Bryan Fuller revealed more details about the upcoming “Star Trek” series “Star Trek: Discovery,” which is set to air on CBS’ All Access, while at the TCAs this week. The series, The Hollywood Reporter writes, “will be led by a woman…with the role potentially also being diverse.” However, the character “will not be a captain, with the showrunner noting that decision allows the series to explore stories from a different point of view. The top-ranking member of the fleet will instead be a lieutenant commander, Fuller revealed Wednesday at the Television Critics Association’s summer press tour, adding, ‘but with caveats.’”
“We’re going deep into something that was for me always very tantalizing, and [we’re telling] that story through a character who is on a journey that is going to teach her how to get along with others in the galaxy,” he told the audience. “For her to truly understand something that is alien, she has to first understand herself.”
Fuller also shared that the series will feature about seven lead characters, one of which will be gay. “‘Star Trek’ started with a wonderful expression of diversity in its cast: a Russian, a black woman, an Asian, a Vulcan … we’re continuing that tradition and our lead of the show is going to be subject of that same level of who is the best actor and what can we say about diversity in every role we’ll have on the show,” he said, “We wanted to paint a picture of Starfleet that’s indicative of encountering people who are much more different than we are.”
While it’s exciting that the lead character will be female, she’s not going to be the captain?! Come on, Fuller! Captain Janeway is lonely up there above the glass Starfleet ceiling. But this does mark the second female-led series for CBS All-Access. The network previously announced a spinoff of “The Good Wife” starring Christine Baranski.
It’s interesting that CBS All-Access has announced two female-led shows while its main network is receiving well-deserved criticism for its extremely limited fall schedule. While Fuller is touting the diversity of the “Star Trek” universe, the same cannot be said for the CBS universe. According to Maureen Ryan at Variety, who called the network out during its TCA panel, “The lead characters of all of CBS’ new comedies and dramas are heterosexual white men,” and “80 percent of the showrunners for all new broadcast network programs are male and 90 percent are white. Among the five broadcast networks, CBS’ track record is the worst: All 10 of its showrunners for new scripted programs are white.”
If CBS’ main network is doing such a crappy job at diversity, which has been pointed out to them for a steady few years now, why didn’t they make the choice to air “Star Trek: Discovery” or Baranskis’s spinoff on the main network, rather than on their streaming site, which will surely not get the same viewing numbers as the main network as a result of the pay wall? CBS’ thinking here is truly baffling, and when other networks, like FX and ABC, are actually taking action, CBS’ stalling is getting old.
