From its inception Star Trek has been a series that tackles complex social issues, often holding a mirror up to society and encouraging us to be our best selves in search of a brighter, more inclusive future. In recent years, the creatives behind the franchise have fought to continue that legacy with the inclusion of queer and transgender characters and diverse casts making up each series. Playing the first Black female captain to lead a Star Trek series, Sonequa Martin-Green knows a thing or two about cultivating inclusivity in the long-running franchise.
During the Women in Sci-Fi panel at Fan Expo: San Francisco, hosted by Collider's Maggie Lovitt, Martin-Green spoke about one of the core values of the franchise when it comes to creating a safe space for all. She called out a specific line from the pilot episode of Discovery as a perfect example of what she hopes the series does for anyone who watches it. "There’s a line in the pilot of Discovery, where T’Kuvma, the Klingon authority, says to the Klingon who Shazad Latif played, I’m going to paraphrase a little bit, but he basically says, 'I see you, and you are as a mirror, and I see myself in you.'" That concept is the very definition of the show's inclusivity, as she went on to explain:
"I’ve always remembered that line and, I think to put it simply, that's what inclusivity means. Because that’s the truth, I am you, and you are me, and you know, it sounds cute to say, but it’s true, it’s what's actually true. And so, when we see ourselves in each other it’s like, that’s the goal, that’s where we’re trying to get to, and we’ve been pulled apart by so many things. But it's really about looking at each one of us as a mirror, and I think that’s one of the most amazing things that the inclusivity of the show does."
Not only does Discovery feature one of the most diverse casts in the franchise, led by Martin-Green's incomparable Captain Burnham, but it also marks a major milestone for LGBTQ+ representation in Star Trek. Discovery became the first series in the franchise to feature LGBTQ+ characters as part of the main cast of the series with the relationship between Stamets (Anthony Rapp) and Culber (Wilson Cruz), and later the introduction of Adira (Blu del Barrio) and Gray (Ian Alexander) directly addressing the inclusion of Transgender people. Further, the series features additional LGBTQ+ cast members whose identities are celebrated both on and off the screen with Tig Notaro, Mary Wiseman, and Emily Coutts.
After inspiring fans for four seasons, Discovery will come to an end, with Season 5 set to arrive sometime in 2024. Stay tuned at Collider for further updates, and in the meantime, you can watch Star Trek on Paramount+.
