Surprisingly, the most difficult joke to get approved for the animated series Star Trek: Lower Decks involved a famous shirt worn by Captain James T. Kirk, played by William Shatner. Created by Mike McMahan, Star Trek: Lower Decks received a 93% Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes and aired five seasons on Paramount+ from 2020 to 2024.
As a big fan of Star Trek: Lower Decks, I was thrilled to get my hands on The Art of Star Trek: Lower Decks. It’s been a little over a year since the show wrapped, and this gorgeous, oversized book is a fantastic tribute. Author Megan Treviño, along with Penguin Random House, has put together 344 pages packed with designs, sketches, and stories from the people who actually made the show. If you loved the animation and the humor, or just want a peek behind the curtain, this is a must-have. It’s full of stuff you’ve never seen before!
Brad Winters, a co-producer on Star Trek: Lower Decks, shared a photo of the new art book, The Art of Star Trek: Lower Decks, on Bluesky. He also confirmed that he provided the quote for a picture of Jack Quaid (who plays Ensign Boimler) wearing a sweater with the phrase “Go climb a rock.” According to Winters, getting approval for that shirt was the biggest legal challenge during the show’s production.
It’s funny ‘cause it’s true. — Brad! (@bradwinters.bsky.social) 2026-05-06T02:22:44.814Z
Boimler’s shirt is a nod to a similar one worn by Captain Kirk in Star Trek V: The Final Frontier. The movie, directed by William Shatner, begins with Kirk returning from a camping trip in Yosemite. He playfully wears a shirt that says “Go climb a rock” – a humorous reference to his unsuccessful attempt to climb El Capitan during his time off.
In season 2, episode 9 of Star Trek: Lower Decks, titled “wej Duj,” Ensign Brad Boimler wore a shirt with the phrase “Go climb a rock.” He did this as part of a plan to spend time with a senior officer on the USS Cerritos. Boimler copied a look worn by Captain Kirk, and combined it with a pair of broken jet boots, to join Ensign D’Vana Tendi (Noël Wells) and Dr. T’Ana (Gillian Vigman) in a holodeck climb of El Capitan.
Bluesky user @neko_designer pointed out that the phrase “Go climb a rock” is actually the motto and a registered trademark of the Yosemite Mountaineering School and Guide Service. This could be the reason the show Star Trek: Lower Decks ran into copyright problems, although they were able to get the phrase cleared for use, much like William Shatner did in Star Trek V: The Final Frontier.
Given all the references to past Star Trek episodes, films, and characters in Star Trek: Lower Decks, it’s funny that the phrase “Go climb a rock” caused the biggest legal issue. But it was worth it, as Boimler wearing a shirt that looked just like Captain Kirk’s was a wonderful tribute to William Shatner’s often-criticized Star Trek movie.
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2026-05-06 12:18