Star Trek is finally welcoming its first three crew members aboard its new show Discovery.
After months of anticipation, Star Trek: Discovery’s social media accounts announced the first three cast members to officially join the upcoming series on CBS All Access, CBS’s streaming platform, on Tuesday. It confirms the casting of Michelle Yeoh, which was first revealed last week. The addition of Anthony Rapp and Doug Jones are new for fans.
BREAKING: #StarTrekDiscovery beams up first three cast members: @ActorDougJones, #MichelleYeoh, and @albinokid. pic.twitter.com/2tw5uXqWxA
— Star Trek on Paramount+ (@StarTrekOnPPlus) November 29, 2016
The announcement from Star Trek: Discovery also gives us insight into the characters Yeoh, Rapp, and Jones will play on the show.
While some believed that Yeoh would portray the female lead that former showrunner Bryan Fuller, who stepped down last month, promised would be part of the Discovery crew, Star Trek’s character listing showed that Yeoh will play a different character. Her name is Captain Georgiou, a starfleet captain of the Starship Shenzhou.
Rapp and Jones, however, will be part of the titular crew. Rapp, who originated the role of Mark Cohen in Rent, will portray Lt. Stamets, a Starfleet science officer and astromycologist who is also an expert on fungus. According to Entertainment Weekly, Lt. Stamets will be an openly gay character, but that has yet to be confirmed by the show. Jones, who has a long career of playing non-human characters in films and TV shows like Hellboy, Falling Skies, The Strain, and Pan’s Labyrinth, is portraying Lt. Saru, a Starfleet Science Officer and part of an alien species new to Star Trek.
Both Rapp and Jones excitedly shared the news now that it was public with Rapp professing that he was a “longtime fan and super geek of the highest order.”
So proud to be a part of this journey. I'm a longtime fan and super geek of the highest order. https://t.co/WCO3ulM7Gm
— Anthony Rapp SAG-AFTRA National Board Member (@albinokid) November 29, 2016
Welp. Looks like I can tell you some good news today…. https://t.co/fQEW6NV6kN
— Doug Jones (@actordougjones) November 29, 2016
Multiple roles still need to be cast, including the female lead (named in honor of a character who appeared in the original Star Trek pilot).
Star Trek: Discovery will beam down in May 2017.