Boston Blue's first season ended just a week ago on the 2026 TV schedule, and I'm already eager for the show to return for Season 2 later this year. Via this Blue Bloods spinoff, fans were reacquainted with Donnie Wahlberg’s Danny Reagan and were even treated to some other fan-favorite characters throughout the season. The big question, however, is whether or not Tom Selleck will ever reprise Frank Reagan, and I'm pleased that yet another update has been shared regarding the possibility.

Selleck and Wahlberg seem to be on different pages when it comes to the former potentially appearing on Boston. Wahlberg previously shared that he’d been talking to his on-screen dad, who had been supportive. However, Selleck previously said he doesn’t know whether he would do the show or not. In the latest update, Wahlberg’s new on-screen partner, Sonequa Martin-Green, told Woman’s World that they had indeed been in talks with Selleck for quite some time, but there’s just one condition he has:

Selleck was very vocal about Blue Bloods’ cancellation and not wanting to say goodbye to Frank. So it's understandable that he'd jump at the chance to return to the franchise, in whatever capacity. That being said, I also get that he'd want any story in which Frank is involved to make sense. At the very least, I'm pleased that both sides are at least hashing out details by the sounds of it.

Of course, Selleck’s potential appearance aside, it’s been fun to see other Blue Bloods characters show up, and I can only imagine how that will continue into the second season. Martin-Green shared her excitement over having franchise veterans on Boston Blue and, while she would love it if anyone were to appear, she doubled down on the Magnum P.I. icon:

So far, Boston Blue seen several Blue Bloods characters reunite with Danny and Sean Reagan (now played by Mika Amonsen). Bridget Moynahan and Lou Cariou have both appeared in the first season, reprising their roles as Erin and Henry Reagan, respectively. Even Danny's better-half, Maria Baez (played once again by Marisa Ramirez), recurred throughout the season. There have been some name-drops for the rest of the family and, with Boston Blue returning for Season 2, I'm optimistic that a number of them will actually reappear on screen.

Above all though, I would love nothing more than to have Frank Reagan pop up in Boston for whatever reason, or for Danny to take a trip to New York. Whether or not that will ever happen remains to be seen, but this update definitely gives me the feeling we’re getting closer to it becoming a reality. All the while, Selleck has been landing a few gigs since Blue Bloods ended in 2024, and he recently booked a new show on The HISTORY Channel. Some scheduling challenges may or may not impact Selleck's reprisal of Frank, but let's just remain optimistic about it happening.

Check out Blue Bloods and Boston Blue with a Paramount+ subscription in the meantime.

The family dinner scenes in Blue Bloods are iconic and infamous. It’s no secret that they were “miserable” to film, and many in the cast have divulged their tips about how they got through them. Now, the cast of Boston Blue has to film scenes like this. So, I asked Marcus Scribner how he gets through them, and he told me both his strategy and why he has gotten sick filming these food-heavy scenes.

On Boston Blue, it’s family tradition to gather for Shabbat dinner, and most of the time, the Reagans attend the Silvers’ meal. That means the majority of the cast partakes in these big dinners, and the only regular with prior experience filming them is Donnie Wahlberg. So, I asked Marcus Scribner, who plays Jonah, if he’s picked up any tips from his co-star or developed any of his own as they filmed the show that's airing on the 2026 TV schedule. The answer is he hasn’t; he prefers to just eat the food. However, that comes with a cost, as he explained:

Well, considering how much coverage is required during a dinner scene, they take a long time to film. According to Blue Bloods' Tom Selleck, they could take up to eight hours sometimes. And eating food for that long sounds difficult. So, I see why it made them sick.

However, Scribner was adamant that really eating during these scenes is what he prefers to do. Explaining why that’s the case, the Black-ish star told me:

So, instead of buttering rolls or pushing his food around, Scribner goes for it. And I totally see why. He did admit that actually eating the food gets “taxing,” however, reacting to a moment in the middle of a bite or truly taking in the dinner makes the scenes set around this table more authentic. To that point, he said:

Well, when you watch Boston Blue’s family scenes, make sure to give Marcus Scribner and Sonequa Martin-Green their props, because they’re really eating that food. However, they’re also in Season 1, and with Season 2 on the way, I’ll be curious to see if they keep this attitude about the dinner scenes.

Remember, Blue Bloods was on for 14 seasons; that’s a lot of family dinners. So, if Boston Blue runs that long, there are a bunch of meals ahead. Will the cast keep eating the food, or will they start developing their own tricks to get through these long shoots? Only time will tell.

Now, to see these family dinners and more, you can catch new episodes of Boston Blue every Friday at 10 p.m. ET on CBS or you can stream them the next day with a Paramount+ subscription.

Blue Bloods may have ended in 2024, but the universe is still very much alive thanks to Boston Blue, which is now airing on the 2025 TV schedule. After fans were hoping that Blue Bloods would make a comeback, and maybe even pull a S.W.A.T. and get another season, CBS ordered Boston Blue to series just a few months after the series finale. While it is still a bummer that Blue Bloods ended even despite the spinoff, getting 14 seasons is impressive, and one of Donnie Wahlberg's new co-stars has a suggestion as to why that is.

Throughout its 14-season run, Blue Bloods remained steady on Friday nights at 10 p.m. ET, and despite some seeing that as a death slot, it worked wonders for the show. Otherwise, it wouldn’t have run for 14 seasons and gotten a spinoff. Now the show lives on with Boston Blue, and although the family dinners are different, it still has that same heart Blue Bloods had. Sonequa Martin-Green, who plays Danny’s new partner Detective Lena Silver, spoke to Deadline about the show’s legacy, and I can’t say I disagree with her:

Blue Bloods is entertaining and filled with action and emotions, and it’s always interesting seeing different aspects of the police department or the district attorney’s office. But on top of the cop storylines, at the heart of the series is the family aspect, and it’s something that’s been said time and time again. Tom Selleck previously shared his take on why Blue Bloods has been successful for so long, crediting the character-driven storytelling. And Martin-Green seems to agree with that, and more, as she said:

Of course, there are a lot of procedurals on television, but the big family of Blue Bloods is unique. The Reagan family dinners, for example, were a staple on the series for every single episode, and it was only the right way to end it. It's already been nice seeing some similarities between the two shows, and knowing that family, faith, and tradition will continue for Boston Blue is pretty great.

Even though it will be hard for Boston Blue to match Blue Bloods’ success, just one episode in, and it’s doing pretty well. The series had a surprise cameo with Marisa Ramirez as Maria Baez, and Bridget Moynahan reprised her role as Erin Reagan. And even though there is a new Sean Reagan, played by Mika Amonsen, he’s doing a great job.

There will be much to look forward to in new episodes of Boston Blue, airing on Fridays at 10 p.m. ET on CBS. All 14 seasons of Blue Bloods are streaming with a Paramount+ subscription, so fans can reunite with the Reagans whenever they want.

Goodbye, New York, hello Boston! While fans were undoubtedly distraught over Blue Bloods’ cancellation after 14 seasons on CBS, we’re not done with the Reagan family just yet. Donnie Wahlberg’s Danny is the center of the new spinoff Boston Blue, which premieres on the 2025 TV schedule on October 17. Critics had a chance to screen the first two episodes of the new series, and they agree that the Blue Bloods faithful will love it.

Boston Blue sees Danny leaving the Big Apple for Beantown, where he partners up with Detective Lena Silver (Sonequa Martin-Green) at the Boston PD, where his son Sean is a rookie officer (played by Mika Amonsen in this series). With a new city, new cops and a twist on the Reagan family dinners, what else can we expect from the spinoff? Robert Lloyd of the L.A. Times says fans of the original will be pleased and gives a hint of what to expect from Danny and his new partner:

Aramide Tinubu of Variety says intriguing cases, complex family dynamics and the potential for Blue Bloods cameos — Bridget Moynahan’s Erin Reagan appears in the premiere (and there's a surprise OG as well) — make Boston Blue is a worthy spinoff for fans still reeling from the series’ cancellation. Tinubu continues:

Deidre Johnson of The Wrap says Boston Blue has all the bones of its predecessor, including a good cast that includes Psych’s Maggie Lawson, Gloria Reuben (who appeared on Blue Bloods in a different role) and Marcus Scribner. Johnson continues:

Joel Keller of Decider admits that fans who are still craving more Blue Bloods may make this spinoff a hit, but for everyone else, the critic recommends that we skip this “patently absurd” series. In Keller’s words:

EW’s Kristen Baldwin, meanwhile, gives it a B+, saying it delivers nothing more and nothing less than what Blue Bloods fans want. It’s a little kinder and gentler than its predecessor, Baldwin says, but it gets the job done. The critic says:

While Boston Blue isn’t a hit with all of the critics, everyone seems to agree that those familiar with Blue Bloods can expect more of the same from its spinoff. If you want to see more of Danny Reagan, the new series premieres at 10 p.m. ET Friday, October 17, on CBS and can be streamed the next day with a Paramount+ subscription.

Star Trek: Discovery's cancellation was unexpected, and while fans were originally grateful Paramount+ gave the series extra time to film a proper ending to conclude all the stories, they may change their tune after hearing this. Sonequa Martin-Green recently revealed that she and others in charge of the series wanted to close things out with a movie, and I wish we had gotten that.

Syfy Sistas' Tamia Harper hosted a panel with members of the Star Trek: Discovery cast for TrekTalks 4, and surprisingly, we learned that Alex Kurtzman and showrunner Michelle Paradise had bigger plans that differed from the Burnham-centric series finale we received. She shared a bit about it below:

The Star Trek: Discovery team wanted more time to try and close out the series, but Paramount+ wouldn't budge on what was allowed. Ultimately, the cast and crew were mostly pulled together for a marathon shoot over three days that tried to close out the story as best they could.

Keep in mind, Discovery had already wrapped on Season 5, and the cancellation was truly unexpected. So much so that Doug Jones told CinemaBlend he was blindsided and found out on a fan cruise, and despite it working out pretty well, all things considered, Sonequa Martin-Green said she couldn't help but feel disappointed about how little they were given:

It was unfortunate for Star Trek: Discovery to have to end that way, but as Alex Kurtzman pointed out, the show had a helluva run. Sure, there was once a time when shows in the franchise received over 100 episodes, but times have changed. Even the biggest shows on streaming haven't ran as long as many hit shows of '80s and '90s, so it's impressive that it hit five seasons.

At the same time, imagine a world in which we saw Discovery end with a two-hour movie, and how much more satisfying that would've been to see as a fan? That said, we saw the reviews for Star Trek: Section 31, so maybe Sonequa Martin-Green should be happy no one took a crack at closing out the series with a feature film.

I also wonder why Sonequa Martin-Green is being more candid about this news now than she was when Star Trek: Discovery first ended. Perhaps it was out of respect for the show, not wanting to overshadow the ending fans received, or maybe she was hoping the series would get a spinoff or two, allowing for more stories to help make up for that ending. Whatever the case, I'm glad that we have this information now and can see how Kurtzman and others fought for the fans, even if it was unsuccessful.

Star Trek: Discovery is available to stream on Paramount+. It never received a movie, but I guarantee anyone who streams the series from start to finish will not regret doing so if they check it out.

When it comes to crafting movies about the lives of veterans of war, it can take a lot of effort to make sure that the story is told in a meaningful and accurate manner. My Dead Friend Zoe, a 2025 movie release from feature debut director Kyle Hausmann-Stokes, has received critical praise across the board for its emotional and authentic portrayal of PTSD. When asked what it takes to write a story that perfectly captures the essence of soldier life – both before and after – his tale was inspiring to me.

Hausmann-Stokes first formed the idea for My Dead Friend Zoe as a short film (titled Merit x Zoe). While the director himself is a veteran, when I asked what it took to create a movie like this, he said that you "don't need to be a veteran" to actually tell a story about war. However, there is one key thing you must do:

My Dead Friend Zoe stars former TWD star and Star Trek: Discovery lead Sonequa Martin-Green and Grey's Anatomy cast member Natalie Morales, and tells the story of a veteran who has PTSD and has visions of her squadmate, Zoe, who is a victim of the war.

The movie, which was executive-produced by Travis Kelce as part of his shift into Hollywood, is almost an "autobiography" of sorts, as it's inspired by two of Hausmann-Stokes' squadmates when he was in the Army. As time went on, the director created a cast that was "90%" veterans, and the two stars had their work cut out for them in terms of "research" to make their own performances feel authentic.

The credits of the film show just how many people involved in the cast were a part of the armed forces prior to landing the Hollywood gig. Even one of the movie's main stars, Morgan Freeman, is an actor who served in the military, signing on with the United States Air Force from 1955 - 1959. It's incredible to see such an involved crew who also has the background that really guided Martin-Green and Morales to display such a beautiful story.

While some of the best war movies really focus in on combat, My Dead Friend Zoe is a breath of fresh air because of its take on the mental effects and trauma that can come afterward the uniform is folded up and the soldier leaves the war zone. While being a former veteran certainly helps, there's no denying the passion the director has for his cast and the story itself. See the comedy-drama for yourself when it officially hits theaters on February 28th.

Warning! Spoilers ahead! 

AMC's massive hit The Walking Dead established earlier on that anything could happen at any time, including the worst. Still, a number of characters made it quite a long time. While none of the cast members on the show appeared in all 177 episodes of the show, here are the actors who appeared in the most episodes of The Walking Dead. 

Norman Reedus (175 Episodes)

Daryl Dixon, played by Norman Reedus, was a fan favorite almost from the very beginning, and by the end of the show, he was hands down the most popular character. Reedus was amazing as the gruff, tough-as-nails survivor and he appeared in more episodes than any other actor, 175 in total. He also returned in the follow-up show The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon.

Melissa McBride (174 Episodes)

The character on The Walking Dead that had the most incredible character arc has to be Carol played by Melissa McBride. Carol was a fairly meek housewife to an abusive husband. She didn't stay the way and by the end of the show's run, and McBride's 175 episodes, she was someone you definitely wanted to have on your side against the zombies. 

Lauren Cohan (144 Episodes)

It's hard to believe that viewers didn't meet Maggie Greene Rhee until the second season when the survivors reached the farm. Still, actress Lauren Cohan appeared in the third-most episodes by the end, 144 in total. Though she had one of the most tragic story arcs, she comes out on top at the very end, proving how tough she really was.  

Christian Serratos (130 Episodes)

Fans of The Walking Dead aren't introduced to Rosalita, played by Christian Serratos, until Season 4 and Serratos didn't become a main cast member until the following season. From then on though, she becomes a key survivor right up until the very end when she becomes the final victim of the zombies on the show, after 130 episodes.

Josh McDermitt (130 Episodes)

Josh McDermitt's character, Eugene, is one of the most interesting characters on the show. At first, he's weak, selfish, and spineless, but he eventually grows into one of the most capable survivors on the show, using his smarts to help out in many ways. 

Danai Gurira (126 Episodes)

From the first time viewers see Michonne, played by Danai Gurira, until the end of the show, she was among the most beloved and awesome characters. Though she wasn't introduced until the end of Season 2, Gurira appeared in 126 episodes over the final 10 seasons. And she wasn't someone you ever wanted to mess with.

Seth Gilliam (125 Episodes)

Former cast member of The Wire Seth Gilliam plays one of the more controversial characters, the priest Gabriel Stokes. Though he didn't join the show until Season 5, he played a huge role, both good and bad, with the survivors over the final seven seasons. 

Andrew Lincoln (121 Episodes)

If there is a main character of The Walking Dead, at least in the first nine seasons, it's Rick Grimes, played by Andrew Lincoln. He's the de facto leader at almost every point in the show, and the father of two kids. At the end of Season 9 Grimes disappears and at the end of Season 11 it's revealed he's still alive, but only a little is revealed about where he ends up until the follow-up show, The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live.

Ross Marquand (116 Episodes)

Audiences first meet Ross Marquand's character Aaron when he recruits the survivors to join the community he's a part of in Alexandria. From Season 5, when he is introduced, until the end of the show, Aaron is a key character who appeared in a total of 116 episodes. 

Chandler Riggs (109 Episodes)

Carl Grimes was, other than his infant sister, the youngest member of the group of main survivors. Rick's son, played by Chandler Riggs, was a key character in both the TV and in the comic books, though his run on the show ended before the character's arc is over in the comic books. Riggs left the show in dramatic fashion after 109 episodes to attend college. 

Jeffrey Dean Morgan (95 Episodes)

The Walking Dead became known for introducing a big baddie in every season, but no one was ready for Negan, played by Jeffrey Dean Morgan. As the leader of The Saviors, Negan is absolutely brutal, and within minutes of meeting him, he commits the two most horrific murders in the show's entire history. His character arc is fascinating, however, and it meant he lasted 95 episodes, right up until the end. 

Alanna Masterson (87 Episodes)

Tara Chambler, played by actress Alanna Masterson, starts out as a follower of the antagonist known as The Governor but soon realizes he's a bad person. During the attack on the prison by the survivors, Tara switches sides and ends up an important member of the survivors before she is attacked and killed in Season 9, after appearing in 87 episodes. 

Khary Payton (83 Episodes)

Khary Payton introduction as King Ezekiel in the seventh season was a big moment. Not only did was it a dramatic shot, with him sitting with his tiger, but it brought in a character that would become a key player over the next 83 episodes. 

Steven Yeun (81 Episodes)

The Walking Dead was famous for the brutal deaths of some of its most beloved characters and at the top of that list is Glenn's horrifying death at the hands of Nega in the Season 7 premiere. It was hard to stomach, and even harder to take, emotionally. Actor Steven Yeun's character was a fan favorite and after 81 episodes, suddenly he was gone. 

Cooper Andrews (81 Episodes)

Actor Cooper Andrews' character Jerry is the kind of character everyone loves. He's a bit of a goof, but dedicated and loyal to his people, and very capable. Though the character wasn't introduced until Season 8 and wasn't a main cast member until 10, Andrews still appeared in 81 episodes. 

Sonequa Martin-Green (70 Episodes)

Sasha, played by Sonequa Martin-Green, who appeared in 70 episodes was a character created for the show, rather than in the comic book from which The Walking Dead was adapted. Still, Sasha becomes an incredibly important character from Season 3 when we meet her until her heroic death at the end of Season 8.

Eleanor Matsuura (58 Episodes)

Eleanor Matsuura, who plays Yumiko, is a late joiner to the cast, not appearing until the 9th Season. Still, she proves her worth quickly and appears in almost every episode from there out, a total of 58. 

Nadia Hilker (56 Episodes)

One of the new characters introduced in Season 9 is Magna, played by actress Nadia Hilker. She's a tough customer who seemingly trusts very few people, and who can blame her after surviving the zombie apocalypse for as long as she has. She also survives the final battle in Alexandria at the of Season 11 and is seen living happily with her girlfriend, Yumiko, after 56 episodes on the show. 

Lauren Ridloff (56 Episodes)

Along with Magna and Yumiko, Lauren Ridloff's character Connie is a tough survivor who joined the show in Season 9. Like those characters Connie appears in most of the final three seasons, a total of 56 episodes. 

Callan McAuliffe (55 Episodes)

 Alden, played by Callan McAuliffe, was a member of the brutal Saviors when viewers met him, but he eventually switches sides and teams up with the Hilltop Community led by Maggie. In all, he ended up in most of the final shows in the final 4 seasons, a total of 55 episodes. 

Cassady McClincy Zhang (54 Episodes)

Lydia is a character who is quite different in the show than she is in the comics, mostly due to the changed story arc of her love interest in the books, Carl Grimes. In the show, she is introduced in Season 9 when she is taken captive by Michonne and Daryl. She ends the series alive, 54 episodes later. She was played by Cassady McClincy Zhang.

Cailey Fleming (53 Episodes)

The youngest member of the main cast was Cailey Fleming, who played the older Judith Grimes in seasons 10 and 11, a total of 53 episodes. Of course, the character appears in way more episodes going back to the very beginnings of the show, but for years, she was a baby, presumably played by different people and definitely not played by Fleming.

Lennie James (52 Episodes)

Morgan, played by Lennie James, is one of the earliest characters viewers meet in the show, though he remains an enigma and only occasionally appeared in the early days. James became a main character in Season 6, and in total appeared in 52 episodes over the first 8 seasons of the show before he leaves the group. The character became the protagonist in the first spinoff, Fear The Walking Dead. 

Emily Kinney (50 Episodes)

Emily Kinney played Beth Greene in 50 episodes of The Walking Dead. She was Herschel's daughter and Maggie's half-sister. She was introduced on the show when Rick and the rest of the survivors got to the Greene farm. Initially, Kinney had a much smaller role than those of her family members, but by Season 4 she had become a full-time cast member. It wasn't for long though, as Beth was killed by Dawn in one heck of a disastrous moment that also saw Daryl kill Dawn. 

Katelyn Nacon (50 Episodes)

The second-to-last episode of Season 10 of The Walking Dead is a brutal one. The mysterious character called Alpha proves to be a brutal baddie when it's revealed that her people, The Whispers, have killed a number of people, including Enid, played by Katelyn Nacon. Nacon portrayed Enid in 50 episodes, starting in Season 5. 

Tom Payne (45 Episodes)

The Hilltop Community becomes one of the most important settlements in the post-apocalyptic world and viewers of the show, and the core survivors, are introduced to it by Paul "Jesus" Rovia, who was played by Tom Payne for 45 episodes, starting in Season 7. Jesus is both a spy and an ambassador of sorts for the Hilltop folks, who ends up recruiting and fighting with Rick and the others against The Saviors. Sadly, he doesn't make it past Season 9 when he is killed by The Whisperers. 

Michael Cudlitz (38 Episodes)

What can we say about Abraham Ford? Played by the great Michael Cudlitz who first found major fame on TV as a member of the cast of Band of Brothers, Abraham was a fan favorite from the first time viewers met him in Season 4. That made his death in the Season 7 premiere, after starring in 38 Episodes, at the hands of Negan incredibly heartbreaking. 

Scott Wilson (38 Episodes)

Everyone loves their grandfather and in a way, that's who Scott Wilson's character Herschel Greene represented on the show. The patriarch of Maggie and Beth's family, Herschel is tough, he's fair, and he's righteous. Introduced on the farm in Season 2, Herschel is killed by The Governor in Season 4, after appearing in 38 episodes. 

Austin Amelio (36 Episodes)

Dwight, played by Austin Amelio, always seemed like a reluctant, if brutal, member of Negan's group, The Saviors. With his badly scarred face, he was a standout character for 36 episodes before Amelio left The Walking Dead to join the spinoff Fear The Walking Dead. 

Kerry Cahill (36 Episodes)

For a character that appeared in 36 Episodes of the show, Dianne, played by Kerry Cahill, is the least developed on this list. Cahill is first seen in The Kingdom, playing one of the community's best soldiers, a skill she later takes to the Hilltop Community. For the rest of the series, she is part of many battles, but we never learn too much about her. 

Sarah Wayne Callies (35 Episodes)

Sarah Wayne Callies plays Lori Grimes, Rick's wife, and mother to Carl and Judith. In the first three seasons, she's one of the most important characters on the show and gets herself stuck in a love triangle between Rick, whom she believed was dead, and Rick's best friend, Shane Walsh (Jon Bernthal). During Season 3, Lori is forced to give birth to Judith via C-section, and without proper medical facilities, the procedure kills her in one of the hardest moments of the show to watch. In total, Callies appeared in 35 episodes.

Laurie Holden (35 Episodes)

Actor Laurie Holden is one of the original cast members of the show, playing Andrea from the earliest episodes. At the end of Season 2, she gets separated from the rest of the survivors at the farm and is saved by Michonne. Both end up at Woodbury with The Governor, who Andrea grows close to. Trusting him was a mistake as she is eventually taken prisoner by him which leads to her death at the hands of a walker towards the end of Season 3 after 35 appearances. 

Warning: SPOILERS for the Star Trek: Discovery series finale are ahead!

Another chapter of Star Trek history has come to a close. On Thursday, the final episode of Star Trek: Discovery was released to Paramount+ subscription holders on the 2024 TV schedule, and among the characters whose stories came to a close was Doug Jones’ Saru, who’s been part of the series since it premiered in 2017 on what was then called CBS All-Access. Although there were a handful of episodes Jones missed in Season 5, he still played an overall important role in the story through his new role as an ambassador for the United Federation of Planets.

Despite no longer being part of the Discovery crew, Saru thankfully wasn’t kept out of the action in "Life, Itself." After the conflict with the Breen was finished, the Progenitors’ technology was sent beyond the event horizon and that big Enterprise Easter egg was dropped, his wedding with T’Rina served as a celebratory event for his comrades to enjoy. Ahead of the Discovery series finale’s arrival, I spoke with Jones about his experience working on the episode. In addition to sharing his thoughts about how Saru’s story ended, he recalled an emotional moment he shared with Sonequa Martin-Green, who plays Captain Michael Burnham, while they were shooting the epilogue that I thought was touching.

Doug Jones Is Pleased With How Season 5 Ended Things For Saru

Star Trek: Discovery was announced to be ending in March 2023, but the cast and crew didn’t know about this when they were working on Season 5. In fact, Doug Jones learned about this on the Star Trek Cruise shortly before the public heard about the show’s fate. That being said, the actor found capping off the main story with Saru and T’Rina’s wedding to be a beautiful creative choice, with the actor saying the following when I asked him what it was like shooting the ceremony:

T’Rina, the Vulcan president of N’Var, was one of the first people from the 32nd century with whom Saru formed a connection, and by Season 4, they admitted their romantic feelings for one another. Now these two are joined together in matrimony, and even though Doug Jones and the rest of Star Trek: Discovery’s cast and crew weren’t aware when they were shooting Season 5 that this would be the final hurrah, he was nonetheless with this putting a pin in Saru’s story if the show did indeed end there. As he explained:

This time, it was indeed the end, but in a show of generosity, Paramount+ gave the Star Trek: Discovery team additional time to shoot an epilogue for “Life, Itself.” This resulted in Doug Jones getting to return for his true final outing as Saru on this series, and earlier this year, he told CinemaBlend he felt “closure” when he watched the extra scene. Now we know why.

The Emotional Moment Doug Jones Shared With Sonequa Martin-Green While Shooting The Epilogue

Following the conclusion of the main story of “Life, Itself,” Star Trek: Discovery’s last episode jumped forward several decades, and we see that Michael Burnham is now a Starfleet admiral, she and Book had a son together who’s now becoming captain of his own ship, and the Discovery ship is being sent on a Red Directive mission tied to the “Calypso” Short Trek that will require the AI Zora to be on her own for centuries. While on the bridge and speaking to Zora for the last time, Michale envisioned reuniting with her cremates when they were younger, including Saru. Doug Jones started off by telling me how pleased he was to see how Michael’s life turned out with the words:

As one would imagine, Jones getting back together with his Discovery cast-mates on the bridge set was an emotional affair, especially when it came to his last scene with Sonequa Martin-Green. That kicked up a notch in between takes of the actors hugging each other in character, with Jones sharing with me the kinds words they kept repeating to each other:

Is anyone else suddenly feeling verklempt? Seriously, considering how many scenes Doug Jones and Sonequa Martin-Green shared with each other over Star Trek: Discovery’s five-season run, I’m glad they they legitimately developed an affectionate relationship with each other. It makes it all the more sad that it’s unlikely we’ll ever see Michael and Saru together again, although I suppose with the Starfleet Academy spinoff on the way, anything is possible.

Star Trek: Discovery may be over, but there are still plenty of upcoming Star Trek shows coming up. Along with the aforementioned Starfleet Academy (which stars Holly Hunter), Lower Decks Season 5 (which is also ending) and Strange New Worlds Seasons 3 and 4 are on the docket for Paramount+, and Prodigy Season 2 will premiere to people with a Netflix subscription sometime later this year. Let’s also not forget the the Michelle Yeoh-led Section 31 movie will also hit Paramount+, and filming on that project wrapped in March.

Star Trek: Discovery is ending with the fifth season's swan song, and few were as vocally upset about the initial cancellation news as frequent episode director, Jonathan Frakes. The Riker portrayer went on the record with CinemaBlend at the time to say Disco's cancellation sucked (preach), and part of his take was possibly tied to realizing his time with star Sonequa Martin-Green was ending, at least here. Frakes sang the actress' praises to us, and so revealed why he was grateful he didn't know he was directing one of Discovery's final episodes when it filmed.

Though "Lagrange Point," available to stream now with a Paramount+ subscription, wasn't originally intended to be the penultimate episode of the series, things played out that way in time. During my latest talk with the Star Trek icon about his experience on the episode, I first asked Frakes what it was like working with star Sonequa Martin-Green over the years:

Jonathan Frakes' response is not surprising, as I've heard nothing but positive stories about working with Sonequa Martin-Green from the cast and crew of Star Trek: Discovery over the years. Whether it's her warmth and positivity with everyone behind the scenes, or goofing around with co-star Mary Wiseman between takes, it always seems like Martin-Green did what she could to make working on the series a blast for all involved.

With Discovery ending, it's unknown at this point whether or not we can expect to see Sonequa Martin-Green on any upcoming Trek shows, presumably reprising the role of Michael Burnham. Of course, that kind of question wasn't even in consideration when "Lagrange Point" was being filmed, since all involved weren't treating it as a set-up for a finale.

Jonathan Frakes confirmed to CInemaBlend that, in retrospect, he's glad to have been in the dark on its unfortunate fate during the creative process, specifically when it came to working with the show's captain. In his words:

For now, we know there will be at least one Star Trek series where Michael Burnham can possibly appear. The upcoming Starfleet Academy series is also set in the 32nd century, and I could see Burnham showing up despite the series already securing A+ thesp Holly Hunter as its first star. I've also speculated Mary Wiseman will continue to teach at the academy like she has in Discovery, though Wiseman deflected when CinemaBlend asked her about it. 

Whatever the future holds for Michael Burnham, I do hope Sonequa Martin-Green (and Jonathan Frakes) remains attached to the franchise in some way. She's played a key part in setting the tone for this new era of storytelling with her attitude in Discovery, and I'd love to hear her aura positively impacts future Trek sets going forward, whether she's in front of the camera or not. 

Star Trek: Discovery's finale streams on Paramount+ beginning on Thursday, May 30th. Get ready for the final scenes of the series and for the future of what's to come after this beloved series finally bows, and our 2024 TV schedule will clue you in on what else will be starting soon.

Warning! The following contains spoilers for the Star Trek: Discovery episode "Whistlespeak." Be warned if you haven't yet watched with a Paramount+ subscription. 

Searching for the Progenitors' technology is challenging, but who would've thought it'd ever become a literal footrace to get the next clue? Tilly and Michael were tasked with a grueling run while facing excessive thirst in the latest Star Trek: Discovery and all I could wonder was if filming it was as miserable for the actual actors as the characters themselves. Fortunately, Mary Wiseman confirmed to CinemaBlend that it wasn't as bad as it looked, and her answer made me realize how much I'll miss this cast when the show is over. 

I had the pleasure of speaking to Mary Wiseman for Star Trek: Discovery's "Whistlespeak," and while I didn't attempt to get more answers out of her potentially returning as Tilly for Starfleet Academy, we did get the scoop about how real the experience of running through the forest while dying of thirst was. Fortunately, Wiseman assured me it wasn't as miserable as it looked and broke down what was and wasn't staged:

Props to the Star Trek: Discovery makeup team, because I was more fooled than I should have been, and thought Sonequa Martin-Green and Mary Wiseman were at least somewhat dehydrated and possibly desperate for water at the end of the shoot. It's obviously comforting to hear they're just good actors instead, and presumably weren't in any danger of fainting or something like that. 

The stakes were high as the Discovery crew needed to find the rest of the clues to that device, but it was all fun for the BTS crew, according to Mary Wiseman. The actress had heavy screentime with Sonequa Martin-Green, and as they often do on the set of the show, they were having a blast and made up their own scenario to help pass the time while filming in a Canadian park: 

During production, no one knew Star Trek: Discovery Season 5 would be the final season, so readers can understand the silliness that occurred on set. The cast and crew were informed after production wrapped, and some like Doug Jones were on cruise for fans when it happened. Had they known at the time, who knows if Mary Wiseman and Sonequa Martin-Green would've been coming up with survival ideas in the midst of filming? 

"Whistlespeak" set up some high stakes in which Tilly's life is saved by Michael being her often inspiring self in helping a pre-warp civilization understand ancient advanced tech on their planet. While the adventure did slow the rampant action Star Trek: Discovery has showcased since Season 5's beginning, at least this pre-warp civilization will no longer use unnecessary human sacrifice to get rain. 

Hearing about the fun Mary Wiseman and Sonequa Martin-Green had on set made my day but also bummed me out a bit. Obviously, Star Trek: Discovery is finished, and we have no guarantees that these two will work together again. With that said, there seemed to be a hint in this episode that they could link up in the Starfleet Academy show, which would be a great treat. if not there, hopefully, there's some unannounced upcoming Star Trek show that can reunite these two!

Until that gets announced, enjoy the rest of Star Trek: Discovery, which streams new episodes on Paramount+ on Thursdays. I can't wait to see where the rest of the season goes and just how involved the Breen may get as we inch closer to the finale. 

Warning: SPOILERS for the Star Trek: Discovery episode “Face the Strange” are ahead!

The final season of Star Trek: Discovery has introduced a notable character to its main cast: Rayner, the former Starfleet captain-turned Michael Burnham’s new first officer, played by Callum Keith Rennie, who has previous sci-fi cred from Battlestar Galactica. A veteran of The Burn, Rayner’s command style sharply contrasts with how Sonquea Martin-Green’s Michael Burnham captains Discovery. However, the events of “Face the Strange,” which is now available for Paramount+ subscribers to stream, sees Rayner and Burnham overcoming their differences to deal with a time-twisty threat, and Rennie teased to CinemaBlend about not just what’s next for the two characters’ dynamic, but also how we’ll soon learn about Rayner’s backstory.

“Face the Strange” saw the USS Discovery being affected by a time bug, a weapon left over from The Temporal war designed to, as Rayner explained, “paralyze an enemy ship by cycling through time.” This particular bug took everyone through different points in Discovery’s past, present and future after Moll, who’s serving as Season 5’s main antagonist alongside L’ak, discreetly panted the time bug onto Adira on Trillin the last episode. Luckily, Burnham, Rayner and Paul Stamets weren’t impacted by its effects. The trio worked together to disable the bug, and now Rayner and Burnham are on better terms with one another.

So when I interviewed Rennie ahead of the episode’s arrival on the 2024 TV schedule, I asked him if this means it will be smooth sailing between the two or if more conflict could lay ahead, and he answered:

It didn’t take long for Rayner and Burnham to start clashing with one another at the beginning of Star Trek: Discovery Season 5’s newest episode, which started when the former bluntly shot down a suggestion from Rhees about how to track down Moll and L’ak. This led to them debating about the different ways they handle leading, as Burnham encourages the crew to be engaged and speak freely, whereas Rayner thinks this familiarity is detrimental to their effectiveness. By the end of “Face the Strange” though, Rayner realizes Burnham’s style has his merits, and from what Callum Keith Rennie told me, it sounds like we don’t need to worry about them getting into any more fights going forward, although that’s not to say they still won’t occasionally disagree.

Of course, as one notices when looking closely at Rayner, he’s not a human but rather a Kellerun, an alien species that’s only been shown once before onscreen, in the Deep Space Nine Season 2 episode “Armageddon Game.” Later in the interview, I inquired about if Rayner’s Kellerun background would be explored in Discovery Season 5, and he had this to say:

Because Star Trek: Discovery was cancelled after Season 5 finished filming, Callum Keith Rennie felt that decision led to “missed opportunities,” as he was getting used to working with this cast and crew. So it’s a shame that Discovery will just be a one-season affair for him, but it is good to hear that some light will be shed on Rayner’s past in the weeks ahead. As far as Discovery’s current events go, the end of “Face the Strange” saw the ship’s crew discover a warp signature that matches Moll and L’ak’s ship, although their trail has mysteriously disappeared. To complicate matters, Burnham and Rayner briefly ended up in a future where the Green obtained the Progenitor technology from Moll and L’ak and wreaked havoc with it, so now there’s extra incentive to stop the duo.

Keep checking back with CinemaBlend for our overage on Star Trek: Discovery’s last six episodes. It’s also important to remember that one of the upcoming Star Trek TV shows is Starfleet Academy, which will be set in the 32nd century too, so maybe that will allow certain Discovery characters to come back, including Rayner.

Sonequa Martin-Green has a big year ahead of her with the upcoming premiere of the fifth and final season of Star Trek: Discovery in the 2024 TV schedule. She's the headliner for the series that restarted the Trek franchise on TV, and came into that universe fresh off of five seasons of the original The Walking Dead. Now, as the latest TWD spinoff brings back other original series stars in addition to Andrew Lincoln and Danai Gurira, Martin-Green has opened up to CinemaBlend about what it was like to leave the mega-successful zombie apocalypse show and join Discovery.

The actress joined The Walking Dead in Season 3 back in 2012, with Season 4 as her first full season. As fans likely remember, that was around when The Walking Dead frenzy was in full swing, and she exited as a regular at the end of Season 7 in 2017. While Sasha wasn't killed off because the actress wanted to leave TWD, the timing lined up with her joining the Trek universe. I spoke with Martin-Green at SCAD TVfest, and when I asked what it's like for her to look back at joining two massive TV universes, she shared:

The actress' time on The Walking Dead of course came to a tragic end, although Sasha's death in Season 7 was a change from the comics written. So, it was never likely to expect her in Rick and Michonne's The Ones Who Live spinoff like Pollyanna McIntosh as Jadis and – spoiler alert for Episode 5 – Seth Gilliam as Father Gabriel. Despite Sasha's long list of tragedies, the actress who played her only had good things to say about her coworkers and how they welcomed her to the zombie apocalypse.

Sonequa Martin-Green's casting for Star Trek: Discovery was actually announced before Sasha's demise on The Walking Dead, so the character's death didn't come as a huge shocker. The actress, who would debut as Michael Burnham on Discovery in 2017, went on to explain what it was like for her to go from the massive Walking Dead franchise to the franchise that has been a fan-favorite going back to the 1960s:

With the final season of Discovery set to premiere on April 4, I have to say that it was nice to hear Sonequa Martin-Green speaking so highly of her show family in the Star Trek universe. The series was cancelled after the fifth season had finished filming, and the actress explained that there were some "close calls" when it came to reuniting the cast to reshoot the ending. According to CinemaBlend's Mick Joest after watching the first four episodes, Season 5 feels bittersweet.

As for The Walking Dead, Sonequa Martin-Green addressed encounters she has with fans, and some of them are a lot younger than she expected. She said:

If you want to revisit The Walking Dead – and are over the age of four – you can do so streaming with a Netflix subscription. As for Star Trek: Discovery, the fifth and final season will premiere on Thursday, April 4 for fans with a Paramount+ subscription. There's also still some time to revisit the first four seasons of the first modern Trek show, and every episode of Discovery so far is streaming on Paramount+.

Star Trek: Discovery is headed into the final season, but the legacy of its characters will live on. Much of that is because of its strong lead protagonist played by Sonequa Martin-Green, the unflappable Michael Burnham. From her unfortunate beginnings in the series to her evolution into Starfleet Captain of the future, Burnham has found ways to inspire her crew and viewers in many different ways. 

Michael Burnham is an inspiration, and if you don't believe that, you clearly haven't been watching. As we prepare to stream Discovery's final season with our Paramount+ subscriptions, Womens' History Month feels like the ideal time to explore the character and some of her best moments as a member of Starfleet. Of course, nothing will be featured from Season 5 just yet, though anyone curious can check out my spoiler-free review on the first four episodes. 

Surviving Her Escape From The Brig

Michael Burnham has had some close calls in her Starfleet career, but I don't think any of them measure up to how she narrowly escaped dying when the USS Shenzhou was split due to a Klingon attack. For those who don't remember, Michael was in the brig during the attack, having been put there for mutiny after overriding Starfleet orders and attacking the Klingon ship. 

With only a force field separating her from the cold vacuum of space, Burnham is in a tight spot. After a brief pep talk with Sarek (via mind meld and use of katra), Burnham was able to convince an officer to open a hole in the force field, which propelled her to an adjacent compartment and got her to safety. It was a bold gambit, but the kind of inspirational move that makes you love her and her drive. 

Traveling Alone To The Future As The Red Angel

Traveling deep into the future was a perilous journey with plenty of unknowns, and I'd like to think if the literal fate of the universe wasn't at stake, no one on Discovery would've signed on for it. Doing it in a ship was wild enough, but what about traveling to the future in nothing but a time-travel suit? That just sounds bonkers, but Michael didn't think twice about it. 

To take it further, how horrifying must it have been to arrive on the other side and not have the rest of the crew right behind in the ship? A year doesn't sound like a long time, but that's quite a lot to go in a new time period, not knowing exactly when everyone you knew before will emerge on the other side. The upside is that it gave her some quality time with Cleveland Booker, whom we will see reunite with Michael in the final season. 

Turning Emperor Georgiou Into One Of The Heroes

Terran Emperor Georgiou was trapped in the prime timeline and, with little ability to return, was forced to assume the identity of her dead counterpart, Starfleet Captain Phillipa Georgiou. Initially, she seemed to be more or less committed to being the person she was in the Mirror Universe, yet slowly, but surely, Michael Burnham changed her. 

She did have an advantage in that Georgiou also had a soft spot for the Terran Michael. Even so, the two Michaels were incredibly different, and it's safe to say that the more time Georgiou watched Michael be better, she also worked to be a better person. Or at least, as good as a Terran raised in violence and responsible for an untold number of deaths can be. We'll see how well her will to do good sticks in the upcoming Star Trek: Section 31 movie. 

Convincing The Federation Not To Attack The DMA

Always count on a Starfleet captain when it comes to inspiring speeches, but it's truly impressive what Michael pulled off in Discovery Season 4. Imagine finding the source of a threat that's indiscriminately destroying entire planets, and better yet, there's a scientist capable of developing the exact weapon that could severely harm that species, if not eradicate them. 

In our real life, modern times, you'd have to think our world leaders would've unanimously voted to attack without question. The new Federation, which was still getting its legs, definitely had the temptation to do the same. It took an impassioned speech from Michael Burnham to swing the majority of votes to attempt to contact the species and get an explanation behind why this was happening, though her efforts were thwarted when Book and Ruon Tarka tried to use the weapon anyway. 

Gaining Saru's Respect And Friendship

The friendship Saru and Michael have toward the end of Star Trek: Discovery is not even close to that at the beginning of the series. Saru has absolute disdain for Michael due to her actions on the Shenzhou, and it didn't seem like anything she could do would ever be able to win his trust back. In his defense, Michael was the first person in Starfleet history to be charged with mutiny, so it's not like he didn't have valid reasons to distrust her. 

As the seasons went on, Saru's relationship with Michael grew, and they became friends. He trusted her enough by Season 3 to make her his Number One, and by the end of the season, he trusted his friend to take over the captaincy of Discovery. He was, to use the word of the feature again, "inspired" by Michael's journey and all he'd been through with her over the years. Saru is one of Star Trek's best characters, so I'm inclined to believe that if you can inspire him to have faith in you after all that, you're an inspiring leader overall. 

Is Star Trek: Discovery's Michael Burnham the only inspiring woman of the franchise? Absolutely not. Star Trek, as a whole, is loaded with strong women, and you'll find far more of them by watching any of the shows. With that said, there have only been two female characters who've led a Trek series, and I'd say Michael Burnham is just as inspiring as Janeway, if not a little more. 

Star Trek: Discovery's final season begins on Paramount+ on Thursday, April 4th. Be prepared for an epic adventure and ten more episodes with the inspiring Michael Burnham, and hopefully, an ending that will set the stage for more adventures for the crew I hope we see in upcoming Star Trek shows. 

Star Trek: Discovery brought the world of Trek back to television when it premiered back in 2017, but the journey for Michael Burnham and Co. is set to end in the 2024 TV schedule. While fans still have to wait until April for the first episode of the fifth and final season, Paramount+ has released tastes of what's to come with early clips. Most recently, the official trailer went public for an emotional preview, and I flashed back to what star Sonequa Martin-Green said surprised her about what was included in the promo footage.

I spoke with Sonequa Martin-Green at SCAD TVfest in Atlanta after the Star Trek: Discovery presentation, where she also received the Spotlight Award. As part of the presentation, the attendees got to see a cut of the final season trailer. I asked the actress if she was surprised about anything that made it into that trailer, and she shared:

While it hasn't necessarily been a secret that David Ajala will be back as Cleveland Booker in the final season, the strong reaction to his appearance in preview footage gave the leading lady a surprise. The Star Trek: Discovery Season 4 ending definitely didn't finish his story, but there was also no guarantee that it would be continued before the final credits rolled. I went on to ask Sonequa Martin-Green if she'd seen the cut of the trailer before it played at TVfest in front of SCAD students, and she shared:

Paramount+ has since released some details about what to expect from the final season, including the premiere date of April 4 for the first two episodes. The rest of the final season episodes will air weekly on Thursdays. The leading lady also told CinemaBlend that she doesn't plan to watch the ending "full-on until it actually premieres" so that she can "save the full episode from beginning to end for when the audience is taking it in." Co-star Doug Jones, on the other hand, opened up about feeling closure from watching the series finale's epilogue.

While it's unknown at the time of writing if any of the trailer or clip footage released so far included content from the series finale, you can check out the official Season 5 preview below:

Paramount+ subscribers who have been along for the Star Trek: Discovery ride clearly still have a lot to look forward to, even if the end is sadly in sight. The cancellation came as a surprise back in early 2023, with the silver lining that reshoots were in the works to turn the Season 5 finale into a proper series finale.

According to Sonequa Martin-Green, there were "a few close calls" that not everybody would be able to make it back for the reshoots, but the finished product is going to feel like a real ending thanks to the writers making the most of their limited time.

For now, as the wait continues until the Season 5 premiere on April 4, you can always revisit the first four seasons of Star Trek: Discovery streaming on Paramount+, as well as the other Trek originals during the wait for the upcoming Star Trek TV shows still on the way.

The Star Trek fandom was truly blessed to get a cast as passionate about the series as the people working on Discovery, and Sonequa Martin-Green is proof of that. Despite having access to the upcoming finale ending that some of the cast has already seen, she has a sweet reason she hasn't watched it yet. Be still my beating heart, because her reason for not watching the ending is so cool. 

CinemaBlend's Laura Hurley was on hand to talk to Sonequa Martin-Green at SCAD TVfest and get some answers for Star Trek: Discovery fans on the star's thoughts about watching the finale ending. Martin-Green shared that while she has seen some bits of it, she has deliberately decided not to watch the full ending. The actress explained why:

Sonequa Martin-Green wanting to experience the Star Trek: Discovery finale alongside the fans is the exact reason why I love this cast so much. Throughout the years, they've shown their connection and care for the fandom at conventions, so it's little surprise she's looking to enjoy the final season alongside everyone else. It's good to knos this means as much to her as it does to viewers, and she's not just putting it all in the rearview and moving on to the next project.

Many Star Trek fans have questions about the finale, which Martin-Green said was shot very quickly following the cancellation announcement. Saru actor Doug Jones did say he had a chance to see the finale and viewing it gave him closure on Discovery ending. 

There is much speculation about what the final scene of Star Trek: Discovery contains and what it could mean for the future. Some believe it will reference the mysterious Short Treks episode "Calypso," which followed a space traveler who happened upon the Discovery and learned it had been abandoned, waiting on the crew for hundreds of years.

Prior to Discovery's sudden cancellation, executive producer Olatunde Osunsanmi told CinemaBlend that "Calypso" would be referenced in Season 5. Given that, I would expect to see it referenced ahead of viewing the finale with my Paramount+ subscription.  

Another question is whether or not any of the cast from Star Trek: Discovery will be available to appear in the Starfleet Academy series in development. While it's not confirmed which era the series will take place in, it's heavily speculated since it went into production that it too will take place in the 32nd century like the latter seasons of Discovery.

If this is the case, then it's possible a cast member could end up being a part of the cast of the new Trek series. Will the ending address any of these things? We will just have to wait and see and experience it alongside Sonequa Martin-Green. 

Star Trek: Discovery returns to Paramount+ on Thursday, April 4th. Be ready for the two-episode premiere and the potential final journey of the Discovery crew that we'll all get to see in live-action. 

Star Trek: Discovery's final season is fast approaching, and viewers will soon get to see the endgame for Michael Burnham and the rest of the Discovery crew. Fortunately, Paramount+'s surprise cancellation of the series came with the opportunity to film an ending, but doing so was more complicated than readers might think. CinemaBlend caught up with Sonequa Martin-Green and learned why the shooting was stressful, while also being totally worth it. 

CinemaBlend's Laura Hurley spoke with star Sonequa Martin-Green at SCAD TV Fest and asked about bringing Star Trek: Discovery to a close with the additional final scenes the cast and crew returned to film. When asked if there were any difficulties in getting the final part to come together, the confirmed that there were some "close calls" that could've kept it from happening, saying:

It's wild to hear that there was a reality in which filming these final scenes for Star Trek: Discovery might not have happened for behind-the-scenes reasons. At the same time, it's not entirely surprising, given the unexpected cancellation that led other Trek stars like Jonathan Frakes to get candid with disagreements. Luckily, everything aligned for the cast and crew to produce an ending that gave stars like Doug Jones closure about the end. 

CinemaBlend asked Sonequa Martin-Green if the ending truly made the series feel like a finale, especially given that Season 5 wasn't originally constructed to be the closing chapter of the show. The star gave a definitive answer to that and credited the writing staff for all their hard work:

Star Trek: Discovery Season 5 will follow the crew as they search for an ancient artifact with some immense power.  The series has dropped the Season 5 episode titles for fans to mull over, as well as the official announcement that Season 5 will premiere on April 4th! Check out the new poster that dropped along with the release date.

Season 5 is said to be more action-packed than previous seasons, and the footage released thus far has a different vibe. It's also reported that the nature of this season will allow Star Trek: Discovery to emulate Strange New Worlds and have a more episodic nature, which fans have responded to positively. Perhaps this is a sign that upcoming Trek projects will also follow this formula, but that's a question left mainly for future shows we'll enjoy with a Paramount+ subscription. 

Here's hoping for the start of a great adventure when Star Trek: Discovery's final season begins on Paramount+ on Thursday, April 4th. I can hardly contain my excitement for the adventure, so I suppose it's a good thing I still have time to rewatch everything leading up to it. 

Michael Burnham and Cleveland Booker looked to be on the path to being one of Star Trek's best couples. That is until it all came to a screeching halt. With Discovery's cancellation and only ten episodes left to close out the series, fans might wonder if they'll get closure on the lovers and their relationship in the final season. Fortunately, we have a promising update from Burnham actress Sonequa Martin-Green regarding the matter, and it comes as a bit of relief for this fan.

The ending of Star Trek: Discovery Season 4 was one of the franchise's best, minus one small bit. Booker ultimately survived his ship's destruction and helped Burnham save the day, but Starfleet couldn't overlook his betrayal and decision to help Tarka try to eliminate species 10-C. As part of his sentence, Booker had to help aid families displaced by the DMA, which wasn't too bad of a punishment for treason. The downside was that it essentially took him out of Burnham's orbit. There was little hope for a reunion, until David Ajala's character sprung up in the trailer for the final season. Sonequa Martin-Green was asked about whether Burnham and Booker will get some closure by TVLine and had the following to say: 

With no more 32nd-century Discovery adventures set for upcoming Trek shows, I'm loving what I'm hearing so far. Not only will we see more between Burnham and Booker, but we're going to get to know characters "better than ever before" it seems. I'm all about that, and I'm sure the people who complain that the series has often been a show about a few characters and is not a true ensemble Trek series will also appreciate it.

While I'm sad that I'll only have a handful of new Star Trek: Discovery episodes left to enjoy with my Paramount+ subscription, I can take solace in the fact that it sounds like the show is committed to furthering the stories of its characters in addition to other narrative changes. What's been made known is that Season 5 will be more action-packed and that the nature of the adventure has opened the door for the show to emulate Strange New Worlds by having more episodic adventures. 

Fans also know that Burnham's love story won't be the only one covered, thanks to a past conversation with Star Trek: Discovery actor Doug Jones. Jones confirmed that Season 5 was likely to revisit the relationship between Saru and T'Rina, who confessed their feelings for one another in Season 4. 

As for who we'll learn more about in Season 5, there are plenty of characters within the crew that I would like to learn more about. Detmer and Owosekun are two characters I'd also love to get more information on, especially since there's a chance we never see either again after this series. It's my hope that some of these characters will pop up in the announced Starfleet Academy series, assuming theories about it taking place in the Discovery era are accurate. 

Amid all of that though, I'm just glad that Burnham and Booker are indeed going to get their time in the sun. They more than deserve it, and one would think that the writers will wrap up their romantic subplot in a fitting way.

Star Trek: Discovery's new season arrives on Paramount+ in April as part of the 2024 TV schedule. CinemaBlend will continue to track updates about it as we near the premiere, and hopefully get a chance to speak to some of the cast about this epic final season. 

Star Trek actress Nichelle Nichols is retiring from the convention circuit, which is bittersweet but nonetheless a milestone worth celebrating. Fans at L.A. Comic-Con 2021 did precisely that for Nichols’ final convention appearance, and celebrities were full of reverential praise as well. Many were quick to credit Nichols as a factor in their careers, and Star Trek: Discovery's lead actress Sonequa Martin-Green was definitely part of that crowd.

For a video tribute that was recorded and played during Nichelle Nichols final panel, Sonequa Martin-Green shared memories of meeting Nichols at the premiere for Star Trek: Discovery. As the star of the diversity-driven sci-fi series, Martin-Green was anxious about meeting the actress who broke barriers so many years ago as Uhura on the original series. And here's how that meeting played out:

Now a few years later, Sonequa Martin-Green is well into her run on Star Trek: Discovery and made history as the franchise’s first Black female to lead a Trek series as a Starfleet captain. Not that either one of the actresses was likely aware of that in the moment, making it all the sweeter an encounter. 

Nichelle Nichols knows a little something about history herself, of course, as she had the honor of one of television’s first interracial on-camera kisses, smack dab in the middle of the Civil Rights movement in the United States. With her key role within the Star Trek universe in the 1960s, Nichols served as an inspiration to many, and was proof that racial equality wasn't so unthinkable a scenario in the future. At least the fictionalized kind.

Sonequa Martin-Green continued on with her praise and championed Nichelle Nichols’ impact not just on the Black community, but other people of color and women in general. In a kind and humble statement, Martin-Green explained that had it not been for Nichols, she might not be in the position she’s in today.

It’s a beautiful sentiment that honors Nichelle Nichols in quite the fitting way to mark the icon's potential retirement from public life. She’ll be missed at future Star Trek and sci-fi events, I’m sure, but after the time she spent giving to fans, she certainly deserves to take some time off amidst her health and conservatorship issues.

Nichelle Nichols may soon be mostly gone from the public eye, but fans can still re-live her greatest moments in Star Trek with a Paramount+ subscription. They can also catch new episodes of Star Trek: Discovery, which streams on Thursdays.

Star Trek: Discovery Season 4 is on the way, and soon fans will get to see how Michael Burnham handles herself on a ship where she’s a captain. She has a lot to live up to, given some of the iconic captains of Star Trek’s past, as does her actress, Sonequa Martin-Green. Luckily, both are off to a great start, thanks in part to Burnham’s effortlessly cool new catchphrase, “Let’s fly.” 

Sonequa Martin-Green’s delivery of the line in Season 3 gave me chills, so I had to ask the actress what her gut reaction was to the iconic line when we spoke ahead of Star Trek: Discovery Season 4. I asked Martin-Green if she had any thoughts on what Michael Burnham’s catchphrase should be, and while she had ideas, that changed once she saw what will become Burnham’s trademark line.

Showrunner Michelle Paradise and the rest of the Star Trek: Discovery team came up with “Let’s fly,” and according to Sonequa Martin-Green, that’s all it took. Now she’s set with a catchphrase that, dare I say, already ranks as one of the better ones we’ve heard in the franchise to date. I won’t hype it too much until we’ve heard it said a few times in Season 4, but I think the phrase will be a key part of what fans remember about Michael Burnham in the years to come. 

Michelle Paradise seemingly shared Sonequa Martin-Green’s enthusiasm for “Let’s fly,” especially in light of other options. Following Martin-Green’s comments, Paradise threw in her thoughts on the phrase, in what I’m hoping could be a tongue-in-cheek response given the goofy alternative.

If “Let’s tally forth” was legitimately considered, then yes, I’m glad “Let’s fly” was in the mix to rule that one out. Michael Burnham will likely use her line early and often as she and the Discovery crew work to unravel the mystery behind a gravitational anomaly. She’ll face all that while still adjusting to the newness of her role as captain of the Discovery, which will undoubtedly come with its struggles. Burnham has been through a lot, though, so I’d wager she’s more than up for the challenge. 

Star Trek: Discovery Season 4 premieres over at Paramount+ on Thursday, November 18. CinemaBlend will have more from the cast as we get closer to the big premiere, and hopefully, some thoughts on what will be a defining season for the character of Michael Burnham.

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Space Jam: A New Legacy provides viewers with a number of elements. It gives sports fans their fix when it comes to basketball, and it allows Looney Tunes fans the opportunity to revisit some of their favorite characters. But as a family film, it also shows viewers a strong family through LeBron James and his fictional wife and kids. This was something that greatly appealed to his co-star, Sonequa Martin-Green, who plays his on-screen wife. Now, the Star Trek: Discovery star has opened up about what it was like to depict such a strong family unit in a movie like Space Jam.

Sonequa Martin-Green’s Kamiyah may be a fictional character inspired by LeBron James’ real-life spouse, Savannah, but she still represents the backbone of the Space Jam: A New Legacy family. I recently spoke to Martin-Green about her work on the film, and we both agreed that the movie has its fair share of over-the-top moments, which can greatly be attributed to the antics of the Looney Tunes. It’s for this reason that the actress sees the bond between this Black family as a grounding element:

While Space Jam: A New Legacy certainly needs its spectacle and hyper-realistic elements, there still needs to be a tangible aspect to it that allows viewers to relate to what’s transpiring. And in this case, it was quite refreshing to see that come to light in the form of a Black family. Believe it or not, it’s still not often that we get to see African-American families at the center of fantastical films like Space Jam. The Water Man and Black Panther are more recent instances in which this is the case.

Another aspect of the family that Sonequa Martin-Green appreciated was the relationship between Kamiyah and LeBron James. The interactions between the two were nice to see and sometimes funny. However, what Martin-Green loved most about their marriage is that it’s an equal partnership:

The original Space Jam did portray Michael Jordan’s home life, including fictionalized versions of his then-wife, Juanita Jordan and their kids. However, Jordan’s big-screen wife and kids would play more of a background role than Kamiyah and the James kids do here. You can check out the 1996 movie on HBO Max, which you can sign up for using this link.

Sonequa Martin-Green makes a number of firm points, as such representation will only allow creatives to show more of the nuance within African-American family units. One can only hope that as time goes on, Black audiences, particularly families, will be able to see their realities reflected more frequently in a number of genres.

A zombie apocalypse reunion is coming to Robert Kirkman's new show, with no fewer than six veterans of The Walking Dead assembling to tackle roles for Amazon's Invincible. The Walking Dead cast members range from those who were killed off years ago to those who are still alive and as well as can be in the zombie apocalypse, and they join the already-announced Khary Payton. So, who will be part of Invincible?

The new series will feature Lauren Cohan (The Walking Dead's Maggie Rhee) as War Woman, Chad Coleman (Tyreese) as Martian Man, the very red-headed Michael Cudlitz (Abraham) as Red Rush, Lennie James (Morgan, now on Fear the Walking Dead) as Darkwing, Ross Marquand (Aaron) as The Immortal & Aquarius, and Sonequa Martin-Green as Green Ghost. Khary Payton, who of course plays Ezekiel on The Walking Dead, is on board as Black Samson.

While so many current and former Walking Dead cast members coming back together for a Robert Kirkman project is exciting, it's worth noting that Invincible will be an animated series, with these zombie apocalypse alums lending their voices. That said, there are reasons why these actors are significant as additions to Invincible. The show will be based on Robert Kirkman's book of the same name, and Kirkman himself announced the castings at his Comic-Con@Home virtual panel. He shared:

The Invincible comic series hasn't achieved the same level of fame as Robert Kirkman's The Walking Dead series even before the AMC series launched, but prospective viewers shouldn't assume that it's for kids just because the show is animated and just because it won't take place in the zombie apocalypse. The comics were known to get graphic, and adults are presumably the target demographic with this show.

The comics, which launched back in 2003 and ran for 144 issues before ending in February 2018, centered on Markus Grayson, the son of a novelist who is actually Omni-Man, an extraterrestrial superhero. Mark's own super powers begin to manifest when he turns 17, and he ultimately begins to train under his father under the superhero name of "Invincible."

An adaptation of Invincible has been in the works as far back as April 2017, although it was originally intended to be a movie with Seth Rogan and Evan Goldberg. Then, in June 2019, news broke that Robert Kirkman's Invincible would become a TV show at Amazon with an order for an eight-episode first season.

All of this said, potential viewers shouldn't count on seeing Invincible debut with so many members of the Walking Dead cast on board any time too soon. Neither Amazon nor Robert Kirkman have announced a premiere window, let alone a hard premiere date. Production halted through much of the entertainment industry earlier this year, but hopefully Invincible's status as an animated series means that production could continue.

For now, fans of Robert Kirkman adaptations can always check out The Walking Dead. The first nine seasons are currently available streaming on Netflix, and executive producer Angela Kang dropped some intriguing news about what remains of Season 10. You can find more viewing options now and in the coming weeks on our 2020 summer TV premiere schedule.

Since its debut on Halloween night in 2010, AMC's The Walking Dead has gone from an intimate adaptation of the Robert Kirkman's long-running comic book series to a massive cultural phenomenon thanks in part to the the rich storylines and the expansive cast that almost outnumbers the army of zombies that populate the show's landscape. And over the course of the show's first 10 seasons, many members of the cast like Andrew Lincoln, Danai Gurira, and Jon Bernthal have become gone from relatively unknown actors to massive stars.

But with a cast as large as the one on The Walking Dead there are bound to be a few that leave the show either because their characters' stories are finished or they want to move onto something else and further their careers. And even though we'll be seeing the return of Lauren Cohan's Maggie when Season 11 premieres, what about some of the other former members of the cast who left the series. What are they up to?

Andrew Lincoln (Rick Grimes)

Andrew Lincoln served as the anchor of the larger The Walking Dead cast with his portrayal of Rick Grimes for the show's first nine seasons, but the English actor and aggressive zip-up sweater wearing hopeless romantic in Love Actually had been planning on leaving the show as early as Season 8 but stayed on for one more season before leaving to spend more time with his family. Since leaving the AMC series, Lincoln has kept a relatively low profile, but he is set to appear in the upcoming drama Penguin Bloom where he will star alongside Naomi Watts. And despite no longer being on the show, Lincoln recently gave former co-star Danai Gurira a touching sendoff following her final episode. 

Speaking of The Walking Dead, we're still waiting for more news on those spinoff movies featuring the return of Rick Grimes.

Danai Gurira (Michonne)

It seems like it was just yesterday that Danai Gurira announced that she would be stepping away from her role of Michonne after Season 10 of The Walking Dead, explaining that she was being called to other things in her life during a panel at the 2019 San Diego Comic-Con. Even before and since her departure, Gurira has remained quite busy balancing time as a hero in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as well as a hero in the real world as a UN Women Goodwill Ambassador, which she was named in December 2018. On top of that, the former The Walking Dead star is busy at work writing the upcoming HBO Max series Americanah, as well as Godzilla Vs. Kong, which is slated to come out in the November 2020.

Jon Bernthal (Shane Walsh)

Jon Bernthal is one of those quietly amazing actors, and that was no different in his portrayal of Shane Walsh, Rick Grimes' former best friend-turned-enemy in the first two seasons of The Walking Dead. The role was suspected to be short-lived from the jump, but there are times when you can't help but miss the gravity Shane brought to many of the situations early on in the series. 

Since leaving the series, Bernthal has become one of the most prolific actors of our time with bit roles in a number of instant-classics as well as Frank Castle on the Netflix Marvel series Daredevil and Punisher. And with several upcoming projects including the TV adaptation of American Gigolo and The Many Saints Of Newark (the long-awaited prequel film to The Sopranos), it looks like we'll be seeing more of Bernthal for years to come.

Sarah Wayne Callies (Lori Grimes)

For three seasons on The Walking Dead, Sarah Wayne Callies portrayed Lori Grimes, but the character's fate when she sacrificed herself to give birth to Judith during a Cesarean section that ultimately took her life. During an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Callies stated that the character had to die in order to push Rick Grimes to the next level. After leaving the show, Callies went on to return to the Fox series Prison Break as well as the TNT drama Colony. The actress is currently on the NBC series The Council Of Dads, a series Callies told The Sioux City Journal stopped her from quitting acting altogether.

Laurie Holden (Andrea)

Laurie Holden was quite vocal about the death of her character Andrea in the Season 3 finale of The Walking Dead, the culmination of a storyline with the Governor the actress was not too fond of following her departure. Since leaving the show, Holden has remained quite busy both with her acting career (which most recently included television work on Proven Innocent and animated feature Arctic Dogs) and her work in charity and human rights work, including the Somaly Mam Foundation, Operation Underground Railroad, and Home From Home.

Jeffrey DeMunn (Dale Horvath)

Jeffrey DeMunn was one of the members of the original Atlanta crew in the first two seasons of The Walking Dead, but the actor asked to be killed off after Frank Darabont, the original showrunner, was pushed out of the production. DeMunn and Darabont have worked together multiple times over the years starting with the 1994 release of The Shawshank Redemption, so it should come as no surprise that the actor would leave in that fashion. Since leaving the show, DeMunn has remained busy in film and television, including the Showtime series Billions, where he currently plays Chuck Rhoades, Sr.

Steven Yeun (Glenn Rhee)

There is no death on The Walking Dead more shocking and unsettling than the brutal murder of Steven Yeun's Glenn by the hands of the evil Negan. Like many of the characters in the series, their deaths were predetermined in the pages of the original comic series, and that's the case for Glenn, though Robert Kirkman shared with Entertainment Weekly that there were talks of keeping him around. Those talks never panned out, but Yeun has stayed busy with projects like Sorry To Bother You, Burning, and the upcoming A24 feature The Humans, where the actor will star alongside Jayne Houdyshell, Richard Jenkins, Beanie Feldstein, Amy Schumer, and June Squibb.

Michael Rooker (Merle Dixon)

Michael Rooker only appeared in 14 episodes of The Walking Dead, but his performance as Daryl Dixon's older and antagonistic brother Merle is one worth remembering. There was no saving Merle after he turned into a zombie at the end of Season 3, but the death of his character hasn't stopped Rooker from continuing his career in film and television. After leaving the series, Rooker became an even bigger star following his portrayal of Yondu in Guardians Of The Galaxy and Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2., where he reunited with James Gunn. The partnership, which started with Slither, will continue when Rooker appears in Gunn's 2021 The Suicide Squad. And expect to see the actor enter the Fast And Furious franchise with the 2012 release of F9.

Chandler Riggs (Carl Grimes)

One of the biggest shocks of Season 8 of The Walking Dead was the early departure of Chandler Riggs as Carl Grimes from the series when Rick's son was bitten by a walker, ending his run in the process. Fans and stars of the show were equally as shocked by former showrunner Scott Gimple's choice of killing off one of the central characters, but no one took it as bad as Riggs' father who had some choice words for Gimple after his son was written off the show. In 2019, the former The Walking Dead star was cast as Patrick "PJ" Nelson on the ABC drama, A Million Little Things, which was renewed in March 2020.

Sonequa Martin-Green

Sonequa Martin-Green  originally auditioned for the role of Michonne in The Walking Dead. Though the part ended up going to Danai Gurira, Martin-Green snagged the part of Sasha. She recurred on the series in Season 3 and was bumped up to a series regular in The Walking Dead's fourth season. Like many of her other former cast-members, Martin-Green's character had a very memorable exit. After her departure from The Walking Dead, Martin-Green took a starring role in the CBS All Access series, Star Trek: Discovery. She's also expected to appear in Space Jam: A New Legacy in 2021.

David Morrissey (Philip "The Governor" Blake)

Before the introduction of Negan, there was no character more dastardly or deadly than David Morrissey's portrayal of Philip "The Governor" Blake" starting in Season 3 of The Walking Dead. Like many of the characters featured in both the comic and television series, The Governor suffered a violent death during the Season 4 midseason finale. Since leaving The Walking Dead, Morrissey has gone on to have roles in Inside No. 9, the Amazon series Good Omens, and the upcoming Dampyr adaptation.

Lennie James (Morgan Jones)

Morgan Jones, portrayed by the great Lennie James, was one of the first characters Rick Grimes meets in Season 1 of The Walking Dead, and the character showed up several more times over subsequent seasons before becoming a member of the main cast starting in Season 6. And despite dying in Season 8, Morgan had the rare distinction of showing up in the spinoff series Fear The Walking Dead, where James remains as a series regular. In addition to The Walking Dead universe, James has shown up in films like Blade Runner 2049 and the upcoming Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway.

Those are just a few of former The Walking Dead stars that have gone on to continue their careers in film, television, and elsewhere in recent years. I'm sure whenever the show returns, we can expect to see more characters and actors on this list. If you want to know which former castmember hasn't watched the AMC series, you can check that out here on CinemaBlend.

One of the most successful comic book adaptations of all time is The Walking Dead. The AMC show, which Frank Darabont developed from Robert Kirkman's popular comic series chronicling humanity's struggle to survive a world overrun with reanimated corpses, has earned multiple Emmys, a Golden Globe nomination, and two spin-offs (so far) during its 10 (soon to be 11) season run.

For those who are not fans of the Image comic, it may be easy to forget that the series is a comic book adaptation, considering its tone and subject matter are far different from what "casual fans" are used to: superheroes. Of course, there is no room for superhuman, costumed vigilantes in an ongoing battle between humans and zombies (excluding a famous Marvel storyline in which that is exactly what happens), but it does give me an idea.

While alums Michael Rooker (Merle Dixon) and Danai Gurira (Michonne) have already graduated into the Marvel Cinematic Universe with significant roles, as Guardians of the Galaxy's Yondu and Black Panther's Okoye respectively, the rest of the cast of The Walking Dead has yet to know what it is like to be a superhero. So, why don't we take a look at some of the show's current series regulars (and even a few old favorites) and imagine what heroes they would be perfect as.

Norman Reedus - The Punisher

Ironically, Norman Reedus' Daryl Dixon was originally not meant to survive Season 1 of The Walking Dead. Which leaves us to wonder, had things gone according to plan with the unexpectedly popular character, if Reedus might have stolen his former co-star Jon Bernthal's chance to play Frank Castle on Netflix's Daredevil and his solo spin-off, The Punisher. From how he rocks a leather jacket, owns the road on his chopper, and his mastery of the stoic loner shtick as Daryl, Reedus embodies exactly who would imagine should play the widowed, vengeful war veteran in an MCU reboot... with all due respect and appreciation for Bernthal, of course.

Andrew Lincoln - Blackhawk

He may have left the show in 2018 but, until then, Andrew Lincoln was the heart and soul of The Walking Dead as former cop Rick Grimes: a man who, when his head was in the right place, showed great leadership, made especially commendable by Lincoln's performance. Thus, I believe he would be the perfect choice to lead an adaptation of the DC comic Blackhawk, which follows a squadron of World War II-era fighter pilots which Steven Spielberg has been reportedly working on. However, I would recommend he update it to the present day, so that Andrew Lincoln can play the current leader of the Blackhawk Program, whose name is... Andrew Lincoln.

Melissa McBride - Zealot

Carol Peletier is not one bit the person she was in Season 1 of The Walking Dead, having evolved from a meek, desperate mother into a fearless, fully capable, and even ruthless warrior, as Melissa McBride has played her. Lady Zannah, better known as Zealot, did not become the fierce warrior from the planet Khera that she is known as today, but was skilled in weaponry and expert martial arts long before she became stranded on Earth and joined the WildC.A.T.S. in a war against Daemonites (while this DC property was still exclusively an Image character). Not only does McBride look the part, but has demonstrated how she can be the part on The Walking Dead for years.

Christian Serratos - Zatanna

Going from playing Ned's crush Susie Crabgrass on Nickelodeon's Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide to playing a badass soldier on The Walking Dead Christian Serratos pulled off one of the coolest magic tricks in TV history by exhibiting a stunning range of versatility. Magic is actually a specialty of Zatanna Zatara, the DC character I think she would be a spot-on choice to play. She may not have same combative expertise as Rosita Espinosa, but as a member of Justice League Dark, Zatanna has had her fair share of monstrous enemies.

Josh McDermitt - Forbush Man

Something you may not know about Josh McDermitt, who plays Eugene Porter (a The Walking Dead survivor who lied his way to ensure his own protection) is that he got his start in stand-up comedy, even if his moments of comic relief on the series make that less surprising. While the actor has proven his dramatic chops on the show as well, I think the actor would do well by playing a superhero that reflects his roots and one of the funniest characters known to the Marvel Universe is Forbush Man, known for his failed attempts to be in superhero organizations like the Revengers, S.H.E.E.S.H., and the Echhs-Men. So, yes, this cast-iron helmet wearing, fourth wall-breaking "crimefighter" is really more of a superhero parody, but that is a pretty hot concept right now, after all.

Steven Yeun - Kamen Rider

Steven Yeun is actually going to be in a recently announced new series based on the Robert Kirkman superhero comic Invincible... but as an animated character, not live-action as I was personally hoping to see the Korean-born actor, best known as pizza deliverer turned expert Walker fighter Glenn Rhee for the first six season of The Walking Dead, portray a new comic book character. One superhero who, despite his influence, is not very well known to American audiences is Kamen Rider, a crimefighting motorcyclist dressed as an insect created by Japanese manga artist Shotaro Ishinomori. I think that if anybody can sell the idea of an English-language adaptation of this overseas cult sensation, it's Yeun.

Lauren Cohan - She-Hulk

It has been proven that a performer can smoothly transcend comic book universes (Michael Keaton, Ben Affleck Laurence Fishburne) and British actress Lauren Cohan has already been in two, from playing Maggie Greene (whom Glenn would eventually, unofficially, marry) in The Walking Dead and Martha Wayne (Batman's mom) in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. So, why not go for the trifecta and join the MCU as a character whom plenty of Marvel fans have recommended her for already: Jennifer Walters (better known as She-Hulk). The green superhero goddess' solo Disney+ series has yet to be cast at this moment so, if the producers of TWD can write in a few reasons for Maggie to be absent a little more often after Cohan returns to the role, I think she has this in the bag.

Chandler Riggs - Red Robin

The first person you usually think of when you think of Batman's sidekick is Dick Grayson (the first Robin, after all), but then there are also those who have enjoyed Jason Todd or Damian Wayne in the costume, but Tim Drake may be the least appreciated, as far as I can tell. A The Walking Dead character whom I believe was under-appreciated for much of his time on the series was Rick Grimes' son, Carl, the role that actor Chandler Riggs grew up playing. Therefore, putting the actor, now 20, in the role of Tim Drake's current alias, Red Robin, seems like a match made in Heaven to me.

Sonequa Martin-Green - The Crimson Avenger

I do quite miss Sonequa Martin-Green as Sasha on The Walking Dead, for her resilience, complexity, and stunning skills behind a firearm. With how well she brought that character to life, I think the actress (who currently plays Commander Michael Burnham on Star Trek: Discovery) qualifies profoundly to play Jill Carlyle, a lawyer who, when coming across a pair of cursed pistols, becomes the latest to bear the title of deadly vigilante The Crimson Avenger.

Ross Marquand - Booster Gold

Yet another The Walking Dead alum who has joined the MCU is Ross Marquand... just not to be superhero, but to use his extraordinary talent of impersonation to fill the role of Red Skull (originated by Hugo Weaving) in Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. So, instead of convincing Marvel to give him double duty, I recommend he try out for the other team as a relatively overlooked DC superhero named Booster Gold. While playing the attention-seeking, time traveling Justice League member, who debuted in the 1980s, would be a far cry from his TWD character Aaron, if you look at everything else the actor has done (including voice roles on Seth MacFarlane series), that's just what he may be looking for.

Alanna Masterson - Sage

You think you can call yourself an expert of all X-Men characters just by having seen every movie? Well, think again because one very cool and complex mutant named Sage, who is just as skilled in telepathy as she is in computer hacking, piloting, and martial arts, has only been depicted onscreen in Fox's short-lived spin-off series The Gifted. I believe that the MCU should some day give Sage a new home on the silver screen and I recommend Alanna Masterson because, like Sage, her The Walking Dead character, Tara Chambler, was a headstrong individual who could invoke a hostile personality as a defense mechanism if need be.

Seth Gilliam - Green Lantern

If you are like me, you grew up with the John Stewart incarnation of Green Lantern, who was brought to life on the acclaimed animated series Justice League in 2003. Also, if you are like me, you are probably hoping that Stewart gets to be the star of future films about the organization of intergalactic cops equipped with rings that allow them to fight evil with whatever their imagination conjures. If you saw the side by side photo above with Seth Gilliam (preacher Gabriel Stokes from The Walking Dead) next to an animated shot of John Stewart, I think it speaks for itself why he has a good shot at the role.

Jeffrey Dean Morgan - Batman

I know, you know, and even Jeffrey Dean Morgan himself knows that this is the correct answer for which superhero the actor, whose most memorably comic book role to date is the despicable Negan, should play. Ever since he appeared alongside The Walking Dead co-star Lauren Cohan as the parents to young Bruce Wayne in Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice, fans have theorized for years that Morgan would reprise the role of Thomas Wayne in a film based on the Flashpoint storyline, which imagines an alternate world in which Bruce died that fateful day, leaving Martha to go crazy and become the Joker and Thomas taking on the identity of The Batman. The actor has said he is down for the role, if it ever happens, that is.

What do you think? Are these superheroes perfect for The Walking Dead clan, or do you think I'm dead in the brain to imagine such character choices? Let us know in the comments and be sure to check back for more updates on the popular horror show as well as more hypothetical casting sessions here on CinemaBlend.

Of all the big and popular ensemble casts on TV, perhaps none have changed with the frequency and emotional trauma of The Walking Dead, which doesn't go a single season without at least one game-changing death or character exit. To be expected, not every former Walking Dead actor left the show in the same way as everyone else.

Below, we've rounded up all the major Walking Dead cast member exits from the past ten years, noting the reasons why each one had to go. Sometimes it's about the plot, sometimes it's about things that are completely outside The Walking Dead's influence, but it always affects the drama. Let's kick things off with the future-Punisher himself.

Jon Bernthal (Shane Walsh)

In fighting for the role of Rick Grimes' friend-turned-enemy Shane Walsh, actor Jon Bernthal knew that the character's Walking Dead shelf-life was limited. In fact, Robert Kirkman has stated that Shane's Season 2 death was planned even before the series' first episode was shot, and that the shocker would have happened in Season 1 if it had lasted for double its six-episode length.

While it wasn't exactly a cause-and-effect case, Jon Bernthal's exit on The Walking Dead was also somewhat expected by savvy TV viewers, since the actor had been announced as a lead in TWD co-creator Frank Darabont's cable drama Mob City, which only lasted for one season. Since The Walking Dead, Bernthal has portrayed an even more prominent comic book character for Netflix's The Punisher, which had its own controversial exit.

Lauren Cohan (Maggie Rhee)

Having joined The Walking Dead back in Season 2, Lauren Cohan quickly started crushing it when bringing the comic book's Maggie Greene to life, especially as the character's development expanded over the years. Cohan's exit in Season 9 was no doubt overshadowed somewhat by Andrew Lincoln's Rick situation, but it was recently revealed that she will be returning as a series regular in Season 11, and might even show up sooner.

Lauren Cohan made the decision to leave The Walking Dead in Season 9, having landed a starring role on the ABC drama Whiskey Cavalier. That gig coincided with publicized disputes between Cohan and execs over contract negotiations, but there don't appear to be any long-lasting hard feelings, considering her impending return. Unfortunately for Cohan and ABC and everyone who worked on Whiskey Cavalier, that genre-bending series earned lower-than-expected ratings, leading the network to cancel it, then offer up hope, and then cancel it again. But hey, more Maggie!

Sarah Wayne Callies (Lori Grimes)

As The Walking Dead's leading female character Lori Grimes, Prison Break vet Sarah Wayne Callies wasn't exactly a fan favorite during those first three seasons, and so it wasn't exactly a debilitating drawback for viewers when she was written out of the show in Season 3. That said, her death was indeed a gut-wrenching and gross one, as she succumbed to a prison-set C-section while giving birth to Judith.

Lori Grimes did indeed die in Robert Kirkman's comic book, although it happened differently there (and involved the infant Judith's death). This wasn't an instance where the actor had anything negative to say about getting killed off, though, as Sarah Wayne Callies went into the season saying that she also believed that Lori had to be killed off in order to provoke Rick's emotional downfall.

Chad Coleman (Tyreese Williams)

A fan-favorite character in both the comics and the TV show, Tyreese anchored completely different stories across the two mediums, entering the TV show much later in the timeline than the original version. (Comic Tyreese shows up in in issue #7, right after Shane dies.) The late introduction could have afforded Chad Coleman's Tyreese an extended stay on the AMC drama, but he was killed off as the back half of Season 5 started. Here's how Coleman said then-showrunner Scott Gimple explained killing Tyreese off:

Lots of other characters beyond Tyreese could have invoked similar feelings without having to lose Chad Coleman's peacekeeping, if unsettled, character. As cool as the various cameos were during the sequence, the manner in which it happened – he was bitten while on a side trek to find Noah's "of course they're dead" parents – didn't help win the death any points with fans. Thankfully, Coleman has kept his genre-heavy career up with shows like Arrow, The Expanse, and the now-on-Hulu The Orville, and while he quit watching The Walking Dead in recent years, he'd be down for a properly crafted return.

Lennie James (Morgan Jones)

Though he only appeared in a handful of episodes across The Walking Dead's first five seasons, Lennie James' Morgan Jones was nonetheless a hugely important element in the live-action universe, due in part to the character's larger presence in the comic book series. (And also due to James' excellence as an actor, of course.) Morgan's comic book existence came to an end long before Negan's introduction, so the character was seemingly living on borrowed time as soon as James became a series regular in Season 6.

But The Walking Dead's Powers That Be made a particularly rare move in removing Lennie James' Morgan from The Walking Dead not by killing the character off, but by making him the first living being to jump between the flagship series and the spinoff Fear the Walking Dead. James has been a part of Fear the Walking Dead for two full seasons now, though that show's most recent season finale's cliffhanger ending threw his future into question.

Laurie Holden (Andrea)

Though Laurie Holden's performance as The Walking Dead's Andrea was solid and well-regarded by fans, the character was unfortunately distanced from her comic book counterpart. She unfortunately got written into a hole in Season 3 as the Governor's lover – against all possible common sense – and the decision was made to kill her off in the finale. Robert Kirkman claimed there was a lot of back-and-forth talk between the writers about Andrea's fate, with the decision to kill her coming late in the game.

Laurie Holden stated she only found out about being written off less than a week before the episode filmed, and has later come out and claimed that the fan backlash over her Season 3 arc and death are what led to then-showrunner Glen Mazzara having to step down. Holden, who went on to have arcs in The Americans and Proven Innocent, also later called Andrea and the Governor's story "utter nonsense."

Scott Wilson (Hershel Greene)

A Hollywood great going back to the 1960s, Scott Wilson landed the Walking Dead role of Hershel Greene for Season 2's farm introduction. By the time of his decapitation in Season 4, he'd become one of the most sage members of Team Family, as well as one of its most tragic survivors. (The writers decided to forego an earlier decision to kill him off all the way back in Season 2, and fans were all the better for it.)

Scott Wilson, who went on to take roles in Bosch and Netflix's recently cancelled drama The OA, did not seem to have an issue with being killed off of the show, either, since he returned both for Robot Chicken's Walking Dead special and for the Season 9 Walking Dead episode that served as Rick's final installment. Sadly, he passed away in October 2018.

Tom Payne (Paul "Jesus" Rovia)

The Walking Dead's Jesus maintained a long stint as a fan favorite within the comic book series, and actor Tom Payne quickly won over TV viewers with his take on the ass-whooping protagonist. Unfortunately for most parties, TV Jesus didn't get to fully take on all of the original version's claims to fame, with the signature armor and hairstyle coming for Payne only in the end. Also, Comic Jesus never died in the first place.

Why The Walking Dead's Big Midseason Finale Death Didn't Really Bother The Star

TV Jesus did, though, and Tom Payne told CinemaBlend that he was a bit tired of the role's limitations in recent seasons, and that he felt the creative team saw where he was coming from. Which isn't to say that's the precise reason why Jesus was chosen to be the first of the Whisperers' victims in Season 9, before he could even start his comic relationship with Aaron, but it could be in the same foggy, forested ballpark. Luckily for the actor and his fanbase, Payne rather quickly scooped up the co-lead role on Fox's Prodigal Son, replacing the previously cast Finn Jones. Payne's Jesus appeared for the final time in a flashback for Episode 11.

David Morrissey (Philip "The Governor" Blake)

U.K. great David Morrissey joined The Walking Dead as the comic's most deadly villain at that point in the story, The Governor. Throughout Season 3's introduction to the Woodbury community, The Governor was a beast of a villainous leader whose past inspired the most reluctant kind of empathy. The Walking Dead's creative team unfortunately decided to introduce the prison flu side-narrative to open Season 4, and Morrissey only appeared in three more episodes before getting killed off in the midseason finale.

For all the respect he's given the show, the actor was possibly bothered somewhat by getting sidelined ahead of The Governor's death, especially since the villain was responsible for the heinous act of killing off Scott Glenn's Hershel. Still, Morrissey holds his Governor up as The Walking Dead's greatest villain, and he did make a final appearance in Season 5, as part of Tyreese's pre-death hallucinations, before joining other projects such as Britannia and Marvel's upcoming Black Widow feature.

Emily Kinney (Beth Greene)

After being a second-tier character in Seasons 2 and 3, Emily Kinney's Beth got developed more in the back half of Season 4 after Hershel died and she became a close companion for Daryl. Beth and Daryl became one of the biggest positive-minded topics within the fanbase, so it was that much larger of a gut-punch whenever The Walking Dead made her MIA for a short while and then killed her off in the Season 5 winter finale. Yes, there were backlashes.

Emily Kinney was having a blast on The Walking Dead, but it seems like the creative team specifically made her more prominent just to make her eventual death that much more memorable. Certainly not an unheard of move on this show or others, and it was helped by Beth not being a comic-sourced character. Still, the actress' exit was weakened somewhat by the lackluster Grady Memorial Hospital group. Kinney later returned in audio form for Rick's Season 9 exit, and has been seen since that 2015 death as a Flash villain, as a Conviction lead, and she's got the upcoming Netflix drama Messiah. (She no longer watches The Walking Dead, though.)

Steven Yeun (Glenn Rhee)

Until Andrew Lincoln's Rick Grimes got nearly killed off and taken away by helicopter, it seemed like no Walking Dead exit could ever top Negan murdering Steven Yeun's Glenn. The gory massacre was preceded by arguably The Walking Dead's most widely criticized creative choice, Glenn's dumpster-loving fake-out death, and concluded the rage-inducing cliffhanger that limited the TV show's promotional push for its full summer hiatus. It didn't help that the scene previous death made it seem like Glenn was safe. According to creator Robert Kirkman, discussions were had about how to keep Yeun's Glenn around:

Despite taking its visual cues from the comics, the savagery of Negan's actions in the Season 7 premiere turned a lot of fans away from The Walking Dead. The move also sparked some interesting reactions from Steven Yeun himself, who was of the opinion that the show's writers often didn't know what to do with Glenn as a character. Like others seen here, Yeun stopped watching the show at some point, and likely wouldn't be interested in returning to the role.

Michael Cudlitz (Abraham Ford)

An actor that seemed genetically created to take on the role of The Walking Dead's Abraham Ford, Michael Cudlitz's time on the TV show largely lined up with the comics for the character's earliest days. Cudlitz's Abraham lived beyond the comic version's death, which surprisingly went to Merritt Wever's Denise on TV, but Scott Gimple & Co. had Abraham join Glenn as Negan's big victims to kick off Season 7. It's something Cudlitz got more critical recently, saying:

When appearing on Talking Dead after the Season 7 premiere, Michael Cudlitz talked about initially surviving beyond Comic Abraham's death, and thinking he might have a future, considering he was getting closer with Sasha and working out some of his own demons. That clearly didn't happen, though. Cudlitz has found work outside of the Dead-verse, such as on the short-lived comedy The Kids Are Alright, but he now has three different Walking Dead episodes under his belt as a director, with more likely to come.

Corey Hawkins (Heath)

This entry is unique for this list, since Corey Hawkins didn't ever reach series regular status on The Walking Dead during his truncated stint. However, his character Heath was a big deal in the comics for nearly two-thirds of the issues, so he likely would have been, had Hawkins' career not exploded right around the time he got cast.

As Walking Dead fans started getting excited about Heath in live-action, Straight Outta Compton earned $200 million+ at the box office. Because Corey Hawkins only recurred as Heath, he didn't have to shy away from other roles, and he'd landed both Kong: Skull Island and Fox's short-lived 24: Legacy by the early days of 2016, sealing Heath's fate. Appearing in only four Season 6 installments, Hawkins returned for a single Season 7 episode, and inexplicably disappeared. Years after the fact, Walking Dead franchise overseer Scott Gimple confirmed that Heath plays into the helicopter trading system that Jadis is/was part of, so he still might show up again in the Rick Grimes movies. Unless some other project he has gets huge around that time.

Chandler Riggs (Carl Grimes)

As one of the TV show's biggest deviations from the Walking Dead comic book, Carl's doomed Season 8 fate was a major jaw-dropper. (Though it didn't help things that the character's death was stretched across the winter finale and spring premiere.) It turns out audiences weren't the only ones blindsided by the news of Carl's walker bite, either, as Riggs and his family were taken aback by then-showrunner Scott Gimple's narrative choices, as were some co-stars.

In the months ahead of Carl's death, Chandler Riggs had apparently purchased a house in Senoia, Georgia near The Walking Dead's filming locations, just in case anyone had any doubts about the actor's assumptions about his future on the show. Riggs said at the time that he was put in a bit of a pickle by the fiasco, and his dad also had some choice words for Scott Gimple. Riggs recently purchased a new house in Hollywood, though, having landed a role on ABC's A Million Little Things. Here's hoping he gets more foreknowledge about his fate on that show.

Sonequa Martin-Green (Sasha Williams)

While her onscreen lover Abraham took a bloody dive after being crushed by Lucille, Sonequa Martin-Green's Sasha took matters into her own hands. Rather than living as Negan's emotionally wrought prisoner, Sasha poisoned herself, with an end goal of surprise-attacking the villain after turning into a walker.

In real life, Sonequa Martin-Green also took the lead on her career path by securing the lead role in CBS All Access' Star Trek: Discovery, which necessarily meant she would need to step back as a Walking Dead lead. Which, of course, led to her character's exit, though Martin-Green made a peaceful return for Rick's final episode, similar to how Michael Cudlitz came back for Sasha's final ep. The actress is still going strong in Star Trek's universe, with Discovery set for Season 3 in 2020.

Austin Amelio (Dwight)

In joining The Walking Dead as the redemption-minded Dwight, Austin Amelio knew he was in for long hours in the makeup chair, given the character's facial burn scars. The actor also likely thought he was in it for the long haul, since Dwight's survival went on until fairly late in the comic book's narrative. So it was probably a huge surprise when Amelio got word from producers that his character was exiled by the Alexandria community and wouldn't be returning to The Walking Dead for the time-jumping Season 9.

Fans wondered what happened to Dwight after the All Out War between Team Family and the Saviors, and there wasn't a very straightforward definition given to explain why Austin Amelio wasn't around anymore. (Beyond the in-show goal of trying to find his wife Sherry.) That same set of fans was pleasingly shocked to discover that the Walking Dead universe wasn't done with Dwight yet, and Amelio joined Lennie James on the Fear the Walking Dead cast for Season 5. It's still not very clear why The Walking Dead completely changed up the character's comic storyline for TV, but it kept things refreshing for Fear's core ensemble.

Andrew Lincoln (Rick Grimes)

For years, Rick Grimes seemed like the most impossible-to-kill character in both the Walking Dead comic and TV universes, so when the news broke that Andrew Lincoln would be leaving The Walking Dead in Season 9, fan reactions were heightened across the board. The emotional backlash was somewhat sated by the news that there would be a trio of Rick Grimes feature films, but it was still a major blow to the show, which has continued falling in the ratings despite higher critical acclaim under showrunner Angela Kang.

The reason for Andrew Lincoln's departure didn't come from up high, but from the actor himself, who had initially intended to bow out of the show in Season 8. The way Lincoln explained things, he aimed to spend more time with his growing family in and around their U.K. home without being obligated to spend so many months out of the year filming The Walking Dead in Georgia. However, he also wanted to make sure Rick's story got a worthwhile conclusion, and his apprehension over exiting urged him to stick around for the first chunk of Season 9. Still no sign of when those Rick movies are happening, though.

Pollyanna McIntosh (Jadis)

Jadis, or Anne, has been one of The Walking Dead's most prominent original-for-TV characters in recent years, and Pollyanna McIntosh's word-mincing junkyard dweller developed a faithful fanbase that was rocked by her final episode in Season 9. Jadis not only took the franchise-crossing helicopter storyline to new heights (literally) in that episode, but she also saved Rick after his bridge sacrifice.

Because Jadis' self-imposed exit didn't involve her death, and because it was revealed Pollyanna McIntosh would also be a part of the Rick Grimes movies, not a lot of information has been shared about the specific reasons why the creative team went that way with Jadis' story. McIntosh has kept pretty busy while waiting for those Walking Dead films, though; she directed her first feature, the Jack Ketchum adaptation Darlin', and also starred in the second (and final) season of AMC's extremely unique Lodge 49.

Alanna Masterson and Katelyn Nacon (Tara Chambers and Enid)

Alanna Masterson's Tara and Katelyn Nacon's Enid weren't the most comparable survivors, to be sure, but the characters met such similar fates that it felt proper enough to group them together to cap this list off. Tara's journey from Governor-follower to Hilltop leader was an important one, as was Enid's rise from depressed orphan to a dependable and intelligent quasi-doctor, but both of them met severely dark fates in Season 9 (along with a bunch of other characters) as victims of Alpha's big fair massacre.

Executive producer and frequent episode director Greg Nicotero explained around that episode's airing why the creative team decided to kill off Tara and Enid.

Katelyn Nacon claimed that The Walking Dead's showrunner Angela Kang had alerted her of the possibility that Enid might not survive Season 9, but it wasn't until the week before the death episode went into production that the actress got the final word. Similarly, Alanna Masterson says she only learned of Tara's death in the days before the penultimate episode started filming. While Masterson has yet to land a regular gig outside of The Walking Dead, Nacon was recently in Season 2 of Hulu's Light as a Feather.

There's no doubt that even more Walking Dead stars will be vacating the show before it wraps up its extended run at AMC (which might not technically happen for at least another decade, depending on how network execs continue feeling about the show's drooping ratings in recent years. Until then, though, keep tuning into the zombie drama every Sunday night on AMC at 9:00 p.m. ET.

Star Trek: Discovery ended Season 2 in pretty spectacular fashion and finally did something franchise fans assumed would happen eventually. The Discovery and its crew jumped to the future, and in Season 3, will be in a time period that far exceeds Star Trek: Voyager and all the other existing Star Trek series by a long shot.

So what does this mean for Season 3? Sonequa Martin-Green was at San Diego Comic-Con with some answers on how jumping to the future will affect the show, and also gave a bit of insight as to where the Discovery crew will end up following their jump into the future.

As Star Trek fans may have expected, the grand plan of the Discovery crew to jump to Terralysium did not turn out exactly as planned. So Season 3 of Star Trek: Discovery will pick up with Michael Burnham, the confident Saru, and the rest of the crew trying to figure out where they ended up, and what their next move may be. One would wager the first mystery will be to figure out why they didn't end up in Terralysium!

Beyond that, Sonequa Martin-Green mentioned it's quite a thing for Star Trek: Discovery to "boldly" go into a time period yet to be covered by Trek lore. While she confirmed that the events of the past (even presumably those that happen in the upcoming Star Trek: Picard) will be just that, she added that the path the Discovery crew is forging will exist as new canon.

Sonequa Martin-Green added in her interview with LA Times that in Season 1 and 2 of Star Trek: Discovery, the rules were different. The CBS All Access series was tasked with forging new ground while staying within the limits of existing canon and honoring it. Season 3 is different in that the balance is the characters are familiar with the time they are from, but have been launched into a future where things happened the audience is aware of but not necessarily the Discovery crew.

William Shatner Wants To Be In Quentin Tarantino's Star Trek Movie, But He Has A Concern

How will Star Trek: Discovery tackle its new freedom of expanding the Star Trek lore? Audiences will get to see in Season 3, and can see some of the smaller ways canon has been impacted by binging Season 1 and 2 on CBS All Access. Be sure to stick with CinemaBlend for more on the Star Trek universe, and for news on what's happening in the world of television and movies.

Over the course of several decades, the Star Trek franchise has given television audiences some of TV's most compelling characters. From Star Trek: The Original Series to the current shows featured on our upcoming Trek projects, there’s no shortage of beloved captains, lieutenants, and even ensigns who we’d consider among the greatest to ever be seen. 

It's hard to pick just one character as the undisputed best of Star Trek, so here are seven of the best. As a note, this list is limited to Star Trek characters affiliated with Starfleet, so don't expect to see folks like Harry Mudd or Q popping up here.

7. La'an Noonian-Singh

La’an is one of the newer characters on this list, but already in just two seasons of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, we’ve seen some tremendous growth and potential from the Enterprise’s Chief of Security. After being a child who survived the brutal breeding grounds of the Gorn, she’s carried a lifelong fear and grudge against the species. We’ve seen La’an confront those fears head-on, and given the ending of SNW Season 2, we’ll see her do it yet again in Season 3. 

If that all wasn’t enough, La’an’s storyline is further complicated by the fact she’s a living descendant of the infamous Star Trek villain, Khan Noonian-Singh. We’ve even seen her come face-to-face with a younger version of Khan via a temporal distortion, which seemingly sets the stage for more massive changes in the universe at large down the road. As I said, there’s some big potential for La’an’s character in the series, and I can’t wait to see how it plays out. 

6. William T. Riker

When it comes to “Number One” in Star Trek, I think a lot of readers have their personal favorites on who did it best. For me, I don’t think any walked the line of being a true friend to their captain as a confidant not afraid to speak his mind like Will Riker. Despite some struggles they faced at the beginning of the relationship, Jonathan Frakes’ performance being worthy of award recognition in Star Trek: Picard Season 3 shows just how much he and Picard have been through in the best way. 

Outside of his official Starfleet duties, few characters in the franchise are as immediately beloved or as cool as Riker. Whether he’s risking his life, romancing Troi, or even playing the trombone, he can look effortlessly suave and awesome while doing so. He even has his own patented maneuver for sitting in chairs, for crying out loud, so it shouldn’t be surprising that he’s on this list. 

5. Michael Burnham

Star Trek has featured a lot of captains in its run, but few have ever been given a redemptive arc like Michael Burnham. Her journey from prosecuted mutineer to eventual Starfleet Captain, and one of the more celebrated ones in the 32nd century, is awesome. Season 5’s episode “Face The Strange” highlighted just how far she’s come perfectly, and why I believe she’s one of the most inspiring characters of Trek. 

Burnham is, in key ways, a character who represents a new era of Trek. One could argue that her stories inspired writers to take more risks in the shows that followed, which resulted in deeper character development for both legacy and new characters in the franchise. Burnham isn’t directly responsible for that, but if her story wasn’t so interesting and fun to follow, who knows what the current status of the franchise would look like? 

4. The EMH "The Doctor"

Star Trek: Voyager has good and bad moments for all of its characters and some wtf moments that keep me up at night. If there was one character who had way more great moments than bad, however, it’s the EMH more commonly known as “The Doctor” in most episodes. From becoming the greatest opera singer for an entire planet, to a hero in a Beowulf holodeck simulation gone awry, there are no shortage of quality episodes starring The Doctor. 

He taps into the classic sci-fi trope of an inorganic life form who wants to appear and be more human. His occasional misguided understanding of what it means to be a person leads to hilarious moments and occasionally a real thinking moment for the viewer on the human condition. With the exception of one other character that’s on this list, he’s the best example of a character “learning to be human” in Trek. 

3. Seven Of Nine

Seven of Nine, in truth, could be someone who easily ends up as the best character of all time on another writer’s Star Trek list. A woman pulled from the collective of The Borg is suddenly forced out of her comfort zone and, despite being an adult, learned what it is to be human again. There are some uncomfortable moments in that process in Voyager, but it’s still captivating to watch. 

What really made her story evolve to the next level, however, was when Jeri Ryan reprised her role for Picard. Here, we saw a Seven who was more aware of what it meant to be human but still faced prejudice and issues due to her remaining Borg features. What we saw was a Seven who knew who she was, both part-human and part-Borg, and the way she married them to become one of the most capable members of Starfleet in the end. It was awesome, and Jeri Ryan deserved her Astra award for her portrayal. 

2. Jean-Luc Picard

Trek fans will always have their favorites when it comes to captains, but I don’t think there is one who is more meaningful to the overall lore. Not only has Jean Luc Picard been one of the best captains Starfleet has ever seen, he’s also one of the greatest enemies they ever faced as Locutus of Borg. If you’re wanting assured success to a mission with the best possible outcome for humanity, Picard is usually the best option every time. 

The incredible acting ability of Patrick Stewart is not to be undersold here, because he is also a large part of what makes Picard so great. If ever there were an actor who could convince the world he’s a capable leader worthy of marching them into hell and back with assured success, he would be the one. 

1. Spock

Since his introduction to the present day, Spock has remained not just the best character in Star Trek but one of the best characters in pop culture. The half-Vulcan, half-human’s story has been explored across several shows and movies, and the fact that viewers are still excited to see Ethan Peck portray the character in fresh stories in Strange New Worlds is evidence that the fandom has not tired of it.

Why do we love Spock so much? Perhaps it’s the fact that as humans, we know how difficult it can be to suppress emotions and think logically about problems in our lives. The franchise has not shied away from showing the times that he has fallen short, reminding us that even the most idealized characters can make mistakes. He also, quite famously, has shown that there are times where logic can be defied, which is something the illogical crowd can always get behind. 

See all of these characters and more by streaming Star Trek with a Paramount+ subscription. With more upcoming Trek shows on the way, who knows how this list will change in a few years, and what other great characters we will see as the franchise continues to shift and evolve with the times. 

Though it had its doubters at first, in two seasons Star Trek: Discovery has firmly established itself as a solid entry to the Star Trek franchise and one of the top shows on CBS All Access. Now, the series is headed in a bold new direction in Season 3, and, man, are there some exciting things on the horizon.

So, for those that are unaware of what's happening with Star Trek: Discovery Season 3, here's what we know so far. Additionally, we have a recap of what happened to the characters in Season 2, and where they may be headed in Season 3. As an aside, there are spoilers ahead for those who haven't seen Season 2, so maybe watch that first and check out our guide for that season before diving in here.

When Will Star Trek: Discovery Season 3 Be Released?

Figuring out Star Trek: Discovery's timetable is tricky, and with more Star Trek shows on the horizon, its release date could be pushed back to prevent overshadowing a newer Star Trek show that CBS All Access has planned. What we do know is that the Star Trek: Discovery hasn't had a year since its Season 1 premiere where a new episode hasn't been shown, so 2020 sounds like a solid guess for its return.

A report from Production Weekly alleged that production on Star Trek: Discovery Season 3 will start in July 2019. If the production time of this coming season is like the rest, then production won't wrap until Spring 2020. If it's late spring, one would think CBS All Access would hold off until fall to air the new season. Then again, streaming services have begun to embrace summer as a viable release season for big shows, so, right now, who can say for sure?

What Will Star Trek: Discovery Season 3 Be About?

Star Trek: Discovery Season 2 left little to the imagination on where Season 3 is headed, as the Discovery crew ended up making a jump to the future. In order to keep the data they obtained away from enemies, Discovery took its advanced ship and time-traveling suit into the future in an effort to make things more difficult for any other time travelers who may want to find the data.

One would imagine loss will be a part of Star Trek: Discovery Season 3, as many on the ship made the decision to say goodbye to the lives they once knew. It was for a good cause, sure, but it wouldn't be surprising if there will be many crew members questioning if there wasn't a way to protect the data that didn't mean they could never see their loved ones again.

Another question worth considering ahead of Star Trek: Discovery Season 3: is Control really defeated? The crew was able to neutralize Leland, but that doesn't mean there's zero chance of Control making a comeback, via that vessel or otherwise. Protecting the data and stopping the destruction of sentient life will probably be a continuing arc for Star Trek: Discovery, or at least throughout Season 3. They should probably find a way to destroy that data!

What Have We Seen From Star Trek: Discovery Season 3

While it's not officially a Star Trek: Discovery episode, the Short Treks episode "Calypso" may have given viewers their first look at Season 3 before they understood it. The episode featured a man 1000 years in the future who stumbled upon the Discovery. Once on board, he is greeted by a sentient A.I. named Zora, who informed him that the Discovery crew is "away."

At first, it seemed as though something happened to Discovery's crew in the past, and that the ship had sat vacant with its sentient upgrade for over 1000 years. Given the context of what happened at the end of Season 2 though, it's entirely possible the crew is off-ship attending to some other business while the ship holds things down.

It's also possible time travel didn't go as expected, and the crew has somehow been removed from the ship during the process. After all, it is really weird the entire crew is missing, as mission parties only tend to have a handful of people attend. What could be the reason for the entire crew leaving the ship? We can speculate all day, but obviously we may not know the answer until Season 3 is here.

What Happened At The End Of Star Trek: Discovery Season 2?

As previously touched on, Michael Burnham and the Discovery crew jumped into the future with the massive amount of data in order to thwart any future attempts by Control to obtain it. Those left behind agree to erase all mention of Discovery in Starfleet vocabulary, and mentions of its crew. As for the off-the-record story, the Enterprise crew told Starfleet's elite the crew is presumed dead.

This conveniently explained why Star Trek: Discovery's high tech equipment is nowhere to be found in Star Trek, and why there are no mentions of the Discovery or Spock's adopted sister Michael. Basically, it's as if Discovery never existed, which is exactly how it should be, according to what we see in Star Trek: The Original Series and all the shows and movies that followed until Discovery came along. That would explain how someone like Captain Kirk didn't know about Discovery, despite its integral role in the Starfleet and Klingon war.

What's Going On With Star Trek: Discovery's Characters?

Star Trek: Discovery Season 2 changed things for a lot of its characters, so perhaps it's best to recap what all went down for the major characters, and what their future may hold for them.

Michael Burnham

Michael led the charge into the future, and said goodbye to her adopted family and her sexy brother Spock. She also said goodbye to Ash Tyler, the one person she had a romantic connection to in the series thus far. It was a huge sacrifice, although one that Star Trek: Discovery fans no doubt believed Burnham would take.

Of course, it's fair to say that while Michael Burnham left behind a handful of people she loved, she's still surrounded by a lot of people she cares for deeply. Tilly, Saru, Stamets, and the rest of the Discovery crew have become her family. Her impact on Starfleet may have been scrubbed from their files, but her re-emergence in the future means a chance to rebuild her name and become one of the greater characters in Star Trek lore.

Saru

Star Trek: Discovery Season 2 was a huge season for the Kelpian, who underwent a major transformation. At first he thought he was dying in a natural process all Kelpians undergo on his home planet, but are spared from the immense pain of death at the hands of a predatory species on their planet. In actuality, he merely shed his fear receiving ganglia, which made him a much more confident person with very little anxiety.

Viewers saw a bit of Saru's personality shift in Star Trek: Discovery Season 2, and there's reason to believe it could shift even further. After all, there's not a ton of data on Kelpians without their ganglia, and without fear their considerable speed and strength can make them a dominate species in the universe. Will Saru be more of a fighter in Season 3, and will he permanently get the seat as Discovery's captain all to himself?

Tilly

Tilly was going through training to one day achieve commander status within Starfleet, but obviously, her presumed status as "dead" is going to derail that training. Tilly didn't seem to mind sacrificing that in order to remain alongside her Discovery shipmates, but considering how important moving up within the ranks was to her, it wouldn't be surprising if that has some affect on her in Star Trek: Discovery Season 3.

There's always a chance Starfleet is still kicking around hundreds upon hundreds of years into the future though, so perhaps Tilly will find a way to upgrade her rank yet. Sure, she had that mental break when that fungi found its way inside her body, but she's done more than enough this season to show she's a bit higher on the totem pole than the average member of Starfleet. Hopefully, Michael and crew find a way to make that more evident.

Paul Stamets And Hugh Culber

The Star Trek: Discovery couple had a hell of a Season 2, in which Hugh Culber was brought back from the dead. Unfortunately, starting over for Hugh wasn't as simple as picking up where he left off because of the trauma from being trapped in the Mycelial Network. It changed him as a person, and strained his relationship with Paul.

If there is an upside to the Discovery crew leaving their entire lives behind, it's that it forced Hugh and Paul to realize they still love each other. Things have changed, but both revealed they're committed to finding a way to work through it. The journey to figuring out their new dynamic has only just begun, but it appears that regardless of what happens, these two will find a way to rebuild their relationship.

Ash Tyler And Terran Georgiou

With Leland officially corrupted by Control, Starfleet awarded the command of Section 31 to Ash Tyler. That's quite the upgrade in command, and it will be Ash's decision how Starfleet's shadow organization will operate from this point on.

For those curious as to what Ash will do, Alex Kurtzman told THR it will all be covered at greater length in the Section 31 spinoff featuring Michelle Yeoh's Terran Georgiou. Together, they'll help shape Section 31 to what it eventually became when fans saw it in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, and more in line with how Section 31 operated in canon. With a spinoff in place, it doesn't seem likely they'll appear in Star Trek: Discovery Season 3.

Captain Pike

Anson Mount's Captain Pike ended up playing the hero in Star Trek: Discovery when he obtained a time crystal to help power the Red Angel's suit. Taking the crystal came at the cost of learning his fate, in which he saw the accident that would ultimately leave him heavily scarred and confined to a machine. In a very satisfying scene, Pike accepted his future and said that knowing what happens will not change the person he is.

We already know where the rest of Captain Pike's story goes, which is why Star Trek: Discovery has already announced he won't be around for Season 3. With that said, fans were pretty high up on his performance, so if there's any weird way he can make a cameo somehow, folks would sure be on board.

Sarek, Amanda And Spock

Michael Burnham's adopted family all have their own parts to play in the traditional Star Trek canon, and said their goodbyes to Michael before she jumped off to the future. It's understood that mentioning her or referring to her is highly discouraged, and under Starfleet protocol, a potentially punishable offense. As harsh as that may be, it's better than a scenario in which no one ever mentioned Michael going forward because they didn't care.

All three should be long gone at the point Michael arrives in the future, but it's entirely possible any of them could appear in a flashback that Michael has. That's the hope anyway, as James Frain's performance as Sarek was a standout in Star Trek: Discovery that will be missed in Season 3. Perhaps he really didn't die during Star Trek: The Next Generation and Michael just transported his consciousness across time?

Control

The main antagonist of Season 2, Control did just about everything possible to attempt and steal the data it needed to destroy all sentient life on Earth. Alex Kurtzman confirmed that Control has been successfully neutralized, although he was cryptic on whether or not it will stay that way after the jump to the future.

He did say, however, that Control will be the least of Discovery's problems when they emerge in the future. That's a scary thought, but not entirely surprising as the high tech Discovery may find itself quickly outmatched by just about every other ship in the galaxy so far into the future. Or, maybe not. Season 3 is really headed into some uncharted territory fans don't know about. Perhaps it's best to just expect the unexpected?

What's Going On Behind The Scenes Of Star Trek: Discovery Season 3?

Star Trek: Discovery Season 3 got a new co-showrunner and Alex Kurtzman will be sharing duties of running the show alongside co-executive producer Michelle Paradise. Paradise wrote the final two episodes of the season, as well as the season's acclaimed episode "Project Daedalus."

Kurtzman has been high up on Michelle Paradise since her promotion, and said her deep knowledge of Star Trek lore has been an asset to the CBS All Access series. It will be interesting to see how the entire season plays out under her supervision and guidance.

Could Star Trek: Discovery Introduce Captain Kirk? Here's What The Showrunner Says

Star Trek: Discovery Season 3 is headed to CBS All Access, so stick with CinemaBlend in the mean time for updates on that series and more in television, movies and pop culture.

In the last 10 years, Sonequa Martin-Green has done a fantastic job making a name for herself on the small screen. Her run started with a multi-episode run on Army Wives, but in the years since has played significant roles on The Good Wife, NYC 22, Once Upon A Time, The Walking Dead, and most recently Star Trek Discovery. She has done some film work as well, but nothing that compares to the project for which she is now signing up: Space Jam 2.

After years of being stuck in development, the LeBron James-starring sequel finally started turning its gears earlier this year, and now Variety is reporting that Sonequa Martin-Green is now in negotiations for a key role. Specifically, the actress will be playing James’ wife in the movie - though it's not entirely clear how that will rope her into the larger plot... mostly because we don't really know much about the larger plot. It's also worth noting that the NBA star is married in real life to his high school sweetheart Savannah James, but it's unclear if Martin-Green will be playing her, or an entirely original character.

When it comes to the plot of the movie, we know that Looney Tunes characters will be teaming up with basketball players again, but everything beyond that is basically a mystery. A teaser poster has revealed that the live-action/animated hybrid blockbuster will headline both Bugs and Lola Bunny - the latter having been first introduced in the 1996 original.

Production on Space Jam 2 is scheduled to start up this summer, with Terence Nance attached to make the movie as his second feature after the 2012 animated indie An Oversimplification of Her Beauty. More recently Nance has also been making a name for himself on television, as he is the creator of the HBO series Random Acts of Flyness. In addition to LeBron James and his partner Maverick Carter producing through their SpringHill Entertainment label, Ryan Coogler is also backing the film.

Although cameras will be rolling on Space Jam 2 in just a couple months, those excited to see it will have to exercise a bit of patience. As is the case with all animated material, Warner Bros. is going to need a little time to get the film done even after all of the live-action material is shot and cut together. Because of this, the anticipated follow-up won't be heading to theaters until July 16, 2021.

That being said, we're surely going to be getting a lot more details about the project in the coming weeks and months, as there are going to presumably be a lot more people in this film beyond just LeBron James and Sonequa Martin-Green. We'll keep you updated with all of the latest casting news from Space Jam 2, and, as always, you can check out our 2019 Movie Release Calendar to see all of the movies that actually will be hitting screens near you soon.

Major spoiler warning for those who have yet to view The Walking Dead's "What Comes After."

For almost as long as we've known about Season 9 containing Andrew Lincoln's final performance as The Walking Dead's Rick Grimes, we've known that Rick's goodbye would feature cameos from various former stars. Audiences got to witness those awesome returns and more in "What Comes After." (The "more" includes a hysterical Negan's disturbing references to Glenn's murder.) Let's break down each of those welcomed appearances and how they played into the shocking episode.

Shane Walsh

The episode kicked off with some wildly interesting callbacks to The Walking Dead's pilot. It started in the hospital, where a wound-afflicted Rick stood over his coma-stricken self before waking up in a panic to see the walker herds surrounding him. After painfully removing himself from his rebar impaling, Rick took a consciousness-lite horse ride and found temporary shelter in a rundown shack. It's here where Jon Bernthal's Shane came into the hallucinatory picture for Rick's amusing and tension-warped first conversation with his subconscious,

Set inside a cop car, the conversation addressed Rick's lingering issues with Shane and quickly got interesting once it was asserted that the wounded Rick was actually trying to get back to save Shane's family. You know, what with Judith's true biological origins and all. (Here, The Walking Dead used a great line that Jon Bernthal used to give about being glad Judith didn't have his nose and ears.) Rick then gave a sincere apology about killing Shane, even though Shane's jealousy brought upon his own downfall.

Jon Bernthal then went into Frank Castle mode to bring Shane's more monstrous side out. But rather than being argumentative, Shane gave Rick the survival speech needed to wake Rick back up from his fever dream, in order to make it back to Michonne and the rest. The meaningful chat capped off with Shane transforming into a walker for an enjoyably freaky jump scare, so I applaud that being his final moment.

Hershel Greene

While riding away from his quickly doomed haven, with a massive herd of walkers rasping behind him, Rick drifted off into a dream where he reconnected with Scott Wilson's Hershel Greene, whose death-by-decapitation in Season 4 was one of the most shocking lead character exits. While Shane represented the anger and angst that propped up Rick's more virtuous characteristics, Hershel provided a much more calming and subdued voice. Less guilt naturally makes for less harrowing imaginary conversations.

Looking out a most wondrous splendor from within the Greene family's barn, Hershel accepts Rick's apologetic confessions about Beth and Glenn's deaths, and for no longer seeing eye to eye with Maggie. Not that Hershel was around to witness any of those things in person. But there was still good wisdom to be found in Hershel telling Rick not to worry about Maggie, who is strong enough to look after both baby Hershel and herself.

Hershel's return for Rick's final episode is especially heartbreaking, with actor Scott Wilson having passed away relatively soon after he filmed the episode's scene. Wilson and Andrew Lincoln had great chemistry on and off the show, further making their final scene together one of The Walking Dead's more memorable moments.

Sasha Williams

Even though The Walking Dead didn't technically put Rick through all five stages of the grief scale, Rick seemed to approach a moment of acceptance whenever Sonequa Martin-Green's Sasha Williams arrived. It was a pretty surreal moment for the series as a whole, with Rick temporarily standing alone in an ocean of corpses, with many representing dead loved ones, such as the oft-mentioned Carl. (Not that his face was shown, meaning Chandler Riggs wasn't involved.)

It felt oddly fitting for Sasha to come back in this setting, too, since the final time Rick saw her, she had already crossed to the other side. She offered some peaceful words that didn't directly offer Rick an escape from his fate, but they did allow him to come to terms with whatever had to happen next.

Some of those words were echoed back to Rick by Michonne during his final hallucination, in which the protagonists showed up and took out the walker mob. Once Rick's focus was set on keeping the others safe from the zombies by taking out the bridge, a calmness seemed to settle in, allowing him to successfully use his trusty revolver one last time.

Of course, Rick actually survived beyond the end of the episode, possibly setting up an eventual guest spot down the line. Knowing that, these cameos do lose a bit of their emotional strength, but they're still perfectly fitting ways to honor Andrew Lincoln's work on The Walking Dead across nine seasons.

With next week's episode the first to take place in a post-Rick Grimes world, The Walking Dead airs Sunday nights on AMC at 9:00 p.m. ET. What did you guys think about how the three former stars returned? Let us know, and keep an eye on our fall TV premiere schedule to see all the other new and returning shows debuting soon.

Patrick Stewart may be making a grand return to the Star Trek franchise but that doesn't mean Star Trek: Discovery is suddenly chopped liver. The streaming series gained a fair share of franchise fans in its inaugural season, and its run played a big part in drawing a lot of eyes to CBS All Access. No doubt the series will do the same in Season 2, as the drama gears up for another inventive story, the return of a few classic characters, and probably some swearing. With that said, here's all we know about Season 2 and what fans can expect.

When Will Star Trek: Discovery Season 2 Debut?

The exact premiere date for Star Trek: Discovery Season 2 is unknown, although we've been told to expect the show to arrive on CBS All Access in the early half of 2019. Executive producer and now showrunner Alex Kurtzman has been consistent with that date since Season 1 was still airing, and no news has come out to indicate we should expect it any sooner. Additionally, production seems to be chugging along in spite of behind the scenes drama, so, provided no other massive roadblocks come up, Star Trek: Discovery should arrive when expected.

What Will Star Trek: Discovery Season 2 Be About?

Star Trek: Discovery Season 1 ended with the USS Discovery face-to-face with the USS Enterprise, and while it's been confirmed that the Enterprise and its crew won't be around all season, there will be some connection. Former co-showrunner Aaron Harberts said a theme of Season 2 revolves around the family one chooses versus the family one is born into, and with Michael Burnham's adopted brother Spock on board the Enterprise, he'll no doubt have a part to play in this theme. That much was confirmed in the Season 2 trailer anyway, which hinted that Spock is somehow linked to seven mysterious red bursts spread out light years apart. The Discovery will team up with Captain Christopher Pike and his Enterprise crew, in what sounds to be a rescue mission to find the Vulcan.

Another theme teased for Season 2 of Star Trek: Discovery involves spirituality, and the struggle between logic and faith. It's an issue Michael Burnham somewhat struggled with in Season 1, as the human raised by Vulcans slowly became more accustomed to her more human desires. No doubt she'll continue to struggle with this balance in Season 2, and it's possible the rest of the Discovery crew might go along for the ride as well. Beyond that, the Discovery is slated to get a new permanent captain, and appearances from Mirror-Georgiou, Voq/Ash, or even Harry Mudd are always on the table. One thing that seems certain, though, is that the adventure is only beginning.

What Have We Seen From Star Trek: Discovery Season 2?

A first-look trailer for Star Trek: Discovery Season 2 was released at San Diego Comic-Con 2018, and with it came the arrival of Anson Mount's Captain Christopher Pike. As previously mentioned, the trailer seemed to revolve around mysterious red bursts and the revelation that Burnham's brother Spock might be in trouble. Given what is known about the Enterprise's role in Season 2, it's possible this is just an arc of Season 2 and not the entire big picture of what's happening in the upcoming season. That said, even the small stories in Season 1 seemed to come full circle by the finale, so it's possible the trailer contains more about Season 2 than we know for now.

The Star Trek: Discovery first look also contains the high-intensity space flying and explosions that appear to indicate the action will be as constant as ever in Season 2. It's doubtful the Klingons are ready to take on the Federation so soon after their conflict in Season 1, but a silhouette spotted in Burnham's helmet at the start of the trailer appears to indicate some alien race could be behind all this drama. Who that might be, however, is anyone's guess, as Star Trek: Discovery has not been shy about redesigning some of the series' most iconic species.

Michael Burnham

Burnham might've lost whatever budding romance she had with Ash Tyler when he awoke as Voq, but Star Trek: Discovery's main character at least got the consolation of being pardoned and reinstated in Starfleet for her role in ending the war with the Klingons. Burnham's heroics have undoubtedly earned her the respect of the majority of the Discovery crew, which means she'll probably get a lot more friendly interactions with crew members who aren't Tilly. Burnham will definitely appreciate the regained acceptance of her peers, even if she won't readily admit it.

Burnham may not have a ton of time to appreciate that kindness, however, as the Season 1 finale threw her right into another complicated situation. Star Trek: Discovery is ready to show some more family drama, as Burnham appears to be on a collision course with her brother Spock. Fans will just have to wait and see what transpires if that encounter happens, as Vulcans aren't typically known for emotional interactions. That said, with Spock half-human and Burnham a human raised by Vulcans, one shouldn't be surprised if their exchange gets a bit more heated than the conversations that took place between Burnham and Sarek. Spock might help Burnham in her quest to balance the Vulcan and human aspects of her life, and, perhaps, together the two can touch on the season's overarching theme of logic vs. spirituality.

Stamets

Paul Stamets had a rougher season of Star Trek: Discovery than most and walked away lucky to be alive after merging with the Spore Drive. Unfortunately, his partner, Lt. Hugh Culber, wasn't so lucky, and we're sure Season 2 of Star Trek: Discovery will show Stamets continue to mourn for his lost other half. We're also sure we'll see him work up some other brilliant tech to aide the Discovery and its crew, although it's worth noting the Season 2 trailer only showed him briefly. Perhaps without the Mycelial network on the Discovery, his role in the current season won't be as large as it was in Season 1?

Tilly

Things were looking up for Sylvia Tilly at the end of Star Trek: Discovery, as the quirky crewmember was awarded admission to Starfleet's officer training school. Her mirror counterpart proved she's capable of handling command, although it's safe to say Tilly won't be handling things as her mirror self did if she ever gets the chance to lead. We're not sure how the surprise arrival of the Enterprise will impact Tilly's new development in Season 2, but we're assuming she'll be dropping another f-bomb if it causes a significant delay to her future goals.

Saru

Saru ended Season 1 as the first Kelpian to ever receive the Starfleet Medal of Honor, and as acting Commanding Officer of the USS Discovery. The moment meant a lot to Saru, who had been pining for command of his own ship for a long time. Unfortunately, the moment appears short-lived as the trailer showed Captain Christopher Pike will eventually take command of the vessel not long after their encounter. Saru also managed to bond with Burnham before the season's end, which means Season 2 of Star Trek: Discovery will almost certainly see the two on much better terms.

Christopher Pike

Star Trek fans are already familiar with Captain Christopher Pike, as the iconic franchise captain is largely known for being in command of the USS Enterprise prior to James T. Kirk. Star Trek: Discovery Season 2 looks to show more of Pike at his peak, and will show far more of what the Enterprise was like before Kirk's arrival. We'll also, presumably, get to see how Pike interacts with Spock, which is interesting, due to the Vulcan being one of the thin links between the two captains.

Spock and Captain Kirk had a pretty good bromance, but it's hard to say whether or not that'll be true with Spock and Pike. The Enterprise captain appears concerned for his crew member, but that may be the amount of concern he'd show towards any missing crew member from his ship. If fans don't get to see much interaction between Pike and Spock, at least they'll get to see more of the captain in action, which is something the original series didn't show much of outside the pilot.

Spock

The story of Spock in Star Trek: Discovery is interesting, and not just because his adopted sister is playing the lead character. The show has cast Ethan Peck to play a younger version of the Vulcan, despite a rather rampant insistence early on in production that the show would not be casting a new Spock. Originally, it was strongly implied that the series would use past Spock voice work and footage to re-create the character, but, apparently, some things have changed.

That said, perhaps that's still partly true as Jonathan Frakes revealed that Young Spock will, for sure, be around in a couple Season 2 flashbacks. Alex Kurtzman didn't reveal if the Spock Frakes referred to was Ethan Peck or a younger actor brought in to play a more child-like Spock, although he has confessed this will be a different Vulcan than the one portrayed by Leonard Nimoy and Zachary Quinto. Essentially, Peck's version may not quite be the level-headed clear thinking Vulcan he's largely been portrayed as, which might be why he's missing, and possibly in danger.

Sarek

Michael Burnham isn't the only relative of Spock's who is involved in Star Trek: Discovery, as Star Trek fans know his father, Sarek, has a long and strained history with his son. It's been known for a long time that Sarek wasn't the biggest fan of Spock joining Starfleet over the Vulcan Science Academy, but Star Trek: Discovery revealed why the sleight was so significant. Now, we'll get to see if Sarek forgives his son for throwing away an opportunity that Burnham so desperately wanted, but was denied, after the Vulcans gave their father an ultimatum where only one of his children could join. Judging from their relationship in later years, we're assuming whatever interaction happens between the two won't go well, but we could be surprised.

Harry Mudd

Rainn Wilson's Harry Mudd hasn't been confirmed for Season 2 of Star Trek: Discovery, although Star Trek fans are guaranteed to see him before the new season begins. Mudd will return in Short Treks, which will give the character a fresh short adventure, as well as further flesh out the Star Trek universe. Mudd's big attack on the Discovery was one of the highlights of Season 1, and while it's exciting to hear he'll get another stand-alone adventure, some fans are hoping he still makes an appearance in the new season.

What's Going On Behind The Scenes?

Star Trek: Discovery Season 2 got thrown a curveball not long into production when it was revealed that Season 1 showrunners Aaron Harberts and Gretchen Berg were being replaced. The duo, who originally took over for Bryan Fuller, were both removed after the budget for the Season 2 premiere was so out of control that all remaining episodes had to have a chunk of their budgets removed to compensate for it. Additionally, it was reported that Berg and Harberts had created a toxic work environment for the writing staff, and were, reportedly, cursing and making threats towards a few people. Executive producer Alex Kurtzman is now in control of the series for at least Season 2, and it is unknown if he will replace himself should the series return for Season 3.

As mentioned, Star Trek: Discovery will return to CBS All Access sometime in early 2019. For a look at what television shows will be arriving before that, be sure to visit and bookmark our handy summer and fall premiere guides. For other things coming to streaming, head on over to our Netflix and Amazon premiere guides.

Welcome to the 22nd edition of The Cord Cutter Podcast! With the fall finale of Star Trek: Discovery coming up this weekend, now seems like a good time to give our thoughts on the newest entry in the Trek franchise! After an interminable hiatus of 12 years, fans finally have new Star Trek on television, and this week Mick, Adrienne and their guest Mike Reyes will discuss whether or not Discovery is a worthy successor to the franchise. And, after they discuss this week's streaming news and go over what they've each been streaming lately, you can count on this trio to get down to the nitty gritty and talk about everything that's got us excited (or not so excited) about the freshman season of Star Trek: Discovery.

After eight episodes of Star Trek: Discovery on CBS All Access, some fans have made a lot fuss over the fact that the show, which is a prequel that takes place 10 years before The Original Series, not only has a look that's more advanced than that show, but also features some tech that either seems like it shouldn't be around or that doesn't show up in later Trek shows. They'll be getting into that thorny discussion, as well as talk about their favorite characters, if they think the serialized storytelling works, Captain Lorca, the new Klingons, that F-bomb and what exactly is up with two characters who might not be quite who they seem anymore, along with many more intriguing conversational points. Ready to dive in? Great! Read on to get the lowdown on this week's podcast and then listen for yourself above!

2:57 -News (Netflix cuts ties with Kevin Spacey, Netflix email scam, Lord of the Rings TV show)

12:52 -The Weekly Queue (The Hateful Eight, Sleight, Hart of Dixie, Stranger Things S2)

19:32 -Star Trek: Discovery full spoiler discussion

25:17 -The dynamic of following a non-captain character

30:07 -Can Michael ever become a captain?

32:49 -The controversial F-bomb

34:40 -Captain Lorca

37:08 -Serialized vs Episodic storytelling

40:57 -The Klingon War

48:25 -What's up with Stamets?

51:45 -Favorite character(s)

57:39 -Game Time! The Klingon Language Lesson

Now, get in on the fun and have a listen to The Cord Cutter Podcast #22! Join us next time when we reveal all your options for streaming true crime shows! And, be sure to subscribe to The Cord Cutter podcast on iTunes, right here and follow us on Twitter through @CordCutterPod!

We've known for quite a while that Spock's father, Sarek, was an important figure in the life of Star Trek: Discovery's Michael Burnham, but now Sonequa Martin-Green, who plays the First Officer that is at the center of the new series, is giving up some details about how deep that connection really goes. It turns out that not only is Sarek a father figure and mentor to Burnham, but that he and his human wife, Amanda, actually raised her on Vulcan from the time she was young after her parents were killed. Here's what Martin-Green had to say about how that upbringing affected her character's outlook:

Well, this "inner conflict" certainly sounds like it will comprise at least some of the personal issues that Burnham will have to overcome as she deals with her duties on the USS Shenzhou and the Discovery. Not to mention handling whatever comes her way as the war between the Klingons and Starfleet wages on.

According to what Sonequa Martin-Green told IGN, it actually sounds a lot as though Burnham went through a similar experience to the one Spock went through, being half human and half Vulcan, but with the added trauma of having her biological parents killed and then being raised in a truly alien culture that she had no actual connection with. Being raised by one Vulcan parent who controls his emotions constantly might not have caused so much internal turmoil on its own, but it makes quite a bit of sense that Burnham would feel pressure to act Vulcan being raised around Vulcans almost exclusively. And yet, as Burnham grew up she could also see the benefits to being emotional while watching Amanda navigate life on Vulcan.

While we still don't know how Sarek and Amanda came to care for Burnham, Spock's father was an ambassador, so it's possible that he and his wife knew Burnham's parents because of his work. All will be revealed in time, though, as Star Trek: Discovery finally debuts on CBS and CBS All Access this Sunday, September 24 at 7:30 pm. CST. Subsequent episodes will air only on CBS All Access, so if you like what you see after the premiere, you can sign up for the service here.

Sonequa Martin-Green's Star Trek: Discovery character is already blazing a new trail by being the only first officer to be the main focus of a Trek series. Now we've learned that the character will be different in another, wholly unexpected way. Apparently, her Michael Burnham will be spending most of her working hours in a section of the ship that first officers don't usually work in: engineering.

According to information gathered during a set visit done by TV Guide in August, viewers can expect to spend an unusual amount of time below decks in the engineering department as they watch Star Trek: Discovery, since Burnham will be doing most of her work there. She'll be joined by Cadet Tilly (Mary Wiseman) and Lieutenant Stamets (Anthony Rapp), who actually runs the department and the lab which is attached to it.

As anyone who's watched a Star Trek series knows, since the first officer is the second in command to the captain, they generally spend most of their time on the bridge so that they can better advise their captain and implement the orders that he or she gives. So, it's truly unexpected that a first officer would spend most of their time, not just off the bridge and away from the captain, but in another department on the ship. Of course, this likely means that Captain Lorca (Jason Isaacs) has assigned Burnham to engineering and some important work there. The questions now are, why and what is she doing down there that the regular engineering crew can't handle?

The set visit also revealed that engineering is not just a focus of Burnham's work life, but a focus of her personal life as well. Now, this could just mean that she studied engineering before joining Starfleet and the specialty is a favorite of hers, but, since I have a suspicious nature, something tells me it's a lot more than that. Especially since we're now hearing that, along with all the standard engineering stuff that goes on in the department, there's a mysterious reason for some aspects of the room. It seems that there are canisters embedded in the walls there, which executive producer Aaron Harberts said have something to do with figuring out "a new way to fly," and also are a major part of the show's plot.

It's becoming increasingly clear that Star Trek: Discovery will have some big surprises in store for fans when the show finally debuts on CBS and CBS All Access on September 24. After the premiere, the series will air weekly exclusively on the streaming service. If you want to see what else you can check out in the coming months, be sure to read our fall premiere guide.

Fans have been eagerly awaiting a real first look at the new CBS All Access series Star Trek: Discovery since the show was announced. Well, it's been in production for a while now, and we finally have a look at show lead Sonequa Martin-Green in character. Feast your eyes on this:

Ah. OK, so, I'll admit that this isn't the most action-packed first look, but, seeing as how this was posted to the official Star Trek: Discovery Twitter page, at least we know that they're aware we're on board for any and all info we can get about the show before it debuts. I was kind of hoping we'd get to see the crew's uniforms at least, but this is better than them withholding all photos until right before the show is set to hit screens, right?

So, what's going on here, exactly? All we know for sure is that First Officer Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) and Captain Philippa Georgiou (Michelle Yeoh) are either not in uniform or needed to cover their uniforms with attire that was more appropriate for what appears to be a desert area of some planet. It looks like Burnham, especially, has come super prepared. While they both sport head coverings of some sort and big goggles (in case a sand storm gets whipped up, I suppose), Burnham has a lot of equipment hanging off of her belt and also seems to be carrying a pack, which could either hold provisions or be there so they can pick up samples of something from the surface. Man, I am so into this that just trying to figure out what's going on in this photo is getting me even more excited for Star Trek: Discovery. I don't know if I've ever been happier to be a nerd, you guys.

As we all know by now, Sonequa Martin-Green, was, until recently, a major part of AMC's hit horror show The Walking Dead. When news broke in December of last year that she had been cast as the lead in Discovery, though, rumors began to swirl that her popular character, Sasha Williams, would somehow have to shamble off into that great zombie graveyard in the sky. Those rumors, of course, were correct. Sasha was a main character on The Walking Dead, and it would be near impossible for Martin-Green to appear on that show in the same capacity and lead Discovery. In case you thought that Martin-Green abandoned Sasha to take on this new role, though, she set the record straight about a month ago, when she noted that her Walking Dead exit was already in the works when Discovery came up. While Dead fans were sad to see her go, I can bet that if she's able to bring half of the drive, emotion and heart to Michael as she did to Sasha that Star Trek viewers will be in for a cool treat.

Star Trek: Discovery doesn't have an official debut set in stone just yet, but we'll be sure to let you know when the sci-fi series will hit CBS All Access. Until then, you can see what else is hitting the small screen with our summer premiere schedule and Netflix premiere guide.

The Walking Dead is one of the biggest shows on television, and star Andrew Lincoln is kept plenty busy with all the zombie apocalypse action. As it happens, however, Lincoln has his eye on another big TV show that he'd like to appear on, and it's a show that features one of his Walking Dead co-stars. He recently admitted that he'd be more than willing to appear on Sonequa Martin-Green's new show, Star Trek Discovery, saying this:

Sonequa Martin-Green landed the leading role of First Office Michael Burnham on CBS' upcoming series Star Trek Discovery. It's a huge gig for the actress as she'll take her place in the epic Star Trek franchise among other leading actors like William Shatner and Patrick Stewart. Michael Burnham sounds like a very different character than Sasha, but Andrew Lincoln's comments to Variety indicate that he believes she'll be able to tackle anything Discovery throws at her, and he'd be happy to follow her lead.

CBS has announced that Star Trek Discovery will debut sometime late summer/early fall 2017, so it's not totally out of the realm of possibility that Andrew Lincoln could sneak in at least a cameo, right? The Walking Dead showrunner Scott Gimple was adamant that Sonequa Martin-Green would be able to handle both Star Trek Discovery and the zombie apocalypse, so surely Andrew Lincoln could find the time to appear on Discovery, even if it's not in the first season. I know I'd be on board to see Lincoln in full alien makeup.

Warning: spoilers ahead for Sunday night's The Walking Dead Season 7 finale.

Of course, Scott Gimple's statements that Sonequa Martin-Green could totally tackle both Star Trek Discovery and The Walking Dead ring a bit hollow now that we've seen the end of Season 7, which also happened to feature the end of Sasha. She killed herself in a masterful ploy to kill Negan via zombie bite, and she came pretty close to accomplishing her goal. It was a tragedy to watch her as a Walker after everything she had survived, but at least she went out on her own terms. I'm just sad that she died before she could see Shiva in action.

It's good to know that Sonequa Martin-Green has such a great gig lined up now that she's left The Walking Dead behind. Even if we don't get to see her back on AMC as Sasha, we'll get to see her on CBS All Access as Michael Burnham in the not-too-distant future. Only time will tell if Andrew Lincoln will get his wish and get to appear on Martin-Green's new show.

Check out our midseason TV premiere guide and our summer TV premiere schedule to see all your viewing options before Star Trek Discovery and The Walking Dead have new episodes available, and don't forget to take a look at our 2017 rundown of TV renewals and cancellations.

The curtain has finally been pulled back on Sonequa Martin-Green's role in Star Trek: Discovery. Rumors have swirled for months regarding Martin-Green's role in the CBS All Access series, and, last we heard, her character would be taking the role of Lieutenant Commander. Now, we learn Martin-Green's character name will be First Officer Michael Burnham, which opens a whole new set of questions on this exciting series.

As EW points out, this means Star Trek: Discovery will be the first Star Trek series that doesn't place the Captain of the ship as the main character of the series. Having the show focus on the perspective of Sonequa Martin-Green's Michael Burnham may present an air of mystery to the series, as it opens up the possibility that the captain will have info that First Officer Burnham won't. It also shows a different dynamic between crew members as everyone always acts one way when the boss is around, and perhaps differently with the second in command. Showrunners have teased the show will be centered around an important event never before covered at length in the Star Trek franchise, so I also wonder if there's a reason why it wouldn't make sense to follow the show's captain.

The name Michael Burnham seems an odd name for a character portrayed by Sonequa Martin-Green. I mean that strictly in the sense that the name is traditionally masculine. Maybe the name Michael becomes more gender neutral in the future, but it does make you wonder if perhaps Martin-Green will be portraying an LGBTQ character? I'm sure CBS knew Star Trek: Discovery fans were going to have questions about this name, and it's really odd that they put it out there with no additional information to go on. For now, let's switch gears to the details we do know.

As previously mentioned, Sonequa Martin-Green's initial role on the series was described by Bryan Singer as the Lieutenant Commander. In truth, there's no real correlation between the role of Lieutenant Commander (which is basically a senior management position) and first officer in the world of Star Trek, as the title of First Officer is merely a promotion to second in command with additional duties that come with the role. This will make Burnham the third "Number One" in show history to hold the title of lieutenant commander preceded by both Worf and Spock.

Spoilers for The Walking Dead incoming. Enable spoiler deflector shields if you wish to avoid contact.

While the cat has been out of the bag for awhile on Sonequa Martin-Green's role, it's not unusual for companies to wait this long for an official announcement. Typically, a series won't reveal a character's role until after their time on another show has come to an end. Now, with Sasha's death revealed in The Walking Dead season finale, CBS has confirmed and revealed the details regarding her new character in Star Trek: Discovery. Although, I feel like I have more questions now than before!

We'll be sure to keep you updated on any and all Star Trek: Discovery details as they emerge. Check out our midseason premiere guide and summer premiere schedule and see what else is on the way while you wait for info.

Major spoilers below for The Walking Dead's latest episode, for anyone who isn't caught up.

It's almost hard to believe that The Walking Dead's protagonists have only been suffering the direct wrath of Negan for less than a full season, since Season 7 has been populated by about 35 episodes' worth of long faces and sour moods. I'm grateful we didn't actually have to endure a full 16-episode set before Team Family (or at least parts of it) attempted to regain the upper hand, and tonight's episode saw the vengeance-minded Sasha possibly making the ultimate sacrifice in bringing the fight directly to Negan. But she can't really be dead, right?

Of course, the initial plan for action was one being put together by both Sasha and Rosita, two of the more unlikely teammates in this universe, and it looked like that partnership might implode later in the ep. Sasha had on The Necklace from Abraham, whose life and death are a big motivation for her actions, and the consistently confrontative Rosita was on the verge of a mountainous snap attack for a while before eventually reining it in. At that point, The Walking Dead and actress Christian Serratos gave viewers arguably Rosita's best moments of the series, both emotionally and in the heat of walker-clobbering sequences.

Rather than present another shade of standoffishness, Rosita offered up stories about her past, and not any that we'd already heard about from her Abraham and Eugene days. We learned exactly where she got all the know-how that came in handy during the bomb-defusing operation a few episodes back, as well as several other survival techniques and life skills that make her an even more impressive asset than Sasha realized. And then they talked about Abraham, which had some enjoyably uncomfortable honesty happening. Even if fans thought there was an iota of malice within Sasha for Rosita after all that, it was washed away in Sasha's glazed-eye acceptance of Rosita claiming she was ready.

Instead of heading into Negan's compound with Rosita by her side - following Eugene's foolhardy choice to stick around - Sasha surprisingly blocked the way and advised Rosita to take off back to safety. (A bit that ended with its own interesting scenario.) And the now-lone gunwoman doesn't hint at hesitation before dashing inside of one of the Sanctuary's buildings, where an eruption of gunfire fills the air. You know somebody died up in that bitch, since Sasha's firearm game is back up to snuff, but she hopefully played it smart enough to last until next week without any major injuries.

Considering actress Sonequa Martin-Green is currently taking on the lead role in CBS All Access' Star Trek: Discovery, another big name genre project with the potential to last for years, her overall diagnosis on The Walking Dead is one that smells like death from all directions. But it's a matter of when and how, and if it'll go down like a certain comic book scenario did.

We will likely see Sasha kicking some more ass in next week's episode, as The Walking Dead usually likes to milk the darkness out of big character deaths. (And this wasn't anywhere near as ridiculous as Glenn's fake-out.) The last two episodes air over the next two Sunday nights on AMC at 9:00 p.m. ET. Head to our midseason premiere schedule and our summer premiere guide to see what shows you'll be replacing the zombie drama with in the near future.

The Walking Dead jumped back into Season 7 with high-octane action and intense confrontations, with legitimate hilarity sprinkled throughout. But we know everything will get less funny as the story progresses and Negan's villainy again looms large. As Team Family attempts to rise against him, let's not forget that Rick isn't the only one so mentally prepared to take Negan down, as Sasha is also vengeance-minded. And when asked on social media about Abraham's legacy for Sasha, actress Sonequa Martin-Green offered a surprisingly frank explanation for the character's motivations, which could mean big things are coming.

Is it just me, or does everyone else also think that Scott Gimple and the other Walking Dead producers would have been super strict about the actors, and Soneque Martin-Green especially, never using the word "sacrifice" in referencing the characters in such a generalized way that could lead to the predictable routes of speculation? I mean, responding to someone on Twitter isn't the same as saying it on The Tonight Show or something, but the eventual impact is all the same. And if you haven't gathered it yet, the impact involves Sasha likely making a move to "take one for the team" by attempting to eliminate Negan herself.

That kind of conjecture might seem out of line if it wasn't for the fact that Sasha is already considered to be on Death Row by Walking Dead standards, since Sonequa Martin-Green is currently the lead in CBS All Access' highly anticipated upcoming sci-fi drama Star Trek: Discovery. Which means she won't have all the time in the world to rue the day Negan bashed Abraham's head in, and she'll likely be saying her big goodbyes later this season.

That potential future of Sasha sacrificing herself for Team Family was hinted at in the slightest way during the midseason premiere. Mild spoilers are coming, so be warned. As everyone was walking away from The Kingdom, Sasha tried to make conversation with Rosita (which failed uproariously) by bringing up the fact that she knew Ezekiel wouldn't want to get involved with Rick's plan. And that was after she's already witnessed Gregory getting all huffy-puffy about the possibility of a mutiny against the Saviors. So the seeds are in place for Sasha to take an independent shot at ensuring everyone else's future.

Of course, we have no idea if Sasha will actually go through with that, or how it would happen. Many (including myself) predict that the non-comic character Sasha will take on part of Comic Holly's storyline, which would mean doomsday is on the horizon. But we all know The Walking Dead's creative team like to mix things up when it comes to porting comic book stories to the TV show. Perhaps her death will be what incites The Kingdom and Hilltop to join Alexandria in the fight.

To answer more questions we have after that crazy midseason premiere, though not necessarily any Sasha-related inquiries, The Walking Dead returns to AMC every Sunday night at 9:00 p.m. ET. To see everything else coming to the small screen in the near future, head to our midseason premiere schedule.

The Walking Dead is heading for hard days, to be sure, but brighter ones in some ways, as Team Family begins coordinating efforts to lead a revolt against Negan and the Saviors. Understandably, those won't be the smoothest efforts, and Rick's group faces opposition soon into the group-building. As you might have imagined, one character who voices displeasure with the mutinous plan is Hilltop leader Gregory. Actress Sonequa Martin-Green spoke out about Gregory's resistance in some detail, saying:

The equivalent of telling Gregory to go jump in a ditch and die, Sonequa Martin-Green's words offer up what could be another layer in Sasha's next chapter. From the little we got to see of her in Season 7 so far, we know that she's got her mental crosshairs on Negan's big no-longer-bearded face, so Sasha already has a monumental task in front of her. Perhaps the spineless and misogynistic Gregory would be the perfect kind of batting practice to give Sasha confidence in her grand scheme.

On the other hand, Sasha might not need to distract herself with trying to bring Gregory into the fold. The odds are already stacked against her taller than 10 Simons standing atop each other's shoulders, simply because Negan is a beast and isn't meant to be taken down by a single character, or even a small handful. At least according to the comics, where Sasha did not exist.

And even if everyone could talk Gregory into helping them take Negan down, Sonequa Martin-Green doesn't exactly make him sound like he'd be a real asset in talking with EW.

I could be wrong, but my faith in Sasha and Maggie and Jesus convincing Gregory to fight the opposition is at a zero. So eff that dude. Sasha should keep her eyes on the prize, considering her eyes might not be around for that much longer. Sonequa Martin-Green was cast in the lead role for CBS' upcoming series Star Trek: Discovery, which has many thinking she will meet her doom in the back half of Season 7. I bet Gregory wouldn't even go to her makeshift funeral, either, the jerk.

The Walking Dead will finally return to AMC from its winter hiatus on Sunday, February 12, at 9:00 p.m. ET. Head to our midseason premiere schedule to see what else is returning and debuting in the coming months.

Star Trek fans were pleasantly surprised several months ago when it was announced that we'd be getting a new Trek TV series that stuck to the timeline presented in previous shows. Now that we're starting to learn a bit about Star Trek: Discovery, it's time to get you filled in on all the major details. First up, you'll need to know how to watch the new show, because it won't air like any of the other Star Trek television shows of the past.

How To Watch Star Trek Discovery Streaming

Well, from the title of this section you can probably tell what the big difference will be between Star Trek: Discovery and shows like the original Star Trek or The Next Generation. This series will be streaming only via CBS' All Access online service. The first episode of the series will premiere on the regular CBS network, but, after that, all subsequent episodes will only be available on CBS All Access in America. Canadians looking to enjoy Star Trek: Discovery will be able to watch the premiere on the Space and Z cable networks, while the exclusive streaming rights for the rest of the series in the region have gone to CraveTV. For those of you around the world, Netflix will air the new episodes in 188 countries within 24 hours of the debut on CBS All Access.

So, I know you must be wondering what the big deal is about CBS All Access all of a sudden. Well, CBS is looking to turn the service, which launched in late October of 2014, into a streaming service that offers something more than past and present episodes of CBS shows and repeats of old favorites like Melrose Place, Taxi and Twin Peaks. Last spring, CBS announced that its streaming service would be the home of The Good Wife spinoff, The Good Fight, with that show premiering in just a few weeks, on February 19. In short, CBS is in the middle of a plan to turn the service into a place where audiences can go for original content, along with CBS favorites and reruns of old shows. When they began work on Star Trek: Discovery, it must have seen like a good fit for helping to launch the new offerings of All Access.

CBS All Access offers a free, one week trial subscription for the service, but, after that, monthly plans run at either $5.99 for basic service with limited commercial interruptions or $9.99 for the commercial free plan (which, by the way, still has commercials if you stream live TV, and "promotional interruptions" for "select shows"). As I mentioned above, there will be a lot more to watch on the service than The Good Fight and Star Trek: Discovery. All Access has a catalog of over 8,500 episodes of TV available on demand, and the service is still in the process of creating other original content for exclusive streaming.

How To Watch Star Trek Discovery On TV

In a bid to keep Star Trek: Discovery as exclusive streaming content for CBS All Access, fans will not be able to watch the show on regular TV...with one exception. The premiere episode of the new series will air on the regular old CBS network in the U.S. and on the Space and Z cable networks in Canada. At this time, no other episodes are scheduled to air on network TV, so, if you catch the premiere of Star Trek: Discovery and decide to stick with the show, you'll have to put up at least $5.99 for a subscription to CBS All Access. And, if you're planning to just binge the show during your one week free trial, think again. The series will air in weekly installments, just like it would on a regular network.

When To Watch Star Trek Discovery

If you're wondering why I haven't mentioned exactly when Star Trek: Discovery will hit CBS All Access, well, it's because we don't quite know yet. When the project was first announced, it was given a January 2017 start time. Considering, though, that the show was only announced last summer, that was already seen as a pretty quick turnaround time for a show that would likely have a lot of special effects. And, sure enough, by September of last year, word came down that executive producers Bryan Fuller (who stepped down from showrunner duties back in October) and Alex Kurtzman had gone to CBS with a request to delay the debut of Discovery so that they could make sure everything about the series would be totally up to snuff. Things were then delayed until May 2017.

Unfortunately, that delay looks to have not been long enough. This time, though, most of the blame is on the star of the new series, though it's nothing that she did that's led to the show being put off yet again. See, Discovery will star The Walking Dead actress Sonequa Martin-Green, and that show is currently still airing Season 7. Those behind Discovery were worried that, if they started to advertise the new Star Trek series while The Walking Dead was still on the air, it would confuse people for the same actress to have large parts in both shows basically at the same time. It was revealed at TCA that the show will not air in May as previously stated, but...at some point in the future. Probably in 2017, but we have no clear idea when. So, that sucks.

What's The Story of Star Trek Discovery?

We don't currently know a lot about the story of Star Trek: Discovery, but what we have heard so far is certainly intriguing. Sonequa Martin-Green will star as Number One, the main protagonist and lieutenant commander aboard the USS Discovery, as the crew of the ship travels through space and deals with an event that's been mentioned as part of Star Trek lore but never explored on screen before. It's also been confirmed that this series will feature a more serialized form of storytelling than most of the past Trek shows, and that it will take place 10 years before the adventures of the original Star Trek series, which famously featured Captain Kirk, Spock, Bones, Uhura and the rest of the Enterprise crew.

Number One will be joined in the main cast by Stamets (Anthony Rapp), a science officer specializing in "astromycology," the study of space fungi and Saru (Doug Jones), another science officer who is part of a new alien species that'll be introduced. Other characters who've been announced so far include Klingon officers T'Kuvma (Chris Obi), Kol (Shazad Latif) and L'Rell (Mary Chieffo), Vulcan ambassador and Spock's father (who's been seen before across a few different Star Trek shows) Sarek (James Frain) and Captain Georgiou (Michelle Yeoh), the officer in charge of the USS Shenzhou. Right now it looks like these characters will be recurring, but we don't know for sure and we'll probably have to wait a while yet to find out if that's true.

Star Trek fans have been waiting for years for a new set of adventures on the small screen, and CBS' upcoming Star Trek: Discovery is shaping up to be as amazing as we hoped it would be. Unfortunately, we'll be doing even more waiting for this prequel series, which has just been delayed for the umpteenth time by the studio, and it looks like The Walking Dead is partly to blame, since both series share a star in Sonequa Martin-Green.

Big casting news came out today for Star Trek: Discovery, but for everyone waiting since late 2015 for this show to come together, the bigger TCA announcement (via EW) was that the sci-fi adventures will not make its May premiere on CBS All Access as planned. And while there are other aspects involved, a big part of the reasoning is Sonequa Martin-Green, who was hired for the high-profile and mystery-cloaked lead role, will soon be seen back on The Walking Dead when Season 7 returns in February. Some execs were worried that it would cause confusion among consumers if a new Martin-Green series went into a heavy promotional campaign when she could still be seen on another show.

That might sound dumb, but they're not making blind assumptions about these things. Perhaps if Martin-Green had joined a straightforward legal drama on USA where she wears a blue wig, there would be less to worry about, but both Walking Dead and Discovery being genre shows doesn't help, despite the fact that no spaceships are zooming around the zombie apocalypse.

So not only is Sonequa Martin-Green's double-series distinction a bad thing for Star Trek: Discovery, but it has also been a bit of a calling card to Walking Dead fans that her character Sasha probably won't make it to Season 8. (The zombie series' contracts reportedly bar its actors from simultaneously starring in additional series.) So if Star Trek: Discovery is just about to kick off production for its delayed season, and it'll go on for months, so there won't be any time for her to get back into her Sasha gear for more Negan-hating.

The other issues that went into the decision to push the release date for Star Trek: Discovery involve getting the creative aspects of the series as perfect as possible, which are basically the same ones that postponed the earlier release window, as well as what made that initial date take as long as it did to get announced. With the change-ups behind the scenes and the casting in recent months, a lot of moving parts are finally in place, so everyone has to now make sure all of those angles are polished and executed properly.

Sadly, no replacement release window was announced, so now we're almost back to square one with Star Trek: Discovery, just with the knowledge that everything is actually in motion, even if it's going forward without co-creator Bryan Fuller. In the meantime, The Walking Dead returns to AMC for Season 7 on Sunday, February 12. Head to our midseason premiere schedule to see everything that The Walking Dead won't stop from hitting the small screen in the coming months.

Despite the behind-the-scenes issues Star Trek: Discovery has recently had to deal with, the upcoming CBS All Access series has made great strides with casting over the last month. When Discovery starts streaming next year, it will have a refreshing lineup of diverse characters, from humans to Klingons. Now the series has found its main star in The Walking Dead actress Sonequa Martin-Green.

EW broke the news that Sonequa Martin-Green will play the lead in Star Trek: Discovery, making this the second Star Trek series to have a female lead (the first being Star Trek Voyager) and the first to have an African-American actress leading the charge. However, rather than be the captain of a starship/space station as has been the case with previous Star Trek main characters, Martin-Green will play the Discovery's lieutenant commander, making her the "Number One" character that's been referenced numerous times. Her character's real name wasn't mentioned, nor were any details about this individual revealed other than reiterating previous showrunner Bryan Fuller's comments about how this lieutenant commander has "caveats."

Sonequa Martin-Green is best known for playing Sasha Williams on The Walking Dead since 2012. The casting report mentioned that Martin-Green "will continue to serve as a series regular" on the AMC series, but if her time is being taken up flying around on the Starship Discovery, then surely the will make it more difficult to keep making regular appearances in undead country, right? Walking Dead fans, I hate to say it, but don't be surprised if something bad happens to Sasha in Season 7's second half. Martin-Green's other notable credits include recurring stints in Once Upon a Time and The Good Wife, as well as appearing in an episode of New Girl earlier this year.

Finding the actress to play Number One is the latest update concerning who will make up Star Trek: Discovery's cast. Three weeks ago, it was revealed that Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon actress Michelle Yeoh will appear as Captain Georgiou of the USS Shenzhou. As for Sonequa Martin-Green's cast-mates about the "actual" Discovery ship, Hellboy's Doug Jones will play Saru, a science officer who is a member of a new alien species, while Broadway actor Anthony Rapp will play Stamets, another science officer and openly gay, a first for a Star Trek TV series (Hikaru Sulu's sexuality wasn't officially revealed until this year's Star Trek Beyond). Then on Monday, it was announced that Chris Obi, Shazad Latif and Mary Chieffo will recur as Klingon officers, and given the time period Star Trek: Discovery is set in, it's likelier than not they won't be friendly. More casting announcements are on the way, but right now, the lineup looks impressive.

Star Trek: Discovery is expected to premiere on CBS All Access in May 2017, though the pilot episode will also air on the main CBS network.

If you were one of the millions of people that tuned into the stellar Season 6 premiere of The Walking Dead on Sunday night, you witnessed a bunch of future talking points, from sudden deaths to peanut butter protein bars. But something else you might have noticed is that Sasha isn’t quite as wide-eyed and manic as she was as Season 5 was wrapping up. Why the big change? She finally got out of her own head.

Following that moment last season when it looked liked Sasha would justifiably put an end to Father Gabriel, he led her in a prayer and struck a chord within her. Here’s how actress Sonequa Martin-Green puts it, speaking as if she is Sasha.

While corrupted by guilt and depression, Sasha was the kind of crazy that you actually probably would want from someone in a fractured group setting like that of Alexandria. She didn’t really antagonize any of the other survivors, and chose to take out all of her aggression on any walker that came into her vicinity. She was far more of a danger to herself, simply by jumping into dangerous situations. But now she’ll apparently have her head screwed on tight, with a focus on putting her walker-killing talents back into a structured existence.

Sadly, I guess that also means she won’t ever be responsible for killing Father Gabriel, as she also shared with EW that her decision to not kill him was “a turning point for him as well.” Unless they decided to spin it as her doing it and then feeling really bad about it. I’m fine with that, so long as this dude goes away.

All in all, it was good to have Sasha back on this side of normal for the Season 6 premiere. Her car scenes with Abraham offered up nice, quiet moments amidst all the zombie herd madness. Sasha’s still one of those characters that feels like she could die at any moment, since she isn’t always at the head of the storytelling. But I’m happy to see her feeling better about things, and she’ll hopefully take up Comic Book Andrea’s post as the watchtower sniper in the future. They need one of those.

The Walking Dead airs on Sunday nights on AMC.

Spoilers if you aren't caught up on The Walking Dead through the Season 3 finale!

It looks like David Morrissey isn't the only recurring star in The Walking Dead getting a promotion for Season 4. It looks like we can expect to see more of Sasha, Tyreese and Beth next season as well, as Chad L. Coleman, Sonequa Martin-Green and Emily Kinney have all been promoted to series regulars in the popular AMC zombie drama.

TVLine posted the news of their upgrades this week. Martin-Green and Coleman's characters were introduced to us in Season 3, but we haven't had much time to get to know Sasha and Tyreese. What has become clear, so far, is that they're two people who think for themselves and their moral compasses appear to point due north, which is more than can be said for some other characters. Their upgrade indicates that we'll be getting to know them better when the show resumes next fall.

Beth already seemed like a series regular in Season 2, having appeared frequently in scenes related to the prison, but hopefully her upgrade is more than just a formality and this means we'll be seeing even more of her when the new season resumes. Beth's like a light of hope, offering a bit of optimism and the occasional song to the otherwise gloomy or tense atmosphere.

Talk of these promotions apparently prompted some fans to complain that Melissa McBride, who plays Carol in the zombie series, was still not promoted to series regular, but that's apparently not the case. TVLine cleared up that confusion today, citing a Tweet from McBride confirming that she's already a regular on the show.

The mid-season finale of The Walking Dead introduced (vague spoiler alert if you aren't caught up!) a number of new characters this fall, among which was Sasha, played by Sonequa Martin-Green. She was one of the survivors who came upon the prison. While I expect we'll be getting to know Sasha better when the AMC drama's third season picks up, Once Upon a Time fans will also be seeing the actor at some point in the near future, as Martin-Green has signed on for a role in the series.

EW reports that Sonequa Martin-Green has signed on for the role of Tamara in ABC's fantasy-drama series Once Upon a Time. Not much about the character is known as of yet, including how she fits into the storybook side of things, but from what EW says, Tamara is "a charming and likable woman who’s secretly highly ambitious and a fearless leader driven to get what she wants."

It's a vague description, especially in the way it doesn't mention whether or not being "secretly highly ambitious and a fearless leader" is a good thing, or if she's of the "whatever it takes even if it means being super evil" camp. I'm hoping it's the former, but we'll see. It's a recurring role, which could end up being carried over into Season 3.

As for The Walking Dead, EW says she's expected to continue on with the AMC drama when it returns in February for the second half of its third season. So it sounds like those of us who watch both The Walking Dead and Once Upon a Time will be seeing quite a bit of her in the new year.

In addition to The Walking Dead, Martin-Green's TV credits include Gossip Girl, The Good Wife, NYC 22 and Army Wives.