Paramount+'s Star Trek: Lower Decks is a celebration of all things Star Trek. Filled with several nods to the iconic science-fiction franchise, the animated series brings a new crew member aboard the U.S.S. Cerritos in Season 2, Lieutenant Kayshon. The first Tamarian Starfleet officer, Kayshon, has all the hallmarks of fan-favorite Star Trek culture -- down to their unique speaking pattern, which heavily relies on narrative metaphors. Carl Tart portrays the Tamarian character in a recurring capacity in Lower Decks Season 2.
In an exclusive interview with CBR, Tart discussed the joys of joining the Star Trek Universe, revealed what inspiration he took from the Tamarians' debut during Star Trek: The Next Generation, and explained how he sees Kayshon fitting in with Lower Decks' madcap antics.
How did the role of Lieutenant Kayshon, the first Tamarian in Starfleet, come about for you?
Carl Tart: They had me audition for it. I have some friends that write for the show and they felt I would be a good fit for it. They asked to hear my take on it. They liked it and had me come in and do it.
Did you revisit the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "Darmok" and what Paul Winfield had done?
I did! Paul Winfield is such a dope actor and I hope I can live up to what he did but [the writers] were like, "Have your own take on it!" [laughs]
That said, was there anything about his performance in "Darmok" that informed how you approached your character?
A little bit... I think the gravitas that he came with. Lower Decks is fun so adding that gravitas but still having fun with the character, I think that was a big thing for me. He was such a strong character and that's basically what I did: take that gravitas and mix it in with the fun.
When we see the Tamarians, they are very serious and poetic and, in your first episode, we see Tamarians get to flirt. How is it leaning into that fun side?
It's the most fun. It's what I love to do the most. That balance is the most fun part for me and he's kind of finding his balance in this world. I think that's what makes him funny but he still maintains his status.
Mike McMahan has such a pedigree with Rick and Morty and how is it working with him on this?
It's great. I have such a good time going in. We were recording a bunch of stuff during the pandemic so I didn't get to be in the room with a lot of people, I was by myself a lot. It's awesome. I'm so happy to be part of this project and so excited to be part of this world and universe.
Did you have a prior appreciation Star Trek or were you jumping in fresh?
Jumping in sort of fresh. I definitely watched The Next Generation as a kid and Deep Space Nine. My stepdad was a big Deep Space Nine guy, but I wasn't a huge fan of it myself. Being a part of it now, I'm learning a lot as I'm going along.
As someone with a comedy background, what is it like recording in the booth? Do you get to improv?
You don't get to improv very much with this type of material because it's so sensitive and such an established canon. I don't get to improv that much because I might say something that would have them go, "That person would never say that!" [laughs] I stick to the scripts quite a bit.
What makes it fun in the booth is having different takes. We'll do it this way this many times and then we'll do it this way this many times. I think that's what brings them fun, even though I don't get to improvise that much but I do get to improvise with the emotion -- if you will.
Did you record all lines as Kayshon at once or was it spaced out episode-by-episode?
We record in blocks so there would be lines... I don't know know any of the episode numbers but I won't say any of the titles in case there's any spoilers! [laughs] I don't know any of the episode numbers so they would basically put the script in front of me and I do this for six hours.
Kayshon gets put through the wringer pretty early as he's going through the Collector's archives. How do you keep sight of that nobility that comes with Kayshon while mixing in the hilarity Lower Decks is known for?
That's where the different takes come in! We just get different reads on all the lines and they get to pick-and-choose what they want to use. It's hard to do it sometimes, when you're doing voiceover, because even though you're not acting on-screen, it is hard to remember that you're playing someone else because you're just in front of a microphone. That's all a part of the voiceover process, getting the right takes the way you want them.
This year marks the 55th anniversary of Star Trek and Lower Decks is a prime example that there's plenty of life and new directions for this franchise. How is it to be part of that and where do you want to bring to Star Trek?
It's really cool! Like I said earlier, I didn't grow up as a huge Trekkie but I'm definitely very excited to be part of the world now. I had so many friends that I didn't even know liked Star Trek hit me up asking if that was my voice. It was really cool to how many of my friends love it so much and their connection to it and I'm glad I'm can [bring] them even closer to it, that they have a friend [in Star Trek]. It was really cool to have that experience.
You were saying that you recorded your lines alone but did anyone of the main cast reach out after you got the part? Tawny Newsome was saying you were one of her favorite new additions to the cast.
Tawny definitely did! I have a lot of friends who are doing it, a lot of people from the [Upright Citizens Brigade] and improv communities like Ben Rodgers and Jess McKenna and Paul Scheer and Eugene [Cordero]. They're all friends and it's cool that we all get to be a part of it.
Where do you see Kayshon as part of the Cerritos crew and larger cast?
I think that's what's fun about it, he's still learning to fit in. I think he'll start to catch his groove and do what he wants. It might take a while, to learn a new behavior, but that's the fun -- learning to fit in while learning that is him fitting in.
Star Trek: Lower Decks is streaming now on Paramount+, with new episodes released on Thursdays.