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Why the Renewal of ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ Is So Important

Posted byBy Kiersten Willis | Published on: CommentsComments (0)
Star Trek Discovery renewal

Sonequa Martin-Green stars on “Star Trek: Discovery” as the first Black female lead character in the franchise. (CBS)

“Star Trek: Discovery” fans can rejoice as they’ll continue to see Sonequa Martin-Green lead Starfleet on new missions. After airing the first six episodes of the season, CBS All Access has renewed the show for a second season.

“In just six episodes, ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ has driven subscriber growth, critical acclaim and huge global fan interest for the first premium version of this great franchise,” said Marc DeBevoise, President and Chief Operating Officer, CBS Interactive, in a Monday, Oct. 23 press release. “This series has a remarkable creative team and cast who have demonstrated their ability to carry on the ‘Star Trek’ legacy. We are extremely proud of what they’ve accomplished and are thrilled to be bringing fans a second season of this tremendous series.”

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Sonequa Martin-Green stars as the first Black female lead on a ‘Star Trek’ series. Taking place a decade before the original 1960s “Star Trek,” Martin-Green’s character, First Officer Michael Burnham, is a human raised by Vulcan Ambassador Sarek, who is Spock’s father.

Currently, the show is on a mid-season hiatus. It will return with the next six episodes in January while the other episodes are currently available for streaming. The second half’s debut will follow the record-setting subscriptions that came after “Discovery” was launched. The fledgling service’s single day, week and month sign-up records were smashed earlier this year.

A second-season renewal for the series is important. Of the most popular sci-fi series ever to have aired, only a handful have ever starred Black women as main characters. British sci-fi dramedy “Misfits,” Fox’s “Firefly,” Netflix import “Black Mirror,” CW’s “The Flash” and Nichelle Nichols’ turn on the original “Star Trek,” are the only major examples of Black women stepping into the forefront. Meanwhile, the vast majority or sci-fi TV is dominated by white male faces.

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