Sonequa Martin-Green, the lead star of Star Trek: Discovery, is boldly setting out where no one else has gone before. But not just because she’s the first black woman to be the face of a show in the 51-year-old franchise, but also because she manages to pull it off without sitting on the helm of a Federation ship.
In fact, by episode three of Discovery, which returns after its mid-season break on January 8 on Netflix, she’s a disgraced ex-officer ready to be locked away in prison on three counts — for mutiny, for being responsible for the death of her captain, and for starting a war with a much-feared and elusive race, the Klingons.
In person, Martin-Green is a far cry from her character Michael Burnham, a human who was raised as a Vulcan, rendering her prone to the more monolithic of Vulcan traits — logical, rational and unbendingly stoic.
Sitting in a cosy hotel room in central London, accompanied by Star Trek: Discovery showrunner Aaron Harberts, the actor is strikingly ebullient, verbose and emotional, equally excited about talking about the weather (it’s an uncharacteristically sunny day for November) as she is about her complicated character. She speaks in long sentences and often draws out her vowels for a sensuous effect.
“Michael Burnham is a very strong yet troubled woman, which I love. I love how my character has been written, I love all of the complications and all of the inner conflict that comes with being Michael Burnham. A human raised on Vulcan, who has made decisions that what she thought was best, but now I am on a path of absolution and redemption. So it’s really deep, rich stuff, that’s challenging,” says Martin-Green.
The 32-year-old actress was last seen in another genre franchise, The Walking Dead, where she played Sasha to critical acclaim. Sasha’s heroic death ensured Martin-Green’s place as Burnham on Discovery. “Being a supporting role in Walking Dead to being a leading role in this one… that was a big transition. And I firmly believe that everyone involved in every story has an equal share. I believed that with Walking Dead and I believe that now. But there is certainly a larger weight to carry as the lead of the show and I have a lot more consideration and a lot more responsibility for sure,” she says.
Martin-Green emphasises that she doesn’t take the role lightly. “As a black woman, particularly one raised in the South, I understand how important it is for us to see ourselves represented and to see ourselves in leadership positions. I am just humbled and honoured to be a part of the conversation, to be a part of what I like to call art activism,” she says.
SECOND CHAPTER
Discovery is a prequel to Gene Rodenberry’s original series, set about 10 years prior in a world at war and it is now ready to return for the second chapter of its first season. Chapter one ended with episode nine, a cliffhanger that left its characters in a parallel universe, stranded very far away from home.
“I absolutely adore episode nine, which is sort of the finale for the first half of the season. There is a clash of characters, there are several reckonings that happen, and then there are a couple of things that I just don’t think that the audience saw coming. And then the back half of the season is really all about dealing with what happens in that episode. And I’m excited about what everyone’s going to see,” says Harberts, who took over the reins from creator Bryan Fuller, who left the show to fulfil other engagements.
A point of surprise (and consternation) among fans was the revelation that Martin-Green’s Burnham is in fact Spock’s adapted character. Many fans bristled that showrunners were taking liberties with canon and retro-fitting relationships blindly with no consideration of the events that have already unfolded in the show’s long history.
However, once the show actually aired, the air cleared and Burnham’s connection to Spock seemed to become more palatable, owing to the presence of Sarek, Vulcan ambassador and Spock’s father, who has made appearances in several Star Trek shows and films, played in this iteration by James Frain.
But ask about the chance of ever seeing Spock himself on the show, and we get mixed feelings. “We love the family unit of Sarek and Burnham, and obviously Spock is a giant component of that. We are certainly open to the idea that Spock could eventually enter our particular Discovery universe. At the moment, though, we are really focused on these new characters and making sure the audience gets invested in this ensemble and in the journeys of all these characters. The last thing we ever want to do, is suddenly when you bring Spock in, making it maybe more about Spock,” says Harberts.
THE DIGITAL PLATFORM
Although the show lives on streaming platforms, both Netflix and CBS All Access, the network decided to release its episodes on a weekly basis, instead of dropping them all at once.
This is also the first time a Star Trek show has decided to serialise its content, instead of close-ended stories that have no connection moving from one episode to the next.
“Often times, when you’re just doing an episodic show, you tell a story, it’s over and in the next episode everybody’s almost started back from zero. So as a writer on a serialised show, it’s fun to create journeys for all of our characters,” says Harberts.
“We’re lucky to be on a streaming service like Netflix and [CBS All Access in the US]. Mainly because of the stories that they let us tell and the kinds of characters they let us present. Often on broadcast dramas, you’re required to make your characters likeable right away and to really not make them as flawed as perhaps people really are,” he adds.
THE LEGACY CONTINUES
The reboot proudly promotes its racial and gender diversity, carrying forward the legacy of Rodenberry’s idealistic vision. While the plot of Discovery is essentially moved forward in the backdrop of war, its heart speaks of peace, unity and embracing differences while celebrating harmony.
“I think that Star Trek has always shown iconography, universality and indivisibility. With our iteration, we are doing our best to uphold that legacy and further it, because when people see themselves in the best light, see a future where there is equality, I think it ignites something within us, it ignites hope. It speaks to the human heart, and I think we need to see those things, we need to visualise before we can actualise,” says Martin-Green. “I think that is what has really made Star Trek important and impactful as it is — because that is something people latch onto consciously or sub-consciously, like food for the heart, for all of us.”
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Don’t miss it!
New episodes of Star Trek: Discovery season one begin streaming on Netflix from January 8.
DID YOU KNOW?
The chapter two premiere is also exciting for diehard Trekkies on account of the return of an old friend of Star Trek. The episode titled Despite Yourself has been directed by Star Trek veteran Jonathan Frakes, famous for bringing to life First Officer William Riker on The Next Generation (1987-1994).
QUOTE/UNQUOTE
When questioned about her preference between a world inhabited by zombies (a la The Walking Dead) and a world demanding co-existence with Klingons, Martin-Green was more than ready with a reply. “I would say that I prefer a world with Klingons. Because you have the hope of reasoning with Klingons, right? They are still a species. They are capable of love and high intelligence and empathy and emotional connection and all of that. And where there is that, there is hope. You can’t reason with a Walker [zombie].”
