Star Trek: Discovery took a timey-wimey trip through its own past this week, as “Face the Strange” had Captain Michael Burnham bouncing around in time… and meeting her past self in the process.

Spoiler warning!

Speaking to TrekCore and a grouping of other outlets in late February, series star Sonequa Martin-Green talked about how she prepared for resurrecting the downtrodden Season 1 version of her character for this week’s episode.

SONEQUA MARTIN-GREEN: Can I just be honest? It was hard, because I had forgotten how far Burnham had come! I lived it, I created it, but I was so consumed with what was going on in the present day for Burnham that when I was able to see where I had come from – when I had to step into that Season 1 version again – I was apprehensive about it.

It was thrilling to do, but man, what a painful place Burnham used to be in: striving for approval, not having any real sense of self worth or security, feeling like I needed someone to tell me that I was worthy and that it was okay, and forgive me for my moral mistakes. As soon as I was in it, I remembered it was a painful place – but a painful and necessary story to tell.

I went back and revisited Season 1 in a couple of ways: I went back and watched a little bit, I went back and read some of the earlier scripts, and I went back into my journal as the character. I had a sort of stream-of-consciousness journal that I would keep… and man, I didn’t even know what it was going to be like.

I could hear what everyone was saying as I was shooting it – because I’m looking at a photo double, you know – but once I was able to look at it in post, I was like, “Oh, man, you really can see this growth the character went through.” It meant so much to me on so many levels. I have so much respect for Sean Cochran who wrote the script, and Lee Rose, who directed the episode. We knew what we were doing as we were doing it; like, “Oh, guys, this episode is special!”

MARTIN-GREEN: I loved that we got to see the different fighting styles against each other, because it’s one of the major reasons why present-day Burnham defeats past Burnham – there’s a freedom and a security, and you can see that in the fight. We wanted to make sure you could see that in the fight, and I need to give credit to our stunt coordinator Chris McGuire and to Lee Rose for doing that. It was important for us to showcase that contrast, that growth, in the physical performance of the fight.

Thank you Jesus for letting me tell that story, because we need to see that… but it was painful. So it blessed and inspired me to be able to say to myself, “Man, I forgot how hopeless this time was. Just keep going!” If only we could all get an opportunity to say that to ourselves, right? Each character could have that same conversation with their Season 1 selves… “There’s hope ahead of you, keep going and don’t give up.”

MARTIN-GREEN: What a gift they gave me, they gave Burnham, and they gave the audience to be able to see this kind of growth – and as I said a moment ago, you could see it with all the characters. I mean, look at how far Saru came; he was a completely different Kelpien from where he is now.

Culber went from death to life – literally! – and Tilly was this scared girl who becomes this leader. We see journey that Adira takes; we see the journey that Stamets takes from that critical person to this beautiful, sensitive scientist.

It’s one of my favorite things about Discovery, and I just feel so blessed that I was able to watch these artists create, and that I was able to create, what we did.

This interview has been edited for clarity and flow.