Sonequa Martin-Green on What 'Star Trek' Has Always Been About

Star Trek: Discovery is the sixth live-action television series in the Star Trek franchise and it breaks a lot of new ground in taking the franchise from broadcast to prestige television on CBS All Access. However, star Sonequa Martin-Green believes there's a single thematic thread that connects all of the Star Trek franchise, including Discovery.

Speaking to Deadline, Martin-Green shared her thoughts on what that theme is and how it affects Star Trek: Discovery.

"Yes, always about universality," Martin-Green said. "I think when you have that at your core, and one of the tenets of your story is universality, then you now have a responsibility to innovate, and you have a responsibility to press forward because every Star Trek reflects the society it's in at that time. If universality is going to be one of the tenets, then, of course, we have to keep moving. We have to keep making this picture of the future that people can look to. It's always to make people look ahead so that they can bring that future into their lives in the present."

Star Trek has been painting this vision of the future for over 50 years. Martin-Green admits that living up to that legacy can be intimidating.

"There was probably a moment where each one of us had that feeling of being overwhelmed by it," Martin-Green said. "Then, we also had that moment where we focused that energy. We can't tell this story from a place of anxiety or stress, or being overwhelmed or anything like that. We're not going to do it justice if we do that. We have to lay that aside and focus on what we're doing. We have to lean into the story, lean into each other."

Thematics won't be the only thing that Star Trek: Discovery borrows from Star Trek's legacy in its second season. The new season will include the USS Enterprise and Anson Mount playing Captian Christopher Pike. Martin-Green also hinted that her character's foster brother, the iconic Mr. Spock, may also have a significant role to play in the new season.

"You know, Aaron Harberts, he said after the finale, on After Trek, that Season Two was going to be about that line between science and faith," Martin-Green said. "He also said that there's going to be a lot of family dynamic. It is the Enterprise in that shot. We all know who is on the Enterprise. You see Sarek and Burnham look at each other, and there you have it."

The first season of Star Trek: Discovery is available to stream in its entirety on CBS All Access in the United States, through CraveTV in Canada, and through Netflix in other international markets. Star Trek: Discovery Season Two is now filming in Toronto.