Posted in: Paramount+, Star Trek, streaming, TV | Tagged: paramount, Sonequa Martin-Green, star trek, star trek: discovery

Star Trek: Discovery Had "Wobbly" Start, Found Identity in Season 3

Star Trek: Discovery star Sonequa Martin-Green on the series getting off to a "wobbly" start and finding its "distinct identity" in Season 3.

It's been a long seven-year journey for Star Trek: Discovery and star Sonequa Martin-Green, but as Paramount+ rolls the fifth and final season, the journey, much like most other long-running shows, has had its share of bumps in the road. Compounding the fact that you have one of the oldest franchises in science fiction and 50 years of history to build off from, you're bound to run into some critics along the way among the most passionate in pop culture. When Discovery premiered in 2017 for the streaming platform, it would help usher in a launching point for spinoffs like Strange New Worlds and Starfleet Academy and other projects from Alex Kurtzman that expands on The Next Generation timeline with Picard and animated shows Prodigy and Lower Decks. Martin-Green opened up about her time in the franchise since emerging from another mega-franchise in AMC's The Walking Dead.

Why Sonequa Martin-Green Felt Star Trek: Discovery Hit Its Stride Starting with Season 3

"To be honest with you, no, we did not have it from the start. We had a troubled start," Martin-Green told SFX Magazine (via SlashFilm) "From what I understand, every iteration has a challenge before them at the beginning. I do believe that we were kind of on wobbly legs. We were walking with purpose and intention and passion, and trying to walk with excellence as much as we possibly could, but we were still wobbling. We really were."

Discovery started as the second The Original Series prequel after UPN's Enterprise that would bring the crew of the U.S.S. Discovery in a familiar enemy, the Klingons with a new look and revisit one of the most beloved legacy characters Spock, now played by Ethan Peck. As Burnham and company made the fateful decision to leave the 23rd century behind and into the 32nd at the end of season two, it boldly went where no other Star Trek series went before, with SNW picking up on the 23rd-century timeline where Discovery left off and that's where Martin-Green thought her show started to hit its stride.

"I feel personally that we found our distinct identity in season 3 when we separated from the timeline when we jumped ahead past where any 'Trek' had ever gone," Martin-Green said. "We were able to establish ourselves in a new way at that point. I really appreciate where we were placed. I appreciate all those connected tissues, but I also appreciate that we were able to build anew, because I believe every 'Trek' has a responsibility to do that." From there, the actress said it was allowed to sprout its wings without having to balance the tightrope of not disrupting canon.

"If you want to hold true to the essence of 'Trek' itself, then you have to keep pressing forward. You have to keep encouraging people to look forward, look forward, look forward," Martin-Green said. "So I feel that we really sunk into who we were supposed to be by season 3. We built off seasons 1 and 2. I even love how we stay connected, even through seasons 3, 4, and 5 — we never lost it. We never lost where we came from. But we also found so many new things. We found new life." New episodes of Star Trek: Discovery streams on Thursdays on Paramount+.

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