'Star Trek' animated comedy series in works from 'Rick and Morty' writer

CBS All Access has given a two-season order to a half-hour animated comedy series titled "Star Trek: Lower Decks", which is created by "Rick and Morty" writer Mike McMahan.

According to Entertainment Weekly, the show will tackle the Federation from a comedic perspective, focusing "on the support crew serving on one of Starfleet's least important ships".

"Mike won our hearts with his first sentence: 'I want to do a show about the people who put the yellow cartridge in the food replicator so a banana can come out the other end'.

"(McMahan's) cat's name is Riker. His son's name is Sagan. The man is committed. He's brilliantly funny and knows every inch of every Trek episode, and that's his secret sauce: he writes with the pure, joyful heart of a true fan. As we broaden the world of Trek to fans of all ages, we're so excited to include Mike's extraordinary voice," said executive producer Alex Kurtzman.

This series is one of several "Star Trek" projects that were in development at CBS All Access. In addition to the upcoming launch of Season 2 of "Star Trek: Discovery", the streamer also recently announced a series starring Patrick Stewart focusing on Capt Jean Luc Picard after the events of "Star Trek: The Next Generation".

"As a life-long Trekkie, it's a surreal and wonderful dream come true to be a part of this new era of 'Star Trek'. While 'Star Trek: Lower Decks' is a half-hour, animated show at its core, it's undeniably 'Trek' and I promise not to add an episode at the very end that reveals the whole thing took place in a training program," said McMahan.