The galaxy in the Star Trek prequel Discovery becomes a bit more clear after watching the CBS All Access show’s Comic-Con trailer and absorbing some revelations from the panel.
“The Klingon Empire has been in disarray for generations.” — Sarek of Vulcan
Discovery apparently explores the aftermath of a disastrous encounter with the Klingon Empire (or, at least, elements of it unlike what we’ve seen before, who have been “waiting for someone worthy” of their attention before striking out).
"…Being able to expand upon what’s already been set up & deepen the knowledge of this group [Klingons] has been fantastic." #SDCC2017
— Star Trek on CBS All Access (@startrekcbs) July 22, 2017
Family and duty
Sonequa Martin-Green’s character, Lt. Cmdr. Michael Burnham, is actually Spock’s adopted sister, raised by the half-Vulcan officer’s parents Sarek (James Frain) and Amanda.
What this means for the larger continuity is unclear, but the production/writing crew promised that it would all fall under the existing canon of the original Star Trek universe.
"We are all huge fans of the original series and obviously we want to be accurate. We are within canon." #SDCC2017
— Star Trek on CBS All Access (@startrekcbs) July 22, 2017
We know Spock had a full-Vulcan half-brother, Sybok, and that Sarek also took in a Romulan war refugee, Saavik, and raised her while Spock sponsored her admission to Starfleet. (The trailer hints that Burnham’s adoption by Sarek was a deliverance from violence of some kind.)
"It's a little bit larger than the original series in terms of scope and scale, but we are very consistent with our origins." #SDCC2017
— Star Trek on CBS All Access (@startrekcbs) July 22, 2017
Burnham’s career path will be a part of the show as well as her Vulcan upbringing, as we follow for the first time a Trek series with a non-captain main character.
#StarTrekDiscovery's @SonequaMG discusses her character's Vulcan vs. Starfleet education. pic.twitter.com/EBdo387D7e
— Star Trek on CBS All Access (@startrekcbs) July 23, 2017
New frontiers …
Anthony Rapp (the scientist Lt. Stamets) and Wilson Cruz (Dr. Culber) will play the 50-year-old TV franchise’s first on-screen same-sex couple. (Not counting Sulu and his partner in 2016’s Star Trek Beyond film and Dax’s host-swapping in Deep Space Nine.)
Well, apparently, the cat is finally out of the bag… I'm so THRILLED to be apart of the epic American mythology that is #StarTrek! 🖖🏽❤️✊🏽 https://t.co/ZUJIptAW7s
— Wilson Cruz (@wcruz73) July 22, 2017
Odd walks and ends …
- Doug Jones’ Kelpien Lt. Saru has hooves. In costume he stands 6 feet 8 inches tall and and has to balance on the balls of his feet while walking.
- Jeff Russo (Fargo, Legion) has composed the Discovery theme.
- Also: “You’re mad.” “I’m Mudd.” Rainn Wilson is going to be very interesting as the classic series’ recurring roguish character.
- We’ve got some looks at the proto-Original Series hardware like phasers and communicators over the last week or so, and the trailer shows off lots of Starfleet ships that are very much in line with what we’ve seen in the prequel Enterprise as well as the big-screen Kelvin timeline’s Star Trek Beyond, which followed up on some of that.
It’s clear this series will at least try to honor its past while charting out a new future for sci-fi social commentary.
"Our opportunity is to take our view of conflict today and still search for some resolution that is not dystopian, but utopian." #SDCC2017
— Star Trek on CBS All Access (@startrekcbs) July 22, 2017
Star Trek: Discovery premiers Sept. 24 on CBS and lives on the network’s All Access over-the-top channel.
Missed @Comic_Con? Here's everything you need to know from the #StarTrekDiscovery panel: https://t.co/CKEqzqI3LO #SDCC2017 pic.twitter.com/17NCrO4VNY
— Star Trek on CBS All Access (@startrekcbs) July 23, 2017
