Interview: Jerry O’Connell Talks Parallel Universes And Jack Ransom’s Depth On ‘Star Trek: Lower Decks’

As fans know, Star Trek: Lower Decks was inspired by an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation about life for junior officers on the USS Enterprise. Now in its final season, Lower Decks turned the tables with its latest episode, “Upper Decks,” which puts the Cerritos’ senior officers in the spotlight. TrekMovie spoke with Jerry O’Connell, who has been voicing the ship’s workout-loving first officer, Jack Ransom, for all five seasons. His enthusiasm and energy (and humor) practically leapt out of the Zoom screen as he talked about playing his own double (and his previous experience with parallel universes), Ransom’s thoughts on Strange New Worlds‘ Una, and more.

If you want to listen to the interview, check out the All Access Star Trek podcast.

So when you got the script for this latest episode—

I thought, ‘Finally we’re getting on the bridge!’ It’s been it’s about time. I know the show is called Lower Decks, but let’s be real. Star Trek is all about what goes on on the bridge. That’s where the real decisions are made. That’s where the grown-ups are… I understand Lower Decks is about the shenanigans that happen in the lower decks—by the way, they have to sleep like four to a bunk whatevs. Get us to the bridge. That’s what it’s all about.

In this episode, we saw that Ransom has been using his jock persona to just sort of be an act. And so my question is like, is that how you’ve been playing him throughout? And what is your sort of take on him as a good officer versus a vain guy?

Mike McMahan has a really funny take on it. He’s like, he’s a little part Riker, he’s a little part Magnum or something…  but I am really inspired by Jonathan Frakes. I mean, I did take a lot from him, but it’s interesting. It’s such a fun character to play, because I can play everything with this bravado and this machismo, and he rips his shirt off, and he’s this first officer in Starfleet, and he’s a stud, and blah blah blah, but really, his true allegiance is just to Starfleet. And because Starfleet is bigger than all of us, it humbles him. It’s really a fun character to play, because on the surface, he is this sort of alpha leader: ‘Follow me, lower deckers, I’ll show you the way.’ But at the same time, he’s a humble servant of Starfleet. So it’s one of the deepest characters that I’ve ever gotten to play. And it’s been an honor.

When you read this episode [“Upper Decks”] and started recording for it, did it shift how you think about him? Because he says he’s been acting a certain way to unite the lower deckers against him.

Did it shift? I don’t think it shifted my performance. Because Mike always sort of let me know this is who this guy is. I just thought it was great writing, you know, and you’d have to ask Mike about this, but from where I sit, Mike just doesn’t write comedy. He doesn’t just write a Starfleet funny animated show. He writes for the characters. And that’s when I think Star Trek is at its best, when it’s writing for characters who happen to be in Starfleet. And that’s why Lower Decks is such a good show. It’s not just joke, joke, joke, joke, joke, callback to Next Gen, joke, joke, joke, joke, callback to Deep Space Nine. It’s deeper than that.

Ransom exercises his command style in “Upper Decks.”

This season, sadly, is the final one, although everyone’s holding out hope for something else…

Come on. I mean… There’s room. Have another animated shows gotten picked up? Yeah, there’s room. Plus, we’re very proud of this last season. We’re very excited, and there’s no sadness. Never a goodbye.

The season started with all the characters meeting their alternate selves. We, as the audience, got a takeaway about each character based on that, and it also set off some of them on paths for the season. So what’s your take on Ransom and his double, what did he get from that? And what did that show us about him?

Okay, listen, I don’t know if you or your readers are familiar with this, but I starred in a little science fiction show in the ‘90s called Sliders, which dealt with parallel universes. Some would argue one of the first network television shows to deal with parallel universes, whatever. I don’t want to say I’m like one of the fore-figures of parallel universes, but let me just put it this way, I have experience. Okay? And all these other kids that are on Lower Decks. I said to them, “Guys, I was on Sliders. If you have any questions, come to me… I know all about parallel universes.”

No, but you know what’s funny… I have played other versions of myself in Sliders, so I was familiar with this. But Mike McMahan had very specific ideas for what the other Ransom was. It was a little more subtle. Maybe I’m just a little more broad and on the nose… I gotta tell you, Mike McMahan has really helped my parallel universe acting. And that is a thing, everybody, I’m telling you. I’m an expert! Between Sliders and Lower Decks season 5, a freaking expert in parallel universes. And Mike McMahan did have me take it down a notch and I’m appreciative of it. Listen, last time I was doing parallel universes, it was the ‘90s. It was Fox. I had to follow X-Files. I had to make my mark. Maybe it was a little much, but I think Mike McMahan got me to a good place. Do you believe I’m an expert on parallel universes?

Yeah—I watched a lot of Sliders, dude.

Let’s get a remake of it. Come on, Universal. I mean, I realize this is for Paramount Plus, but it’s on another streaming service, and I called them. They never called me back.

“I starred in a little science fiction show in the ‘90s called Sliders…”

So how much do you improvise when you’re doing Ransom’s dialogue?

I improvise quite a bit, and I’ll be honest with you, I don’t remember what makes it and what doesn’t make it. By the time I see it, I don’t even remember. I have to say, our recording sessions on Lower Decks are so funny.

Mike McMahan, the whole writing staff that he… I’ll never forget, I think it was first season… I read one of the scripts… it was something where the Cerritos was sent to blow up a moon. And I remember, I was working with one of the writers and Mike McMahan, and they were like, “Yeah, you know, blah blah blah blah blah, and then you’re gonna blow up the moon.” And I was like, “Oh, okay, um, any reason why? Is there any significance as to why we’re blowing up this moon? Is this going to come back?” And they looked at each other and went, “No, we just thought it’d be cool to blow up a moon.” And it’s just like, who else in Starfleet who are writing these things is going to be like, yeah, no, there’s no significance. We just thought it’d be cool to blow up a moon. Isn’t that kind of cool? It is! It’s just been making me laugh for five seasons.

The Cerritos plans to blow up a moon in season 1’s “Cupid’s Errant Arrows.”

Same. Final question, how would you contrast the styles of First Officer Ransom and First Officer Una [Chin-Reilly from Strange New Worlds, played by Jerry’s wife, Rebecca Romijn]?

Well, this isn’t a spoiler, but Ransom isn’t lying about being an Illyrian, okay, so he’s not lying on his application. Let’s just put it that way—spoiler alert, if you haven’t watched Strange New Worlds season 2. So Ransom didn’t lie in his application. That’s sort of a biggie in Starfleet.

Would they get along if they met?

Listen, we don’t judge people physically here in Starfleet, but I think Ransom will get along with Una Chin-Reilly. He would like her a LOT. He’s into Illyrians.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – NOVEMBER 15: Rebecca Romijn and Jerry O’Connell attend The Humane Society Of The United States To The Rescue! New York Gala at Cipriani 42nd Street on November 15, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Taylor Hill/FilmMagic)

The fifth and final season of Lower Decks debuted on Thursday, October 24 on Paramount+ in the U.S. and internationally. New episodes of the 10-episode-long season will drop every Thursday on the service leading up to the series finale on Thursday, December 19.

Keep up with news about the Star Trek Universe at TrekMovie.com.

NOTE: Interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.