Star Trek taps black actress to lead next series for the first time

For the first time since the creation of the franchise in 1966, the lead character of the next Star Trek TV series will be a black woman : actress Sonequa Martin-Green.

Back in July, it was announced during the San Diego Comin Con that the cult franchise Star Trek will soon birth a new series. Created in the 1960’s, the science-fiction saga celebrated its 50 years in activity, the perfect occasion to present a new project. A teaser to, Star Trek : Discovery, the sixth TV series of the franchise was unveiled during the event. At the time, if nothing had been said about the characters or the storyline, show runner Bryan Fuller declared : “There’s a few people that we like and we want to carry on what Star Trek does best, which is being progressive. So it’s fascinating to look at all of these roles through a colorblind prism and a gender-blind prism, so that’s exciting”. We now know what he meant by that.

While the shooting has started last September, we finally know the identity of the actress who has been cast in the lead role for the forthcoming series. Sonequa Martin-Green, an Afro-american woman, best known to have played in The Good Wife or The Walking Dead. At 31 years old, the young woman can boast about being the first black woman to lead a Star Trek series. A great achievement considering that before her, the main character, the captain of the spaceship, has always been depicted under the traits of a white man. Sonequa Martin-Green will serve as a lieutenant commander and joins a list of other Black Star Trek actors from the past such as Nichelle Nichols, LeVar Burton or Don Marshall.

Star Trek : Discovery will premiere in may 2017 on CBS.

Source:Trace Tv