California hometown of ‘Star Wars’ boldly goes into the ‘Star Trek’ universe
Do the “Star Wars” movies exist in the “Star Trek” universe?
As a deep thought, it might not be up there with “Which came first, the chicken or the egg?” But among fanboys, it’s certainly a topic of greater conversation than “Why did the chicken cross the road?”
Timeline-wise, Sulu absolutely may know of Skywalker, because 1977’s “Star Wars: Episode IV — A New Hope” is set “a long time ago,” while the United Federation of Planets in “Trek” was (or is it “will be”?) founded in 2161.
Given that, there could be at least one fan of “Star Wars” among the crew members on the latest “Star Trek” show. Because in the CBS All Access animated comedy series “Star Trek: Lower Decks,” the character of Ensign Brad Boimler hails from Modesto, hometown of George Lucas.
Mike McMahan, creator and executive producer of “Lower Decks,” told The Bee in an email Wednesday, “Captain Kirk was born in Riverside, Iowa. Captain Janeway in Bloomington, Indiana. Klingon General Martok clawed his way into life in the Ketha Province on the Klingon homeworld Qo’noS. We are proud to add Modesto to the list of ‘Star Trek’ hometowns for Ensign Brad Boimler.”
He continued, “’Lower Decks’ co-producer and lifelong ‘Star Trek’ fan Brad Winters grew up in Modesto and can even claim ‘Modesto Bee paperboy’ as his first paying gig. The show wouldn’t be the same without Brad’s expansive knowledge of the franchise, and everyone on the show has a deep-rooted love of the Central Valley. (Go Panthers.)“
So while McMahan perhaps wisely sidestepped the issue of whether the “Wars” and “Trek” worlds collide, he gave a great answer to how Modesto made its way into “Lower Decks” and, apparently, where Boimler got his first name.
We’re going to go ahead and believe that Ensign Boimler is a big fan of George Lucas and the “galaxy far, far away” he created.
The ensign is voiced by Jack Quaid (of the Amazon original series “The Boys”), son of actors Dennis Quaid and Meg Ryan. In a promo spot for “Lower Decks,” he refers to Boimler as “the ultimate Starfleet nerd. He’s like a complete fanboy for all the captains and first officers, basically anyone who works on the bridge.”
“Lower Decks” is set in the year 2380. And according to a Time magazine article on the timeline of all the various “Star Trek” TV shows and movies, “Star Trek: The Next Generation” takes place from 2364-70.
So in “Lower Decks,” the U.S.S. Enterprise crew members of “Next Generation” — Picard, Riker, Data, Troi, Worf and the rest — are legends to Boimler and his shipmates.
Unfortunately, it’s not on the Enterprise that Boimler serves. No, “Lower Decks” is set on the U.S.S. Cerritos, which the show’s website describes as “one of Starfleet’s least important ships.”
For more on “Star Trek: Lower Decks,” go to www.cbs.com/shows/star-trek-lower-decks and www.startrek.com/shows/star-trek-lower-decks.
This story was originally published August 13, 2020 at 11:39 AM with the headline "California hometown of ‘Star Wars’ boldly goes into the ‘Star Trek’ universe."
