Sonequa Martin-Green Admits That Star Trek: Discovery Had A 'Wobbly' Start
"Star Trek: Discovery" helped usher in a new small-screen era for the franchise when it launched in 2017 on CBS All Access (before it became Paramount+). Trekkies have since had several new shows to enjoy, including "Strange New Worlds" and the animated "Lower Decks," among others. Despite being the show that kicked things off, however, "Discovery" didn't start off on the strongest foot, and that's something that series lead Sonequa Martin-Green is freely willing to admit.
Martin-Green has been with the show from the very start as Commander Michael Burnham. With "Star Trek: Discovery" season 5, the show's last, currently streaming, the actor spoke with SFX Magazine for its latest issue. Looking back with the benefit of hindsight, she was asked if she felt the show had it from the start, and Martin-Green gave a pretty candid answer:
"To be honest with you, no, we did not have it from the start. We had a troubled start. From what I understand, every iteration has a challenge before them at the beginning. I do believe that we were kind of on wobbly legs. We were walking with purpose and intention and passion, and trying to walk with excellence as much as we possibly could, but we were still wobbling. We really were."
It's not that any season has been generally considered outright bad. /Film's original review of "Discovery" season 1 called it a lot of fun, even if it was a little confusing for new fans. And, in fairness, it often takes shows a season or two to truly find their legs. It's rare that something is excellent from the jump. "Breaking Bad" is more of an exception rather than a rule.
'I believe every Trek has a responsibility to do that'
Other recent "Trek" shows have had a bit more luck out of the gate. "Strange New Worlds" was met with an almost rapturous response from many fans. /Film's review of the show's second season declared it was as good as "Star Trek" has ever been. That wasn't the case with "Discovery" though. Be that as it may, Martin-Green does feel the show found its footing in the third season. Speaking further, she explained:
"I feel personally that we found our distinct identity in season 3 when we separated from the timeline, when we jumped ahead past where any 'Trek' had ever gone. We were able to establish ourselves in a new way at that point. I really appreciate where we were placed. I appreciate all those connected tissues, but I also appreciate that we were able to build anew, because I believe every 'Trek' has a responsibility to do that."
"Discovery" season 2 ended on a high note for fans with "Such Sweet Sorrow: Part 2." That helped tee up the ball for a major time jump in season 3, which takes place roughly 900 years after the events of the original series. That allowed it to truly gain an identity without the baggage of all those many decades of "Trek" that came before. For Martin-Green, that notion of pressing forward was essentially to the DNA of the franchise:
"If you want to hold true to the essence of 'Trek' itself then you have to keep pressing forward. You have to keep encouraging people to look forward, look forward, look forward. So I feel that we really sunk into who we were supposed to be by season 3. We built off seasons 1 and 2. I even love how we stay connected, even through seasons 3, 4 and 5 — we never lost it. We never lost where we came from. But we also found so many new things. We found new life."
"Star Trek: Discovery" season 5 is currently streaming on Paramount+.