Star Trek: Lower Decks has featured appearances by some of Star Trek's most beloved legacy characters. Set in the late 24th century, Lower Decks focuses on the crew of the USS Cerritos, a low-level Starfleet vessel that specializes in second contacts. The bridge crew feature in the show, but the main characters are young ensigns just finding their way in Starfleet. Created by Rick & Morty veteran and longtime Star Trek fan Mike McMahan, Lower Decks strikes a great balance between ribald, adult humor, and earnest reverence for the franchise's history.
One of the advantages of setting Star Trek: Lower Decks in the 24th century is that it's chronologically adjacent to Star Trek: The Next Generation, as well as its spinoffs Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Star Trek: Voyager. Plenty of characters from that particularly rich slice of Star Trek history have guest starred on Lower Decks, everyone from legendary Starfleet officers to omnipotent beings from higher planes of existence. While those legacy characters tend to be somewhat heightened due to the inherent nature of an animated comedy, every one of them has felt like a genuine representation of the character.
