Small-screen Star Trek reboot returns with focus on character
Second chapter moves away from the action of war, into deeper story development
Star Trek: Discovery begins its second chapter tonight (Space at 8 p.m.) with a planned emphasis on character exploration.
Remember that when the first chapter of the latest incarnation of Star Trek launched last fall on CBS All Access, the Federation found itself at war with forever nemesis the Klingons, then exiled to places unknown.
The war — meaning action — took precedence in Chapter 1 of the first season; a tonal shift could be on the horizon.
For the actors, that means getting juicier material upon which to chew. Multiple storylines await, coexecutive producer Aaron Harberts said in a recent interview. There’s the plight of the ship itself, which is stuck in an area in space unknown to the Federation and Starfleet.
The mystery of Ash Tyler (Shazad Latif ), a former Klingon captive, will get more of a look. There’s the growth of Lt. Cmdr. Saru (Doug Jones), a member of the Kelpien race. In the forefront, however, remains Starfleet mutineer Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green).
Throughout the first chapter, an inner battle raged within the former first officer as she tried to make sense of who she is. Harberts said fundamental questions related to her will be explored.
“Is there such a thing as a second chance?” he asked. “Burnham’s going to have a reckoning and sort of a fascinating opportunity to have a second chance to look at her mutiny, looking at some of the actions she perpetrated in the first two episodes.” Burnham’s story arc extends through to a number of characters her actions affected.
“We are indeed led by Michael Burnham’s character,” Jones, who can also be seen in the acclaimed film The Shape of Water, said during a recent phone interview.
But Jones, whose extensive work within prosthetics and heavy makeup allowed him to be cast in Discov- ery without an audition, said no actor is given short shrift.
“Every character on the show has their own backstory, their own arc, their own wants and needs and goals that you get to watch all of us go through. Saru is no different,” he said.
Saru, whose species is considered prey in his home world, may represent one of Trek’s most polarizing characters across any of the six series. He’s aloof while able to hold a grudge and, because he and Burnham served together before — during the incident where she felt mutiny justified — he maintains a lingering skepticism regarding her as an officer and member of Starfleet.
Jones appreciates the fact writers have given him so much with which to work this season.
“Television is so much a writer’s medium. They work that out,” he said. “They’re giving us such fullfledged personalities. I’ve never once felt there was any stock to my character whatsoever because I’m new and different to the universe.”
Harberts said the back end of Season 1 will allow fans to better know the characters — universal emotions, flaws and all — with whom they’ve begun to develop a relationship.
“One thing it did for the writing staff is it allowed us to then start these characters on journeys right away,” he said. “I think it allows the audience to see itself more in the characters because they’re not just paragons of virtue. These are people who have to figure out who they are and how they’re going to act.”
The crew will also have to do so together so that they can arrive back in their own corner of space. Where the Discovery crew landed at the end of Episode 9 has been a source of serious conjecture among fans.
Collective groans may be heard from fans on and off the internet if it’s a matter of “when” given the number of incidents Star Trek crews have interfered with the timeline.
However, one other prospect (proposed by many fans) could prove intriguing: a return to the “Mirror” universe introduced in the original series episode “Mirror, Mirror.”
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Enterprise also ventured into the universe.
Of course, don’t look to the cast or crew to provide that kind of insight.
“We know some of the things that are being discussed,” Harberts said. “We don’t read a lot of things on social media. We’re already starting to work on Season 2, so we’re trying to look ahead.”