We’ve got one more report out of Star Trek: Discovery’s final season kickoff from the SXSW conferance in Austin, Texas last week, where the cast and showrunners participated in an hour-long discussion panel focused on Discovery’s upcoming adventure.
 
With the end of Discovery’s run just a few months away, series star Sonequa Martin-Green (Captain Michael Burnham) shared her thoughts about the legacy of the five-season series that relaunched the Star Trek Universe for Paramount+.
 

“Speaking of legacy, and impact, and how we’ve evolved… I think about in the very beginning [of Discovery’s run] we got a lot of criticism. From people who loved the show [and who] we really respected and we understood where they were coming from — but they were upset about the diversity. They were upset about me being at the helm. They were like, “Ew, we don’t like that.” [Laughs]

 

It hurt me. You know, I’ve dealt with racism a lot in my life, whatever. But what I would say to my younger self is, “What I was saying then is going to come to pass.” Because what we all said back then, if y’all remember, was “Well, you know what? We’re pressing forward. We’re pushing the needle forward. Let’s just invite them to come. I know they feel that way right now, but maybe if they come, they will change and they will grow.” And that’s one of the contributions, that’s an aspect of our legacy: the evolution of the characters, of the story, of the show as a whole, and of us with each other behind the scenes.

 

And it did happen. Because I did talk to someone — and I know he wasn’t the only one – [he was] a white man who said, “I saw myself in you, in a way like I have never seen myself in someone totally different from me. At the end of the season, I finally understood what it means to see yourself in someone different from you – and now I understand how to stop the cycle of racism in my family. Now I understand what I need to do.”

 

That person was given a second chance, just like all of us on the show… [the Discovery] story is about second chances and becoming who you’re meant to be, and falling forward, and not being defined by your worst moment. It’s so rewarding that we were able to give that to other people, because that’s what happened with all of us that happened in front of and behind the camera.

 

The fact that it happened with other people as well is such a blessing. I praise God.”

 
Her costar Wilson Cruz (Dr. Hugh Culber) also added to her thoughts, emotionally expressing his praise for the show’s diversity and inclusion efforts to highlight traditionally underrepresented groups.

“Every time I think about what the legacy of the show will be for me? The thought that goes in through my head is we can be heroes. Most of these characters are usually not centered [in a show], right? When you think about African-American characters or Latino characters or LGBTQ characters, we’re sometimes [portrayed as] victims, or something is put upon us, pr we are the supporting player, not centered in the story.

 

On Discovery, these people of who are part of marginalized communities, are the heroes of their own stories. They’re the protagonist of this story, which is so rare to see. So when other members of community of those communities get to see themselves centered and see themselves as heroes, it helps them understand that they too can… be heroes in their families and their own communities. That we have the power of being change makers, of changing the culture in order to represent all of us to, so that we can see ourselves in it and hopefully create a better community, thus a better country and maybe even a better world.

 

I know that’s lofty, but storytelling can do that. You know, you have to see it in order to be it, and to create the world that we all deserve. And I think that in the end, is the legacy of Discovery.”

 
Star Trek franchise head Alex Kurtzman ruminated on how Discovery opened the doors for the current lineup of Trek productions, and how he expects fan sentiment may change as viewers look back on the show years down the line.

“I feel very special about the fact that there would be no new era of Star Trek without Discovery. It just wouldn’t exist. Disco was the first wan in the door… and you’re gonna take a lot of fire when you’re the first ones in, right? But you take a lot of that fire so that everyone else can take the hill. And that has been true for Discovery, for good and for bad.

 

[Jonathan] Frakes said something interesting to me that I never forgot, which is when Next Gen premiered, they just took so much fire. You know, everyone said “Oh, this is not my Star Trek. There’s no Kirk and Spock here, what is this?” 20 years later, it’s one of the most beloved Star Trek shows ever.

 

So I think that we have a very loud fanbase of people who love [Discovery], and I am certain that 20 years from now, people are going to be looking at the show and recognizing how many groundbreaking things it did in so many different ways – not just for Star Trek, but certainly in the areas of representation.”

Series showrunner Michelle Paradise also added:

“In terms of the legacy of Discovery, I’m not sure. I suppose that’s for people 10 or 20 years from now to [have that] perspective. [But] what is most meaningful [for me] is the impact it has had on individuals.

 

We come to [events] like this, or conventions, or whatever — and our actors hear this quite a lot – the characters’ journeys have [impacted] individuals who didn’t think they could do something in their lives… but because Tilly did it, or Adira did it, or Culber, you know, that they can do it too.”