‘Star Trek: Discovery’ Casts ‘Walking Dead’ Star Sonequa Martin-Green In Lead And Drafts Three Klingons

When the next Comic-Con season rolls around, fans of Sonequa Martin-Green may find the actress in more than one panel, according to news that The Walking Dead actress will also be joining the cast of Star Trek: Discovery. Fans of the AMC series need not worry about losing Sonequa from that show’s line-up, as reports indicate the actress will continue on The Walking Dead, dividing up her time between the two shows. News that Sonequa is coming to Star Trek: Discovery adds a sense of stability to the series, following the exit of series showrunner Bryan Fuller and conflicting stories about what Star Trek fans may expect with the new show.

Sonequa Martin-Green Will Be The Star Trek: Discovery Lead, But She Won’t Be A Captain

The long search for the Star Trek: Discovery lead has finally ended with the casting of Martin-Green in the role of a lieutenant-commander aboard the Discovery space vessel and, as Variety reveals, the decision to bring in The Walking Dead star comes just as fans have begun to feel disillusioned with the early planning stages of the series. Bringing Star Trek back to television for the first time since Enterprise ended in 2005 has the fandom casting a keen eye on everything related to the new series and the loss of Bryan Fuller has been some cause for concern.

Even so, it seems Fuller’s plans for the Star Trek: Discovery lead have remained a focus with the remaining production team, as the casting of Sonequa falls in line with Fuller’s plans to cast a woman of color in the lead role.

Ms. Martin-Green, who has played Sasha Williams on The Walking Dead since the 2012 season, joins Star Trek: Discovery as a commanding officer and the lead of the series, but nothing else is known about her character at this time. Even the name of Sonequa’s character remains a mystery.

Martin-Green joins an already diverse cast, which includes previously cast Doug Jones, Anthony Rapp, Michelle Yeoh, Chris Obi, Shazad Latif, and Mary Chieffo.

Star Trek: Discovery Wouldn’t Be Complete Without A Few Klingon Villains

As mentioned previously, Chris Obi, Shazad Latif, and Mary Chieffo have also joined the cast of Star Trek: Discovery, but The Hollywood Reporter adds news that the trio of actors has been cast to play Klingons in the new series. As long-time Star Trek fans will recall, Klingon society revolves primarily around honor and the status of one’s house. In Discovery, T’Kuvma, the role chosen for Obi, will be seeking to reunite the Klingon houses with the help of his pupil, Kol (Latif).

Ms. Chieffo has been cast to play the commander of the Klingon ship’s battle crew, though it’s unclear how big her role will be in light of the general story arc developed for the Klingon crew.

Also on deck to join Star Trek: Discovery is Doug Jones, who will play Lt. Saru, a Starfleet Science Officer. Anthony Rapp has been cast to play Lt. Stamets, an astromycologist, fungus expert, and Starfleet Science Officer. Michelle Yeoh joins the new Star Trek series as a Starfleet captain Georgiou, possibly the commanding officer directly above Sonequa Martin-Green’s character.

Speaking of his departure, Bryan Fuller indicated that previous obligations forced him to step away from the day to day supervision of Star Trek: Discovery, though he remains connected to the project as an executive producer.

“Ultimately, with my responsibilities [elsewhere], I could not do what CBS needed to have done in the time they needed it done for Star Trek,” Fuller explained to Newsweek.

“It felt like it was best for me to focus on landing the plane with American Gods and making sure that was delivered in as elegant and sophisticated a fashion as I could possibly do.”

Star Trek: Discovery is set to premiere on CBS All Access in May 2017.

[Featured Image by Joe Scarnici/Getty Images]