STAR TREK: DISCOVERY Locates Lead
The Hollywood trades are citing sources that Star Trek: Discovery has its lead in The Walking Dead‘s Sonequa Martin-Green, although CBS has yet to confirm.
According to Deadline, the actress will play Lieutenant Commander Rainsford, and the show will center around her rather than the captain, as previous incarnations of Star Trek have done. The search to fill the role has been described as “exhaustive” with the focus being on having a non-white performer. Former show-runner Bryan Fuller, who has since moved on to concentrate on American Gods, said at San Diego Comic-Con, that the character was inspired by astronaut Mae Jemison and Nichelle Nichols’ Lt. Uhura.
Martin-Green currently has a regular role on The Walking Dead, playing Sasha Williams, a character created specifically for her after she auditioned for the role of Michonne. Currently, there’s no news as to whether she’ll continue on AMC’s zombie show. She also had a recurring role as Tamara on ABC’s Once Upon a Time.
The news follows the announcement that the show has added Chris Obi, Mary Chieffo, and Shazad Latif to play Klingons, along with two other crew members on the Discovery played by Doug Jones and Anthony Rapp, and Michelle Yeoh as another ship captain.
