Interview: What would the STAR TREK: LOWER DECKS stars order from the food replicator?

1 month ago 6

It’s no secret: I have a particular interest in the Star Trek Franchise’s food replicators. And given the focus on crew downtime in Star Trek: Lower Decks, the series may have given us a closer look at the meals eaten by the crew than any series before it.

So when given the chance to speak with the stars of Lower Decks in advance of the season 5 premiere, I asked Tawny Newsome (Beckett Mariner), Jack Quaid (Bradward Boimler), Noël Wells (D’Vana Tendi) and Eugene Cordero (Samanthan Rutherford) what they’d order from the food replicator. Read on to learn how they answered, and don’t forget that the first two episodes of Lower Decks season 5 are now available for streaming on Paramount+!

This interview has been edited for clarity and length.

AVERY KAPLAN: What would you each order from the food replicator?

JACK QUAID: In one episode, Boimler’s trying to make Tendi laugh so that she ceases to be a scorpion creature. And Boimler orders an insane ice-cream sundae. I want that but not as overwhelming. I just want like whatever that is. I think a replicator would make really good ice cream.

EUGENE CORDERO: Yeah, you’re a big sundae guy.

QUAID: I’m a big sundae guy. We all know this.

TAWNY NEWSOME: There’s a lot of blue sky between what me and Mariner are or do, so. I’m just going to say for both of us I want it to replicate perfect bite nachos. Like every nacho is a perfectly distributed, perfect bite.

CORDERO: I mean, the Rutherford and Eugene thing is similar where, I just need more protein. Just give me the protein, please. I’ll take it. I got to stay up and keep working.

NEWSOME: Keto bro Rutherford over here. We did just order lunch, and Eugene’s like, “Double chicken.”

CORDERO: I really did, yeah. I am not ashamed. But look at me, I’m ashamed.

QUAID: Double chicken Cordero.

Eugene Cordero as Rutherford, Gabrielle Ruiz as T'Lyn, Jack Quaid as Boimler, and Tawny Newsome as Beckett Marine in episode 1, season 5 of Lower Decks streaming on Paramount+, 2024.

NOËL WELLS: I’ve traveled to Europe once. And I went to Italy, and there was a pizza that I had at this place, and it was so good. But then when we went the second day, the man refused to let us have it again.

NEWSOME: (Gasps.)

WELLS: I guess because we’re Americans. But he’s like, “No more pizza for you.” So I would want to replicate that because I think about that all the time. I just needed it a second time.

NEWSOME: What was his reason?

CORDERO: It’s called one-time pizza.

QUAID: That was written in Italian.

WELLS: I was just like, “This was so good,” and he’s like, “No.” And I said, “There’s no one in here.” And he said, “You can’t come in.”

NEWSOME: Yeah, we need to get that in the replicator.

Noel Wells: I think we took a picture of it, and he was like, “They’re going to steal my secrets.”

CORDERO: Now everybody go visit one-time pizza.

WELLS: It was in a town called Lucignano. It’s a little medieval town, it’s just a circle, and it was this one guy’s pizza place.

QUAID: Don’t take a photo of it.

WELLS: Don’t take a photo of it or let them know that you’re American.

The Lower Deckers aren’t the first Franchise actors The Beat has asked about their food replicator orders. Here are some previous answers from actors on other shows:

Todd Stashwick, Liam Shaw on Star Trek: Picard

KAPLAN: Do the Titan-A replicators have any special recipes programmed in?

STASHWICK: Chicago Deep Dish.

Come on! I know, I know, I know. “It’s not pizza.” It’s pizza, it’s just regional pizza that you have yet to come to its joys and pleasures. I grew up… It was intravenously fed into me. Since birth, I’ve been eating Deep Dish pizza.

So of course, this dipshit from Chicago would have Chicago-style Deep Dish in his replicator.

KAPLAN: Any particular toppings?

STASHWICK: I personally like a good mushroom, onion, maybe spinach sometimes. Yeah, or just good ol’ fashioned cheese. Mile-high cheese that you eat with a fork – yes, it’s pizza!

Read the whole interview here.

Ashlei Sharpe Chestnut, Sydney LaForge on Picard

KAPLAN: What would you personally order from the replicator?

ASHLEI SHARPE CHESTNUT: I like seafood, maybe some seafood. Like the buffet, let’s do that.

Read the whole interview here.

Melissa Navia, Erica Ortegas on Star Trek: Strange New Worlds

Strange New Worlds streaming on Paramount+, 2023.

KAPLAN: What would you, personally, order from the food replicator?

MELISSA NAVIA: Oh my goodness. So, I’ve been asked this question before, and I would absolutely do this: empanadas; specifically, Colombian empanadas. Because there are different types, but for me, Colombian empanadas are supreme.

They’re nice, delicious food for on-the-go, which I feel like is the thing that Erica would want, you know? “I need to eat and I have no time.” You know, because we’re at war with another ship.

Read the whole interview here.