This week’s new Star Trek: Discovery introduced the romance between young human Adira and their Trill boyfriend Gray, adding a new dynamic to Season 3’s story and unveiling the mystery of Adira’s hidden past.

*** Spoilers ahead for “Forget Met Not” ***

We learn in “Forget Met Not” that Gray Tal (played by trans actor Ian Alexander) was the most recent host to the Trill symbiont which holds the key to finding the Federation in Discovery’s new future — and that Grey was killed in an accident, forcing Adira (played by non-binary actor Blu del Barrio) to take Tal on as a new host.

Despite his eventual resurrection, Star Trek: Discovery faced notable criticism in 2017 when the show killed Hugh Culber — one half of Star Trek‘s first gay couple. With the widely-publicized addition of Alexander and del Barrio to the cast, there’s already been similar criticism of the show’s decision to kill Alexander’s character off within minutes of his introduction, including our review of the episode:

While there’s reason to expect he’ll return beyond this episode (though we’ve not yet seen past the first four episodes of the season), it’s hard not to see killing off a character played by the Star Trek franchise’s first explicitly-transgender actor is a pretty serious hurdle for some viewers to get past.

It’s a choice the show itself will need to address and explain — after the character is killed after less than ten minutes of screen time — hopefully in a way much more satisfying than another post-show “Don’t panic!” message from the cast and producers during The Ready Room.

SyFy Wire FANGRRLS writer Riley Silverman — who herself is trans — wrote an extensive, personal opinion piece about Gray’s death, where she describes her disappointment with the way Discovery has returned to the well of killing off an LGBT member of the cast.

[Once] I finally did find out that Star Trek was expanding its inclusivity with some long, long overdue trans characters, I was thrilled. It took the excitement I already had for Discovery Season 3 and punched it into warp nine.

I had some mixed emotions when I learned that both characters would be hosts of a Trill symbiont [which I do not see as adequate representation of the trans experience], but upon speaking to del Barrio about their role, and their emphasis on the fact that both characters were trans prior to the implantation of the Tal symbiont, and remain trans regardless of Tal’s presence, I welcomed it as a solid subversion of my previous concerns. Taking hosts and giving them agency over their own gender identity feels like giving the Trill over to the trans community once and for all.

And yet, when I finally arrived at episode Season 3, Episode 4, “Forget Me Not,” where we get the first deep dive into Adira as a character and an introduction to Gray (Ian Alexander) for the very first time, I was gutted. The episode got me so upset that I had to stop it midway and compose myself before finishing it. Because as those who have seen the episode already know, when we meet Gray he is dead.

Gray’s story in this episode is a traumatic memory from Adira’s past. Their lost love who died and passed the Tal symbiont over to them. If you like burying your queers, well you’ll love burying them inside another queer!

Now, I am on record as saying that I do not believe that immortal queer characters is the solution to burying them. In order to truly gain a justifiable level of diversity in representation we need enough various groups represented in narratives so that one character’s experiences, their loss, and their pain, do not have to act as a stand-in for their entire community.

That said, it’s hard to get to know someone if you just kill them off immediately as if they’re disposable. I’m angry because even while Star Trek has taken great strides to rectify the mistakes of the past, it is frustrating that they chose introduce trans characters into the narrative through the blood-soaked lens of trauma.

As part of Silverman’s reaction to the episode’s events, she spoke with Blu del Barrio and  about the events of “Forget Met Not,” learning how the actors reacted to the start of their character’s story, and where things will go moving forward from here.

del Barrio responded to the immediate death of Gray, and how both of the actors have voice their concerns to the Discovery production team:

It was hard to hear that Gray is technically dead. It was definitely a difficult thing at first. It’s something that we’ve now talked about a lot. And past mistakes will not be made again.

Gray and Adira’s storyline only moves forward in a positive way. Gray’s storyline individually only moves forward in a positive way. It’s not going to be kept in this sad, sad storyline for both of them. From the beginning, it’s just trauma but it does not last. Which I’m glad about, because I wouldn’t want that to be their whole thing.

It will be OK, [Gray] will be OK. I don’t know how to say anything more without spoiling, but as much as I can take away worry, I want to take away worry. Because Ian and I as actors have both been very vocal about not wanting this to be another sad dramatic story for them.

It can’t be that. I would hate for this to be a trope, just another sad trans story filled with trauma. I feel good now, so I hope that can give some reassurance.

In addition, ET’s Philiana Ng spoke with Ian Alexander about his introduction to Star Trek, where the actor revealed that the character came from a failed audition for the part of Adira.

I actually originally auditioned for the part of Adira and yes, I strongly believe Blu is the perfect person for that role. I am so happy that they cast Blu.

They loved my energy, they loved my personality and my own take that I brought to the character, so they said, “You’re not right for Adira, but we’re going to take this character and we’re going to change their name to Gray and you can play Gray. You can be Adira’s partner in crime.”

And I was like, “Wait, you mean, I’ll get to play a character that’s friends with another trans person on the show? That’s amazing,” which has never happened to me before.

I’ve never had the opportunity until Star Trek to work with another trans actor. I’m really, really happy that they gave us that opportunity.

In addition, Alexander told Forbes’ Dawn Ennis about how Gray’s trans identity will slowly be addressed as Season 3 continues.

Gray’s ‘transness’ isn’t necessarily explicit right away, but I would say that the more time that you spend with them, the more time that you get to know this character; there will be signs and there will be, in the future, more explicit conversation.

And I think that’s wonderful, in my opinion, because it’s just sort of the same way when meeting any trans person, you wouldn’t just, right off the bat, be like, ‘Oh, I’m trans, by the way, here’s my entire transition history.’

So, you know, you might take some time to get to know someone before diving into the history of their medical transition, if they have or have not transitioned medically.

Both del Barrio and Alexander also revealed that the pair will be returning for the just-starting-up Season 4 of Star Trek: Discovery, meaning that Adira and Gray’s story will continue through the remainder of this year and into the next — so while Gray may have been killed before Adira joined the Discovery crew, there’s still ahead lot to explore.

Ian Alexander, speaking with ET:

Without going into anything that is spoilery, I’m going to tread very carefully here. I’m excited for everyone to see how Gray’s story develops, how his connection with Adira strengthens and grows over time. That connection that they have truly is special.

The future of Gray is… There’s a lot of exciting things coming up, especially as Gray’s story progresses into Season 4, which I am currently filming for. I am allowed to talk about that. I can mention Gray is coming back to season 4, you can put that in there.

Gray is going to be coming back throughout the end of Season 3 and then also through Season 4 as well.

Blu del Barrio, speaking with TV Insider:

Ian is absolutely fantastic as an actor and as a human being. They’re incredible, and I’m really lucky to have them here with me [in Toronto for Season 4], especially now during COVID because we can support each other and spend time with each other. We’re our own little two-person bubble right now, so yeah, it’s been really nice.

[Being on Star Trek] feels really surreal. I thought that at some point in the past year it would start to feel less crazy and overwhelming, but it hasn’t. It still feels like just insane that this is my job, that I get to do this, and that I get to play this character and work with these people.

Now getting to hear all of the LGBTQ+ fans of this show being excited about Gray and Adira just takes it to another level entirely. I know Ian and myself are even more excited now to keep working and keep their story going.

We’ll see how Gray and Adira’s story, joined through their shared history with the Tal symbiont, as Star Trek: Discovery continues into 2021 and beyond.

Star Trek: Discovery returns for the fifth episode of the season, “Die Trying,” on November 12 exclusively on CBS All Access (USA) and CTV Sci Fi Channel (Canada); the episode arrives November 13 on Netflix for all other global regions.