I’ll be the first to admit that initially, Lower Decks was the most challenging new Star Trek show for me to get into. I attempted to watch season 1 twice and each time only made it to episode 3 each time. I had a vision of what Star Trek was in my head and thought the jokes that were being told was insulting to the franchise.
Even so, many of my co-writers and other respected Star Trek Adventures contributors touted Lower Decks as the best Trek in years. Because of my respect for these people, I felt that I owed it to myself and the entire Trek community to give the show one more chance. My plans were to do a binge watch of seasons 1 and 2 and to try to let go of my preconceived notions.
Imagine my surprise when, the week I had started my rewatch, STA project manager Jim Johnson notified me that we finally had the license to work on Lower Decks. I was so excited to get the opportunity to look at Star Trek Adventures through more light-hearted lenses. It was during this third watchthrough that I finally understood what the creators were trying for and instantly fell in love with the characters and the stories being told.
I knew right away that I wanted to adapt many of the new species to the game through player characters or adversaries. One of the places Lower Decks really excels, in my opinion, is the creation and reimagining of species. Of course, with only 20-odd minute long episodes, the show leaves a lot of room for developing both cultures and home planets as well. It was quite special to be able to fill in some of these gaps to flush out these species for your game.
You’ll find some of those new species in chapter five, and a large selection of NPCs in chapter eight. Here’s one of the eight new playable character species, the Apergosian.
I had an absolute blast writing for this book. The laughs myself and the other writers had while sharing our ideas were truly genuine. I hope the passion and fun that we put on every page encourages you to try a Lower Decks game and to let go of any preconceived notions that you may have about the series (if you have any at all).
Preorder the Lower Decks Campaign Guide, right now and receive the digital edition immediately! Purchase the Star Trek Adventures RPG core rulebook or the starter set and get started right away!
Star Trek: Lower Decks Campaign Guide:
Thanks for reading this article, and thank you for your interest and support of Star Trek Adventures! Keep frequencies open for news about the Lower Decks Campaign Guide and other Star Trek Adventures product releases. Live long and prosper!
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