‘Star Trek: Discovery’ Creator Bryan Fuller Teases A Furry Addition From Animated Series

We’re still some time away from the much anticipated premiere of Star Trek: Discovery, so details are hard to come by, but Bryan Fuller may have teased a huge character development in responding to a fan’s request.

We all have things we would like to see in a new Star Trek series and much of that has already been reflected in Fuller’s vision for Discovery, but the details will ultimately be left up to Bryan’s personal tastes. The Star Trek: Discovery executive producer now shares that he’s drawing inspiration from previous series, including the short-lived animated series.

Star Trek: Discovery‘s Bryan Fuller Is A Cat Lover

Either Fuller and his production staff are keeping a tight lid on the cast of actors filling the roles in this new Star Trek series or they just haven’t started casting yet. Either way, iDigital Times points to the fact that it’s still unknown who Fuller is hoping to get as his leads, but we do know what to expect in the way of the USS Discovery NCC-1031’s crew. It has been previously shared that a lieutenant commander will be the lead and that the character will be a minority woman, as well as another character who is openly gay. Bryan has also said that the Discovery will have a greater mix of alien species than has been seen in previous Star Trek spin-offs.

Mr. Fuller has now dropped a new clue as to what one of those aliens might be in responding to a Twitter user’s request and comment about a certain Star Trek character.

“@BryanFuller Not gonna lie, I kinda want to see @annafriel play M’Ress. #StarTrekDiscovery,” tweeted Saul Bishop.

Anna Friel, of course, is best known for her role as Charlotte ‘Chuck’ Charles in Pushing Daisies, which ran from 2007 through 2009. She has most recently starred in Marcella as the lead character, Marcella Backland.

M’Ress was a recurring character in Star Trek: The Animated Series, voiced by Majel Barrett-Roddenberry, and was a relief communications officer, who would occasionally take Lieutenant Uhura’s place. She was a Caitian, which was a feline-like alien species. Caitians have appeared in several Star Trek films, including scenes from the alternate Abramsverse.

In response to Bishop’s request, Fuller seemed very excited about the request.

“THIS. ALL OF THIS,” Fuller tweeted back in all capital letters

Ronald D. Moore Says Bryan Fuller Will “Strangle All Of The Possibility” Out Of Star Trek: Discovery

If Moore’s name seems familiar, it should. Radio Times reveals that he spent a decade working on various Star Trek projects and guesses that he wrote 60 episodes or more for Star Trek, before moving on to produce the Battlestar Galactica reboot. Moore worked with Bryan Fuller on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, so he knows the Star Trek: Discovery showrunner’s passion and vision better than most people and Ronald says the new series couldn’t be in better hands.

“I know Bryan well and we’ve worked together,” Moore said at the Edinburgh Television Festival. “He is going to approach that show in a very different world.”

While Fuller will certainly stick to the Star Trek edicts, Ronald says fans shouldn’t expect a rehashing of what has been done previously, pointing out that the previous Star Trek series were all done in a different era. Even when Star Trek: Enterprise aired, the internet was still new and smartphones hadn’t yet hit the market. Social issues were different as well. Moore says Fuller has much to work with, technologically as well as from a social and political perspective.

“Knowing Bryan, he will seize that opportunity and strangle it for every possible thing he can get out of it.”

Moore isn’t shy about admitting his work on rebooting Battlestar Galactica changed the face of science fiction on television and, while he couldn’t have used his ideas on Star Trek: The Next Generation or on Deep Space Nine, he recognizes that Star Trek: Discovery will adapt from his innovations.

“Some of the storytelling we did in Battlestar Galactica, to graft that on to Star Trek it would have required changing the entire format of the show, and really a different taste of the show,” Moore adds. “I know we did the best work that we could under the circumstances, and I feel like I pushed the envelope as far as I possibly could.”

Star Trek: Discovery is scheduled to debut in January on CBS and CBS All Access.

[Image by CBS]