Yesterday, word broke that the next Star Trek series, Star Trek: Discovery will have a female lead who would be only the second female captain in the 50 year history of the franchise. It turns out that the rumors are at least partially true. The lead will be a woman, but she won’t be a captain.
Via Variety, Bryan Fuller shared several new details about Star Trek: Discovery at the Television Critics Association press tour. While Fuller had no casting announcements to make, he noted that the producers are primarily looking for their new leading lady to be played “by a woman of color,” but he seemed to leave the door open for alternative casting. Fuller also revealed that the main character is a Lt. Commander, because he wanted to capture the viewpoint of a lead who wasn’t sitting in the captain’s chair. “In order to understand something that’s completely alien from her, she has to understand herself,” said Fuller. “It’s so easy to look at someone different from ourselves and think how we would think in their shoes, but we cannot imagine how they’d think because we are not them. It’s part of the character’s journey in this first season.”
Now, here’s the biggest news. As previously rumored, Star Trek: Discovery will take place in the original, non-reboot timeline, and it is set only ten years before the original Star Trek series. Fuller noted that a few of the original characters may eventually show up on Star Trek: Discovery in later seasons, but he seemed very enthusiastic about bringing in Amanda Grayson, Spock’s mother as soon as this season.
Related: ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ Takes Flight in First Teaser
Fuller also shared the story of why he wanted to create a gay character for Star Trek after receiving and keeping the hate mail from his time on Star Trek: Voyager when Seven of Nine was rumored to be a lesbian. Fuller confirmed that Discovery will have a gay leading character, but he didn’t specify who that will be.
Additionally, Fuller noted that the first season of Discovery will revolve around “an incident in the history of Starfleet that had been talked about but never fully explored.” He added that this was referenced in the first Star Trek series, but it has never been depicted onscreen.
Star Trek: Discovery will premiere in early 2017 on CBS, before moving over to CBS All-Access.
