To Mike McMahan and the phenomenal team at Titmouse,
I held off on watching the series finale of Star Trek: Lower Decks as long as I could. I wanted to savor what was, without question, brilliant Trek. I finally watched it on Christmas morning, and it was everything I needed—chef’s kiss. No notes. In fact, it compelled me to write this letter.
Lately the world has me feeling like people are so quick to complain, making posts and comments about how much they didn’t like a thing—a use of energy I will never understand. It feels like we’ve forgotten that it’s okay for different people to like different things. Along with the vitriol, we’ve also forgotten how important it is to thank the people who make the things we love. This show is one of those things.
I love Star Trek.
It’s my favorite IP. It probably always will be. I’m one of those nerds who can name episodes just from the pre-opening credits teaser. I watch all the movies and series over and over—DS9, TNG, Discovery, even Enterprise. If I’m ever in a foul mood, I can turn on Trek and let the shit in the world melt away. It’s one of the only science fiction shows that fundamentally promotes hope that we as a species can be better than we are. It doesn’t fix the problems, it encourages us to tap into our capacity to overcome the toxicity of our current world. Trek is my joy.
Why Lower Decks Matters to Star Trek
Watching Lower Decks for the last 5 years has been remarkable. This show felt like watching that joy represented on TV by people who clearly share my love for Trek. From the writers, to the artists at Titmouse, to the actors who gave voice to every character, Lower Decks is a love letter to Trek made by people who get it. Your attention to the lore, technobabble, and even jokes about the weird production gaps that occur on a 55 year old IP, are nothing short of incredible. We all know that Worf is “not a Merry Man” because those jokes, while wonderful, were so few in Trek. You normalized the goofy, joyful moments of Trek while never losing the depth and meaning that make it great. Every episode was good, every joke landed, every easter-egg was a delight. These details show that you not only understand Trek, it suggests you’re aware of the fans who enjoy and play in this universe.
Trek Changed My Gaming
Trek has always been inspirational for me. It’s a core reason I started game mastering tabletop role-playing games. Running a Last Unicorn Games Star Trek RPG was my first gaming campaign for friends twenty years ago. Now, I run Lost Voyages, an actual-play series using Star Trek Adventures by Modiphius (available at your friendly local gaming stores). We are getting ready to film a new season, my 8th overall, with a new crew. In the five years since your show premiered, I’ve noticed a distinct shift in Trek culture. You’ve reminded the fans that it’s ok to celebrate Trek’s quirks while calling out its absurdities without insulting it. I’m convinced your writers have their own games going on somewhere or you watched streams or shows of players because the things that you did are so on-the nose. Almost every episode has me laughing hard at things like weapons being stashed all over the ship “just in case”—because yes, my players absolutely do that.
To the team at Titmouse:
Thank you for helping us visualise everything that makes Star Trek special. I was lucky enough to go to Star Trek the Animated Celebration at the Dunbar Theatre in Vancouver. Watching Lower Decks on the big screen was marvelous, especially chanting ‘Lower Decks! Lower Decks!’ with over 350 fellow fans. My favourite memory of that night was when the main floor audience learned you were all watching from the balcony and we gave you a standing ovation. It was deserved. I hope you all know how much your work has meant to fans like me—and how it’s inspired us to boldly go wherever our imaginations take us. Also, the little jokes tossed in about Vancouver? Hahaha omg priceless. The USS Vancouver with shuttles named after the different regions; the ship was so nice and clean, yet people could wait to leave; and everyone only ever ate Sushi and Poutine; then the USS Anaximander, everyone eating only sushi or ramen, amazing.
To Paramount+:
I don’t claim to understand the intricacies of the studio system. From my perspective, it’s top heavy and has kinda forgotten that it was initially created by people who wanted to create entertainment and were restricted. Please, don’t let the pressures of the mythical creativity vs capitalism stifle what this franchise brings us. Trek has always been the little IP that could. It challenges racism, sexism, homophobia, isolationism, fascism, and even toxic capitalism, offering a vision of a better world. NBC tried to kill it after its first year, fans kept it going until 1969. In 1976 the show, in reruns for 7 years, was still so loved the first Space Shuttle was named Enterprise. It helped Star Wars and inspired countless works of science fiction. It’s helped stimulate scientists and define tech we have and use today. It pushes boundaries in ways other shows don’t or won’t. Creativity like this needs to be nurtured. Shows like Lower Decks, Discovery, and now Strange New Worlds, are proof that the Star Trek universe is at its best when creators who genuinely love it are given the freedom to bring it to life.
To Mike McMahan, the writers, voice actors, and everyone involved:
You are legends. Thank you for reminding me—and so many others—why we love Trek. Mike I appreciate what you did and I hope you get to be involved with Trek in the future. I’m grateful to Tawny Newsome, Jack Quaid, Noël Wells, Eugene Cordero, & the rest of the magnificent talent, for giving us some of the coolest Star Trek characters in 50 years. On a personal note, thank you all for inspiring me to tell better stories. Thanks for reminding me that Star Trek can embrace joy, humor, and irreverence while still being outstanding science fiction. The only thing I have to offer beyond this public thanks is a standing invitation to be guests on my show, Lost Voyages. If you ever want to play in the worlds you’ve helped imagine, heck even if you want a private game with no cameras, my dice and table are always ready for you.
Again, I can’t thank you enough.
Engage the core,
The GM Tim
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