Sonequa Martin-Green Talks Leaving The Walking Dead, Joining Star Trek: Discovery

The Walking Dead‘s seventh season finale featured the death of a long-running character on the series, Sasha Williams, who was played by Sonequa Martin-Green.

Fans had been keeping an eye on Sasha ever since rumors surfaced that Martin-Green had been cast in the upcoming series Star Trek: Discovery. Fans assumed that Martin-Green would have to leave her role as Sasha if she was to lead the new Star Trek cast.

It turns out fans were right. The day after Sasha’s death, CBS made it official that Sonequa Martin-Green will play first First Officer Micahel Burnham of the Starship USS Discover on Star Trek: Discovery.

However, Martin-Green is now clarifying that she did now leave The Walking Dead for Star Trek: Discovery. The opportunity to join Star Trek: Discovery came only after Sasha’s fate was sealed.

“I’m just so grateful to God for it,” Martin-Green tells Entertainment Weekly. “It couldn’t have worked out more perfectly because what was happening on Walking Dead was already underway. It was the path. It was definitely in place. And then as we were going into the very end of the season, the very end of our shoot for the season — that’s when the opportunity for Star Trek came. And so I know some people might think that I left Walking Dead to do Star Trek, but it did not happen that way. It was after Walking Dead was already ending that the opportunity for Star Trek came.”

In fact, Martin-Green was worried about what would be next for her after leaving her spot on such a hit like The Walking Dead.

“I didn’t know what I was going to be doing next. And when Star Trek came I thought, Oh my goodness! This is…unspeakable! Like, what?? It’s going from such a goliath that reaches so many people in such a profound way, to a legacy. So basically going from legacy to legacy. Because Star Trek has definitely been printed in the hearts of so many people and has been since the ’60s, obviously. To go from such a favorite show, to arguably the most favorite show of all time, is [laughs] I still think I’m catching my breath.”

The Walking Dead will return for Season 8 in the fall. Star Trek: Discovery is expected to premiere in 2017.

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