Never-Aired 8th Season (Star Trek: The Next Generation), available on Amazon or wherever you get your books.