Three Klingons join the cast of Star Trek: Discovery

Last Updated on July 31, 2021

The release of the first new Star Trek television series in over a decade is nearly upon us, but the team behind Star Trek: Discovery is still scrambling to cast the variety of characters who will make up Discovery's cast. Although Bryan Fuller is no longer involved with the series, much of his design for Discovery's first season will still unfold according to plan, which will include "more aliens than you [normally] have on a Star Trek cast." To that end, it has been announced that three new actors have joined the cast of Star Trek: Discovery as a trio of Klingons.

Chris Obi (Roots, American Gods) will play T'Kuvma, a Klingon Leader who is seeking to unite the Klingon houses. Joining him will be Shazad Latif (Penny Dreadful, Black Mirror) as Kol, a Klingon Commanding Officer as well as T'Kuvma's protégé. Rounding out the trio will be newcomer Mary Chieffo who will be playing L'Rell, a Battle Deck Commander of a Klingon vessel. Star Trek: Discovery will take place "10 years before Kirk" and will bridge the gap between Enterprise and The Original Series, so it's unlikely that we'll see these new Klingon characters snuggling up with the Starfleet cast as relations between the Klingon Empire and the Federation weren't exactly rosy at the time. Obi, Latif and Chieffo will be joining the already cast Michelle Yeoh (CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON) as Starfleet Captain Georgio of the Starship Shenzhou, Doug Jones (HELLBOY) as Lt. Saru, a Starfleet Science Officer and the member of a new alien species, and Anthony Rapp (RENT) as Lt. Stamens, a "astromycologist" and "fungus expert".

The casting seems to indicate that the story arc of Discovery's first season won't just be limited to the bridge of one starship. Star Trek: Discovery will premiere on CBS All Access in May 2017.