Fun Star Trek: Discovery (2017)
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Doctor Omega
Member: Rank 10
Wilson Cruz Announced as Playing Dr. Hugh Culber
For months we’ve been wondering if there would be a medical officer aboard the U.S.S. Discovery when Star Trek: Discovery premieres in September. Well, now we know. On Saturday, during San Diego Comic-Con, Wilson Cruz was announced as playing Dr. Hugh Culber on the series.
The 43-year-old Brooklyn-born Puerto Rican actor rounds out the most diverse cast in Star Trek history.
Best known for his role as Enrique ‘Rickie’ Vasquez on My So Called Life, his television and film resume also includes Part of Five, NCIS, Pushing Daisies, Shameless, Nixon, Joyride and The Skinny.
Cruz joins Michelle Yeoh (Captain Philippa Georgiou) Jason Isaacs (Captain Gabriel Lorca), Sonequa Martin-Green (First Officer Michael Burnham), Chris Obi (T’Kuvma), Doug Jones (Lt. Saru), James Frain(Sarek), and Shazad Latif (Kol), Anthony Rapp (Lt. Stamets), Sam Vartholomeos (Ensign Connor), Mary Wiseman (Cadet Tilly), Mary Chieffo (L’Rell) and Rainn Wilson (Harry Mudd).
Wilson Cruz, whose heritage is Puerto Rican, was born in New York City, the eldest of three brothers. Early on, his parents encouraged his interest in the theater. At age seven, Wilson began appearing in plays, among them "Cradle of Fire," "Supporting Cast," "Becoming Memories," and "The Roar of the Greasepaint...," as well as in a number of Shakespearean productions on both coasts. Blessed with a beautiful singing voice, Wilson also performed across the country with Young Americans, and has been featured in shows seen at Disneyland, Walt Disney World, and Sea World/Orlando.
When the young actor was 10, he moved with his family to San Bernardino, California, where he grew up. A graduate of Eisenhower High School, he attended California State University at San Bernardino, where he was pursuing a double major in theater and English before he joined the cast of "My So-Called Life." He plans on returning to college eventually. In the meantime, his acting career continues to flourish. He made his television debut in 1991 on the series, "Great Scott!," in the recurring role of Jonathan, an obnoxious choirboy. The role of Rickie Vasquez is his first as a series regular.
In his rare free time, Wilson finds relaxation in playing the saxophone. He likes to collect vintage black-and-white photos of actors, and admires the work of Tom Hanks and Robert De Niro. Does the handsome young actor think of himself as an Hispanic role model? "I don't know if I believe in role models," Wilson reflects. "We're all so different; we're all individuals. In the long run, that's what matters."
For months we’ve been wondering if there would be a medical officer aboard the U.S.S. Discovery when Star Trek: Discovery premieres in September. Well, now we know. On Saturday, during San Diego Comic-Con, Wilson Cruz was announced as playing Dr. Hugh Culber on the series.
The 43-year-old Brooklyn-born Puerto Rican actor rounds out the most diverse cast in Star Trek history.
Best known for his role as Enrique ‘Rickie’ Vasquez on My So Called Life, his television and film resume also includes Part of Five, NCIS, Pushing Daisies, Shameless, Nixon, Joyride and The Skinny.
Cruz joins Michelle Yeoh (Captain Philippa Georgiou) Jason Isaacs (Captain Gabriel Lorca), Sonequa Martin-Green (First Officer Michael Burnham), Chris Obi (T’Kuvma), Doug Jones (Lt. Saru), James Frain(Sarek), and Shazad Latif (Kol), Anthony Rapp (Lt. Stamets), Sam Vartholomeos (Ensign Connor), Mary Wiseman (Cadet Tilly), Mary Chieffo (L’Rell) and Rainn Wilson (Harry Mudd).
Wilson Cruz, whose heritage is Puerto Rican, was born in New York City, the eldest of three brothers. Early on, his parents encouraged his interest in the theater. At age seven, Wilson began appearing in plays, among them "Cradle of Fire," "Supporting Cast," "Becoming Memories," and "The Roar of the Greasepaint...," as well as in a number of Shakespearean productions on both coasts. Blessed with a beautiful singing voice, Wilson also performed across the country with Young Americans, and has been featured in shows seen at Disneyland, Walt Disney World, and Sea World/Orlando.
When the young actor was 10, he moved with his family to San Bernardino, California, where he grew up. A graduate of Eisenhower High School, he attended California State University at San Bernardino, where he was pursuing a double major in theater and English before he joined the cast of "My So-Called Life." He plans on returning to college eventually. In the meantime, his acting career continues to flourish. He made his television debut in 1991 on the series, "Great Scott!," in the recurring role of Jonathan, an obnoxious choirboy. The role of Rickie Vasquez is his first as a series regular.
In his rare free time, Wilson finds relaxation in playing the saxophone. He likes to collect vintage black-and-white photos of actors, and admires the work of Tom Hanks and Robert De Niro. Does the handsome young actor think of himself as an Hispanic role model? "I don't know if I believe in role models," Wilson reflects. "We're all so different; we're all individuals. In the long run, that's what matters."
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Doctor Omega
Member: Rank 10
New ‘Trek” Lead Is Spock’s Adopted Sister
It turns out the lead of the new “Star Trek: Discovery” series has a stronger connection to the franchise than first thought. In the trailers so far for the CBS All Access show, it has been suggested that Commander Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) is either a student or full protege of Sarek, Spock’s father.
Seems things go further than that with word from the panel during the San Diego Comic Con that she is the adopted sister of Spock. The show’s Sarek sees raising a fully human child as an opportunity to better understand his wife Amanda’s human nature. The show’s official Twitter account has tried to explain:
“Regarding why there’s never been any mention of Spock’s half-sibling, Michal Burnham before, EP Alex Kurtzman said ‘We’re aware. You’ll see where it’s going, but we are staying consistent with canon.'”
This wouldn’t mark the first time the franchise had retconned a sibling of sorts for Spock, the same was true of Sybok – the half-brother of Spock and villain of “Star Trek V: The Final Frontier”.
One other reveal is that the Klingons seen in the series will be speaking full Klingon language on screen (subtitled) as opposed to English with the occasional use of the language as seen in other “Star Trek” series.
The recent trailer has certainly hinted that Burnham is the key player in action that effectively ignites a war between the Federation and the Klingon Empire. “Star Trek: Discovery” premieres September 24th on CBS and the following day on Netflix outside the United States.
It turns out the lead of the new “Star Trek: Discovery” series has a stronger connection to the franchise than first thought. In the trailers so far for the CBS All Access show, it has been suggested that Commander Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) is either a student or full protege of Sarek, Spock’s father.
Seems things go further than that with word from the panel during the San Diego Comic Con that she is the adopted sister of Spock. The show’s Sarek sees raising a fully human child as an opportunity to better understand his wife Amanda’s human nature. The show’s official Twitter account has tried to explain:
“Regarding why there’s never been any mention of Spock’s half-sibling, Michal Burnham before, EP Alex Kurtzman said ‘We’re aware. You’ll see where it’s going, but we are staying consistent with canon.'”
This wouldn’t mark the first time the franchise had retconned a sibling of sorts for Spock, the same was true of Sybok – the half-brother of Spock and villain of “Star Trek V: The Final Frontier”.
One other reveal is that the Klingons seen in the series will be speaking full Klingon language on screen (subtitled) as opposed to English with the occasional use of the language as seen in other “Star Trek” series.
The recent trailer has certainly hinted that Burnham is the key player in action that effectively ignites a war between the Federation and the Klingon Empire. “Star Trek: Discovery” premieres September 24th on CBS and the following day on Netflix outside the United States.
Doctor Omega
Member: Rank 10
Doctor Omega
Member: Rank 10
ant-mac
Member: Rank 9
And one wife, apparently...
Although he is an alien, so for all we know he could have a detachable dick that leads its own, independent life, only returning once every seven years for Pon Farr. The Vulcan salute could be a representative symbol of the split between brain and dick. After all, it's not unknown amongst Human males...
Doctor Omega
Member: Rank 10
STAR TREK: DISCOVERY LEAD IS ACTUALLY SPOCK'S ADOPTED SISTER
Doctor Omega
Member: Rank 10
Teasing the audience?
There's still an audience?
ant-mac
Member: Rank 9
I've also heard that they'll be changing the Vulcan salute.Teasing the audience?
There's still an audience?
The new one should look like this...
Doctor Omega
Member: Rank 10
And yes, they should reference Sybok.
I can see it already.
"Gene Rodenberry said that Star Trek V was non-canon and he's the big boss as far as we are concerned, so we felt no obligation to reference any elements of it."
I can see it already.
"Gene Rodenberry said that Star Trek V was non-canon and he's the big boss as far as we are concerned, so we felt no obligation to reference any elements of it."
Doctor Omega
Member: Rank 10
More Details On Bryan Fuller’s “Trek” Plans
One of the more interesting rumors floating about back when “Star Trek: Discovery” was first announced was that showrunner Bryan Fuller (“Hannibal,” “American Gods”) had planned to do the series in an anthology format with different eras of “Star Trek” explored with each new season.
Of course Fuller exited the project and what we’re left with is a standard serialised drama set within one period – ten years before the time of Captain Kirk. As part of a new Trek-centric issue of EW (via TrekMovie, a source has finally confirmed that original report and goes into a bit more detail about Fuller’s vision which was: “to do for science fiction what ‘American Horror Story’ had done for horror”:
“Fuller sat with CBS executives to deliver his pitch. It wasn’t just for a ‘Trek’ series but for multiple serialized anthology shows that would begin with the ‘Discovery’ prequel, journey through the eras of Captain James T. Kirk and Captain Jean-Luc Picard, and then go beyond to a time in ‘Trek’ that’s never been seen before.”
CBS wasn’t prepared to go that far, instead opting to create a single serialized show and seeing how it performed first. Other Fuller ideas that were set aside included “a more heavily allegorical and complex story line” (ie. more like “Star Trek”), and a “subdued spin on the original series’ trio of primary colors [for uniforms]”.
The article goes further into the clashes with the studio from the $6 million per episode budget being insufficient to the hiring of procedural vet David Semel to direct the pilot which the network wanted. Fuller, who clashed with Semel, reportedly wanted a proper film director and even reached out to filmmaker Edgar Wright for the gig.
The main issue though was scheduling with Fuller being let go by CBS in October last year. CBS Studios president David Stapf says Fuller’s fingerprints are still there: “The good news is Bryan created a really nice template that was unbelievably specifically detailed.” Fuller himself adds: “I got to dream big. I was sad for a week and then I salute the ship and compartmentalize my experience.”
Fuller got his start working on episodes of the acclaimed “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine” and the less well-regarded “Star Trek: Voyager” before he went on to forge his noted producing career.
The non-Fuller ‘Trek’ kicks off September 24th on CBS All Access.
One of the more interesting rumors floating about back when “Star Trek: Discovery” was first announced was that showrunner Bryan Fuller (“Hannibal,” “American Gods”) had planned to do the series in an anthology format with different eras of “Star Trek” explored with each new season.
Of course Fuller exited the project and what we’re left with is a standard serialised drama set within one period – ten years before the time of Captain Kirk. As part of a new Trek-centric issue of EW (via TrekMovie, a source has finally confirmed that original report and goes into a bit more detail about Fuller’s vision which was: “to do for science fiction what ‘American Horror Story’ had done for horror”:
“Fuller sat with CBS executives to deliver his pitch. It wasn’t just for a ‘Trek’ series but for multiple serialized anthology shows that would begin with the ‘Discovery’ prequel, journey through the eras of Captain James T. Kirk and Captain Jean-Luc Picard, and then go beyond to a time in ‘Trek’ that’s never been seen before.”
CBS wasn’t prepared to go that far, instead opting to create a single serialized show and seeing how it performed first. Other Fuller ideas that were set aside included “a more heavily allegorical and complex story line” (ie. more like “Star Trek”), and a “subdued spin on the original series’ trio of primary colors [for uniforms]”.
The article goes further into the clashes with the studio from the $6 million per episode budget being insufficient to the hiring of procedural vet David Semel to direct the pilot which the network wanted. Fuller, who clashed with Semel, reportedly wanted a proper film director and even reached out to filmmaker Edgar Wright for the gig.
The main issue though was scheduling with Fuller being let go by CBS in October last year. CBS Studios president David Stapf says Fuller’s fingerprints are still there: “The good news is Bryan created a really nice template that was unbelievably specifically detailed.” Fuller himself adds: “I got to dream big. I was sad for a week and then I salute the ship and compartmentalize my experience.”
Fuller got his start working on episodes of the acclaimed “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine” and the less well-regarded “Star Trek: Voyager” before he went on to forge his noted producing career.
The non-Fuller ‘Trek’ kicks off September 24th on CBS All Access.
Doctor Omega
Member: Rank 10
What might have been, if he had not been asked to step down as showrunner.
Doctor Omega
Member: Rank 10
Fuller’s rejected ideas included multiple time periods
According to Entertainment Weekly, Bryan Fuller’s original pitch to CBS had the show starting in Discovery‘s timeline, but then moving through the eras of Kirk and Picard and then going beyond that, reaching a time period that hasn’t been seen in Star Trek before. He wanted to do something like American Horror Story, which resets its storyline each season, and described it as a “platform for a universe of Star Trek shows.” However CBS decided to create a single serialized show and see how it performed before agreeing to anything that elaborate.
The article also noted some other elements of Fuller’s vision for Discovery that have been set aside, including: “a more heavily allegorical and complex story line,” and his original idea for Starfleet uniforms, which were “a subdued spin on the original series’ trio of primary colors.”
Fuller’s fights with CBS
The article details that there were significant clashes between CBS and Fuller during 2016. These included issues with going over the budget of $6 million/episode. Fuller also disagreed with CBS hiring David Semel to direct the pilot. Semel is a two-time Emmy nominee and veteran of television, notably many procedurals like Madam Secretary and Code Black, and is particularly known for directing pilots. Apparently Fuller wanted a more visionary director and had even reached out to longtime Simon Pegg collaborator Edgar Wright (Shaun of the Dead, Baby Driver). Fuller and Semel are said to have “clashed in pre-production” on the pilot for Discovery.
But the “biggest clash” was the schedule. The original plan for CBS was to launch the show in January of 2017, which was the soonest CBS could do a new Star Trek TV series based on an agreement after Viacom and CBS split in 2005. Heavily invested in their new streaming service, CBS felt that Discovery“could be the franchise that really puts All Access on the map.” Development time and pre-production continued to push the date back and CBS grew concerned about Fuller’s split commitments, notably with American Gods.
All of this led to CBS letting Fuller go in October 2016. But CBS Studios president David Stapf noted that even with Fuller gone, his vision for the show remained, saying:
The good news is Bryan created a really nice template that was unbelievably specifically detailed
For his part, Fuller seems to bounced back from being fired, telling EW:
I got to dream big. I was sad for a week and then I salute the ship and compartmentalize my experience.
Sex, death and disco
An extended version of a portion of the article has been posted online regarding how CBS All Access streaming platform allows the show more flexibility when it comes to more mature content. However, co-showrunner Aaron Harberts dispels the notion that Discovery is the next Game of Thrones in the nudity and profanity department, telling EW:
Every writer’s impulse when you get to work on the streaming shows is to go crazy. But how does nudity play on Trek? Eh, it feels weird. How does a lot of [profanity] on Trek? Not so great. Are there moments where it merits it that we’re trying to push here and there? I would say we’re trying to push more by having the type of complicated messed-up characters who aren’t necessarily embraced on broadcast TV.
Another notable tidbit in the magazine was about the large number of characters on the show, with a line from EW about how maybe you shouldn’t grow too attached to any one of them:
If all this seems like a lot of characters to follow, there might not be quite as many around by the end of the season. Discovery has grave consequences baked into the story line.
One final fun fact is that the USS Discovery is nicknamed “the Disco” behind the scenes. This revelation connects nicely with a dancing-themed animated GIF TrekMovie tweeted yesterday, based on the video that EW released.
According to Entertainment Weekly, Bryan Fuller’s original pitch to CBS had the show starting in Discovery‘s timeline, but then moving through the eras of Kirk and Picard and then going beyond that, reaching a time period that hasn’t been seen in Star Trek before. He wanted to do something like American Horror Story, which resets its storyline each season, and described it as a “platform for a universe of Star Trek shows.” However CBS decided to create a single serialized show and see how it performed before agreeing to anything that elaborate.
The article also noted some other elements of Fuller’s vision for Discovery that have been set aside, including: “a more heavily allegorical and complex story line,” and his original idea for Starfleet uniforms, which were “a subdued spin on the original series’ trio of primary colors.”
Fuller’s fights with CBS
The article details that there were significant clashes between CBS and Fuller during 2016. These included issues with going over the budget of $6 million/episode. Fuller also disagreed with CBS hiring David Semel to direct the pilot. Semel is a two-time Emmy nominee and veteran of television, notably many procedurals like Madam Secretary and Code Black, and is particularly known for directing pilots. Apparently Fuller wanted a more visionary director and had even reached out to longtime Simon Pegg collaborator Edgar Wright (Shaun of the Dead, Baby Driver). Fuller and Semel are said to have “clashed in pre-production” on the pilot for Discovery.
But the “biggest clash” was the schedule. The original plan for CBS was to launch the show in January of 2017, which was the soonest CBS could do a new Star Trek TV series based on an agreement after Viacom and CBS split in 2005. Heavily invested in their new streaming service, CBS felt that Discovery“could be the franchise that really puts All Access on the map.” Development time and pre-production continued to push the date back and CBS grew concerned about Fuller’s split commitments, notably with American Gods.
All of this led to CBS letting Fuller go in October 2016. But CBS Studios president David Stapf noted that even with Fuller gone, his vision for the show remained, saying:
The good news is Bryan created a really nice template that was unbelievably specifically detailed
For his part, Fuller seems to bounced back from being fired, telling EW:
I got to dream big. I was sad for a week and then I salute the ship and compartmentalize my experience.
Sex, death and disco
An extended version of a portion of the article has been posted online regarding how CBS All Access streaming platform allows the show more flexibility when it comes to more mature content. However, co-showrunner Aaron Harberts dispels the notion that Discovery is the next Game of Thrones in the nudity and profanity department, telling EW:
Every writer’s impulse when you get to work on the streaming shows is to go crazy. But how does nudity play on Trek? Eh, it feels weird. How does a lot of [profanity] on Trek? Not so great. Are there moments where it merits it that we’re trying to push here and there? I would say we’re trying to push more by having the type of complicated messed-up characters who aren’t necessarily embraced on broadcast TV.
Another notable tidbit in the magazine was about the large number of characters on the show, with a line from EW about how maybe you shouldn’t grow too attached to any one of them:
If all this seems like a lot of characters to follow, there might not be quite as many around by the end of the season. Discovery has grave consequences baked into the story line.
One final fun fact is that the USS Discovery is nicknamed “the Disco” behind the scenes. This revelation connects nicely with a dancing-themed animated GIF TrekMovie tweeted yesterday, based on the video that EW released.
Michael9
Member: Rank 1
The problem with CBS is and was, that it has no clue what to do with the Star Trek property. Voyager's end was 2001, this is 15 years without any visual continuity within the Trek canon. The movies got their own timeline, after JJ Abrams was asked by Paramount if he would like to do Trek after this Cloverfield blockbuster.
Depressed fans claim, ST: Discovery only exists to promote CBS All Access, their own Netflix "me too" product. And its probably more than half of the truth. Fuller maybe had the wrong impression, that CBS wanted to "revive" Star Trek again, to be a full force of scifi. But he had to learn, they were only willing to shell out the minimum possible to be the poster child for their Netflix.
I don't doubt that ST: Discovery will be visually good and will have the pathos of Trek. The trailer is suggesting this heavily. But will it add anything fresh to the canon (besides unexplainable technological advantages way before Kirk?) I doubt that. Its designed to be a filler, and nobody is there to knock sense into CBS to make this property fly again.
At least we have Seth MacFarlane's Orville to laugh about the sadness that is Trek:
Depressed fans claim, ST: Discovery only exists to promote CBS All Access, their own Netflix "me too" product. And its probably more than half of the truth. Fuller maybe had the wrong impression, that CBS wanted to "revive" Star Trek again, to be a full force of scifi. But he had to learn, they were only willing to shell out the minimum possible to be the poster child for their Netflix.
I don't doubt that ST: Discovery will be visually good and will have the pathos of Trek. The trailer is suggesting this heavily. But will it add anything fresh to the canon (besides unexplainable technological advantages way before Kirk?) I doubt that. Its designed to be a filler, and nobody is there to knock sense into CBS to make this property fly again.
At least we have Seth MacFarlane's Orville to laugh about the sadness that is Trek:
As fantastic as an anthology series sounds, I can understand why CBS would prefer an ongoing series. An anthology means new sets and a new cast every year. And you run the risk of viewers not sticking with the show when the cast changes. An ongoing story means you can lock in the cast for a set period and have a strong likelihood of the audience remaining with the show from year to year (assuming people like the series to begin with).
Perhaps the Vulcans decided that humanity was advancing too quickly and decided to mind wipe us to slow down our development.
We can only hope that the final episode of Discovery shows us the disaster that caused the Federation to lose significant amounts of technology as well as all memory of that technology.
Perhaps the Vulcans decided that humanity was advancing too quickly and decided to mind wipe us to slow down our development.