Since the first rumors about the show’s casting and characters began to rise in 2016, some fringe critics of the series have cried foul about the “emphasis” on diversity among the on-screen crew, from gender to race to sexual orientation – and now series lead Sonequa Martin-Green has now made her first public statements on the matter.

Entertainment Weekly is continuing to dole out excerpts from their upcoming June 30 issue, which is advertised to contain new Star Trek: Discovery reporting as we move closer to the show’s launch, and EW has Martin-Green’s thoughts on the show’s diversity efforts – and the critics – in a new interview out today.

Well, I would encourage them to key into the essence and spirit of ‘Star Trek’ that has made it the legacy it is — and that’s looking across the way to the person sitting in front of you and realizing you are the same, that they are not separate from you, and we are all one.

That’s something ‘Star Trek’ has always upheld and I completely believe that is why it’s been a mainstay in society in the hearts of so many people for so many decades. I would encourage them to look past their opinions and social conditioning and key into what we’re doing here — which is telling a story about humanity that will hopefully bring us all together.

And it’s hard to understand and appreciate ‘Star Trek’ if you don’t understand and appreciate that. It’s one of the foundational principles of ‘Star Trek’ and I feel if you miss that then you miss the legacy itself.

I’m incredibly proud to be the lead of this show and be at the forefront of an iteration of ‘Star Trek’ that’s from the eyes of a black woman that’s never been done before, though obviously there’s been other forms of diversity that have been innovated by ‘Trek.’

I feel like we’re taking another step forward, which I think all stories should do. We should go boldly where nobody has gone before and stay true to that.

Star Trek: Discovery launches September 24.