Posted in: Paramount+, Star Trek, streaming, TV | Tagged: Erica Ortegas, interview, Melissa Navia, paramount, star trek, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds

Strange New Worlds: Melissa Navia on Season 2, Inspiring Pilots & More

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds star Melissa Navia discussed Ortegas in Season 2, embracing the fan community, inspiring new pilots & more.

It might sound cliché at first, but once you've joined the Star Trek family, it's forever as Strange New Worlds star Melissa Navia is finding out as fans and her colleagues embraced her from day one. The actress, who plays U.S.S. Enterprise helmsperson Lt. Erica Ortegas, never stopped running as season one hype translated to success as filming for season two came underway. With season three filming currently suspended due to the ongoing WGA writer strike, the cast and crew can take in the reactions as Paramount+ releases season two. Navia spoke to Bleeding Cool about how morale was boosted at the start of filming season two, what we can expect from Ortegas in season two, how many future pilots she inspired, and the genuine cast camaraderie in and out of the set.

How Melissa Navia Embraced the Star Trek Community

Bleeding Cool: How did it feel going into filming season two when you saw the reception of the first season?

Navia: When we started filming season two, we were excited because we knew that season one was about to premiere. Being on set when the world was getting to see season one was exciting because we were with the crew and with the cast. We knew that what we were doing was working, the fans were responding, and that 'Strange New Worlds' is a hit we had hoped and expected it to be. That electrified what was happening on set for season two, and it galvanized us; we can push the envelope in new ways, and we can try new things.

In the "adventure of the week" format that we were doing, we also knew everyone was responding. That was great, and the fan response has been extraordinary. Now that we're seeing season two and we know that everybody is expecting it and looking forward to it as much as if they were season one, if not more. We were looking forward to seeing how everybody takes to these new ten episodes.

We're then renewed for season three, which is such a rarity in this business to be working on something that is being so favorably received and to know that you also have another season coming up. In the current climate that we're in, that's not super common. We realize that we are in a fortunate position. It's all thanks to our writers, directors, and our showrunners. It's also thanks to the incredible casting of this wonderful ensemble crew.

How would you describe Ortegas' growth from season one into season two?

The fan response from season one was so wonderful to hear and to see how they enjoyed this brand-new character and wanted to see more of her. It's funny because I kept thinking to myself, "I thought there had been a lot of Ortegas in season one, but it's because she's the character that I play." I put my whole energy into creating her. I was like, "What are you talking about? Ortegas was in every episode. She was piloting the Enterprise. It's right up there with one of the most important jobs on the show."
I could see what fans were saying was that they wanted a backstory, that they wanted to see more of her interactions with crew members, and that's exactly what you want as an actor, right? That's the highest compliment to hear from fans and from audiences, "We like this character so much, and we want more." What you don't want is the opposite, "We want less of that person." It was truly a compliment. The showrunners, producers, and everybody heard it.

For season two, when we gathered for "Star Trek Day," and we were able to give fans a sneak peek, I love that we were able to do a sneak peek of Ortegas. Hearing the audience that day chanting for Ortegas was cool. I've been saying in interviews and fans on social media that you can be sure that you will be getting more Ortegas this season. It's funny because there's part of me that still thinks that probably by the end of this, they're still going to want more Ortegas. That's not a bad problem to have. I keep saying, "Patience is a virtue." She is a character that has many layers, and we have a lot yet to learn. There's only so much you can do with ten episodes a season, and the amount of story being told with ten episodes is a testament to our incredible writers and cast.

We're doing our absolute best in ten episodes, and I know that there are lots of fans, like, "Why can't we go back to the days of years ago when you could have 20-plus episode seasons?" Because you look at the ten episodes in a season. These are mini-movies that take a whole year of filming and post-production work to create the episode gems we have. The fan response has been incredible. We're going to see more Ortegas for sure, we are going to get some of that back story, and we're going to see her piloting the Enterprise, which is what she has been brought on to do.

Since the first season's release, do fans approach you saying, "Ortegas inspired me to be a pilot"?

Oh, my goodness! That's a great question. Yes, I have, and that's been happening at conventions. I try to keep my convention time a little bit lower last year because I was trying to conserve energy for all sorts of reasons. The conventions I did, like New York Comic-Con and the Las Vegas Star Trek Convention, I was over the moon because I got to meet fans for the first time in person and hearing from people saying that "I'm getting my pilot's license because of Ortegas." Also, hearing from people, "I've been watching I've been watching Star Trek, rather since [The Original Series], and I love this show, and I now see myself represented on the bridge because of your character."

All those are things I have fallen in love with hearing, and they will never get old, but realizing more that Ortegas' role on the ship is inspiring people to become a pilot is something that I didn't think about when I was first cast. When I was shooting season one, I'm not thinking about things like that. I'm thinking about doing the job right, getting the character right, doing the lines, and doing what I do as an actor. Now that it's out to the world, one of the many beautiful things about Star Trek is that it takes on a life of its own.

Hearing from people that they are becoming pilots is no small thing, and I'm encouraging everybody to do it. I also am now getting my pilot's license. If there's one thing I can do is like I can play a pilot on TV, and you know what? I can become a pilot as well. I've been speaking to pilots and astronauts. That's also a part of my job that I'd never really thought about before, was that I was going to now be in conversation with people who are in NASA and people who are going to space, have been to space, and who are pilots. It's this whole new world that's opened for me, but I want to encourage anybody who wants to be a pilot. You can do it! Part of that is me is also saying, you know what? If you're going to do it, I can do it as well.

I think we'll hear a lot of fans saying your character's call sign "Vamanos!"

Yeah! [laughs]

Is there anyone particular in the cast you particularly bonded with over time and hang out with?

Everyone in the cast, I can't single out one person like we really are a tight crew. Part of that is during season one, we were shooting in a city that was in lockdown for most of the time we were shooting. Our whole world was with each other and was with Star Trek and was the set, so we bonded. Sometimes people ask, "What did you do for season one to bond?" I was like, "We shot Star Trek." That's how we were able to bond with everybody I am close with.

Some of us live closer than others, like Celia [Rose Gooding] and I are both in New York. We've met up. I was with Celia and Jess [Bush] a couple of weeks ago at the Outright International Gala, where they were honoring the cast of 'Discovery.' I went to the Broadway show the other night with Jess and a friend of hers. I was talking to Ethan [Peck] and Rebecca [Romijn] the other day. Babs [Olusanmokun] and I got to do a press junket. Anson [Mount] I adore, and I cannot wait to see everybody and get back on set for season three. Chrissy [Chong], who I love, came out with new music. We text, and we're in communication all the time, and it's a group of people that I cannot wait to get back to work and be on set. I don't know if there are a lot of groups of people that you can say that about. There's not one person that I'm like, "Oh, no!" Every single one of them, I'm like, "Let's do this. Let's get back to work, and let's get back to hanging out every day, literally!"

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds streams Thursdays on Paramount+.

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