'Star Trek: Discovery' reveals its first cast members
Michelle Yeoh, Doug Jones and Anthony Rapp will beam up for the newest series in the sci-fi franchise. As promised, the show will feature a gay character.
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"Star Trek: Discovery" will make its debut on CBS in May.
It's official: Michelle Yeoh will play Captain Georgiou on "Star Trek: Discovery," the new series in the iconic sci-fi franchise.
Last week, news reports said Yeoh had joined the cast but it wasn't clear what her role would be. The actress, best known for "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," will sit in the captain's chair on the Starship Shenzhou, CBS said Tuesday. (Disclosure: CBS is CNET's parent company.)
CBS also announced two more additions to the cast. Anthony Rapp, who had a starring role in the Broadway show "Rent," will play Lt. Stamets, a Starfleet science officer who's an "astromycologist" on the Starship Discovery. (Translation: He's an expert on space mushrooms!) CBS confirmed the Stamets character is gay. In August, producer Bryan Fuller told TV critics, "Absolutely we're having a gay character."
Doug Jones will play Starfleet science officer Lt. Saru, who's part of an alien species new to Star Trek. Working under heavy makeup or prosthetics isn't alien to Jones. His credits include playing Abe Sapien in "Hellboy" and Fauno in "Pan's Labyrinth."
The original Star Trek series first aired 50 years ago. "Discovery" is set a decade before the Captain Kirk era. The new series arrives in May on CBS and the network's subscription streaming service.