There is nothing quite like a new series or movie to cause furious debate amongst Star Trek fans. The announcement of Star Trek: Discovery’s air date of and subsequent trailers released by CBS and Netflix let loose a storm of activity online as Trekkies speculated, analysed and argued over the details of the new show. Set ten years before Captain Kirk and Spock embarked on their famous five year exploratory mission in The Original Series, Discovery’s story arc contains two new starships, a ‘cold war’ with the Klingons and a whole host of new characters.
As the show debuts on Netflix in the UK, let’s bring you up to speed on the main players, races and organisations in the latest entry into one of fiction’s greatest saga’s…
Starfleet and the United Federation of Planets
What we know from initial press releases, trailers and interviews with the cast and producers is that the Starfleet officers in the show are crew members from two different ships: the U.S.S. Shenzhou and the U.S.S. Discovery.
SONEQUA MARTIN-GREEN is
Lieutenant Commander Michael Burnham
The main character of the series. Commander Burnham is described as being First Officer of the Shenzhou under the command of Captain Philippa Georgiou. When the series starts she has been serving as Georgiou’s ‘Number One’ for seven years and is a xenoanthropologist, specialising in first contact with alien species. Controversially, it has been revealed that Michael was raised on Vulcan under the care of Ambassador Sarek (the father of the famous Mr Spock). She is the only human to have ever studied at the Vulcan Science Academy.
MICHELLE YEOH is
Captain Philippa Georgiou
Veteran actress and martial arts expert, Yeoh will be portraying Captain Philippa Georgiou, Captain of the starship Shenzhou. Georgiou is described as having a close relationship with Burnham and Yeoh has kept her Chinese-Malaysian accent for the role to emphasise the diversity of Starfleet.
JASON ISAACS (hello!) is
Captain Gabriel Lorca
Gabriel Lorca is Captain of the Discovery and is described as a “brilliant military tactician” with a, suggested at, destructive and damaged side to his personality. Isaacs has acted in everything from the Harry Potter film series to most recently the surreal scifi show The OA.
DOUG JONES is
Lieutenant Saru
Saru is a member of new species not previously seen in the Star Trek franchise called a Kelpien. Saru is portrayed by Doug Jones, who has acted in many sci-fi films and TV shows and will be seen on the big screen next year in Guillermo del Toro’s The Shape of Water. Lieutenant Saru serves aboard the Discovery and is the first member of his species to leave his home planet and serve in Starfleet. Kelpiens are hunted as prey on their home world and so have evolved to sense mortal danger.
ANTHONY RAPP is
Lieutenant Paul Stamets
Lieutenant Paul Stamets is named after an actual American mycologist. A science officer specialising in astromycology AKA the study of fungi in space, he is also the first openly homosexual character in a Star Trek series and his relationship with his long-term partner, Hugh Culber, will be explored in Discovery.
WILSON CRUZ is
Hugh Culber
Culber is the Medical Officer aboard the Discovery and Stamets’ partner. He is played by Wilson Cruz, who if you were a teenager watching TV in the early 1990’s, you will remember starring in My So-Called Life.
SHAZAD LATIF as
Ash Tyler
Ash Tyler is a Starfleet Lieutenant and former prisoner of war. Through his character the series will potentially explore how war and trauma affect Starfleet officers and focus on the theme of PTSD.
MARY WISEMAN is
Silvia Tilly
Newcomer Wiseman will play Silvia Tilly, a cadet close to completing her time at Starfleet Academy. She is assigned to the Discovery and becomes roommates with Michael Burnham.
The Klingon Empire
Very little information has been released about the Klingon characters, except for a few contentious photos. Aside from the debate amongst fans surrounding the Klingons’ appearances, we know from the trailer that they have gathered together for some purpose; whether it is to wage war against the Federation or to politically unite the Klingon houses, we cannot be sure.
CHRIS OBI is
T’Kuvma
Chris Obi, who was last seen Mr. Jacquel/Anubis on American Gods, is portraying T’Kuvma, a powerful Klingon leader who is attempting to gather all the Klingon houses together.
KENNETH MITCHELL is
Kol
Kol, portayed by Kenneth Mitchell, is T’Kuvma’s protege and a Commander in the Klingon military.
MARY CHIEFFO is
L’Rell
L’Rell is a Battle Deck Commander of the main Klingon ship. She is a member of two different Klingon houses, which could possibly cause her to have divided loyalties.
Voq
Very little has been revealed about Voq, including the identity of the actor portraying the character. He is reported to be a Klingon who is ‘touched by fate and fire.’
Other Characters
JAMES FRAIN is
Sarek
Sarek is a well-known character in the Star Trek franchise. Vulcan Ambassador to the Federation, husband to Amanda Grayson and father to Spock and Sybok, this younger version of Sarek is portrayed by well known British actor James Frain. In Discovery, Sarek is both surrogate father to Burnham and mentor in offering advice to her as she progresses through Starfleet.
RAINN WILSON is
Harry Mudd
Harry Mudd, like Sarek, is a memorable character from The Original Series. He is portrayed by Rainn Wilson, famous for his role on the US version of The Office. This will be a younger version of the charming con man, originally played twice in the 1960’s by Roger C. Carmel. As well as retaining some of the humour of the original character, he is reported to also be slightly darker and more dastardly.
That’s a rundown of the key players going into Discovery. Now you know who the main cast are, we get to see quite how they become new living legends in the Star Trek mythos.
Have you seen the first episode of Star Trek: Discovery? What did you think of it? Let us know!