Posted in: Paramount+, Star Trek, streaming, TV | Tagged: Callum Keith Rennie, Michelle Paradise, paramount, star trek, star trek: deep space nine, star trek: discovery

Star Trek: Discovery Showrunner Discusses Final Season, Rayner & More

Star Trek: Discovery Showrunner/EP Michelle Paradise explains why it's important for the series to retain its voice & a Deep Space Nine nod.

Star Trek: Discovery showrunner Michelle Paradise promises the fifth and final season will remain true to its core as it did its premiere episode in 2017 when it was the franchise's flagship series for Paramount+. As fans prepare for the U.S.S. Discovery's final journey in the 32nd century starting April 5th, the executive producer spoke with TrekMovie.com about if Discovery has learned from its contemporaries and more about one of the show's newest characters in Captain Rayner, played by Callum Keith Rennie.

Star Trek: Discovery Showrunner Previews Season 5

While Paradise admits that Discovery season five has a different tone and is more episodic, it still retains its voice, not influenced by shows like Strange New Worlds or Picard. "No, It's still fundamentally 'Discovery.' And 'Discovery' is built on serialized storytelling. So we still have that. Really, the shift in tone for this season was that we came into this season after season 4, which had a bit of a heavier tone in general," she said. "That previous season was written and shot during a time of COVID and we kind of knew coming into season 5 that we wanted that different tone. We wanted a bit more action and adventure, a bit more lightness–not to lose the things that make Discovery, Discovery. So really, it was a matter of thinking: What does that look like? So we're sending our heroes on a quest. And so then the nature of a quest allows for a bit more of the episodic storytelling. But again, it's Discovery, so we don't lose the serialized style."

Rennie's Captain Rayner is one of Discovery's biggest additions, along with new mysterious villains Moll and L'ak, played by Eve Harlow and Elias Toufexis. Paradise expanded on Rennie's character that's a direct nod to Deep Space Nine. "He's a Kellerun. We were looking for a species that not a lot had been done with them. We definitely wanted another non-human on the ship and taking care of things. And Kellerun is one that had not been explored a whole lot. So we were able to also build some backstory for him and for his planet that we'll come to learn more about later."

For more, including how Paradise breaks down tweaking what was already filmed to turn the season five finale into the series finale, you can check out the entire interview here.

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