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Published Sep 2, 2020

Star Trek: Discovery Introduces First Transgender and Non-Binary Characters

Blu del Barrio and Ian Alexander join the cast for season three.

StarTrek.com

CBS All Access, ViacomCBS’ subscription video on-demand and live streaming service, today announced that season three of Star Trek: Discovery will introduce the Star Trek franchise’s first non-binary and transgender characters, furthering the “Star Trek” universe’s ongoing commitment to Gene Roddenberry’s original vision of celebrating diversity and inclusion.

The Star Trek universe’s first non-binary character is Adira, played by Blu del Barrio. Adira is highly intelligent with a confidence and self-assurance well beyond their years. They will find a new home on the U.S.S. Discovery and form an unexpected bond with Lt. Commander Paul Stamets (Anthony Rapp) and Dr. Hugh Culber (Wilson Cruz). The first transgender character is Gray, portrayed by Ian Alexander. Gray is empathetic, warm and eager to fulfill his lifelong dream of being a Trill host, but he will have to adapt when his life takes an unexpected turn.

“ Star Trek has always made a mission of giving visibility to underrepresented communities because it believes in showing people that a future without division on the basis of race, gender, gender identity or sexual orientation is entirely within our reach,” said Michelle Paradise, co-showrunner and executive producer. “We take pride in working closely with Blu del Barrio, Ian Alexander, and Nick Adams at GLAAD to create the extraordinary characters of Adira and Gray, and bring their stories to life with empathy, understanding, empowerment and joy.”

Blu del Barrio is a non-binary actor who uses they/them pronouns. Del Barrio was in their final year of studies at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art when they auditioned for the role of Adira. Del Barrio has been acting in theater and short films since the age of 7, and they’re incredibly excited to make their television acting debut in season three of Discovery .

Ian Alexander is a 19-year-old actor who uses they/them and he/him pronouns. He is best known for their roles as Buck Vu on the Netflix series “The OA” and Lev in Naughty Dog’s video game “The Last of Us Part II.” They are the first out transgender Asian-American person to act on television. They are also an advocate for transgender equality, racial justice and mental health awareness for LGBTQ+ youth.

The third season of Star Trek: Discovery will premiere on Thursday, Oct. 15. New episodes of Star Trek: Discovery ’s 13-episode third season will be available on demand weekly on Thursdays, exclusively for CBS All Access subscribers in the United States.

The First Star Trek: Discovery Season 3 Trailer has Arrived

Star Trek: Discovery streams on Paramount+ in the United States, airs on Bell Media’s CTV Sci-Fi Channel and streams on Crave in Canada, and on Netflix in 190 countries.

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Star Trek's new characters Gray and Adira are transgender, non-binary

Science fiction franchise Star Trek's first transgender and non-binary characters will debut on US television next month.

Key points:

• Transgender character Gray will be played by transgender actor Ian Alexander
• Non-binary Adira will be played by Blu del Barrio
• They will appear in the third season of CBS Television's series Star Trek: Discovery

Transgender character Gray will be played by transgender actor Ian Alexander while non-binary Adira will be played by Blu del Barrio, an actor who, like the character, does not identify as male or female.

They will appear in the third season of CBS Television's series Star Trek: Discovery, the latest incarnation of the TV franchise that launched in 1966.

Star Trek has spawned films, cartoons and a legion of loyal fans, known as Trekkies.

"Star Trek has always made a mission of giving visibility to underrepresented communities ," said Michelle Paradise, the show's co-showrunner and executive producer.

"It believes in showing people that a future without division on the basis of race, gender, gender identity or sexual orientation is entirely within our reach."

Star Trek: Discovery broke boundaries by featuring a married gay couple as central characters for the first time in the franchise's history.

The show also entered a new frontier when actor Sonequa Martin-Green became the first black woman to lead a Star Trek television series.

"I cannot wait for you all to meet these beautiful souls and wonderful artists," said actor Anthony Rapp, who plays one of the show's two gay characters, on Twitter.

"I am so so so proud of them and happy that they are a part of our show".

Actor del Barrio auditioned for the role while finishing drama school.

"When I got the call that I'd been cast as Adira, I hadn't yet told the majority of my friends and family that I was non-binary," del Barrio said.

"So when this happened, it felt like the universe saying, 'go ahead'."

Alexander, 19, played Buck Vu on the Netflix science fiction mystery series The OA and, according to CBS, is the first openly trans Asian-American actor to appear on television.

The third season of Star Trek: Discovery is scheduled to begin on October 15 and will be free-to-air.

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'Star Trek: Discovery' makes franchise history with trans, nonbinary characters

LOS ANGELES - In a first for the "Star Trek" franchise, characters who are gender-nonbinary and transgender will appear on the third season of "Star Trek: Discovery," CBS All Access announced on Wednesday.

Ian Alexander ("The OA") will play Gray, a trans man who has spent his life as a Trill planning to be a host for a symbiotic alien species that lives in different hosts over its lifetime.

Newcomer Blu del Barrio will play Adira, a nonbinary character who bonds with Lt. Commander Paul Stamets (Anthony Rapp) and Dr. Hugh Culber (Wilson Cruz), the first same-sex couple in "Trek" TV series history.

"'Star Trek' has always made a mission of giving visibility to underrepresented communities because it believes in showing people that a future without division on the basis of race, gender, gender identity or sexual orientation is entirely within our reach," co-showrunner and executive producer Michelle Paradise said in a statement.

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The production worked closely with GLAAD, especially director of transgender media and representation Nick Adams, in crafting Gray and Adira for Season 3.

"We take pride in working closely with Blu del Barrio, Ian Alexander and Nick Adams at GLAAD to create the extraordinary characters of Adira and Gray, and bring their stories to life with empathy, understanding, empowerment and joy," said Paradise.

When Alexander first appeared as a trans character on the Netflix sci-fi series "The OA," he was the first out trans Asian American actor on TV. He most recently played the trans character Lev on the acclaimed video game "The Last of Us Part II."

Del Barrio was cast on "Discovery" while in their final year at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. They've been acting in theater and short film productions since they were 7; "Discovery" will be their TV debut.

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In an interview with Adams posted to GLAAD's website, Del Barrio says Adira is "an introvert" suffering from memory loss who doesn't tell people that they're nonbinary right away -- which ended up mirroring their own experience coming out as nonbinary.

"When I got the call that I'd been cast as Adira, I hadn't yet told the majority of my friends and family that I was nonbinary," Del Barrio says. "I had only recently discovered the word and realized that it described how I'd felt for a long time. I knew I wanted to tell my friends and family, so when this happened, it felt like the universe saying 'go ahead.'"

Although the original "Star Trek" TV series, which first ran on NBC from 1966 to 1969, was groundbreaking at the time for its depiction of Black and Asian characters, until the 2010s, the "Trek" franchise largely avoided LBGTQ characters of any significance.

For years, the most explicit depiction of any LBGTQ characters in "Trek" was in a 1992 episode of "Star Trek: The Next Generation" titled "The Outcast," in which the crew of the Enterprise encounter the J'naii, an alien race that has no gender and views any expressions of gender or sexuality to be taboo. Commander Riker (Jonathan Frakes) ends up falling in love with a J'naii who identifies as female, until she is forced by her society to undergo a form of therapy that eradicates her gender identity. (Frakes has said the episode was not "gutsy" enough.)

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The Trill species has also allowed "Star Trek" to dip into queer issues, if tentatively. In the 1991 "TNG" episode "The Host," Dr. Crusher (Gates McFadden) falls passionately in love with a male Trill, but when the host body dies and the symbiont alien is placed in a female host, Crusher says she can't continue with the relationship. A 1995 episode of "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" flipped that equation, with the female Trill Jadzia Dax (Terry Farrell) reuniting with a woman who was Dax's wife when Dax lived inside a male host. Dax wants to restart their relationship, and the two women kiss, but the episode ends with the ex-wife deciding instead to move on.

Finally, the 2016 feature film "Star Trek Beyond" — set in an alternate "Trek" universe — revealed that character of Sulu (John Cho) has a husband and daughter, though the husband character (played by the film's co-screenwriter Doug Jung) had no lines, and the characters only briefly hug on screen.

It wasn't until Stamets and Culber were introduced on "Discovery" in 2017 that two male "Trek" characters were depicted in a fully expressed romantic relationship -- and played by two out queer actors.

The third season of "Star Trek: Discovery" premieres on CBS All Access on Oct. 15.

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Star Trek: Discovery adding saga's first transgender and nonbinary characters

Star Trek: Discovery is adding two castmembers that promise to break new ground for the sci-fi franchise.

The series is set to introduce the 54-year-old saga's first transgender and nonbinary characters.

In the upcoming third season of the CBS All Access show, fans will meet the Star Trek universe’s first non-binary character: Adira, played by newcomer Blu del Barrio. The character is described as "highly intelligent with a confidence and self-assurance well beyond their years." They will find a new home on the U.S.S. Discovery and "form an unexpected bond with Lt. Commander Paul Stamets (Anthony Rapp) and Dr. Hugh Culber (Wilson Cruz)."

The transgender character is Gray, played by Ian Alexander ( The OA ). Gray is described as "empathetic, warm, and eager to fulfill his lifelong dream of being a Trill host, but he will have to adapt when his life takes an unexpected turn."

Here's a look at Barrio (left) and Alexander (right), out of character:

" Star Trek has always made a mission of giving visibility to underrepresented communities because it believes in showing people that a future without division on the basis of race, gender, gender identity, or sexual orientation is entirely within our reach,” said Michelle Paradise, co-showrunner and executive producer. "We take pride in working closely with Blu del Barrio, Ian Alexander, and Nick Adams at GLAAD to create the extraordinary characters of Adira and Gray, and bring their stories to life with empathy, understanding, empowerment, and joy."

Previously Star Trek: Discovery added new representation to the franchise by becoming the first Trek show to have a Black woman as its lead actor (Sonequa Martin-Green) and being the first show to have an openly gay character (Stamets).

The new episodes will pick up on season 2's cliffhanger and jump 930 years into the future – well beyond any previous entry in the franchise – where the Discovery crew will encounter an entire universe of changes and challenges.

Season 3 of Star Trek: Discovery launches Thursday, Oct. 15.

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'Star Trek: Discovery' season 3 will introduce Trek's first transgender and nonbinary characters

'Star Trek' continues its mission to represent every aspect of humanity.

 The third season of "Star Trek: Discovery," set to premiere on Oct. 15 , will introduce its first transgender and a nonbinary characters, according to CBS All Access. 

In an announcement on StarTrek.com , showrunners said the trans character, Gray, will be played by trans actor Ian Alexander ("The OA," "The Last of Us Part II"). A new nonbinary character, Adira, will also join the series and be portrayed by newcomer Blu del Barrio.

Gray is an unjoined Trill who is "eager to fulfill his lifelong dream of being a Trill host, but he will have to adapt when his life takes an unexpected turn," according to CBS. Adira is a young, confident officer who suffers from memory loss and forms a bond with Lt. Commander Paul Stamets (Anthony Rapp) and Hugh Culber (Wilson Cruz).

Related: 'Star Trek: Discovery' Season 3 release date revealed

According to IMDb , Del Barrio was in their final year of studies at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art when they auditioned for the role. They've been acting in theater since the age of seven.

"[ Star Trek ] believes in showing people that a future without division on the basis of race, gender, gender identity or sexual orientation is entirely within our reach," Discovery executive producer Michelle Paradise said in the StarTrek.com announcement.

In an interview with GLAAD , del Barrio said: "When I got the call that I’d been cast as Adira, I hadn’t yet told the majority of my friends and family that I was nonbinary. I had only recently discovered the word and realized that it described how I’d felt for a long time."

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Welcome Blu del Barrio and @ianaIexander to the #StarTrekFamily! They will be playing Adira, Star Trek's first non-binary character, and Gray, Star Trek's first transgender character in #StarTrekDiscovery Season 3. Learn more about Blu in this @glaad Q&A: https://t.co/gd54tVl8p0 pic.twitter.com/WroJ32n7Cp September 2, 2020

"So when this happened, it felt like the universe saying 'go ahead,' they added. "So in a way, Adira's story ends up mirroring mine." 

"I cannot wait for you all to meet these beautiful souls and wonderful artists," Rapp said on Twitter ." I am so so so proud of them and happy that they are a part of our show."

— Captain Pike of 'Star Trek' gets spin-off series — 'Star Trek Timelines' adds new LGBTQ+ characters — CBS launches #StarTrekUnited campaign to promote unity  

CBS is also hosting "Star Trek" Day on Tuesday (Sept. 8) to celebrate 54 years since the show premiered with "The Original Series" episode "The Man Trap." There will be a 24-hour live-stream of panels on CBS All Access, with guest stars from every series, including George Takai, Patrick Stewart, Robert Picardo, Kate Mulgrew, Scott Bakula, Alexander Siddig, Sonequa Martin-Green, the cast of "Lower Decks" and the cast of "Strange New Worlds." And that's an impressive line up. 

"Star Trek: Discovery" season 3 consists of 13 episodes and premieres on Oct. 15. New episodes of "Star Trek: The Lower Decks" air on Thursdays on the subscription streaming service CBS All Access. Previous seasons of "Discovery" and "Star Trek: Picard" are currently available on CBS All Access, and Netflix and Amazon outside the U.S. 

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When Scott's application to the NASA astronaut training program was turned down, he was naturally upset...as any 6-year-old boy would be. He chose instead to write as much as he possibly could about science, technology and space exploration. He graduated from The University of Coventry and received his training on Fleet Street in London. He still hopes to be the first journalist in space.

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‘Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’ To Introduce Nonbinary Character Played By Jesse James Keitel

| June 7, 2022 | By: TrekMovie.com Staff 73 comments so far

Once again the Star Trek franchise will embrace diversity with the introduction of a new character on  Star Trek: Strange New Worlds .

Jesse James Keitel as Dr. Aspen

First reported by Variety (and confirmed officially by Paramount+), Jesse James Keitel ( Big Sky , Queer as Folk ), who is a trans woman, will be appearing as a guest star on episode 7 of Strange New Worlds , debuting on June 16th. Keitel will be playing a nonbinary character named Dr. Aspen. According to Variety , Aspen “once worked as a Starfleet counselor, but whose experiences on the Federation border prompted them to shift careers and work as a humanitarian aid worker.” In the episode helmed by trans director Sydney Freeland ( Reservation Dogs ), Dr. Aspen “will develop a surprising connection” with Ethan Peck’s Spock.

Jesse James Keitel at New York City premiere of Strange New Worlds

Keitel made history as the first openly trans series regular on primetime network TV in the ABC series Big Sky . She is now starring in Peacock’s revival of Queer as Folk , which debuts on Jun 9th.

Jesse James Keitel in Big Sky

Keitel reacted to the official announcement by saying it has been a lifelong dream to be part of Star Trek.

So shook to be part of the @StarTrek family! An ACTUAL life long dream come true 🥹🚀😈 #StrangeNewWorlds https://t.co/kjnm22o2Ly — Jesse James Keitel 🏳️‍⚧️ (@JesseJKeitel) June 7, 2022

The inclusion of Keitel’s Dr. Aspen continues the efforts seen in the new series to embrace LGBTQ representation in the Star Trek Universe. Just last week, Jess Bush’s Christine Chapel was revealed to date both men and women, and the most recent season of Picard included a romantic storyline with Raffi Musiker (Michelle Hurd) and Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan). And last year Star Trek: Discovery won a GLAAD Award for season three, which introduced the nonbinary character Adira (Blu Del Barrio) and trans character Grey (Ian Alexander), joining with the ship’s same-sex couple Paul Stamets (Anthony Rapp) and Dr. Hugh Culber (Wilson Cruz).

Jeri Ryan as Seven and Michelle Hurd in Star Trek: Picard

New episodes of  Star Trek: Strange New Worlds  debut on Thursdays exclusively on  Paramount+  in the U.S., Latin America, Australia and the Nordics. The series airs on Bell Media’s CTV Sci-Fi Channel and streams on Crave in Canada. In New Zealand, it is available on  TVNZ , and in India on  Voot Select .  Strange New Worlds  will arrive via Paramount+ in select countries in Europe when the service launches later this year, starting with the UK and Ireland in June.

Find more Strange New Worlds news and reviews on TrekMovie.

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I love brave identities. From Tumblr to Star Trek!

Excellent, I’m excited for the new Queer as Folk too.

Love her on Big Sky!

The would be so cool to have her as a recurring character as Chappel’s love interest.

Dr Korby though?

I don’t think these writers really care that much. The show has already broken that canon since Chapel is dating other people now and she’s clearly not engaged to him in this period like she was in TOS. So what would it change at this point?

The writers are just changing whatever canon to develop the characters more. Which I’m OK with, but I wish they stopped pretending the show is following canon. It’s not outside of the broad sense. The two Chapel’s act so differently from each other, you would think one came from a different universe.

We have no idea from “What Are Little Girls Made Of” when Chapel and Korby became engaged. They could introduce Korby in the show’s last season and still fit the canon of TOS.

The fact headlines are still made for LGBTQ+ introductions signals we still have a long way to go. Hopefully one day it becomes so commonly accepted that it’s just part of everyday life.

Star Trek has done a great job recently with representation and I’m not surprised this will continue with SNW.

Well cbs / paramount like to parade their lgbtq arround like prize show ponies, so they can pound their chest shouting from the roof how great they are for being so inclusive. Kinda leaves one questioning is cbs really being inclusive to benefit lgbtq representation?, or are they just doing it for more self serving interests because its become a trendy thing to do.

Your reaction confirms for me exactly why this needs to be done by P+.

It’s the last… If they were really trying to do smtg good for some people or the society , they’d think about ways to introduce characters or write stories about peopl who still stand in the Schmuddelecke and break new ground. Doing something trendy is not special nor brave. It’s just part of marketing.

“Schmuddelecke” probably doesn’t get you a lot of replies from the English speaking fan community, but you’ve earned points in my book, mein Freund! 😂

That being said though, the more positively written diversity, the better, I say! 🏳️‍🌈

Hehe, I actually translated that to English and got the same expression, wondering a bit, but thinking of Kindergarten or Angst I decided to keep the word. Don’t get me wrong, it’s good to bring the normality of diversity into media. But it’s still extremely limited and superficial. Discrimination may start with gender, sex, sexual orientation or skin colour, but it doesn’t end there. I’d wish Star Trek to look more into the future, figure out problems of society that most people don’t think of and set trends.

Well written sci-fi has always done a good job as an allegory for the audiences of its time, and done even better when it held up over the decades that followed. I wonder, what kind of problems, issues, or angles would you wish for them to tackle, specifically (especially if yet more “unforeseen” to even arise)?

If you’ve got a great, creative angle for a storyline, you might want to think about submitting it to the powers that be! Don’t know if they’re open to that kind of approach anymore, but the Trek of yesteryear really thrived on some of those submissions. 🖖😉

They could make a character for example that’s really annoying to everyone, including the audience therefore being excluded by the crew. Keep that some episodes and then change the perspective and showing what happened in his life and made him that way. Happy End: Development to the most trusted crewman (or woman). Sad end: everyone turning the back on him/her and the guy killing himself in a way that no one of the crew ever knows or even gets a clue of his suffering. Just the audience would know. I mean it’s hard to bring that into Trek, but since the current producers don’t really care for plot holes it would be possible. Or just something like that. Something that really makes people think. Something where the audience says “wow, I haven’t thought about that, ever.”

Point taken, but historically Star Trek has never really done that. I think you’re confusing it with actual, literary science fiction.

That…. was a bad take. No.

Who is “pounding their chests” in this matter, aside from yourownself?

It couldn’t possibly be that they’re trying to celebrate people in marginalized communities that have only just begun getting actually visible roles, which Paramount has had a hand in casting. Just let them be celebrated and introduced. It doesn’t hurt anyone.

No, it really doesn’t “leave one questioning” anything other than why someone’s looking for something to object to.

This. Just have the characters. Make them good characters and treat it as the future (hopefully) will – as just a regular part of life. One day.

Even NASA it doing it by parading the fact that a woman and POC will walk on the moon as part of the Artemis Program. I really wish they wouldn’t and just let the press pick up on it on their own. The fact NASA keeps highlighting it worries me.

I never even knew that, so I just found out about this by you parading that info here.

Whilst I don’t disagree with the long term goal it is worth remembering that it is currently Pride Month so it does still make sense that they are releasing this casting news now to coincide with a period of celebration for LGBTQ+ culture.

Excellent point!

I’m sure most of the creatives are sincere but from the business perspective it will be about money because *that’s how capitalism works*.

However if this is one of those cases where what capitalism demands and the right thing to do are in alignment I’m not going to knock it.

cough, cough, marketing, cough cough, corporate representation…

Well. It’s nice to see some more diversity, but it’s a shame they didn’t get a non-binary actor to play a non-binary character.

Keitel is non-binary and uses she/her pronouns. Big Sky made her the first nonbinary actor to play a nonbinary series regular on primetime television.[

Your information is wrong, dude.

Well someone better tell the Advocate, pretty much every news outlet & Jesse herself…she says she’s a Non-Binary transfeminine actor who uses She/Her They/Them pronouns.

https://www.advocate.com/television/2020/11/13/jesse-james-keitel-makes-nonbinary-tv-history-big-sky?amp

“she says she’s a Non-Binary”

Exactly…not sure what you are talking about then because I was point that out to Cass myself?

Why….they are an actor. They are acting.

What are you talking about? Keitel is non-binary. Did you not read the article before responding?

Why so condescending, friend? You could have simply replied, “Actually, she is” and cited your source.

Source? The article above. LOL

What the heck, people?

hahaha. Yeah, but is TrekMovie an “official” source?

(Ducks phaser fire, scurries away…)

At what point did anyone say anything was official? Paul said to cite a source. I did. So your comment is a complete non sequitur.

Again, so condescending. Perhaps you need to get a kitten (or a tribble).

If you don’t like the tone of my replies… well, actually, I’ll sleep just fine. Feel free not to read them.

Cool. Can’t wait to see the episode. This show has been great (beside the small point of a federation doctor mutilating and harming life forms for “fun” with M’benga’s space station fly fishing trip that seemed an odd and contemporary choice anchored in our less enlightened “primitive” 21st century culture.)

I’m pretty sure fishing wouldn’t just end just because they don’t enslave animals anymore. I do have a hard time seeing hunting being part of the 23rd or 24th century but humans still eat meat just the same unless I’m forgetting something.

Since they have food replicators or synthesizers (?) in the future, this shouldn’t be a thing. They just eat replicated meat. With 3d printing I can see this coming in our near future.

Fishing isn’t done just for the food, though. See “catch and release.”

I still think they eat regular meat though, at least sometimes. We see people like Riker, Sisko and now Pike cooking. Is it just replicated meat? Sisko dad has a restaurant, I imagine there is real meat there. Or maybe it’s just made in the lab or something?

At least 80 years after a Strange New Worlds people will still be fishing: In 2344, young Will Riker & his dad went on a fishing trip. Will was able to hook a large fish, but His dad insisted on reeling the fish in. And on Nepenthe his daughter hunted “bunnicorns” (rabbits with horns).

Great examples! I forgot about the Riker story too.

It is interesting though, some think Star Trek is an ultra left society to the point killing animals for food is no longer a thing. And I agree, with replicators it doesn’t have to be a thing anymore. But no one comes across as strictly vegans or vegetarians in the 23rd or 24th century either. But even if I can believe humans no longer kill animals for food I can’t imagine it being a Federation decree in every society.

You’re right. That’s a small point.

Why? Fishing is fishing. People will continue to catch and eat fish for as long as people and fish both continue to exist.

“ Chapel was revealed to date both men and women”? Huh? How did I miss that? Well, since English is not my native language, I might not notice that. On the other hand, there was a subtle “female bromance” between Chapel and Ortegas. Nevertheless, since they are dating characters from different species, this shouldn’t be a thing anyway.

She referred to an ex-girlfriend.

Just write a real character and don’t use their character to be a trite metaphor like Discovery did with Grey. That’s such a low bar to clear, I am optimistic SNW will set a good example for the community.

I was very disappointed with Grey. They made such a big deal about the character, who ended up bringing nothing to the show, was portrayed by a bad actor, and then just left. Grey was a dud and a mistake, which was frustrating since it was exciting at first to see such representation.

I do like those actors in star trek series. I don`t like the fuzz its made about it. I would much more appreciate if they focus on good stories.

Yes, that’s what makes it so annoying. I often get a feeling that LGBTQ+ persons are used as an instrument by companies to parrade their unearned virtues. Tell a good story and all will be forgiven

This^. I could care less about a character’s sexual preference(s), as long as there’s a good story to be had.

I hope this isn’t just pandering to get views, like that terrible kiss between 7 and Raffy that came out of nowhere. That was some terrible pandering. There was no hint of chemistry even between them. Just like the writers were like, oh.. it’s the last episode… we need something big…. how about random lesbians? Picard and Q have waaaaaay more chemistry and honestly I thought they were going to kiss too, the way that finale was going…

I agree that Seven and Raffi were a pointless coupling. There is zero chemistry between those actors and between those characters. What a missed opportunity.

It ticks a box though, so who cares if it’s totally hollow, it’s where we are now with modern TV and film.

A show where they fit in a non binary character very naturally was in Another Life, which is like a sci fi type alien invading earth type show. Anyways the relationship with zayne and the fat Mexican dude (maybe horhay or hesus or sorry i forget) was pretty cute, and not forced.

As long as the story works, and they don’t make the same mistakes with Adira and Grey.

Uh, wouldn’t the first trans a trans actress to be a series regular have been Candace Cayne on Dirty Sexy Money?

I think since she was in less than 1/2 the episodes it would be a recurring role, not series regular.

There was Nicole Maines on ‘Supergirl’. Years ago there was a trans character on a UK soap called ‘Coronation Street’ but this was long enough ago that I couldn’t be sure they did it right and cast a trans actress. There’s also Laverne Cox who’s done numerous roles including on ‘Orange Is The New Black’. There will also be other cases where the actress is trans but they aren’t out or at least not to the public.

I’m sure there will be many other examples.

I don’t care.

I would like to see the Binars again… They are also genderless. Although I have to say that the term nonbinary Binars doesn’t really compute :-)

I love it when Trek shows the great diversity of the human condition…plus it freaks the right out completely and we get to hear the true ugly conservative rant as they pop blood vessels attached to their beady little brains.

Spoken like a truly open-minded, pluralistic, enlightened individual

Sorry, might be a bit of anger brought on by my two brothers who have been life long Star Trek fans suddenly turned hating it because of some conservative editorial piece that told them to be ageist it. But I suppose this is the truth of the world we live in today.

Not sure about this. I would rather focus on the cast of characters, rather than needlessly expand the roster. Should have established the character first from the jump.

Will this person be a guest or a recurring character? Because to add another regular cast member would be a head-scracther because they are already not making enough use of Number One, Uhura and Hemmer!

its not very often that someone as naturally beautiful as Jesse James Keitel comes along !

'Star Trek: Discovery' Adds Franchise's First Transgender and Non-Binary Characters

Blu del Barrio and Ian Alexander have joined the cast of season 3 for the CBS All Access original. 

The Star Trek universe continues to expand its LGBTQ inclusivity and representation with the addition of the franchise’s first transgender and non-binary characters to the cast of the CBS All Access original  Star Trek: Discovery . 

Newcomer and non-binary actor Blu del Barrio (pronouns: they/them), will make their acting debut in season 3  as Adira, who is described as “highly intelligent with a confidence and self-assurance well beyond their years.” Adira will find a home on USS Discovery after forming an unexpected bond with Lt. Commander Paul Stamets (Anthony Rapp) and Dr. Hugh Culber (Wilson Cruz), who made history as the franchise’s first openly gay characters.

“Adira is a wonderfully complex character. Mainly because of this duality they have within them: they’re astonishingly intelligent and yet they’re still a kid. They experience their emotions at a heightened level, like most teenagers,” Barrio tells GLAAD about the character. “That’s what makes them so fun to play.”

Meanwhile, after appearing on the Netflix series The OA , 19-year-old transgender actor Ian Alexander (pronouns: he/him) joins as Gray, who “is empathetic, warm and eager to fulfill a lifelong dream of being a Trill host, but he will have to adapt when his life takes an unexpected turn.”

“I absolutely love him, and it was so fun working alongside him,” Barrio adds of their co-star . “Having him join the show with me was a godsend.” 

“ Star Trek has always made a mission of giving visibility to underrepresented communities because it believes in showing people that a future without division on the basis of race, gender, gender identity or sexual orientation is entirely within our reach,” co-showrunner Michelle Paradise said in a statement to ET. “We take pride in working closely with Blu del Barrio, Ian Alexander and Nick Adams at GLAAD to create the extraordinary characters of Adira and Gray, and bring their stories to life with empathy, understanding, empowerment and joy.”

“I couldn’t be more excited for or PROUD of these TWO new loves of my life if I tried. We are family!” Cruz tweeted after the casting was announced. “Love you so much!”

As mentioned, the two actors join Cruz and Rapp as the franchise’s first openly LGBTQ characters played by LGBTQ actors. In 2017, Rapp explained to ET why it’s so “deeply important” to be one-half of the first openly gay couple in a Star Trek  series. 

“For whatever reason, it took this long,” Rapp said. “But it was also important that it be completely part of the fabric of the story. It’s also smart of the writers and meaningful that you see them in the midst of their relationship, that they are already a mature, settled partnership living and working together -- that you get a glimpse of that in a way that’s unusual for Star Trek , in an intimate, very domestic moment like this. I’m proud that it’s so simple and direct.”

Star Trek: Discovery season 3 premieres Thursday, Oct. 15 on CBS All Access. The 13-episode season will debut weekly on Thursdays. 

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The final frontier is continuing to bring audiences inclusive characters played by members of underrepresented communities in Hollywood. The third season of CBS All Access ‘ Star Trek: Discovery   will introduce the first non-binary and transgender characters in Gene Roddenberry’s iconic franchise that celebrates diversity via a sci-fi lens.

Blu del Barrio will make their screen acting debut as the non-binary character Adira, who is highly intelligent with a confidence and self-assurance well beyond their years. They will find a new home on the USS Discovery and form an unexpected bond with Lt. Commander Paul Stamets (Anthony Rapp) and Dr. Hugh Culber (Wilson Cruz).

Ian Alexander will play the transgender character Gray, empathetic, warm and eager to fulfill his lifelong dream of being a Trill host, but he will have to adapt when his life takes an unexpected turn.

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“ Star Trek has always made a mission of giving visibility to underrepresented communities because it believes in showing people that a future without division on the basis of race, gender, gender identity or sexual orientation is entirely within our reach,” said Michelle Paradise, co-showrunner and executive producer. “We take pride in working closely with Blu del Barrio, Ian Alexander and Nick Adams at GLAAD to create the extraordinary characters of Adira and Gray, and bring their stories to life with empathy, understanding, empowerment and joy.”

Del Barrio is a non-binary actor who uses they/them pronouns. Del Barrio was in their final year of studies at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art when they auditioned for the role. Del Barrio has been acting in theater and short films before making their debut in Star Trek: Discovery.

Alexander, who uses they/them and he/him pronouns, is best known for his roles as Buck Vu on Netflix’s The OA and Lev in the video game The Last of Us Part II . Alexander made history as the first out transgender Asian-American person to act on television. He is also an advocate for transgender equality, racial justice and mental health awareness for LGBTQ + youth. Alexander and Del Barrio will be recurring guest stars.

In addition to having the first-ever openly non-binary and transgender characters, Star Trek: Discovery was moving the needle with inclusivity since season one. Sonequa Martin-Green made history as the first woman of color to lead a show in the Star Trek franchise. In addition, the aforementioned Anthony Rapp and Wilson Cruz play the first openly gay characters who are in a same-sex marriage in the franchise.

The third season of  Star Trek: Discovery will premiere October 15. New episodes of the 13-episode season will be available on-demand weekly on Thursdays.

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Star Trek: Discovery Casts First Trans, Nonbinary Roles in Franchise's History

Nonbinary actor Blu del Barrio and transgender actor Ian Alexander will be beaming up on October 15. 

Today the producers of Star Trek: Discovery announced that next season they will be introducing the first nonbinary and trans characters in the history of the Star Trek franchise.

Nonbinary character Adira, played by Blu del Barrio, and transgender character Gray, played by trans actor Ian Alexander, will be beamed up when Star Trek: Discovery kicks off season 3 on CBS All Access on October 15.

\u201cWelcome Blu del Barrio and @ianaIexander to the #StarTrekFamily! They will be playing Adira, Star Trek's first non-binary character, and Gray, Star Trek's first transgender character in #StarTrekDiscovery Season 3. Learn more about Blu in this @glaad Q&A: https://t.co/gd54tVl8p0\u201d — Star Trek on Paramount+ (@Star Trek on Paramount+) 1599069926

"Adira is a wonderfully complex character," del Barrio, who is making their screen debut in the role, told GLAAD . "Mainly because of this duality they have within them: They're astonishingly intelligent and yet they're still a kid. They experience their emotions at a heightened level, like most teenagers. That's what makes them so fun to play. I like to describe them as cerebrally brilliant and emotionally a puppy. Adira is an introvert, but they keep a few people close to the chest, which I definitely resonate with. I don't want to say too much and get in trouble, but all in all, Adira is a uniquely strange and beautiful character."

Alexander (they/them and he/him) is best known for their roles as Buck Vu on Netflix's The OA, where he made history for being the first out trans Asian-American person to act on television.

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Star Trek: Discovery has had several firsts. In 2017, Anthony Rapp and Wilson Cruz became the first gay characters in a same-sex marriage in the franchise's history. Additionally, Sonequa Martin-Green made history as the first woman of color to lead a show in the history of the franchise.

" Star Trek has always made a mission of giving visibility to underrepresented communities because it believes in showing people that a future without division on the basis of race, gender, gender identity or sexual orientation is entirely within our reach," Michelle Paradise, co-showrunner and executive producer, said in a statement. "We take pride in working closely with Blu del Barrio, Ian Alexander and Nick Adams at GLAAD to create the extraordinary characters of Adira and Gray, and bring their stories to life with empathy, understanding, empowerment and joy."

Del Barrio told GLAAD that they were cast as Adira while in their final year at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art.

"When I got the call that I'd been cast as Adira, I hadn't yet told the majority of my friends and family that I was nonbinary," they said. "I had only recently discovered the word and realized that it described how I'd felt for a long time. I knew I wanted to tell my friends and family, so when this happened, it felt like the universe saying 'go ahead.'"

When asked why it's important to speak about nonbinary issues, del Barrio responded, "Nonbinary people have always existed. People's immediate response is often that they've never heard the word 'nonbinary' and therefore question its validity. Most people don't personally know someone who is transgender, so they don't know much about gender diversity. This is where I believe the problem starts -- the problem that leads to discrimination and violence against trans people."

They continued, "Our education system in the U.S. is severely lacking LGBTQ + subject matter in the curriculum as well as resources for LGBTQ+ youth. I knew I was different at 8 years old, but there wasn't one person who knew how to help me. I was struggling with terrible dysphoria, and every single day I wished someone would understand and help me. No one ever did. That led me to change everything about myself so I could survive, but it would have been so much better if my gender had been affirmed by those around me. Many trans kids don't make it. This is not something we can put on a to-do list. It requires immediate action. Forty percent of trans people attempt suicide, compared to 4.6 percent of the general population. If that doesn't scream urgency, I don't know what does."

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'Star Trek: Discovery' casts first non-binary and transgender characters

The " Star Trek " universe will soon include both non-binary and transgender characters.

On Wednesday, CBS All Access announced that "Star Trek: Discovery" will add the roles of Adira, an intelligent and self-assured non-binary character who joins the U.S.S. Discovery, and Gray, a warm and eager transgender character who longs to fulfill his dream of being a Trill host. The new characters are played by actors whose gender identities coincide with those of their characters. 

Blu del Barrio, a non-binary actor who uses they/them pronouns and has been acting in theater and short films since age 7, plays Adira in their first major TV role.

"When I got the call that I'd been cast as Adira, I hadn't yet told the majority of my friends and family that I was non-binary,"  del Barrio told GLAAD  about their connection to the character. "I had only recently discovered the word and realized that it described how I'd felt for a long time. I knew I wanted to tell my friends and family, so when this (role) happened, it felt like the universe saying 'go ahead.' "

Ian Alexander, a transgender actor and activist who uses they/them and he/him pronouns and starred as Buck Vu in "The OA," plays Gray.

Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle.

According to CBS, Alexander is the first out transgender Asian-American person to act on television. "I'm extremely excited," Alexander said in an Instagram post  shared when the casting news was released.

"Star Trek: Discovery" – one of the franchise's newer shows along with " Star Trek: Picard ," " Star Trek: Lower Decks " and the recently announced " Star Trek: Strange New Worlds " – has its Season 3 debut on Oct. 15.

Best LGBTQ+ Star Trek Characters

• Star Trek has evolved to include LGBTQ+ characters, paving the way for representation and acceptance in the franchise.
• Characters like Paul Stamets and Adira Tal represent meaningful LGBTQ+ relationships within the Star Trek universe.
• The inclusion of diverse LGBTQ+ characters in Star Trek reflects a commitment to progress and inclusivity in media.

Star Trek is the IP that was always seen as a progressive force in media, and its early subject matter reflected the contemporary Civil Rights movement. The franchise has shown how humans can get past the unnecessary squabbles that come from differences, be they race, gender, artificial intelligence, or sexual orientation.

6 Most Selfless Characters In Star Trek: The Next Generation

The future is looking bright with these Star Trek: The Next Generation characters showcasing the nature of good in their selflessness.

While there was very little LGBTQ+ representation in the original Star Trek , later series and films have introduced a plethora of LGBTQ+ characters. Many fans of the franchise have pointed to these characters as very important for the development of Star Trek , their journeys, and overall LGBTQ+ acceptance.

Updated on June 8th, 2024, by Kristy Ambrose: It used to be that television shows of the 20th Century had to be PG and water down any hint of sexuality. It was considered risque for Fred and Wilma Flinstone to sleep in the same bed. Which is why the original Star Trek resonated so deeply with audiences, with daring scripts that included interracial kisses and women in positions of leadership. Now that the Star Trek franchise has evolved beyond the tiresome "family-friendly" tone that hampered the first few years of The Next Generation and the movies of the early 21st Century, it's nice to see more LGBTQ+ representation in new shows from the IP. LGBTQ+ characters are nothing new to Trek, but to take note of their long history exploring the final frontier, this list has been updated to highlight a few more LGBTQ+ characters from Star Trek's history.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

• Played By: Terry Farrell

In Deep Space Nine , Jadzia Dax is a Trill, a species that combines with non-binary symbionts with remarkably long lives. While Jadzia identifies as female, her symbiont has previously combined with male bodies as well. This leads to a tender moment when Jadzia's symbiont recognizes a former lover, a symbiont who combined with Lenara Kahn .

This leads to the first same-sex kiss in the Star Trek franchise. Unfortunately, the couple can't re-ignite their romance due to other taboos in the Trill culture. Jadzia would also end up marrying Worf, and the show explored the possibilities of an inter-species relationship instead.

Hikaru Sulu

Star trek: 2009 - the kelvin timeline.

• Played By: John Cho

The Enterprise helmsman in The Original Series , Sulu's sexual orientation became the topic of discussion after actor George Takei publicly announced he was gay in 2005. In the Kelvin timeline films, John Cho's version of the character is the first in the IP to be explicitly introduced as gay in a brief scene in Star Trek: Beyond.

Many criticized how brief the scene was, as it was not "really representative," and even George Takei claimed it didn't fit with Gene Roddenberry's original vision for the character. However, many LGBTQ+ Star Trek fans pointed to that moment as the first time they saw any form of representation in the franchise. Many also believed that it would lead to bigger roles for the LGBTQ+ community in the future, and it did.

Paul Stamets

Star trek: discovery.

• Played By: Anthony Rapp

Star Trek: Discovery pushed the boundaries of LGBTQ+ representation and exploration. There were hints in other series, and Deep Space Nine used Trills to attempt representation. Star Trek: Discovery , though, introduced no fewer than five LGBTQ+ characters. The most prominent among them is Chief Engineer Paul Stamets.

Played by openly gay actor Anthony Rapp, Stamets is integral in saving the crew several times throughout the series. In a committed relationship with the ship's doctor, Hugh Culber, he represents one of the higher-ranking LGBTQ+ officers. Changes in society and the move to streaming services have allowed for more LGBTQ+ representation going forward.

Captain Angel

Star trek: strange new worlds.

• Played By: Jesse James Keitel

Almost all of the characters brought to life by Jesse James Keitel are non-binary, going back to the show Big Sky in 2020. Captain Angel , the antagonist of the episode named after their ship, "The Serene Squall", usually concerns themself with piracy, but they gets involved in a kidnapping hostage-swap conspiracy engineered by Sybok, Spock's estranged half-brother, who is trying to bust out of Vulcan custody.

Sybok is the main antagonist in the movie Star Trek V: The Final Frontier , which takes place several decades after this episode. He enlists Angel to impersonate a Starfleet doctor who's been marooned in an attempt to infiltrate the Enterprise , grab Spock, and hold him hostage in exchange for freeing Sybok. The plan goes sour thanks to the quick thinking of Captain Pike, and Angel is taken into custody along with their crew to fight another day.

Dr. Hugh Culber

• Played By: Wilson Cruz

The other half of the captivating couple on Discovery , Dr. Culber is played another member of the LGBTQ+ community, Wilson Cruz. Culber was tragically killed by a Klingon but was inadvertently saved by Stamets, who somehow pulled Culber's essence into the jahSepp, allowing his resurrection.

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Culber, much like Stamets, provides an excellent representation of the LGBTQ+ community. While it could have been easy to introduce the first same-sex couple as lowly ensigns and still make it work, using such high-ranking officers as the Chief Engineer and ship's Doctor for representation gives hope for a better future without discrimination.

• Played By: Tig Notaro

Introduced in season two of Star Trek: Discovery , Jett Reno is an engineer who helps Commander Stamets. Reno is a widowed lesbian after her wife was killed in the Federation-Klingon War. She is played by Tig Notaro who is also openly lesbian, continuing Discovery's tradition of casting actors from the LGBTQ+ community to play the LGBTQ+ characters.

Reno served as a counselor of sorts for Culber who was struggling after his resurrection. She was the first one to notice that Stamets was still in love with Culber, while Culber was rejecting Stamets following the events on the jahSepp. She was pragmatic and level-headed which allowed her to be the perfect antithesis to the more vocal and emotional Stamets in the Engineering Department.

• Played By: Blu del Barrio

Introduced in season three of Discovery , Adira Tal is the very first truly non-binary character on a Star Trek series. Using they/them pronouns, Adira is played by openly non-binary actor Blu del Barrio. Much like Jadzia Dax, Adira is joined to a Trill symbiont, even though Adira themself is a human. As established in Deep Space Nine , Trill symbionts are non-binary, but Adira is the first non-binary host.

Star Trek Discoverys Non-Binary Character Is Essential Representation

With the push for more inclusive content, Some shows, like Star Trek: Discovery, continue to set the standard for respectful representation.

In a relationship with a Trill, Gray Tal, the pair demonstrated how struggles of life, love, and loss are no different for the LGBTQ+ community as they are from the heteronormative community.

Star Trek: The Next Generation

• Played By: Melinda Culea

The years of TNG had plenty of hetero-normative romantic stories, but the nature of television at the time discouraged the open portrayal of LGBTQ+ characters. With some smart writing and determined actors, as in the spirit of the old show, the non-binary character Soren got their own episode, and it was a brilliant moment of allegory.

Soren was J'naii , a member of an androgynous alien species who had a brief romantic encounter with William Riker. In the course of their time on the Enterprise , Soren decides to identify as female, but the leaders of her people, who mandate that everyone stay non-binary, are having none of it.

In one of the most tragic moments in all of Star Trek history, Soren is taken into custody and returned to her home planet for "reeducation." The flip side of this argument, that a society where binary identities are enforced in much the same way, is equally chilling and the true moral of the story.

• Played By: Ian Alexander

Gray is a transgender male Trill who is also Adira's boyfriend on Discovery . Gray is played by Ian Alexander, who much like Gray, is openly transgender. Both Gray and Alexander are the first openly transgender characters and actors in a Star Trek series.

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Gray was joined by the Tal symbiont for a while but was killed in an attack on the ship. His symbiont was transferred to Adira until Gray could be resurrected by Dr. Culber. He eventually returns to the Trill homeworld to train as a Guardian.

Seven Of Nine

Star trek: voyager.

• Played By: Jeri Ryan

A fan-favorite character introduced on Voyager , Seven of Nine returns on Picard, where her sexuality is explored further. On Voyager , she had a relationship with Chakotay, a male member of the crew. On Picard , she enters a relationship with Picard's close friend and crewmate Raffi, a woman.

This depiction confirms Seven is, at the very least, a bisexual member of the LGBTQ+ community. Actress Jeri Ryan, who portrays Seven, has confirmed in interviews she believes the character to be pansexual.

Raffi Musiker

Star trek: picard.

• Played By: Michelle Hurd

Introduced on Star Trek: Picard , Raffi Musiker is a friend of Admiral Picard, who is quickly demonstrated to share a mutual attraction with Seven of Nine. Portrayed by Michelle Hurd, not much is shown about Raffi's sexuality in the first two seasons, other than her budding relationship with Seven.

Star Trek: 8 Impressive Things Jean-Luc Picard Did Before Joining The USS Enterprise

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In the third season of Picard , it's established that Raffi was previously married to a man and has a son and granddaughter. This revelation confirms that Raffi is, at the very least, a bisexual representative of the LGBTQ+ community.

Beckett Mariner

Star trek: lower decks.

• Played By: Tawny Newsome

The only animated Star Trek character to be confirmed to be part of the LGBTQ+ community, Mariner is essentially the main character of Lower Decks and also appears on Strange New Worlds . She explicitly says in the series she has dated "men, women, and gender non-binary babes." It is confirmed she dated a man before the events of the series, and, in season three, she is pursuing a relationship with a woman.

The creator of Lower Decks has confirmed none of the characters were written as heteronormative, although Mariner's sexuality is the only one that has been explored on screen. Tawny Newsome plays the live-action version of the character as well as providing her voice to the animated Mariner.

Created by Gene Roddenberry

Creation Year 1966

First Film Star Trek: The Motion Picture

First TV Show Star Trek: The Original Series

Screen Rant

Patrick stewart & star trek legends bring discovery’s sonequa martin-green to tears with touching tributes.

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Star Trek: Discovery Season 5 Finale Ending & Shocking Epilogue Explained

Star trek: discovery never showed the 32nd century’s uss enterprise, star trek: discovery’s real ending already happened in 2018.

• Sonequa Martin-Green, praised by Star Trek legends, is celebrated for her leadership both on and off-screen.
• Discovery paved the way for a thriving Star Trek universe on Paramount+ with multiple series in the works.
• Patrick Stewart, Michelle Hurd, and Jonathan Frakes honor Sonequa's impact on Star Trek.

Patrick Stewart and other Star Trek legends pay tribute to Star Trek: Discovery 's Sonequa Martin-Green, and their touching words brought Discovery 's series lead and producer to tears. Martin-Green has wrapped five successful seasons as leading Star Trek: Discovery as Captain Michael Burnham. Discovery paved the way for the prospering Star Trek on Paramount+ streaming universe, with five more TV series, a streaming movie, and even more Star Trek on the way. Meanwhile, Martin-Green has been hailed and beloved as a true leader on and off-screen by Star Trek: Discovery 's cast and crew.

Sonequa Martin-Green and Star Trek: Discovery showrunner Michelle Paradise were guests on The Ready Room hosted by Wil Wheaton to celebrate the series finale of Star Trek: Discovery . Wheaton surprised Martin-Green by gathering a few fellow Star Trek icons - Patrick Stewart, Michelle Hurd, and Jonathan Frakes - to pay tribute to an emotional Sonequa and her indelible impact on Star Trek . Read their quotes and watch the video of The Ready Room below:

Patrick Stewart: Sonequa has the qualities which I struggled to achieve during my first season of The Next Generation. She has authority and leadership, but there is also a human being behind that space captain. Michelle Hurd: Sonequa, playing Michael as the captain, the captain, what impact she has done for all these young Brown and Black little girls and boys, that she has given them the permission to be the captain. Jonathan Frakes: She is, to me, one of my favorite humans; kind, spiritual, present, funny, generous. Sonequa Martin-Green is a gem.

Star Trek: Discovery comes to an end with season 5's finale wrapping up the Progenitors treasure hunt and an epilogue concluding the entire series.

Sonequa Martin-Green's Impact On Star Trek Is Undeniable

Martin-green made history on star trek: discovery.

Sonequa Martin-Green certainly deserves her flowers for her impactful work leading Star Trek: Discovery. Martin-Green is the first African-American woman to be a Star Trek series lead, and Michael Burnham became the first Black female Captain to lead a Star Trek series by the end of Discovery season 3. As Michael Burnham, Martin-Green portrayed a brilliant, compassionate, driven main character who was also flawed and worked to better herself. Burnham's indomitable heroism, and her pivotal romance with Cleveland Booker (David Ajala), was the centerpiece of Star Trek: Discovery, and Sonequa's passion and talent redefined what a Star Trek lead character can be.

Star Trek is better because of Sonequa Martin-Green and Star Trek: Discovery.

With Sonequa Martin-Green setting the tone, Star Trek: Discovery created an enduring legacy as the most inclusive Star Trek series yet. Discovery featured Dr. Hugh Culber (Wilson Cruz) and Commander Paul Stamets (Anthony Rapp), the first married gay couple in Star Trek. Discovery introduced Adira Tal (Blu del Barrio) and Gray Tal (Ian Alexander), the first nonbinary and transgender actors and characters in Star Trek . Star Trek: Discovery not only told epic stories with galactic stakes, but asked big questions that decided the way Captain Burnham and her crew grew and changed. There's no question Star Trek is better because of Sonequa Martin-Green and Star Trek: Discovery.

Source: The Ready Room

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• Sonequa Martin-Green

Den of Geek

The Star Trek Next Generation Character That Was Originally Drastically Different

Early plans for Star Trek: The Next Generation had very different conceptions of the main cast, including a security chief inspired by a space marine from Aliens.

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Yaphet Kotto as Jean-Luc Picard? Wesley Snipes as Geordi? Jenny Agutter as Dr. Crusher?

Gene Roddenberry considered all of these actors for Star Trek: The Next Generation before casting Patrick Stewart , LeVar Burton, and Gates McFadden. However, the most surprising alternate idea for a TNG character involved Tasha Yar, the ill-fated security chief aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise .

The Tale of Macha Hernandez

The TNG series bible, released before the show premiered as a guide for writers and actors, describes Yar in terms similar, if not completely one-to-one, with the character we know from the series. “Born at a ‘failed’ Earth colony of renegades and other violent undesirables, she escaped to Earth in her teens and discovered Starfleet, which she still ‘worships’ today as the complete opposite of all the ugliness she once knew,” the description explains.

Portrayed by Denise Crosby, Tasha Yar did show great loyalty to Picard and the Enterprise , even if that loyalty fell short of “worship.” And though we knew she had a terrible childhood, the full details wouldn’t be known until the season four episode “Legacy.”

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But the very first description written for Yar in preparation for auditions was very different. So different, in fact, that she wasn’t even called Tasha Yar.

“LT. Macha Hernandez – 26 year old woman of unspecified Latin descent who serves as the starship’s security chief,” read the first casting call for TNG . “She is described as having a new quality of conditioned-body-beauty, a fire in her eyes and muscularly well developed and very female body, but keeping in mind that much of her strength comes from attitude. Macha has an almost obsessive devotion to protecting the ship and its crew and treats Capt. Picard and Number One as if they were saints.”

If a space-fairing Latina warrior with muscles and an attitude sounds familiar, it should.

Macha Hernandez’s description also matches Vasquez, the standout space marine from Aliens . Portrayed by Jenette Goldstein, who also appeared in director James Cameron ‘s Terminator 2: Judgment Day and Titanic , Vasquez was the standout in a space marine corps filled with colorful characters. While the other marines struggled to shake off their cryosleep (save for Al Matthews’ Sgt. Apone, of course), Vasquez starts doing pull ups and fending off dumb jokes from Hudson ( Bill Paxton ).

Every single line that Vasquez delivers is an all-timer. When the xenomorphs descend upon the marines and overwhelm them, Vasquez shouts “Let’s rock!” and starts blowing them away. She’s got a fantastic final line, telling Gorman (William Hope) just before they both die in an explosion, “You always were an asshole.”

Unsurprisingly, the first actor the producers considered for the role of Macha was Goldstein, but how the heck would a character like that fit on the deck of the Enterprise ? Especially while Roddenberry was in charge? After all, the man was famous for restricting conflict among the crew, which accounts for many of the bumps in TNG ‘s infamously uneven first season. It’s hard to see how even a TV-softened version of Vasquez could work on TNG .

Part of the answer is in the casting announcement. Macha is loyal to the Federation and Picard. So while there would surely be moments in which Macha would have leaned toward violence, a word from Picard would have made her stand down, as often happened with Worf.

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Beside Goldstein, another early frontrunner to play the character that would become Tasha Yar was Marina Sirtis. No, the English daughter of Greek parents isn’t at all Latina. But for television producers of the 1980s, brown hair was enough to signify “unspecified Latin descent.” And Goldstein isn’t actually Latina either despite playing a Latina woman in Aliens .

Interestingly, the original description for Deanna Troi said the character was a “cool, Icelandic blonde, almost Spock-like,” according to Crosby . “Marina [Sirtis] was reading for Tasha. Somewhere, about the second or third audition, Gene Roddenberry had this idea: Let’s just switch them and see what happens.”

From Macha to Tasha

When Denise Crosby became the frontrunner for the Security Officer, not even the most incurious casting director could see her as someone named Macha Hernandez. Instead, the show rewrote the character as the Ukrainian-descended Tasha Yar. With the Hernandez connection severed, most callbacks to Vasquez disappeared as well. Yar became a tough character who was told to stop fighting much more than she actually fought, unfortunately turning her into a bit of a boring presence on the Enterprise deck. Yar died an ignoble death in the 23rd episode of season 1, “Skin of Evil,” but it’s hard to begrudge all involved for abandoning the character.

Of course, Crosby did get to return in various forms throughout the show’s run, getting a proper send off for Yar in the wonderful “Yesterday’s Enterprise” and then getting to play the fun villain Sela. And Goldstein eventually found her way to Starfleet too, as a science officer aboard the Enterprise -B in Star Trek Generations and voicing the Enterprise computer on Short Treks .

Even better, the other attempt to pull from Aliens was much more successful. Roddenberry and the other TNG creators loved Lance Henriksen’s gentle but still uncanny take on an android as Bishop. They looked to that quality for Data, which they first found in actor Mark Lindsay Chapman before going with Brent Spiner . Spiner proved to be the ideal choice, not just because he brought Bishop’s disquieting kindness to Data, but also because he could expand on the character to make him unique and not just knock-off.

With time and the right casting, would Macha Hernandez have also become a distinct and beloved character? Maybe under Yaphet Kotto’s Picard and alongside Wesley Snipes’ LaForge.

Joe George | @jageorgeii

Joe George’s writing has appeared at Slate, Polygon, Tor.com, and elsewhere!

‘Emilia Pérez’ Star Karla Sofía Gascón Signs With UTA (EXCLUSIVE)

By Katcy Stephan

Katcy Stephan

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UTA has signed Spanish actor Karla Sofía Gascón for representation.

Gascón plays the title role in Jacques Audiard’s film “Emilia Pérez,” for which she made history at the Cannes Film Festival in May as the first transgender woman to win the award for best actress. She shared the honor with co-stars Zoe Saldaña, Selena Gomez and Adriana Paz.

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“’Emilia Pérez’ emerges as a powerful, unfiltered portrait of someone who challenges several stereotypes at once. That’s a testament to leading lady Karla Sofía Gascón (who plays Manitas/Emilia) and the audacity of Audiard, who had the good sense to incorporate Gascón’s personal experience into the character,” Debruge wrote.

The Mexican redemption musical was acquired by Netflix for the U.S. and the U.K. after its positive critical reception (including a nine-minute standing ovation) at Cannes.

“I think this movie is about the power of femininity,” Gascón told Variety through a translator during the festival. “It starts in a very dark, male-dominated, violent world and, thanks to community, it becomes brighter and better.” 

In television, Gascón’s credits include roles in Telemundo’s International Emmy-winning “El Señor de los Cielos” and the Netflix Mexican teen drama “Rebelde,” among others.

In film, Gascón starred in Gaz Alazraki’s 2013 dark comedy “Nosotros los Nobles” (“The Noble Family”) for Warner Bros.

Gascón will continue to be represented by IMC Management.

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