The opening scene of Star Trek: Discovery season 3 debuted at New York Comic-Con, and has since been uploaded online for everyone to enjoy. And that wasn't all that premiered at the Trek panel: it was also revealed that Kate Mulgrew, who played Captain Kathryn Janeway in Star Trek: Voyager, will be reprising the iconic role in Nickelodeon's new animated series, Star Trek: Prodigy.
But first, Discovery. Season 2 ended on a cliffhanger with Captain Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) disappearing into a wormhole at the end of a dramatic finale. The new clip shows her emerge from this wormhole 930 years into the future, in a galaxy she no longer recognises – straight into the path of new character Cleveland “Book” Booker, played by Supergirl star David Ajala. When her suit malfunctions, she seems in danger of crash-landing onto an unknown planet.
Co-executive producer Michelle Paradise explained during the panel that the showrunners decided to jump forward in time because “it takes us beyond canon, far beyond some stories in Enterprise. This takes us beyond that.” The first two seasons were set ten years before the original Star Trek series starring William Shatner and Leornard Nimoy as Kirk and Spock.
“We land in 3188,” Martin-Green added. “It’s all about the crew, getting together and figuring out where we are, what’s happened, how are we going to navigate where we are. It’s so simple, but so profound: Where are we? Who are we going to be?”
Along with Martin-Green as Burnham, series regulars Doug Jones (Saru), Anthony Rapp (Paul Stamets), Mary Wiseman (Sylvia Tilly) and Wilson Cruz (Hugh Culber) will also return. There are some new faces, too: as well as Ajala’s Book, newcomers Blu del Barrio and The O.A.’s Ian Alexander will play the franchise’s first non-binary and trans characters, Adira and Gray.
Now, back to that exciting Janeway news. Kate Mulgrew was on hand to reveal her return, telling the virtual NYCC audience: “I have invested every scintilla of my being in Captain Janeway, and I can’t wait to endow her with nuance that I never did before in Star Trek: Prodigy. How thrilling to be able to introduce to these young minds an idea that has elevated the world for decades. To be at the helm again is going to be deeply gratifying in a new way for me.”
Alex Kurtzman, who oversees the Trek Universe, was also on hand, saying: “Captain Janeway was held to a different standard than her predecessors. She was asked to embody an inhuman level of perfection in order to be accepted as ‘good enough’ by the doubters, but showed them all what it means to be truly outstanding. We can think of no better captain to inspire the next generation of dreamers on Nickelodeon, than she.”
Star Trek: Discovery season 3 premieres on October 15 on CBS All Access in the US and worldwide on Netflix on October 16. Star Trek: Prodigy does not have a release date. In the meantime, check out the best Netflix shows to watch right now.
