The Star Trek: Discovery cast added its first new member back in 2019 when it was announced that David Ajala will be playing Cleveland “Book” Booker in the upcoming run this October, but today CBS has announced two more additions to the series as we prepare to join the Discovery in the far future.

Spotted briefly in the Season 3 trailer that beamed down last October at New York Comic Con, two new actors are set to join the show when Star Trek: Discovery returns on October 15, expanding series’ already diverse cast with a pair of actors each bringing new representation to the Trek franchise.

Blu del Barrio portrays Adira, a non-binary character from the 32nd century, who is described as “is highly intelligent with a confidence and self-assurance well beyond their years,” and who is set to “find a new home on the USS Discovery and form an unexpected bond with Lt. Commander Paul Stamets (Anthony Rapp) and Dr. Hugh Culber (Wilson Cruz).”

Like their character, del Barrio identifies as non-binary, and they are making their television debut — and will earn their first professional acting credit — aboard Star Trek: Discovery.

Blu del Barrio is a non-binary actor who uses they/them pronouns. Del Barrio was in their final year of studies at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art when they auditioned for the role of Adira. Del Barrio has been acting in theater and short films since the age of 7, and they’re incredibly excited to make their television acting debut in season three of STAR TREK: DISCOVERY.

While there’s not much known about Adira’s background, they are seen visiting (and floating) in the Trill symbiont pools in the Caves of Mak’ala — introduced, of course, on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine — so it is likely that there may be some Trill in the character’s family tree.

Along with today’s announcement — first rumored over a year ago in a report from Discussing Film in June 2019 ahead of Season 3 production — advocacy group GLAAD has published a new interview with del Barrio where they talk about, among other topics, being cast in the role, the character of Adira, and coming out as non-binary.

I was just finishing my final year of drama school in the UK when my agent sent me the casting call for Adira. I loved the idea for the character, taped for it, and later during rehearsals for my last show, got the call that I’d booked the part.

A few weeks later, I flew directly to Toronto and walked onto the set. It all happened pretty quickly and felt very surreal. I feel incredibly lucky to be a part of this show.

 

Adira is a wonderfully complex character. Mainly because of this duality they have within them: they’re astonishingly intelligent and yet they’re still a kid. They experience their emotions at a heightened level, like most teenagers. That’s what makes them so fun to play. I like to describe them as cerebrally brilliant and emotionally a puppy.

Adira is an introvert, but they keep a few people close to the chest, which I definitely resonate with. I don’t want to say too much and get in trouble, but all in all, Adira is a uniquely strange and beautiful character.

del Barrio also describes Adira as suffering from “memory loss,” which will play into the characters experiences in Discovery Season 3:

When we meet Adira, they’re suffering from memory loss. They remember nothing from their past, and very little about themself. They know they’re non-binary, of course, but coming onto Discovery they’re cautious about sharing that information with anyone. T

hey’re a private person, so they aren’t going to divulge a lot about themselves to a ship full of strangers. It’s not until Adira has found a place of comfort with Stamets and Culber that they feel they can talk about who they are. When I got the call that I’d been cast as Adira, I hadn’t yet told the majority of my friends and family that I was non-binary.

I had only recently discovered the word and realized that it described how I’d felt for a long time. I knew I wanted to tell my friends and family, so when this happened, it felt like the universe saying “go ahead.” So in a way, Adira’s story ends up mirroring mine.

Just after I told people in my life, so did Adira. Definitely not the most common coming out story, but it was scary, special, and life changing (as they usually are).

Ian Alexander joins Discovery as a Trill named Gray — as it’s been long known we’ll be revisiting the Trill homeworld this season — who is “is empathetic, warm and eager to fulfill his lifelong dream of being a Trill host,” but someone who must “adapt when his life takes an unexpected turn.”

The Trill species has always brought a variety of perspectives on gender, as members of the joined race experience lives as both male and female throughout their long legacies — and Alexander will bring his own point of view to the character as the first transgender actor to join the Star Trek franchise.

Ian Alexander is a 19-year-old actor who uses they/them and he/him pronouns. He is best known for his roles as Buck Vu on the Netflix series “The OA” and Lev in Naughty Dog’s video game “The Last of Us Part II.” They are the first out transgender Asian-American person to act on television. He is also an advocate for transgender equality, racial justice and mental health awareness for LGBTQ+ youth.

Alexander discusses a little about his background in this interview filmed for Netflix’s The OA, a series which also starred Discovery alum Jason Isaacs (Captain Lorca).

While it’s not yet known how many episodes each actor will appear in this upcoming season today’s casting announcements continue to expand upon the wide horizons of inclusion and diversity which Star Trek has promoted since the Original Series in the 1960s.

Discovery co-showrunner Michelle Paradise released this statement along with the news today.

‘Star Trek’ has always made a mission of giving visibility to underrepresented communities because it believes in showing people that a future without division on the basis of race, gender, gender identity or sexual orientation is entirely within our reach,” said Michelle Paradise, co-showrunner and executive producer.

“We take pride in working closely with Blu del Barrio, Ian Alexander and Nick Adams at GLAAD to create the extraordinary characters of Adira and Gray, and bring their stories to life with empathy, understanding, empowerment and joy.

Star Trek: Discovery returns on October 15, exclusively on CBS All Access (USA), CTV Sci Fi Channel (Canada), and Netflix (other global regions).