"Star Trek" TV's upcoming reboot, "Star Trek: Discovery" will begin production in the fall. Its executive producers have always been vocal about their intention of having a diverse cast for this new series. Does this diversity mean that the new Discovery ship will be commandeered by a black woman?
"Star Trek" had a woman as a ship captain in one of its many iterations on film and TV before. Captain Kathryn Janeway (played by Kate Mulgrew) led the crew of the USS Voyager in "Star Trek: Voyager." But it looks like the EPs are considering a black woman as the captain this time around for "Star Trek: Discovery."
During the last Comic Con, "Star Trek" EP Bryan Fuller and Heather Kadin reiterated that the participation of women on "Star Trek: Discovery" will be crucial, as it is with the earlier TV shows. "I think as a female you'll see, when you start to hear more about the series, that's a big part of it," Kadin said in the panel, per this video.
For ideas on "Star Trek: Discovery," Fuller also confirmed in an interview that he has been consulting with Mae Jemison, who is a NASA astronaut with the distinction of being the "first black woman in space." Fuller learned that Jamison watched the "Star Trek" TV shows from the 60s and alluded to Lt. Uhura's presence on the ship's bridge. "We are going to be continuing that tradition of progressive casting and progressive character work to be an inclusive world," the producer said via Moviefone.
TV Line suggested that "Suits" star Gina Torres could very well play the role of Discovery's new captain. Earlier, speculations surfaced that Nathan Fillion should be a strong contender for captain of the new ship in the "Star Trek" TV reboot, as Parent Herald reported. Coincidentally, the two actors worked on another space-centric action series, "Firefly," back in 2002.
Meanwhile, Fuller also told fans to take a close look at the Discovery ship for some hints as to the timeline of "Star Trek: Discovery," specifically the ship's number - NCC-1031. Birth Movies Death noted that the number seemed to suggest the ship is older than the Enterprise, which is from the original TV show with Capt. James Kirk and Spock. Thus, it means that the timeline of "Star Trek: Discovery" could take place before the first TV series, according to Ain't It Cool News.
"Star Trek: Discovery" will be on the CBS All Access streaming service in the U.S., while it will be available on Netflix in other countries. Its target debut will be in early 2017.
