First of all, Alex Kurtzman, the show's co-creator and executive producer, will direct the season's opening episode with fellow executive producer Akiva Goldsman expected to helm an instalment too. It has also been confirmed that Jonathan Frakes, longtime star and director of both
Star Trek television and film, will yet again take up directorial duties this season on the shows second and tenth episode.
The former is said to feature flashbacks to a young Michael Burnham, who won't be the only child version of a
Star Trek character we will see in this second season, as Frakes also let slip that a much younger Spock is set to appear. There is no current word on whether we will see an adult version of the character.
The iconic USS Enterprise and her crew will make their presence felt, however, following their meet up with the Discovery in the shows first season finale and
Inhumans star Anson Mount has been cast as current Enterprise Captain, Christopher Pike.
Mount does have a striking similarity to Jeffrey Hunter who originated the role of Pike in the first unaired TOS pilot "The Cage" and then through archive footage in the two-part episode "The Menagerie" wherein the character was
left enclosed in a chair-like apparatus following his excursion to Talos IV.
The second season of the show will not only see returning Star Trek characters but also brand new ones, and
The Hashtag Show has revealed the character breakdowns of these new additions.
The first is Chief Engineer Denise Reno of the USS Hiawatha who will be played by stand-up comedian Tig Notaro. The character is described as "high-energy and bordering on boisterous, she is happiest when she’s fighting a stubborn bolt, a real gearhead." which should make her a good foil to Discovery's engineer Paul Stamets.
The breakdown also reveals that the character is "required to be in a wheelchair", which continues the shows wonderful embracing of representative characters, this isn't a first for the franchise, however, as the Deep Space Nine episode "Melora" featured a character who must use a wheelchair due to her species' reaction to earth like gravity.
The other character that The Hashtag Show breakdowns reveal is another engineer by the name of May:
A Female in her 20s.
A friendly Engineering Officer who shows real concern for others in the face of danger.
Needs to be able to comfortably perform in a distinctive, Non-American accent. Comedy chops a plus.
ALL ETHNICITIES. (RECURRING).
The second season of
Star Trek: Discovery will also see
Shadowhunters actor Alan Van Sprang appear as Leland, a character that debuted in a
deleted scene of the show's finale that was shown at
WonderCon.
The scene pays off the question of those black delta shields spotted on the USS Discovery in "Context is for Kings" as they are revealed to be the insignia of Section 31: a morally grey autonomous and clandestine organization that serves the best interest of humanity no matter the cost.
Just how Section 31 and all of the other above reveals play into and affect the upcoming second season of
Star Trek: Discovery remains to be seen. You can currently revisit the full first season of
Star Trek: Discovery which is available exclusively in the USA on
CBS All Access, on Space and CraveTV in Canada and then on Netflix everywhere else.
What do you think? Are you excited for the next season of Star Trek: Discovery? Where would you like to see the show go? Leave your thoughts below.