Months after CBS announced her casting, Sonequa Martin-Green's mysterious "Star Trek: Discovery" role has been revealed.
"The Walking Dead" star has been tapped to play the lead role of First Officer Michael Burnham. The character serves second in command on a starship and ranks below the captain. According to reports, executive producer Bryan Fuller originally described Martin-Green's character as a lieutenant commander. Since that rank can also be the ship's First Officer in the "Star Trek" universe, she will likely be both.
"Discovery" marks the first time in the franchise that a lead character has not been a ship's captain. Fuller previously confirmed that the change was made to let the show tell a different story. Media outlets assumed Martin-Green's character was named "Rainsford," but it turned out to be just a code name put out by the production.
Speaking with TV Line, the 32-year-old actress confirmed that she has been shooting for quite some time now. The plot of the series is being kept under wraps but she was able to some vague teasers on what fans can expect. "This iteration of 'Star Trek' is going to have a different take than the others in the 'Star Trek' canon," the actress revealed. "It's going to be bigger, rawer and grittier . . . and the story's going to build on itself. It's going to be a tremendous journey."
Before he stepped down as showrunner last year, Fuller hinted that the show's new lead star will be a "lieutenant commander — with caveats."
Martin-Green is joined by other main cast members including Jason Isaacs ("The OA") as Capt. Lorca, Michelle Yeoh ("Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon") as captain of the Shenzhou, James Frain ("True Blood") as Spock's father Sarek, and Maulik Pancholy ("30 Rock") as Dr. Nambue.
Initially slated for an early 2017 release, the show has since been pushed back twice. "Star Trek: Discovery" is now scheduled to launch sometime in late summer or early fall on CBS All Access.
