Summary

• Eugene Cordero voices Lt. Sam Rutherford on Star Trek: Lower Decks and plays Agent Casey in Marvel Studios' Loki.
• Lower Decks focuses on the lower-level officers of the USS Cerritos and pays homage to iconic Star Trek characters and events.
• Rutherford is an engineer with a cybernetic implant and is close with fellow officer Tendi, with hints of a potential romance between them.

Eugene Cordero provides the voice for Lieutenant Sam Rutherford on Marvel Studios' Loki. Not only is Lower Decks the first animated Star Trek show since the 1970s, but it also takes a unique approach among Star Trek shows by focusing on the lower-level officers of the USS Cerritos. Lower Decks introduced four young ensigns as its stars, including former Ensign, now Lt. junior grade Samanthan Rutherford. Throughout Star Trek: Lower Decks' four seasons thus far, Rutherford has been involved in many zany adventures with his fellow lower deckers, Lieutenants Brad Boimler (Jack Quaid), Beckett Mariner (Tawny Newsome), and D'Vana Tendi (Noël Wells).

Lower Decks embraces the more ridiculous aspects of Star Trek, while also acting as a love letter to the entire franchise. Sam Rutherford and his fellow junior lieutenants look up to the heroes of Star Trek's past and often reference iconic Trek characters and events. For example, Rutherford sometimes builds ship models that he keeps in his quarters, including one of space station Deep Space Nine. Rutherford and Tendi are particularly close, and while there have been hints of a budding romance between the two, they repeatedly claim to be just friends.

Eugene Cordero Plays Star Trek: Lower Decks’ Rutherford

On the USS Cerritos, Lt. Sam Rutherford works in the engineering department under Lt. Commander Andy Billups (Paul Scheer), who regularly praises Rutherford's dedication and commitment to his job. Because of an injury he suffered while at Starfleet Academy, Rutherford has a cybernetic implant covering his left eye, reminiscent of Geordi La Forge's (LeVar Burton) VISOR. Although this implant allowed Rutherford to see things others can't, it also malfunctions regularly, messing with Rutherford's memory and causing him other problems. Rutherford loves everything related to engineering, and he spends his free time creating holodeck programs, sometimes with near-disastrous consequences (like the murderous Badgey).

Rutherford and Boimler cosplay as Mark Twain in the holodeck, which they call "Twaining" in Star Trek: Lower Decks season 4.

Eugene Cordero began his career in the late 1990s and appeared in various comedy specials and other comedic roles throughout the 2000s. Cordero has appeared in shows such as House of Lies, Hawaii Five-0, Silicon Valley, Key and Peele, Parks and Recreation, Veep, and Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. In addition to his role on Loki, Cordero is perhaps most recognizable from his six-episode stint on The Good Place as Pillboi. Eugene also starred in truTV's Tacoma FD and appeared in 2016's Ghostbusters and 2017's Kong Skull Island (alongside Loki's star Tom Hiddleston). Star Trek: Lower Decks is far from Cordero's only voice-over work, as he has also voiced characters in Bob's Burgers, Close Enough, Little Demon, Central Park, Ten Year Old Tom, and Kiff.

Marvel Studios' Loki Also Stars Eugene Cordero

In Marvel Studios' Loki on Disney+, Eugene Cordero plays Casey, an agent with the Time Variance Authority (or TVA) who finds himself caught up in the schemes of Tom Hiddleston's Loki. In Avengers: Endgame, the Avengers altered the previous timeline, allowing a version of Loki to escape with the powerful Tesseract. Loki then found himself at the TVA, where he soon met Casey, who mostly spent his time behind a desk, filing and organizing evidence brought in by other TVA agents.

Casey appeared as a secondary character in Loki season 1, providing comic relief. In Loki season 2, Casey became a series regular and a more active participant in the action, as he helped Loki and his friends attempt to repair the fractured timeline. Loki season 2 also revealed more about Casey's past. Before being abducted by the TVA, Casey had been known as Frank Lee Morris, one of the inmates who escaped from Alcatraz prison in 1962. Casey may be very different from Star Trek: Lower Decks' Lt. Sam Rutherford, but Eugene Cordero brings the same always-willing-to-help energy to both characters.

Star Trek: Lower Decks is available to stream on Paramount+.

Marvel Studios' Loki is available to stream on Disney+.