Star Trek's John de Lancie is returning as Q for a Lower Decks cameo

Speaking during CBS All Access’ Star Trek Day, McMahan said de Lancie was one of two legacy Star Trek actors set to reprise their roles for the animated series.

Q first appeared in the debut episode of The Next Generation back in 1987, and appeared in eight episodes of the show overall including the grand finale.

Given that Star Trek: Lower Decks is set in the same era as The Next Generation, it's perhaps not too surprising that the character will be making an appearance, but it will nonetheless come as welcome news for Trekkies.

Announcing the news, McMahon said, "We do have John de Lancie as Q in a small part. The whole show is not about him, but it’s hard to make a TNG-era show and not have Q show up. Eagle-eyed viewers will catch him."

Fans were also treated to a brief preview of the character's appearance when a first-look trailer aired during the panel.

Meanwhile, the other legacy actor making an appearance in the series is Kurtwood Smith, who played a vital role as the Federation President in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country.

He will be playing a different role in Lower Decks, voicing an alien called Klaar - although McMahon didn't give too much more away regarding further details about the character.

He also teased that these two legacy actors might not be the only ones lined up for future appearances on the show, although didn't give any more information about later cameos.

The series began in August 2020 and is in the midst of its first season, while it has already been renewed for a second run of 10 episodes.

It takes place on the USS Cerritos in the year 2380, where a group of aspiring ensigns are relegated to doing thankless work on the lower decks, while the bridge crew take all the glory they can get.

It marks Star Trek's first foray into animated TV since the '70s, when two seasons of the short-lived Star Trek: The Animated Series were aired.

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