Michelle Yeoh is officially taking command. CBS confirmed this morning that the “Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon” star will in fact play a captain in “Star Trek: Discovery.” In addition, two new cast members join from very different spheres of entertainment: Broadway star Anthony Rapp and frequent Guillermo del Toro collaborator Doug Jones.
READ MORE: ‘Star Trek Discovery’: Female Lead, Gay Character, Prequel Timeframe Confirmed
As previously reported by Deadline, Yeoh will play Captain Georgiou of the U.S.S. Shenzhou (not the U.S.S. Discovery, the ship teased in the Comic-Con preview below). Yeoh is not officially the lead of the show, however, and will be a recurring character over the course of the series.
Yeoh’s legacy as a performer stretches from her origins as a Hong Kong action star to one of the best Bond girls ever in “Tomorrow Never Dies” to a recent recurring role in Netflix’s “Marco Polo.” The last time she went to space, in Danny Boyle’s 2007 thriller “Sunshine,” did not go well.
Doug Jones is familiar to any fan of science fiction or horror, having made hundreds of on-screen appearances across television and film as some sort of unearthly creature, including del Toro’s “Hellboy” and “Pan’s Labyrinth.” Jones will play Lt. Saru, a Starfleet Science Officer and a new alien species to the Star Trek universe. This will be his first appearance in a “Star Trek” property.
Anthony Rapp originated the role of Mark in the iconic musical “Rent” (reprising the role for the film) and has made frequent on-screen appearances in shows including “The X-Files,” “Law and Order: Special Victims Unit,” and “The Knick.” Rapp will play Lt. Stamets, an astromycologist, fungus expert, and Starfleet Science Officer aboard the Starship Discovery. Rapp is also openly gay, which could correspond to executive producer Bryan Fuller’s promise that “Discovery” would include at least one gay cast member.
Bryan Fuller, originally set to run “Discovery,” recently stepped back from the series, as Variety reported last month, with new showrunners Gretchen Berg and Aaron Harberts taking the reigns. The show is set to premiere in May 2017, as CBS All Access’ second original series.
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