You might recall, during CBS’ portion of the Television Critics Association (TCA) summer press tour this year, “Star Trek: Discovery” (as the new series is called) executive producer Bryan Fuller said that the lead character will be a woman and she very likely will be non-white. The vast majority of actresses who had been seen for the part up until that time had been either African-American or Latina. We figured it wasn’t Michelle Yeoh (she’s been cast to play the ship’s captain), because Fuller also said that the lead will not be the captain of the ship, with the goal being to tell stories through some other character’s eyes who is not the captain, as has typically been the case in past “Star Trek” series and movies. The lead will be “a lieutenant commander with caveats” Fuller said, and their intention was to go diverse, not just with the lead role, but with the entire cast.
After several more casting announcements over the last couple weeks, it’s been announced this evening that Sonequa Martin-Green, well known from her role on AMC’s mega-hit “The Walking Dead,” has been cast as the lead in “Star Trek: Discovery.”
Per an Entertainment Weekly report, the search for the lead was apparently an intense one, as producers wanted to make sure the found the right actress for to topline the eagerly anticipated new CBS All Access reboot of the iconic series.
“Walking Dead” fans can relax, as Martin-Green is not leaving the show she joined during its 3rd season, playing the tough, pragmatic Sasha Williams.
This marks the first African American woman to lead the cast of a “Star Trek” ensemble series – one that, as Fuller also previously said, will be the most diverse, and will also include the franchise’s first openly gay character.
Martin-Green’s casting follows that of another black actor, British thespian Chris Obi (who has been cast in the upcoming reboot as a Klingon – specifically as “T’Kuvma,” the Klingon leader seeking to unite the Klingon houses).
Douglas Jones and Anthony Rapp are also series regulars, joining Yeoh.
To be titled “Star Trek: Discovery,” the brand-new series will introduce new characters, while exploring the dramatic contemporary themes that have been a signature of the franchise since its inception in 1966.
“Star Trek: Discovery” is coming to CBS All Access in May, 2017, following the premiere on the CBS Television Network, and will be distributed concurrently on Netflix in 188 countries and through Bell Media in Canada. This is part of CBS’ attempt to boost subscribers for its new CBS All Access platform, as if it wants to compete with other SVOD platforms like Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Prime.
The first season will be 13 episodes, but little has been revealed in terms of story, other than to say that the new series will be set in the Prime Universe (as opposed to the Kelvin Timeline used in the J.J. Abrams-produced films) and will take place about 10 years before Captain Kirk’s five-year mission. In other words, the series will act as a bridge between the first two series in the timeline, about a century after “Star Trek: Enterprise” (which was a prequel) and a decade before the original series.
