Star Trek: Discovery actor Sonequa Martin-Green has responded to criticism from veteran fans that the series doesn’t share the tone or style of the earlier iterations.
While it certainly has a considerable fanbase and paved the way for several other new shows – including Picard and Strange New Worlds – some longtime viewers have complained about it straying so far from the established Star Trek formula.
Common points of debate are Discovery‘s serialised storytelling and emotionally charged character arcs, which have led some purists to declare it ‘not real Star Trek’.
In an exclusive interview with RadioTimes.com, Martin-Green addressed the backlash that the show has received from certain corners of the fandom, admitting that Discovery is “very different from other iterations” of Trek.
“The fanbase for the franchise as a whole and the fanbase for Discovery in particular is a highly intellectual, loyal crowd,” she began. “These are very intelligent people who have such a depth of passion and heart and loyalty to the franchise, so they have an ownership; they’ve carried it with them for years and it’s meant a lot to them.
“So, because of that, their voices deserve to be heard and we appreciate their voices, even if they are in disagreement with us. Even if they’re criticising, it’s like, ‘I get where you’re coming from though – it’s because this means a lot to you’.”
Nevertheless, Martin-Green added that the Discovery team are sticking to their charted course, saying that “we’ve really found ourselves” and hailing the show’s constant reinvention as its unique strength.
“It’s hard to be different with something like this. It was hard for us to be different but I think we’ve really found ourselves and I think our fanbase has really found their relationship with us as well at this point,” she continued.
“That’s not to say that we’re robots and we don’t care when we hear somebody being really angry about something that we’ve done – it’s like, ‘aw man, that sucks’ – but at the same time we’re like, ‘we understand where you’re coming from’.
“And there are many people who are like, ‘but I love the changes’. There’s so many different perspectives and isn’t that the whole point? That’s the whole part of diversity and inclusion, everybody’s got to be represented.”
Martin-Green concluded with the message: “I get it. I hear you. But maybe you’ll change your mind. And if not, then you’re allowed – it’s all good.”
Amid growing debate from the fanbase over what constitutes ‘real Star Trek’, brand new spin-off Strange New Worlds has debuted and deliberately pays homage to The Original Series of the 1960s, which could help bring the temperature down.
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