The “Star Trek: Discovery” cast is led by a female. Yay. But her character has a man’s name. Weird?
For some, that fact takes away from the optics of the progress, and one television critic asked the CBS All Access show’s executive producers what that was all about anyway.
“That was Bryan’s [Fuller] idea, actually,” Alex Kurtzman replied. “I think he just felt that name.”
“We’ve worked on many shows with Bryan. It’s a motif,” fellow EP Aaron Harberts added on Tuesday at the Television Critics Association press tour. “It’s his signature move to name his lead women with names that would typically be associated as male.”
“When we were kicking around ideas … we were going through male names and we all sort of hit on Michael,” he continued.
“The entire room was like, ‘This is a really, really interesting name,'” Harberts went on to say. “Of course, an archangel is named ‘Michael’ as well. It just had a lot of potency for us.”
But how does the actress behind Michael feel about it?
“For me, taking it, understanding that that’s where it had come from — I appreciated that,” Sonequa Martin-Green told the reporters present. “And I appreciated the sort of statement it makes all on its own. To have a woman with a male name, speaking of … how we see men and women in the future.”
“I also just decided for my creation and for my background and whatnot, that I was named after my father,” she continued. “So again, you sort of get a little bit of exploration of the father-daughter dynamic … I think it’s a lovely symbol.”
Other Fuller shows with female leads given male names include Anna Friel’s “Chuck” from “Pushing Daises” and Caroline Dhavernas‘s “Jaye” on “Wonderfalls.”
Fuller was “Star Trek: Discovery” showrunner before handing the reigns over to Kurtzman and Co. in order to focus on Starz’s “American Gods.”
“Star Trek: Discovery” debuts on CBS broadcast and CBS All Access on Sept. 24, 2017. Immediately after Episode 1 ends that evening, Episode 2 will drop on the streaming service. Each subsequent episode will be available Sundays on All Access.
12 New TV Shows We're Actually Excited About, From 'Gifted' to 'Rise' (Photos)
The five broadcast networks unveiled their new shows for the 2017-18 season this week, and as always, some looked better than others. TheWrap's TV Team has picked the 13 show's we're most excited to see, based on what we know about them so far.
"LA to Vegas" (Fox) We're all about to find out just how funny Dylan McDermott -- who apparently can can grow a killer mustache -- can be. His captain's jokes from the series' trailer are top-notch in their purposefully hacky delivery -- let's see if the rest of the crew can keep up. "LA to Vegas" hails from Will Ferrell and Adam McKay, so we know pedigree won't be the problem. Insert your own joke about substituting Dermot Mulroney for Season 2 and not missing a beat. -- Tony Maglio
Fox
"The Orville" (Fox) Look, it's Seth MacFarlane and Norm MacDonald in a space odyssey -- how bad could it be? Famous last words, we know -- but this certainly has more potential than "Dads" did. The trailer for "The Orville" has some solid laughs, including a pretty simple one about shot-framing -- let's hope this turns out to be more "Ted" than "A Million Ways to Die in the West." -- Tony Maglio
Fox
"The Crossing" (ABC) It's from the creators of "Lost" and they certainly want you to think that's what you're getting: a paranormal mystery, a lot of secrets, and people talking in vague terms about a future war. What could this all mean? Will each episode end in a cliffhanger? Do they have an end game? Hopefully we've learned a lot since "Lost," and since that might be the case, here's hoping "The Crossing" is what could've been for fans of supernatural intrigue. -- Carli Velocci
ABC
"The Gifted" (Fox) It looks a lot like "Heroes" (and we know how that turned out) but there's still something here. We have Amy Acker -- who's good in just about every role she's ever played -- starring in a show about mutants that looks to expand on the drama we saw hinted at in "Logan." Where are the X-Men or the Brotherhood? What is the status of mutants? Fans can get some answers and maybe learn a thing or two about characters like Blink, who was underused in "Days of Future Past" and Polaris, a character from the comics. -- Carli Velocci
Fox
"Law & Order True Crime: The Menendez Murders" (NBC) It's one of the most bizarre true crime cases. It seems simple -- the story of two brothers who were convicted of killing their parents -- but accusations about child abuse, sexual assault, and manipulation made it tough to discern who all was guilty. Crime afficionados are obsessed with this story for a reason, and to see it dramatized with Edie Falco in a starring role is too juicy to pass up. -- Carli Velocci
NBC
"Rise" (NBC) Based on its premise alone, "Rise" could seem like little more than an earnest take on "Glee," but with "Friday Night Lights'" Jason Katims at the helm, the high school-set series promises gut-wrenching emotion and human drama. And the trailer NBC previewed at its upfront presentation confirmed that "Moana" breakout Auli'i Cravalho is destined to be a star, bringing the same charisma she displayed in her show-stopping performance at this year's Oscars. -- Reid Nakamura
NBC
"The Mayor" (ABC) ABC's rapper-turned-mayor comedy was one of the most pleasant surprises in the network's line-up, with the trailer serving up more than a few good laughs (though disappointingly little music for a show about a rapper). Brandon Micheal Hall is a charming lead and he's surrounded by a more than capable cast, including "Community" vet Yvette Nicole Brown and "Glee" star Lea Michele. -- Reid Nakamura
ABC
"Star Trek: Discovery" (CBS) Fans have waited for the latest "Star Trek" TV series for nearly two years, through multiple delays and behind-the-scenes changes, but it looks like the show will finally come to CBS and CBS All Access this fall. The effects-heavy trailer indicates the show will be a big swing for the network, a good sign for those fans hoping the show will be able to live up to the spectacle of the movies. -- Reid Nakamura
CBS
"Me, Myself & I" (CBS) Bobby Moynihan gets a chance to shine away from "Saturday Night Live" with the new time-hopping single-camera sitcom from Dan Kopelman ("Rules of Engagement"). The trailer's heartwarming tone and unlucky-in-love protagonist with a dorky job calls to mind another mixed-chronology CBS comedy, "How I Met Your Mother." Will this new show manage to replicate the charms of "HIMYM"? Wait for it … -- Ryan Gajewski
CBS
"The Resident" (Fox) Doctor shows are a dime a dozen, and we probably don't need another one about a handsome young hotshot who plays by his own rules, but a certain operating room scene won me over. They're covering up a murder! -- Linda Ge
Fox
"Black Lightning" (The CW) It's kind of a bummer The CW's newest DC superhero drama won't be part of the Arrowverse, but the tale of Jefferson Pierce looks plenty intriguing enough on its own. The best part: His daughter appears to start to manifest superpowers as well, making this family affair something we've never seen before. -- Linda Ge
The CW
"Dynasty" (The CW) Everything seemed like a normal soapy drama for the first 75 percent of this show's trailer, and then the lead character bit the head off of a wedding cake topper. Oh yeah, now we have a show. I really hope all this footage is from the pilot and the series just goes even further into crazytown from here. -- Linda Ge
The CW
1 of 13
The broadcast shows include two superhero dramas, a rapper-mayor comedy, a new ”Star Trek“ series and a ”Star Trek“ parody
The five broadcast networks unveiled their new shows for the 2017-18 season this week, and as always, some looked better than others. TheWrap's TV Team has picked the 13 show's we're most excited to see, based on what we know about them so far.
Fox
