Hi, I'm Dominic Patten, senior editor,
and chief TV critic
for Deadline Hollywood,
and I'm so glad to be back
at Comic-Con, this year
especially at Comic-Con@Home.
So welcome to our Star Trek Universe panel
at this year's San Diego Comic-Con@Home.
Now I'm joined here today by Alex Kurtzman
and Heather Kayden, who
serve as executive producers
of the three series that
we'll be featuring in today's
Star Trek Universe panel.
Star Trek: Discovery,
Star Trek: Lower Decks,
Star Trek: Picard.
Hi Heather and Alex, thank
you so much for joining us.
Now one of the things that we've seen
in the past several years
is the Star Trek Universe
is always expanding, so can
you tell us a little bit
about what's ahead?
Absolutely. Well, first of
all Dom, thank you so much
for having us, and
we're very sad not to be
at Hall H this year with
our Star Trek family
in San Diego, but we're
really excited that people
still get to hear all about it.
Let me ask you this.
Now, in the past couple of months we've,
of course, heard the great news
about Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.
Iconic characters coming
back with their own series.
Give us a sense of where that's at.
Alright, so obviously we heard the fans.
I really wanted to tell everybody about it
last Comic-Con, people were poking around,
and asking questions, and
we couldn't say anything.
But we were already having
real active conversations
at that point.
The room has started.
There are 10 stories broken,
which is very exciting,
and they're just sort of at the beginning,
but it was one of those shows that I think
everybody came in with such
enthusiasm, and so much love.
Now Heather, as we talk
about live-action Star Trek,
and there, of course, are several series,
and we're gonna see many of them today,
there's also animated Star Trek coming.
Heather, can you give us a
sense of what we're gonna see
in that version of this world.
Yeah, so in addition to Lower Decks,
which we'll talk about a little later,
we're developing a new show for kids
on Nickelodeon that the
talented Hageman brothers
are developing and showrunning
that we're super excited
about, for kids to have a way
into the Star Trek brand.
And we're officially announcing today
that the title of that show will be
Star Trek: Prodigy.
Pow!
Now talking about that
Alex, talking about today,
what are we gonna see today? With
the Star Trek Universe panel that we have
at Comic-Con@Home?
You are going to see,
on the Discovery side,
a live reading of the finale of Season 2.
You are then going to have a brief Q&A
with the cast afterwards,
then you're gonna have
a Q&A with the cast of Star Trek: Picard.
But in between those two,
you're gonna have a Q&A with
Mike McMahan and Lower Decks.
So you're gonna get to meet the actors
and see some artwork,
and enjoy Lower Decks.
So, you see, guys, even though
we're doing Comic-Con at home
this year and not doing it
in front of thousands of you
in Hall H, we're delivering
a full Star Trek package.
I wanna go back to what we
were just talking about again,
because, let's be honest,
we're doing Comic-Con at home,
but we're all living here in this world.
And plus, you know,
obviously the coronavirus
is keeping us apart from
each other this year,
but there's a lot of other
things going on in this country
and around the world, and
sometimes I feel like art
can speak to some of those issues,
perhaps even more than politics can,
specifically when we talk about Star Trek
inclusion, diversity, outreach.
I want to know what you
guys think about the message
of Star Trek in the
America and in the world
that we're living in today.
I think we're all so proud
to be working on a show
that has a message that really matters
and really resonates.
I think anyone who does what they do
on this side of the camera, on
the other side of the camera
is hoping to say something.
And I think what's great
when you're working on genre
is you often get to say
things about current events,
and mask them so they
don't feel like medicine,
or that you're being taught something.
And I think in the case
of Star Trek, thematically
it's just been baked
into what Star Trek is
about a better hope, about
equality, gender equality,
racial equality, sexual equality.
I mean, it's what it is.
And you know, we've seen
in the past few weeks
on the Star Trek social media
platforms #StarTrekUnited.
Alex, can you give us a sense
about what that is telling us?
Star Trek, really since its
inception, has always...
it's endeavored to speak to
the vision that we are all
fortunate enough to live in every day.
It's unfortunately not the
vision that the rest of the world
is living in, but we live
in this perfect world where,
as Heather said, everybody
really is united,
and a lot of the differences that are
dividing us these days are gone.
So Star Trek United is an
effort to bring awareness
to many of the organizations
that are critical right now,
Black Lives Matter, the
NAACP. A lot of our cast
speaking to that, Star
Trek speaking to it.
The goal is not really
to promote Star Trek,
but to promote these
organizations, and to use
our platform to be able
to bring greater awareness
to these very, very important
messages and places.
Well, that's a very worthy use
of a very powerful platform.
Thank you Heather, thank you
Alex for joining us today.
Thanks so much.
-Thanks.
-Bye!
Now, I'm excited to
introduce the first portion
of the Star Trek Universe panel featuring
the Season 2 cast of CBS All
Access' Star Trek: Discovery,
who all came together for a
special virtual table read
of the first act of the
epic Season 2 finale,
"Such Sweet Sorrow, Part 2".
So be sure to stick around
after this virtual reading
because the cast are gonna do a Q&A.
And now, without further ado,
here's the Star Trek:
Discovery Executive Producer,
and Co-Showrunner, Michelle
Paradise, to kick things off.
Hi everyone, my name is Michelle Paradise.
I am the co-showrunner, and
one of the executive producers
of Star Trek: Discovery, and thank you
for joining us today as
we do a virtual table read
of act one of our Season 2 finale,
"Such Sweet Sorrow,
Part 2," because it was
a two-part finale. It was that epic
that we had to do it in two parts.
And we are so excited that
we could come together,
and do this for Comic-Con
since we can't be there in person.
We're very bummed about
that, but we're all
safely social distancing,
hope you are as well.
And we're just excited
that we could be here,
and that we could do this.
Thank you so much for joining us.
And we are also here to
support a very important cause,
and for that I will turn it
over to Michael Burnham herself,
star of our show, awesome human
being, Sonequa Martin-Green.
Please tell us the extra-important reason
that we're here today.
Yes, well, that extra-important reason
is that we're here
together today to support
an organization known as
the NAACP Legal Defense
And Educational Fund.
It is America's premier legal organization
fighting for racial justice.
It is the country's first and foremost
civil and human rights law firm.
It was actually founded in
1940 by Thurgood Marshall,
who subsequently became
the first African American
U.S. Supreme Court justice.
The LDF's mission is to
achieve racial justice,
equality, and an inclusive society.
And it's been fighting
tirelessly for nearly 80 years
in political participation,
in education equity,
economic justice, and
criminal justice reform.
So it's really, really an honor
to support this organization.
We stand by the truth
that Black lives matter.
This moment and this movement
will be forever remembered,
and change is now.
If you would like to get
involved by supporting
the enduringly impactful
NAACP Legal Defense
And Educational Fund, please go to
naacpldf.org/startrekunited
and donate today.
And now Olatunde will lead us in.
Thank you, Sonequa, appreciate it.
Introducing Michelle Yeoh.
Hey, hi!
-Doug Jones.
-Hey everyone.
-Anson Mount.
-Hello.
-Anthony Rapp.
-Hello!
-Mary Wiseman.
-Hello there.
-Wilson Cruz.
-What's going on!
-Alan van Sprang.
-Hi!
-Ethan Peck.
-Hey, how you doing?
-Mary Chieffo.
-Qapla'!
Our Discovery bridge crew, Emily Coutts.
Hello!
-Oyin Oladejo.
-Hello!
Patrick Kwok-Choon.
Hey!
-Sara Mitich.
-Hello!
Ronnie Rowe Jr.
Hey guys.
Back to the remaining cast,
-Tig Notaro.
-Here.
-Rebecca Romijn.
-Hey hey!
-Jayne Brook!
-Hi!
And one more time, Sonequa Martin-Green.
Hey everybody.
And unfortunately, Shazad Latif
who play Specialist Ash
Tyler, is unable to join us,
so I'll be reading his lines today.
I'll also be reading the
roles of Commander Nhan,
Yoman Colt, the nurse and the doctor,
and we have the wonderful
Michelle Paradise
reading the roles of Council
Member, Doctor Tracy Pollard,
Siranna, Po, Lieutenant
Amin, Lieutenant Mann,
-Lieutenant Nicola, and K'Vort.
-Wow!
-Wow!
-So many lieutenants.
Yeah, you got a lot to do.
So, Episode 214, "Such
Sweet Sorrow, Part 2."
Interior Discovery bridge.
Red alert, whipping from Saru to the Con
to Oh at her console.
Battle stations, report.
Battery's armed and ready, sir.
And we whip off Obo, making
an invisible transition to
interior Enterprise bridge.
Shields at maximum, Captain.
Transmit to all ships.
This is Captain Pike.
We have one job: get Commander
Burnham and Discovery
through the wormhole.
Section 31 is in our way.
Interior Discovery. Lit
corridors, steam billowing,
crew running every which way,
Burnham and Spock take frame,
racing like mad toward
Engineering. We track with them,
almost at full sprint.
Discovery will navigate
into the clearest possible position.
Exterior space. Pause that
with Pike on the bridge.
As retro-fitted shuttles exit the bay,
we soar toward the side of Discovery
where retro-fitted pods launch
from dozens of silo openings.
Second Squadron will
match course and speed
to cover Burnham's launch
and defend her perimeter.
Now we follow the pods to Enterprise,
where Starfleet fighter
ships are simultaneously
launching from the shuttle bay.
Enterprise will maintain fire on the fleet
to distract them for as long as we can,
but as soon as Burnham
is detected out there,
we have to keep her safe.
The Disco and Enterprise
ships merge into one fleet.
Follow as they race alongside, and over
their respective ship hulls.
All shuttles and pods use
attack formation Gamma Six.
First and third quadrants
coordinate positions
to disrupt and target
the main enemy vessels.
This is Starfleet. Get it done.
[Olatunde] The Starfleeters fan out,
forming separate ranks,
as Section 31 armada, at a distance,
closes in on all sides.
Interior Discovery bridge, intercut.
Mr. Saru, ETA on that suit.
The components are being synthesized
and assembled as we speak.
Interior Discovery Engineering. Chaos.
Don't adjust the composite automatically.
I'll do it manually before
clearing each piece for assembly.
I'm not detecting any micro-variances.
No, I need a surgical spanner,
not a standard engineering coupler.
Stop, look me in the eye.
The silicon injectors have to be purged
after each binding is molded, watch me.
The bayonet joint on this
oxygen sensor's wide open.
Are you trying to kill her?
It's muscular work,
everyone drenched in sweat.
A crew member stumbles, drops a piece,
Burnham doesn't hesitate.
Get off the line.
Interior Enterprise. Interior
Discovery. Bridges intercut.
High speed, low drag, Commander.
The longer it takes her
to open the wormhole
-the fewer make it home.
-Yes, sir!
What's the intel on how much
perimeter space she'll need?
Commander Burnham needs to remain
at the outermost radius of the
battle at .0004 arc-seconds.
In English, I can't blow a path
through what you're saying.
Tight enough so none of the
Section 31 ships are pulled
into the future with her, loose
enough so none of our guys
get destroyed by the event horizon.
Lieutenant Spock will remain on
Comms throughout to guide her.
Interior Discovery Engineering.
Burnham, at assembly table,
snaps open a communicator.
Reno, where are you with the time crystal?
Interior Discovery Science lab.
Reno stands next to the
crystal, tearing the cage off,
bracing herself against the console.
Her face contorted, a
future only she can see.
Then she hears.
-Reno!
-Which jolts Reno back
to the moment, and she
presses on, pushing down
whatever it was that she saw.
Four minutes, 18 seconds
until fully charged.
Can you cut that in half?
Can I violate the basic laws of physics?
-No!
-Interior Discovery bridge.
Commander, we've scanned
the Section 31 armada.
There's only one life
sign, Captain Leland's.
The rest of the ships are empty.
Drones, nasty ones.
Lieutenant Bryce, have you had
any success reaching Starfleet?
Subspace relays are still down, Commander.
-Attempting to circumvent.
-Very well, then.
It is just us.
Any, ahem, words of wisdom?
"Be extremely subtle,
even to the point of formlessness.
Be extremely mysterious,
even to the point of soundlessness."
"Thereby you can be the director
of the opponent's fate."
I'm surprised that a
Kelpien, of all beings,
has studied Sun Tzu.
And I am surprised a Terran
is surprised by anything.
[Olatunde] She looks at
him with increased respect.
-Just then--
-Incoming hail. Leland, sir.
That sits, nervous faces,
Saru says to buoy them:
You will see a human face.
It is not a human being.
Am I clear?
-Yes, sir!
-Put it through.
[Olatunde] On viewscreen, Leland appears.
Leland, we were just talking about you.
Everyone hates you, congratulations.
You know why I'm here.
Give me what I've come for, or die for it.
By authority granted me under
the Articles of the Federation
and Starfleet Charter,
I order you to surrender your vessels.
No terms, no deals.
Last warning. Transmit the
data, or you'll be destroyed.
By my count, we have over 200 vessels,
while you have, 30, is it?
-[Olatunde] A beat.
-Count again.
Exterior space.
Three large Section 31 ships release
a massive fleet of
smaller drones, peel away
from their parent host,
hornets leaving their nest
headed for the Starfleet armada.
Interior Discovery
bridge. Push in on Saru,
his eyes focused on the viewscreen.
This is so much worse
than anyone was expecting.
Interior Enterprise
bridge. Push in on Pike.
Eyes on viewscreen as well,
and his voice almost a whisper.
Leland.
[Olatunde] Wide, the incoming
Section 31 armada approaching.
Off which, end teaser.
Act one, interior Discovery bridge.
Officers scramble, alarms scream.
Multiple torpedoes locked on us.
Evasive pattern Delta Five.
[Olatunde] Flip to
interior Enterprise bridge.
All power to forward
shields, fire full spread.
[Olatunde] Exterior space.
It all happens at once.
Enterprise and Discovery launch torpedoes
as the Section 31
mothership fires projectiles
as the drones fire phasers
at the Starfleet fighters.
Interior Enterprise bridge.
Sparks rain from the ceiling.
-Damage report.
-Breach in section two,
decks nine and 10. Seven confirmed dead.
Shields at 86%.
[Olatunde] Interior Discovery, bridge.
Shields at 82%.
We have a breach on deck 12,
emergency bulkheads engaged.
Interior Discovery
Engineering. Sparks and smoke.
The assembly line keeps scrambling
to piece together the suit.
Back plate complete.
He grabs the back plate
from the fabricator
and rushes it to Burnham.
She and Stamets connect it to
the suit's empty back port,
where the crystal will go.
Reno, we need that crystal now.
[Olatunde] Interior
Discovery, science lab.
As the crystal glows brighter:
-One minute away.
-Charge at 98%.
Interior Enterprise, bridge.
Viewscreen. Hundreds of drones
engage the Starfleet fighters.
All Squadrons on those drones immediately.
Captain Pike, it's Po, do you copy?
[Olatunde] Po? Pike does a double take.
-Shoots a look to Number One.
-Pull her up.
She's flying directly
under them, like a remora.
Number One's fingers flying,
enhancing Po's shuttle
on the viewscreen.
Give me her shuttle feed.
The view screen bifurcates.
Your Highness, who told you you could fly
-a Federation vessel?
-First, I invoke
diplomatic immunity for
stealing this shuttle.
Interior Po's shuttle, intercom.
Get out of there.
Captain, listen, your Squadron's
gonna get obliterated.
What?
I thought these drones looked off-key.
They have a refracted
lattice shield design.
You can see it in the wave patterns.
They can't be defeated one-on-one.
Attack has to be two at a time,
targeting fore and aft
emitters simultaneously.
[Anson] Po, are you certain?
[Michelle] I'll put my life on it.
A micro beat, then:
All Squadrons formation Double Alpha.
Team up and begin target acquisition.
Follow the queen.
Off Po's determination, end intercut.
Pike and Number One exchange
a look--stranger things
have happened--as...Interior
Discovery, bridge.
The ship is hit. Tilly, Saru,
Georgiou and the crew jolted,
but they quickly get back to work as...
Mr. Rhys, set all phasers
for automatic targeting,
-maximum power and range.
-Aye, Commander.
[Doug] Owo, bring the
emergency generators online.
Shields holding at 70%.
Leland won't destroy
this ship immediately.
He'll cripple us and take the data.
Then he'll break Discovery down for parts.
Do you have anything relevant to offer?
Invite him aboard.
[Olatunde] Saru reads Georgiou.
Whatever you have in mind, this is not
a two-pronged mission.
The first priority is to
get Discovery to safety
with Commander Burnham.
For you, perhaps.
You know me well enough by now to know
I leave very little to chance.
Especially when it comes to revenge.
[Olatunde] That lands on
Saru as Reno bursts out of
the science lab.
Crystal's fully charged.
Ensign Tilly, go with her and make sure
it gets to Commander Burnham safely.
He means in case one of us
gets dead along the way.
-[Doug] Hurry!
-I'm going, I'm going.
Get off my ass.
Sir, get off my ass, sir.
[Olatunde] As they get
into the turbolift...
You saw something from
the crystal, didn't you?
-Was it bad?
-Was I heroic?
-Did I die?
-Did you die?
Like I said, rinse and repeat.
Interior Enterprise bridge, viewscreen.
The battle rages. Suddenly,
all the drones stop.
Pike leans forward,
realizing the threat.
They're gonna make a run at
weakening Discovery's shields.
And indeed the entire fleet of drones
heads for Discovery, kamikaze-style.
Bring us around, divert all power
to starboard deflector shields
and place us between the
drones and Discovery.
Exterior space. Like a swarm, the drones
fly into Discovery shields,
exploding on impact,
row after row.
The second line taking
point after the first,
and so on, and so on.
Enterprise slots in front of
Discovery to take some blows,
but the drones swarm around it
and keep attacking Discovery.
Interior Discovery. Bridge. Another hit.
Another. On Owo's console,
shields rapidly dropping.
Shields down to 54% and dropping fast.
[Olatunde] Interior Enterprise. Bridge.
Lieutenant Mann, target
the largest 31 vessel,
and fire on their shield generators.
The entire fleet's receiving signals
from Leland inside that ship.
Aye, Captain.
Interior Discovery
corridor. Tilly and Reno,
with AI glove and time
crystal, race to catch up
with Burnham, Spock,
Stamets, Nhan, Nilsson
and the engineers.
Quickly building the suit
on the makeshift table.
I need that last panel.
Right here.
Spock hands him the panel
just as the ship is hit.
An explosion
rocks the corridor, opening a hole
in one wall, sending people flying
into the opposite wall, to the floor.
Everyone scrambles to their feet.
Several engineers wounded,
two engineers dead,
the time crystal against the wall.
-Michael?
-Good. You?
-Reno?
-I'm a cat,
at least five lives left.
She gets to her feet
as Stamets, back to us,
grabs the final panel.
Stumbles to the makeshift
table, slams it into place.
-We're good.
-He staggers,
turns to reveal a massive piece of metal
sticking out of his chest.
P-Paul?
He falls to a knee, bleeding out.
Reno quickly hands the
AI glove to Burnham as...
-Take this.
-She goes to Stamets,
who's about to collapse, helps him up.
No way you're pulling this
dramatic bullshit, Stamets.
Get him to sickbay,
I'll clean up the mess,
before anyone gets impaled.
-Michael!
-Let's go!
He grabs the crystal.
She grabs the worktable.
Hurriedly wheels to
the opposite direction.
Spock follows, crystal, AI glove in hand
as we whip away from them to...
Interior Enterprise. Bridge.
Cornwell, blood running
from a gash in her arm.
-Shields?
-[Rebecca] Under 60%,
Discovery is at 38. Neither
ship will last much longer
at this rate.
We're not on our heels
yet. Keep offensive focus.
Make them follow us.
Interior Discovery.
Sickbay. Bio beds full,
the wounded spilling out into the hallway.
Doctors and nurses run triage.
Class four casualties here,
class three in the corridor.
Cortical stimulation's failing!
Any free hands to help us down here?
Hey, I need that bio-bed.
I am sorry, Doctor.
All personnel on board are
occupied, do your best.
Pollard disconnects.
No, I'm gonna do a half-assed job,
because now's the perfect time.
Interior Discovery at shuttle bay.
The suit is complete.
[Olatunde] Whip around
to find Spock and Burnham
at the Red Angel suit, now
standing on its own, majestic.
Are you ready?
[Olatunde] Burnham stares,
a moment of hesitation.
Off which...
It's your mother, and it's you.
Trust what you've done together.
I do.
[Olatunde] She stretches out her arms
to receive the suit as
Spock slams the time crystal
in its slot, and the
suit instantly responds,
forming itself around her.
Burnham looks down at herself in the suit.
Can't help but belt a little chuckle.
Damn.
You will be
the target out there, Michael.
I'll pilot a shuttle to make sure
you reach the perimeter point.
What are you talking about?
You're supposed to guide me by Comms.
You can't protect me in that.
[Olatunde] The ship shakes again.
There's no time for debate.
I will return to Discovery as
soon as you open the wormhole.
[Olatunde] Beat. They
just look at each other.
Michael doesn't move.
-I said--
-I heard you. You better.
[Olatunde] Spock raises his
hand in a Vulcan Salute.
A beat. She presses her
hand to his, together.
Another shake breaks the moment.
Spock races to the shuttle.
Stay in my wake.
[Olatunde] Burnham nods,
touches the side of her helmet,
the face plate closes. Inside the suit,
she takes a deep breath,
looks out at the raging battle
through the shuttle bay opening.
Interior Spock shuttle.
Shuttle bay. Continuous.
Spock at the console, firing it up as...
Discovery bridge, this
is Lieutenant Spock.
Prepare to lower shuttle bay force field
and drop aft shields for
3.5 seconds on my mark.
[Olatunde] Interior Discovery. Bridge.
Understood, Lieutenant.
Captain Pike, we're preparing
to lower aft shields.
Cover fire would be most appreciated.
[Olatunde] Interior Enterprise
bridge, sparks explode
from a corner console as...
We've got you, Saru.
All vessels. We've
calculated Commander Burnham
will need two minutes and 47
seconds to reach safe distance
and open the wormhole.
Interior Po's shuttle. Continuous on Po
blasting at the drones as...
All Squadrons, form a
tactical escort around her,
on her path and screen enemy fire.
I want her in a cocoon
until she reaches her destination.
On it, Captain. If she doesn't
make it, neither do we.
Interior Discovery. Bridge.
Continuous. Nhan races back
onto the bridge and
assumes Tilly's station.
Lower shields in five.
Interior Discovery.
Shuttle bay, same time.
Spock shuttle thrusters power up.
He flies his shuttle
over the top of Burnham.
[Doug] Four, three, two, mark.
[Olatunde] The shield lowers
as Burnham starts running
and Spock's shuttle
soars toward the opening,
and as his shuttle flies
up, she jumps, and...
Exterior space. The Red
Angel, Burnham, takes flight.
Spock keeps pace ahead of
her, and we soar with her
through the insane battle,
more drones forming
in from all sides of
the Federation fighters
form a rotating protective
cocoon to keep her safe.
Many of our ships get
blasted and drop away,
but other fighters slot right in to keep
the perimeter tight.
Exterior space. With Burnham and Spock.
They zip through the battle,
protected by the fighters
as the drones keep attacking.
[Computer] Interstellar debris
density 72% above nominal.
Scanning for nominal local coordinates.
[Olatunde] A blast goes right past her,
sending her spinning out of control.
-[Ethan] Michael!
-[Olatunde] Spinning, spinning,
but she rights herself.
[Sonequa] I'm okay, I got this.
[Olatunde] She continues moving forward,
moving through the debris
as Spock fires back
keeping that path open.
Interior Enterprise.
Bridge. Pike, intense.
All battle groups form a shield
wall against those ships.
Keep your protective formations tight.
Discovery and Enterprise will take lead.
Nobody gets past us until
Burnham reaches her target.
[Olatunde] Exterior space, our
fighters assemble formation
into a moving wall as
Enterprise and Discovery
circle around to form the front line.
Everyone firing in literally
thousands of directions
to keep the Section 31 ships at bay as...
Interior Discovery. Bridge.
Commander Saru, sensors are showing
something beamed aboard
while our shields were down.
[Olatunde] Before anyone can process,
the turbolift doors open.
It's Leland, rifle in hand, the bridge
in exactly the same configuration
as Burnham's premonition.
Leland starts firing, blasting consoles.
The crew dives, recover, as Nhan
and the two trigger officers fire back.
Leland hits one of the
officers, who falls dead
as he keeps firing, Nhan returning fire.
Nhan keeps firing but Leland bolts,
makes a beeline for the science lab.
-Everyone stay here.
-Like hell.
Interior Enterprise. Bridge.
The ship rocks. Pike, Cornwell,
and the crew work it as...
Sir, sensors show Captain
Leland beamed aboard Discovery.
[Olatunde] Pike snaps to his feet.
He and Cornwell share a look.
We'd have to lower our own shields
to beam a team over.
Discovery would have to lower theirs.
[Olatunde] He looks at the viewscreen,
Discovery taking a beating
as Enterprise is hit again.
We can't do it, Chris.
I know.
Interior Discovery. Bridge. Saru, the crew
scramble back to their
stations as Nhan tries
to Leland's door.
I'll override the security codes.
Try accessing the lock mechanism directly.
Nhan pops open a second
panel, starts working.
How much longer before you gain entrance?
Five minutes. Less, if
you stop bothering us.
Saru pauses, can't help but smile, then...
Commander, shields are at 38%.
Hold the line, Lieutenant.
After we're done breaking and entering,
would you like to help
me make Leland scream?
Yum, yum.
Exterior space. The
outer edge of the battle.
[Ethan] We are at a safe distance Michael.
[Sonequa] Stand by.
Spock's shuttle lands on
a massive piece of debris
from a destroyed starship.
Burnham, following right
behind him, does the same.
Exterior space on a
piece of starship debris.
Burnham catches her breath,
Spock in his shuttle, focused.
Burnham quickly presses
her wrist controller.
A large holographic nav screen
appears in front of her.
Burnham, moving her hands
across it, pressing buttons,
but her face darkens with confusion.
[Sonequa] It's not working.
The navigation system's
stuck on the present,
it won't move forward.
Exterior space. Closer to the battle.
The Section 31 mothership launches
the photon torpedo at Enterprise.
We follow it as it impacts, but lodges
in a hole near the bridge,
half in the ship, half out,
exactly as in Burnham's premonition.
Interior Enterprise. Continuous.
The ships starts to list,
everyone holding on.
Number One shouts against
sparks and groaning metal.
Captain, an undetonated photon torpedo
has breached the hull.
If it blows, it'll rip
a hole four decks wide
in the saucer section.
As that lands, exterior space,
on a piece of starship debris.
Burnham sees Enterprise
listing and zooms in.
The HUD, HUD, POV.
The undetonated torpedo
lodged in the hull.
Spock.
Everything I saw, this is how it starts.
Off ridge, end of act one.
And now I will be handing things off
to EP and co-showrunner,
Michelle Paradise,
who will be moderating our cast Q&A today.
Thanks, thanks, Tunde.
So these are questions
that have been submitted
for all of you.
This one's actually
for me, but I'm curious
how any of you might respond.
How important is it to you
to continue the tradition
of Star Trek taking a
social and political stance
as you enter Season 3.
[Michelle Yeoh] I love!
[Anthony] It's everything.
[Yeoh] We're so, like, eager.
[Anthony] Yeah, I mean,
I think it's everything.
I mean, Star Trek, of course, is fiction,
it's science fiction, but
it's always meant to imagine
a future and a world in
which people are valued
for who they are, the
content of their character,
not the color of their
skin, not their gender,
not their gender
expression, not their age,
and you know, in this
explosive time it seems
more resonant now than ever
that we help shine a light
on all of those issues.
And it's not always doing it
like, it's not shining a light
like super vividly all
the time, it's just part
of the fabric of it, and that by itself
is leading the way I think.
I think what I'm grateful for
is the fact that Star Trek
has always been this
aspiration for our society,
for our country, that it
has always set a goal,
and that it's been our job
to help not only imagine
that future, but to create it.
And so, I think going into Season 3
we have an opportunity to
really have a conversation
about the world that we wanna create,
and how each of us has a responsibility
to create it together.
So I'm grateful for the
history that Star Trek
has created in terms
of giving us something
to aspire to, and so I
hope that we continue that
with Season 3.
-[Mary] Something I've--
-[Yeoh] I think tradition--
[Yeoh] Oh, sorry, go ahead.
[Mary] I'm not gonna interrupt
-Michelle Yeoh, please go.
-Oh, oh.
On that note, I shall lead.
I just want to say that
tradition's just part of our DNA.
And we just have to
continue to strive together
for what we believe in, for what is right.
We know what is right or wrong,
and we have to do it together.
Yes. And that's pretty
much--continuing that. Just striving,
and something that I've been
really been thinking about,
my gratitude for being a part
of this franchise is that,
it's about the infinite
combinations of diversity.
That our work is never
done. That there's still
representation and
visibility yet to be seen,
and so I'm really grateful
to be a part of a franchise
that champions that, over and over again.
And the work isn't done,
but it's pretty exciting.
I think that one thing I
value about, specifically
our version of Star Trek is
that we don't make assumptions
that we've already reached perfection,
that we allow that there's
more to do within ourselves,
and within the Utopia of
the Federation and beyond.
And I think that's a
really important message
to hear right now because
there are a lot of people
who assume some of these
issues are resolved,
and they're not.
So I love that about our show, and I think
it's important, it taught
me a lot about how to engage
-in my reality at this time.
-Mm-hmm.
Thank you for that,
Mary, I wanna piggy-back
and say that I think a story like this,
piggy-backing on what everyone has said,
a story like this that
can give us an example
of what that future might look like.
I think it, at least I hope that it
really holds us accountable, and shows us,
as Mary was just saying that,
as both Marys were saying
that the work is not
done, and that it's about
confronting ourselves, and
really confronting each other.
And we see that in the
story within the legacy
of this franchise.
So that's really what's
gonna propel us forward
is confronting ourselves truthfully,
and confronting each
other, exposing ourselves
in a way like we haven't before.
So I hope that we
contribute in our iteration,
I hope that we contribute
moments to the movement
in that way.
Tunde, this question is for you.
-Oh.
-Can you describe
a moment or a scene that was
especially rewarding for you
as a director when you
directed the finale?
Oh, boy that's a tough one
to pick from.
I would say the final
scene of the episode.
I would say we know that
Burnham has gone to the future,
and Spock walks out, and
we walk out onto the bridge
of the Enterprise, and
he's no longer got a beard.
And he walks up to the front,
thinks about his sister,
and then goes to his
station for the first time
since we've been seeing
the Enterprise bridge.
For me that was just
emotionally cathartic,
and brought the whole season
down to that one moment.
And reinserted us back into the timeline
that we know and love from Star Trek.
[Paradise] That was pretty awesome.
And the sound.
-The sound.
-And. [laughs]
-The thing.
-Yes, the sound
of the thing. [Olatunde humming]
That was awesome.
[cast chuckles]
-What is it that--
-And I kept Ethan's beard.
-Yeah.
-[cast laughs]
Feisty.
I painted it a little bit, yeah.
I tried, it didn't work.
Sonequa, so this takes us
into a question for you.
As Burnham leaps ahead into the future
at the end of Season 2, what would you say
is her hope, not just for Starfleet,
but for herself moving forward?
Oh my goodness.
Well, first, a salvation of sorts.
You know, we the crew
of Star Trek: Discovery,
in the finale, are deciding
to sacrifice everything,
everything that we have for the future.
And so there's the obvious
hope that that works,
that the plan works, and even logistically
that we land where we're supposed to,
that we defeat Control,
that we save the world,
and save the universe.
So there's the inherent hope of that,
and then I think there's also a hope
of continuing to discover
myself as Burnham,
that will always be there, that hope
of unveiling, continual unveiling.
And finding that perfect
sweet, sweet balance,
between all the forces
that wage within me.
Maybe you'll explore that in Season 3.
We don't know.
Doug, this one's for you.
So in Season 2, take your
brain back, Saru reunited
with Siranna and also
helped to free his people,
and push them into becoming
a warp-capable society.
How hard do you think it was for Saru
to leave them behind,
and without giving away
any spoilers, do you
think there's a future
for more Kelpians in the Federation.
Oh great, I think that's the hardest thing
Saru's ever had to do.
And he's now had to leave his homeworld
and his sister twice.
As we look back at the other shorts
that showed my background
on how Saru joins Starfleet,
he had to make a decision
to leave his homeworld
with the promise that he
would never return. That
was the hardest decision
he ever had to make. Then
we come back to Kamanar
in Season 2 to discover with
this newfound information
that my people have been
oppressed by the Bau'l
this entire time, and lying
to us about our own evolution.
And that's when Saru faces
off with Captain Pike
with his newfound fearlessness to say,
"No, I need to go back,
I know I promised not to,
but this is my job to do."
So after liberating his people and feeling
great about the future that
the Kelpiens can have now,
living in peace with the Bau'l,
there was a peaceful resolve, and now
they can absorb each other's
cultures and technology.
Now he's made the
decision to follow Burnham
through the wormhole with the
crew, and go into the future,
and have to leave everything
behind once again.
But in those final moments, he
sees that his sister Siranna
is now piloting a fighter
ship, and is like,
"I guess it worked.
I guess the Kelpiens
have joined the post-warp society."
And he feels good about that.
And I think, yes, with
every hope, jumping ahead,
that Kelpiens will have
a place at the table
in the Federation for sure.
Awesome, you mentioned
jumping ahead into the future,
and him having to leave everything behind.
This leads us nicely into
a question for Michelle.
So by the end of Season 2,
Georgiou's been ripped away
from the world that she knows,
not just once but twice.
-No, she keeps going-
-Thank you!
-I know.
-Mary.
[cast laughing]
She was the leader of the
Mirror Universe, not anymore,
and now she's an agent for Section 31.
Nope, now you're going to the future.
At this point, where
would you say Georgiou is,
going into Season 3?
Is she along for the ride?
Does she wanna seek power?
Where is she emotionally
going into Season 3?
Into Season 3?
I think she's really pissed off.
It's like, Michael Burnham,
don't get in my way.
No, I think she, but you know,
Emperor Georgiou, Captain Georgiou,
she is one
that always finds her way into adapting
because she is a survivor
with many skills,
and a formidable ally or an enemy.
So she goes in there
being very pissed off,
but then I'm sure very quickly
she'll find a way around.
And power is something that's inherently--
that she has.
She doesn't even seek it.
She just has it.
-Mm, awesome.
-Mm, scary, huh?
Watch out, girl.
[Paradise] I wonder
what's going to happen.
Antony and Wilson, at the
end of the Season 2 finale,
Stamets and Culber reunites as a couple.
Can you without giving any
spoilers away, talk about
how they'll continue to heal and grow
their relationship moving forward.
To me, one of the great
things about Season 3
is that it really blends
the personal/family nature
of our show, and not just literal family,
like our coupledom, but
also the family of the ship.
It really explores family
in wonderful new ways.
So I think that's one of the cool things.
And I'm trying to find a way to say
without spoiling too much.
But that's one of the major
things that gets developed
in Season 3 for sure.
I think what's great
about Season 3 is that
because of the way Season 2 ends,
the fact that Culber has made a choice.
He's taken a risk without
knowing what's gonna happen
he chooses to stay on the Discovery.
And because of that choice
he gets to save his life,
Paul's life, and I think
in that moment, he realizes
that everything he has ever wanted,
and everything that he needs is right here
between these two people.
Took him long enough.
Yeah, well.
You didn't necessarily
make it easy.
Don't get me started, we're
gonna fight that fight again.
But my point is that, what was my point?
My point is that
because he made this choice,
he knows that he's different,
he knows that he's looking
at his work different,
he knows that he feels different
about his place in the world,
and what his purpose is,
and so the relationship is
different in that way, too.
It's more on an equal footing, I think.
And I'm excited about
the new responsibility
that I take on in terms of
my work and mental health,
and I love the new Culber.
He's more three-dimensional in my head.
Awesome, I'll tell the writers.
This next one,
Mary Wiseman, since
the start of the series
Tilly's always had her eye
on the Captain's chair.
With all that's happened
with the Discovery crew
over the past two seasons,
by the end of Season 2
is she still on that path?
I think so, I think there are
some pretty big speed bumps
in Season 2 on that road, but I think
that's always her pie
in the sky, is reaching
sort of the zenith of
leadership within Starfleet.
And you can see more about
that journey in Season 3,
but we're also really on
the edge of the unknown,
so I think all of our ideas
about what the future holds,
and who we are and who we want to be
are gonna be transformed.
Yeah, let's take it to
Anson and Ethan and Rebecca.
Any of you, all of you, please dive in.
The Enterprise crew are the
ones who are left behind
in the pre-TOS era. How
do you think that working
with the Discovery crew has
impacted, and will continue
to impact your characters
as they continue exploring
strange new worlds.
Ooh!
See how we just got there?
Strange, get it? Okay.
Someone wrote that for me.
Well, I'll start by saying
that Spock's interaction
with Michael Burnham is essential
to transforming Spock from somebody
who's been born on
Vulcan and is half human,
that has been taught to be Vulcan,
and I think Michael Burnham
gives him the permission
to be human, and teaches
him what it is to be human
so that is essential to
the development of Spock.
As we follow along, the comp between
his emotion and logic going forward into
when we first see Leonard
Nimoy in the original series,
that's a huge character
point for me and will dictate
a lot of behavior for Spock
because of his interaction with Michael.
So I think that's most
important for Spock.
-Anson or Rebecca?
-Captain Pike?
Well, I think the biggest
thing, obviously, was seeing
my future, and when you
see how it's all gonna end,
and that it's not so pretty,
what do you do with that?
I think there's a reason that
we can only see our past,
'cause we're a very neurotic
species, and we wouldn't know
how to comport ourselves.
And so I think ultimately
the question comes,
how do you move forward, and then...
I think he's probably gonna wrestle with
how he can best utilize
the rest of his life
for the good of the world, the universe.
And I think a lot of
it is also surrendering
to the unknown, together,
working as a team
to surrender to the unknown, I think.
And that's probably a
very important point.
He's, he's not thinking about it
as a team yet because he's
wrestling with it himself,
which I hope he's gonna learn to wrestle,
let other people help him wrestle with it.
Cool, awesome, so those were the questions
that were submitted to me.
Thank you everyone for joining.
It was fun, it was great.
And by the way, if you noticed differences
between what you saw on screen
and what you heard today,
that is the magic of
editing. There you go.
If you would like to
watch the full table read
of Star Trek: Discovery Season 2 finale
"Such Sweet Sorrow, Part Deux,"
then you can do that
tomorrow at the below.
-Thank you.
-Exciting!
-Thank you.
-Bye!
Bye!
Ah, what a great cast and
what a great season finale.
Now as Soniqua mentioned,
please be sure to catch
the full virtual table read
of "Such Sweet Sorrow, Part 2"
tomorrow on CBS.com. You can also see it
on Star Trek social
media platforms as well.
Up next, everyone is in
for a very special treat,
as we enter a new level
of the Star Trek universe,
with the upcoming animated comedy series,
Star Trek: Lower Decks.
So now please join me in
welcoming Star Trek: Lower Decks
showrunner and Executive
Producer, Mike McMahan.
Hey, welcome to the Star
Trek: Lower Decks portion
of San Diego Comic-Con at Home.
I'm Mike McMahan, I'm the creator and EP
of Star Trek: Lower
Decks, and I'm so proud
to be a part of this Star Trek family
with all the stuff that
you guys are seeing.
You know, what you're about
to see is people talking
about a show that takes place in 2380,
it's in the TNG era, it's
right after the events
of Star Trek: Nemesis,
but it's way before the
events of Star Trek: Picard.
You know, the TNG era is what
I feel most comfortable in.
Today we're gonna be
joined by the voice talent
of Lower Decks so that they
can talk to you as well
about what it feels like
to be in a Star Trek,
and to tell you a little
bit about the show,
and to start off with
we'll be showing you a clip
of a scene from the first episode.
It just gives you a little bit of a taste
of what the show feels and looks like.
We try to fit it into canon, so that it
doesn't break anything, but we tried to do
something new with it at the same time.
We try to keep it
exciting, but we also try
to keep all of the ethical
sci-fi sort of stuff
that makes Star Trek Star
Trek without breaking it.
And I think we've come up with something
that a lot of people
are gonna really enjoy.
So just to start off,
let's watch this clip,
and then we will
introduce the voice talent
to Star Trek: Lower Decks.
[intense music]
Captain's log, star date, 57436.2.
The Cerritos has docked at Douglas Station
for routine maintenance and resupply.
We will soon set course
for the capital planet
on the Galor System, where we're scheduled
to make second contact with
the Galordonian High Council.
First contact is a delicate,
high-stakes operation
of diplomacy, one must
be ready for anything
when humanity is interacting
with an alien race
for the first time.
But we don't do that. Our
specialty is second contact.
Still pretty important, we
get all the paperwork signed,
make sure we're spelling the
name of the planet right.
Get to know all the good places to eat.
-[door hissing]
-[Beckett gasps]
[laughs] Oh my God, what are you doing?
Oh, nothing, nothing, nothing, I'm just.
Oh, no, oh, no, no, no, no, no!
Are you pretending to do a captain's log?
[shrieks] We're all supposed to keep logs.
Okay, let me listen to it.
-No, go away!
-I can't believe
you're wasting your shore leave on this.
-Privacy please!
-[shrieks] Time to go!
Come on get out
-of the closet.
-Privacy! [grunts]
Let's go, come on!
-[gasps] Are you drunk?
-Yeah, dude!
You should be too.
I mean the station is amazing,
and they have Romulan whiskey.
And I bet you thought
it was gonna be green,
but it's actually blue, it's
this very beautiful color.
Romulan whiskey is against regulation.
Yeah, 'cause it's awesome.
Oh, man, they've got all
sorts of great stuff.
-Oh, oh.
-[glass shattering]
Come on, check this out.
-[Beckett grunts]
-[Brad shrieks]
-[swooshing]
-Be careful with that.
Oh yeah, pretty sweet, right?
Yeah, it's a Klingon bat!
Um, bat, uh, bat.
I don't know I'm not a scientist.
It doesn't matter, shut up.
I got it from a old guy
-with a eye patch.
-Hey, hey!
-Come spar with me.
-No.
-Stop!
-Come on!
-Hey, hey, stop!
-Oh, we could be Klingons.
-We can have crimped hair,
-No, hey, hey, hey stop.
wrinkled foreheads.
It's got crusty blood on it.
War, war, war!
-I love honor, I demand honor.
-No, hey, stop, stop.
[metal clinking]
[Beckett and Brad screaming]
Listen, I promise you people
do not get chopped in the leg
by a bat'leth every
episode, but it is always
a possibility when you're
serving on a Starfleet ship.
All right, now, let's meet
some of our voice talent
from Star Trek: Lower Decks.
Tawny Newsome, thank you
so much for joining us.
Oh thank you, I can feel the
virtual throngs of people,
crushing my body as I
push through the crowd.
Hey Jack Quaid!
Hey!
[Mike] Thanks for joining us.
Eugene Cordero glad we got
to do this, this is cool.
Me too, me too.
[Mike] All right, so we
have Noël Wells here.
Hi.
Dawnn Lewis!
I wish I could see you in person,
but we will be together
again soon I'm sure.
I'm looking forward to it.
Jerry O'Connell, thank you for joining us
from what appears to be
a beautiful verdant hill.
It's just, no, it's a green screen.
I'm actually in my basement.
Oh, that's pretty, yeah, so am I.
Hey Fred!
Thank you so much
for having me, Mike.
[Mike] Gillian Vigman,
thank you for joining us.
Oh, it is my pleasure to be here, Mike.
So there are all kinds
of officers in Starfleet.
There's engineers, there's scientists,
and there's all sorts
of different commanders,
and then even in those
ranks, you never know
what you're gonna get.
What kind of Starfleet
officer is your character?
I have joked before that she's
not very different from me,
and that is a testament to you, Mike,
for liking my personality, I guess,
and just kind of writing it
into a cool Starfleet officer.
But yeah, she's a little...
I don't know, she doesn't
always play by the rules,
even though she could,
'cause she's good at things.
It's kind of like, you know,
when you're the class clown
because you are ahead
of the lesson in school,
type of a thing.
A lot about Star Trek
is about the humanity
in the characters that are on the ship.
Like they can be spouting
all this technological stuff,
but you wanna care about the characters,
and you really make that character fun.
Thanks man, it's team effort.
Yeah, Ensign Brad Boimler
is the ultimate Starfleet nerd.
He's like a complete
fanboy for all the captains
and the first officers, basically anyone
who works on the bridge,
and he wants to be like them
so bad that he is obsessed
with rank and ranking up.
And he figures the best
way to do that is to go
as by the book as possible.
So he follows every Starfleet rule to a T.
He has no demerits at all.
He logs even when he's
really not supposed to,
because he's an ensign.
-But he means--
-He means well.
So well, and honestly it's just like a guy
talking to his friends they're
giving him a lot of guff.
I like that Tawny calls you Boimler,
or she calls you Boims
on Twitter, it's so cute.
Ensign Tendi is like the
fresh eyes on the Cerritos.
She's excited by everything,
she's unflappable,
even if there's weird things happening
she somehow turns it into
this optimistic point of view.
So she's just very excited.
Ensign Rutherford is
the cyborg, but I mean,
I guess he loves the fact
that he is half mechanics,
'cause he loves the mechanics.
He's an engineer guy, he's
all about the tech talk.
He's the guy you want on your trivia team
talking about every single
ship that has ever been
in the galaxy or beyond, yeah.
So Doctor T'Ana, who is, I would say she's
the head medical officer on the Cerritos,
and because of that she has
an extreme responsibility
to take care of basically
everybody on board.
Doctor T'Ana, she might be great
at solving space medical
mysteries, but she's also
a scary, crusty ally cat,
which is why we love her.
Doctor T'Ana may have the
roughest bedside manner,
but she loves to dig in and
get to the problem. [hisses]
[Mike laughs]
Lieutenant Shaxs: what kind
of Starfleet officer is he?
Well he is a definite shoot
first ask questions later.
He is no nonsense, he is a
Bajoran that's got a chip
on his shoulder as he should.
He's hardcore, but in some
ways terrible for security,
because he's just like, "Oh,
someone's hailing? Fire!
I suggest we hail fire on them."
You know, and it's like,
at the same time he kicks
ass and he gets the job done.
My character Ransom as a Number One
has a pretty short fuse.
I don't think he's the
easiest person to work for,
but he does deeply care about Starfleet.
He just does and says
things that I'm not sure
we could get away with on
other Star Trek franchises.
Since we're the first comedy
Star Trek we figured like
we're not on the most
important ship in the fleet,
so why not have them really be people?
'Cause Star Trek is always
-about people
-Whoa-whoa-whoa
-Whoa-whoa-whoa! Easy.
-who are out there.
The Cerritos is super important
to Starfleet, come on now.
[Mike laughs]
-Everybody knows that.
-All right.
[Mike] All right, I'm sorry, I know.
And you know it's funny, as the captain,
I never feel confident, and
I never feel in command,
I always feel like I'm
talking for talk-sake,
and people are just gonna do whatever
they're gonna do anyway, but I take myself
very, very seriously.
Captain Freeman is vital, she's important,
and she is in control, and in charge.
And the Cerritos in our
mission to do second contact,
which is almost more
important than first contact.
Because first contact, no
one knows you're there.
Second contact we make sure
things are running smoothly,
things are running right,
and Captain Freeman,
she's in charge, and she's
gonna make sure everybody knows
that she's in charge.
-Well listen--
-Okay!
All right, all right, I
shouldn't have made it sound
like you guys weren't the most important.
You know, the unsung
heroes are still heroes.
-Thank you.
-So fans of Star Trek
have always dreamed about
serving on a Starfleet ship,
and now you kind of have done
that through your character.
What would you say is one
of the most fun things
about serving on a Starfleet ship?
I think I would be a bit more of a nerd
even than Mariner, I think
I'd be really focused
on ascending rank, 'cause
I just would wanna get
to that sweet, sweet bridge.
I don't need to be the
captain, but I just wanna be,
you know, I just wanna
be someone on the bridge,
who's in charge of something
like medium important,
'cause I want like enough responsibility
so that I can have an ego,
but not enough to where
if something crashes
or burns or people die
it's my fault.
I'd say maybe the most fun
thing would probably be
the holodeck, and I know we
got a lot of cool mileage
out of that during our season.
Well we did, but people don't know yet.
-But I guess this is a,
-Oh!
this is a Jack Quaid
-as promised fans
-Oh!
you'll be seeing some stuff
happen on the holodeck.
It's fine, where else would we tell them?
The leaks are real!
[Mike and Jack laughing]
[Mike] But now they know we turned it on,
-huge drops for Comic-Con.
-It's crazy!
-And it works, what?!
-Well, most of the time.
Hey, so was there a moment
in Season 1 that you loved,
that you think you can
tell the San Diego at Home,
Comic-Conners today?
My favorite thing that Rutherford
does is when the [beep]
and all of that, and it
was just going and [beep]
couldn't get it quite right
[beep] for what was happening.
Mariner, who is always such a screw-up,
always trying to undermine
me and trying to see
what she can get away
with, I am constantly,
as Captain Freeman, trying
to come up with ways
to get her back in line, and I realized
the most fun episode
for me was that episode
where I came up with
this plan. You know what?
Instead of continuing to
cut her off at the knees,
promote her, that's the last
thing she wants to do is work.
There are many and I don't
want to blow too much of it,
but I just love how he just
comes in at full force,
no matter what, "You're
too loud! Captain says
you're too loud! Breaking instruments."
Stop me if I'm giving away
too much about this episode,
but there's an episode where
we meet Boimler's girlfriend,
and that was maybe my
favorite episode to record,
because this guy, in any
kind of romantic scenario
is just hilarious to me.
But this is really a whole
cast, this is an all skate.
I love episode eight [beep] so much.
It is maybe, I don't wanna pick favorites,
but it really grabbed all
the things that I love
about Trek, and then all the absurdity
that you've injected into
this world with [beep]
happens at the end.
This is the greatest thing
I could be a part of.
One you guys let me be
crusty, curmudgeony, bitter,
and yet like filled with
sort of this excitement
and curiosity for learning.
My favorite part of the
first season, I would say,
is when Ransom gets into
a pretty vicious fight
with [beep].
It's pretty gory, it's not
for the faint of heart.
You have a very unique
situation in your household,
because the last time I
checked usually there's not
two Number Ones,
second-in-commands, under one roof.
So I play Ransom, the
Number One in Lower Decks.
My wife is the Number One
on the recently announced
Strange New Worlds.
So my wife is a Number One.
We're also very, very good
friends with Jonathan Frakes
-who's also a Number One.
-[Mike] Oh!
So man, when the three of
us get together, I just,
I mean, I really should live
stream it for everybody.
What would be your pitch for people
who maybe aren't Trekkies?
Do you think that people
who aren't Trekkies
are gonna like Lower Decks?
Yeah, I think that what's
so great about the show,
obviously it's gonna
be exciting for people
that are Trekkies, but the show is
a totally different perspective,
and has this comedic bent
that we haven't seen before.
So if you are into
animation, if you like dark,
comedic comedies, there's
plenty for everybody. [chuckles]
I think you're right.
I think that people who like
Trek, will find a lot to love
in this, and people who've
never seen Star Trek
it might be the first
thing that makes them go,
"Wait, maybe I like Star Trek."
All right, and that's it.
Thank you everybody for joining us.
And letting us talk to you
about Star Trek: Lower Decks.
We can't wait for you to see the season,
which again, premieres on
CBS All Access on August 6.
And just personally, I
know this is tough times,
and I know that we're
all looking for a way
kinda get through it,
and I know that we can.
Just hang in there,
take care of each other,
and watch as many cartoons as possible.
Thank you everybody.
Live long and prosper!
And now I want you to get in
that car, and I wanna see you
-do a flip right over that.
-Cool.
-[laughs] Watch this!
-Oh God Jerry, no!
[Mike laughs]
Well look, I'm a big Star
Trek fan, and I gotta tell you
I am definitely excited
to see Lower Decks soon.
Now last, for me surely not
least, we round out this year's
Star Trek Universe panel with the cast
of Star Trek: Picard.
So please join me as I moderate
a portion of this panel
as we catch up with Sir Patrick Stewart,
and the rest of the Picard crew.
Ladies and gentlemen, and
thank you for joining us
for this Comic-Con at Home panel,
the entire Star Trek franchise, but it is
my supreme pleasure to welcome
the Star Trek: Picard cast.
-Eek!
-If you don't mind,
please, you're digital
applause, Alison Pill,
-Isa Briones
-Yeah.
-[hands clapping]
-Evan Evagora.
Michelle Hurd, Santiago
Cabrera, Brent Spiner,
Jonathan Del Arco,
Jonathan Frakes, Jeri Ryan,
Marina Sirtis, and
Jean-Luc Picard himself,
Sir Patrick Stewart.
-Thank you so--
-Yeah.
[cast cheering]
So this is obviously a bit
of a reunion for most of us
as we did this last year at
Comic-Con in person in Hall H.
Guys, since then the show has debuted.
It has been a massive success.
Obviously, you're gonna
be back for a Season 2.
Sir Patrick, I wanted to
ask you before we started
how has it felt bringing
the show back to people
and what's been the kind
of response you've had
from the fans?
Well, we haven't brought it back.
It actually never went away.
And it was at first
very challenging because
thanks to our brilliant team
of writers we are living
in a very different
world, very complex world,
profoundly troubled world,
which might just be appropriate
for the times that
we're living in as well.
For me, however, it was
a case of, "I'm sorry,
what's your name, you are
who, and you're playing what?"
Because we had a brand new team.
So, for me, a lot of the
first half of the first season
was literally about
getting to know the people
-that I was working with.
-Learning their names,
I think you mean to say Patrick.
-[Patrick laughs]
-It took you the first half
of the season to learn their names.
Well, I learned their first
names, I still don't know
-most of their second names
-Their second names,
I know, but we allow for
that, 'cause you're very old.
-[everyone laughing]
-Not yet, but about to be.
[everyone laughing]
Alison, I wanted to ask you,
this seems a very different
sort of show from what
we've seen you do before.
What attracted you to doing Picard?
[sighs] I guess SPS over
there was somewhat of a draw.
Ugh, don't let him know I said that.
[everyone laughing] That's
you Patrick, you're SPS.
Ah, oh, thank you, Alison.
The first "S"
is your knighthood, dude.
-Oh!
-Listen the other reason
is Michael Chabon too, who's been one
of my favorite novelists,
and having a showrunner
coming from, who both appreciates the,
you know the whole idea
of both appreciating
Star Trek and trying to take
it into a new direction.
You know, it's streaming,
we get to use the F word.
[chuckles] That combination
was very exciting to me
of sort of amplifying
the things that worked,
and taking it into new
directions at the same time.
I wanna give a special shout
out to Evan who's joining us
-from Australia today.
-Yeah!
In the middle of the night.
for doing double duty,
and to that, Isa and Evan:
this was really your first
US major television role,
what was some of the things
that you found as challenges,
and what were some of the
surprises that you both had
working on Picard?
I think meeting everyone,
initially I was terrified.
I think, Patrick, I don't
even know if you remember
after us meeting, but
you introduced yourself
and I just said, "good thanks."
-[cast laughing]
-You just said,
"Hi, I'm Patrick."
I'm like, "Yeah, good thanks."
-[everyone laughing]
-It was so embarrassing.
It took me, I think, a day
to get over that entire embarrassment.
But then the cast and
everyone, Jonathan directed
my first episode, they just
made everything so easy
and comfortable, it's
never been really like hard
or difficult it's just been
fun since the beginning.
And I reckon Isa
-feels the same way.
-[Dominic] Isa for you,
you obviously played multiple
roles in this season.
What was that like for you in
terms of finding your place
as an actor, working against
some of these actors.
-Working against sounds so,
-[everyone laughing]
-I'm gonna square up.
-I have to say,
but the vibe here is confrontational.
Yeah, the way that it
unraveled was very gradual.
So it didn't feel like a
total shock to the system,
because as I was
auditioning, I didn't realize
I was auditioning for multiple characters,
and then eventually found
out that they were twins.
And then one of them is
gone, pretty quickly,
so I was like, all right
well, this is your usual
playing your one role, but
then Sutra came in later,
and I think the fact that I
had so much of the beginning
filming process to just lock
in Soji and who she was,
was amazing, because
then Sutra came later,
and I already knew who Soji was.
-So I got to take Sutra--
-It was just the gold paint
and the switching back and forth,
and they're like...
Doing off camera for yourself.
-and oh my lord.
-That was yeah!
Very impressive though.
-You did that like a pro.
-I guess I was
loosing my mind a bit,
looked a little crazy,
just turning my head
and talking to myself.
-But it was definitely
-It was
very impressive.
And coming from theater as
well, I think I thought...
I think I thought it was gonna be
more different then it was.
Michelle,
your character, Raffi, really gives us
a real sense of the time that has passed
between the last time you saw Jean-Luc,
I guess, in 2002's Nemisis
movie and now 20 years.
And it gives a story of what
has happened in those 20 years.
For you and Patrick, how
did you work as actors
in finding those characters
and creating that back story
within a backstory so to speak?
That's a testament to the
script that's right there
and my amazing scene partner.
I, like the rest of us, first meeting SPS,
it's intimidating.
I have a terrible feeling
#SPS is going to be all over
Comic-Con at Home.
Just stop it all you guys,
he's gonna be unbearable.
-Stop it!
-But all this to say
that all the people out there
who think of Patrick Stewart
in this sort of iconic world
which we all place him in,
the truth is he is one of
the most generous, human,
empathetic, individuals
-I had the honor to work with.
-Stop it!
-And it was just like--
-You know how long
-it took us to train him?
-[Dominic] Marina's not having this.
[Marina] You lot, you Picard lot,
it took us years to train him.
Santiago, you're the space cowboy my man,
and it's a very different
role in the sense of
how your character plays
a foil to Jean-Luc.
What was that like for you?
Can you repeat the question, please?
-[Dominic] Yes I can.
-[cast laughing]
Your character is really the
space cowboy of Season 1,
and you come on and you,
-you're such a spoil.
-I think I lost you
at "space cowboy", that's why I--
You're like, "clearly that's not me.
-Who's he talking to?"
-I think I lost it there.
-I thought, yeah.
-[Dominic] He's such a foil
to Jean-Luc's rigid and
strict and by the book way
of doing things, for the most part.
What was that like for you
in bringing that character
to the series and the
development between the two
as it went through, 'cause
clearly we're gonna see more
-in Season 2.
-Well, I think
it was like discovering
as you go along as well.
And that's sort of how
different they were.
You start to realize the
similarities as well,
not just the background
of being from Starfleet,
you know, and that kind
of similar background.
But at the end of the day I
think what was interesting
from Rios is that he sees
him for the man he is,
and kind of at the beginning
he rejects him for being
the embodiment of Starfleet, but then
as the season goes along he
starts to see the real man.
Jeri, Brent it seems pretty
clear we're gonna see
some more of you guys.
It was a huge reaction last year
when you guys stepped
on stage at Comic-Con.
What kind of reaction have
you received from fans
since you actually appeared on Picard?
It's been amazing, and the fan reaction
has been kind of been
overwhelming, and it's pretty cool.
I mean it's fun to bring
back these characters
they played so long ago, and
I could not be more thrilled
with the way they've developed her.
Brent, obviously you appear
as not only Data, but in a whole new role.
What was that like for you?
I'm sorry I lost you at space cowboy.
-[everyone laughing]
-But playing another character
aside from Data, is that
what we were talking about?
-Yeah.
-Yep.
Yeah, well it was terrific.
It was part of what really encouraged me
to do the show.
I mean, I had sort of put
Data to sleep, or blew him up,
or something, and didn't really expect
to ever be doing that again.
And then I met with Alex
and Akiva, and Michael
and they, well, they
wept, they actually cried
-[everyone laughing]
-begging me to come do it.
-And...
-Like was that
real tears or was that android tears?
-Well, I think it was real.
-Real!
-Those were real tears.
-But then I spoke to Patrick
about it and he wept.
-[everyone laughing]
-So I thought, well,
of course I must to do this.
Marina and Jonathan,
you're back, there's pizza,
there's a happy life, what was
that like being back on set--
Johnny did you think that
we'd ever be back in space.
I didn't, I didn't think
I'll be back in space?
I was just happy, to be honest,
that I didn't have to wear
-the space suit.
-Ah!
-So...[chuckles]
-It's very practical.
Because it was like I
wouldn't fit in it anymore,
so that would be an issue.
But it was lovely, it was really lovely.
Johnny over to you.
Ha! I had just directed SPS.
I can't believe we're calling
you that now. [laughs]
I know, I mean honestly,
everybody who's watching this
#SPS has to be trending.
Which is amazing
that we've come up
with something new.
Thank you Picard cast for
coming up with something new
-after 30 years, God bless.
-No, I think, I knew
that Patrick was at the top of his game.
And I loved working with
him, and then Marina
had just closed in a play in the West End,
I knew that her acting
muscles were very strong,
and I was a nervous wreck to come back
as Wild Bill Riker, space cowboy.
-[everyone laughing]
-You don't get that title
this season, my friend.
Excuse me, excuse me,
I was the space cowboy,
-Oh?
-even though
you wouldn't say this.
I was Derango the, what
was it, something stranger.
Yeah, in a cowboy with
a hat and everything.
So sod you lot, I was the cowboy.
I think technically Steve
Miller was the space cowboy
to be honest, but
nonetheless, Mister Del Arco
you also of course, Jeri
referenced it to the Borg,
and of course, Hugh very
much was part of the Borg.
I think for a lot of people
when the Borg became a part
of the first season of Picard
it really just hit home
for them about how much these
characters had meant to them.
What was the most
surprising reaction you had
-for the return of Hugh?
-It surprised me
that there was that much
love for the character.
Even though I knew it
organically, because I've been
at conventions for so many years.
I was honestly surprised at
the amount of love I got.
And excitement, and how the
fans really craved to know
how that adolescent character
had evolved into a man.
And so that was surprising to
me, it was very gratifying.
They only bring back
people, the guest stars
that the people love.
-Aww!
-'Cause there are
a whole slew of episodes
that I couldn't name you
the guest star if my life depended on it.
-[people laughing]
-But you were special.
-Thank you.
-Yeah!
And when you came on the show it was
a really special episode
and the fans loved you,
and of course, they're
gonna bring you back
when there's a Borg
story, because you're it.
-Yeah!
-True.
-You and Jeri, right.
-That's really great,
I appreciate that.
Sir Patrick, so many people were surprised
that you came back to play Picard.
I know that you've talked
about the reservations
you've had, now that the
first season is completed,
and you guys are eventually
gonna move into a second season
once the world gets a
little more normal again,
what are your feelings
now about having come back
-to the character?
-I made the right decision
and it was entirely due
to the people that I met
at my first couple of meetings,
who were a producer writing team.
I sat for more than two
hours listening to them
talk about their plans and how they wanted
not just to revive Next
Generation, but to illustrate
the years that have passed and
that the world was changed,
and that's what excited me.
And then the daily excitement
was working with you guys,
and discovering this
extraordinary range of talents
that had been assembled,
because there is such diversity
in our ensemble that for
probably the first five episodes
I was just awash with the satisfaction,
the deep profound satisfaction
of working with you all.
But he was also not the same man.
He was disappointed, sad, guilty, angry,
possibly dangerous individual.
So that was what absorbed me.
As the season wore on I began
to feel as I had begun to feel
with Next Generation that the character
was actually inside me anyway,
and 20 years had passed
for Patrick, sorry, PCS, as
much as it has, oh boy [laughs].
-SPS.
-SPS, you dummy.
Don't even know
your own name.
[crosstalk]
God, you're ancient.
Could we have an agreement about this,
because I have just taken on board a name
that I was given about two
years ago, very privately
by somebody in Second City in Chicago.
-They called me "P-Stew".
-P-Stew?
-Yeah, we like P-Stew.
-P-Stew.
That's the other name
for you, P-Stew is good.
P-Stew would be my choice.
-All right, P-Stew
-Okay, P-Stew it is.
P-Stew it is.
We just have a few more
minutes I'd like to have
some questions from fans.
And this is a particular
question, this is very moving.
And this is from ChiefKalaN32,
this is for Brent and Patrick.
What was it like to have
the closure we never had
for Data and Picard?
It was the first time art
had ever had such an impact
-on me like that, I cried.
-Aww.
My father and I watched the two characters
develop together, and I
wish he could've seen it.
So I wanted to ask the two
of you what that was like.
We had had closure of a sort in Nemesis.
This was a different kind of closure.
And...
it's kind of a wonderful gift.
In both cases we've had
some of the greatest writers
in the world write these
two closures for us.
And I'm utterly grateful for that.
Working with someone
I've known for 35 years,
and whom I love, and
discussing aspects of living
that apply to both of us,
Brent, I think we can say.
-Yes.
-And most importantly
learning from Data that
his desire to be human
had to include the knowledge and certainty
that life was terminal.
That it would end, and it
is the fact that it will end
that makes living so important.
And living well, and
properly, and appropriately,
and for society as much as for yourself.
-This is a question for Jeri
-Here we go.
-and for Michelle.
-Yes.
And this if from, I have to say,
someone who really
lucked out when they got
their Twitter handle,
it's from Starfleetboy.
-Wow.
-Oh, wow.
What is the one thing that
you wish could be brought
out of the Star Trek
world, or universe I guess,
into the real world?
-Oh, my gosh.
-Ah, acceptance.
-Inclusion.
-Inclusion, yeah.
Literally what Patrick
just said you know that
the understanding of how valuable life is.
Like can we all look out for
our brothers and sisters?
Can we all just take
the moment to understand
that our differences are
actually our strengths?
-Exactly.
-It's what makes us
a strong species,
-that we have
-Exactly.
all these different thoughts,
these different looks,
these different opinions,
these different ways
of handling ourselves in the world,
of walking down the street.
I'm so thankful that I'm
part of an organization
that gets it.
We always talk about Star
Trek holding a mirror
up to society, perhaps
society needs to look at us,
and start replicating what we're doing.
-Mm-hmm.
-Because we're trying
-[hands clapping]
-to tell the stories to heal.
Gene Roddenberry said,
"In the 23rd Century
"there will be no sexism and no racism,
"and no hunger and no greed."
Let's make it happen.
Well let's hope that we can bring
-And that every child
-to the 21st Century
-right now.
-Will now how to read.
And that every child will
know, well that's the key
isn't it? Education.
-Yeah!
-Exactly!
Thank you guys so much.
I can't think of a more
perfect ending for this panel.
-Thank you.
-Make it so.
-Bye-bye.
-Bye.
-Bye, thanks for watching.
-Bye, guys.
-Bye-bye P-Stew.
-[lips smacking]
-Bye!
-Thank you.
As mentioned earlier in the panel
although we all came together
for San Diego Comic-Con
at Home to talk about
our respect of Star Trek
series, we were also here
to support the NAACP Legal
Defense and Educational Fund.
CBS All Access has made a donation
to the NAACP Legal Defense
and Educational Fund
on behalf of the Star Trek
Universe on CBS All Access.
Now I know you're being
pulled in a lot of directions,
and everyone is asking you to donate,
and people are stretched absolutely thin.
If you have the means
and should you choose
you can also support this
important charity and cause.
To do that, please visit
naacpldf.org/startrekunited
to donate today.
Thank you so much, stay safe.
Well thank you so much Sir
Patrick for joining us,
and thank you so much to
the rest of the Picard cast
for joining us as well.
Now that concludes our virtual
Star Trek Universe panel
at San Diego Comic-Con at Home.
And thank you for joining us.
