Diversity is Key to Star Trek: Discovery’s Mission, Fuller Promises; Comic Book Resources, May 4, 2017

Kristy Puchko, Comic Book Resources; Diversity is Key to Star Trek: Discovery’s Mission, Fuller Promises

"“We were very adamant early on about that cast, not just in terms of race but also in terms of gender,” Fuller explained. “Janeway (of “Star Trek: Voyager”) carved a nice path as did Majel Barrett (Nurse Christine Chapel in the original “Star Trek” series) in 1966, in the original pilot. So it was important for ethnic inclusivity and gender inclusivity (to be upheld in casting). I was very excited to cast Michelle Yeoh before I left. I was pushing very hard for Sonequa Martin-Green to be cast before I left. So I feel like there’s a lot of wonderful diversity represented in the show, and I’m excited to see how it turns out.”

Best-known for her stunning performance in “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,” Yeoh will portray Captain Georgiou, Starfleet Captain aboard the Starship Shenzhou. “Harry Potter” baddie Jason Isaacs will star as Captain Lorca, of the USS Discovery. Joining them will be “The Walking Dead”s Sonequa Martin-Green, “Penny Dreadful”s Shazad Latif, “30 Rock”s Maulik Pancholy, “Basttlestar Galatica”s Rekha Sharma, “Longmire”s Mary Wiseman, “The Office”s Rain Wilson, and famed creature-feature performer Doug Jones, whose appeared in films like “Pan’s Labyrinth,” “Hellboy,” “Crimson Peak,” and “Hocus Pocus.”"

CBS All Access' 'Star Trek: Discovery' to Be Captained By a Woman, Feature Gay Character; Hollywood Reporter, 8/10/16

Lesley Goldberg, Hollywood Reporter; CBS All Access' 'Star Trek: Discovery' to Be Captained By a Woman, Feature Gay Character:

"Fuller confirmed that his Star Trek also will feature a gay character after he received hate-mail during his time on Voyager following a rumor that speculated that one of the show's characters could be out. He noted that fellow executive producer Alex Kurtzman was the first to pitch the idea, which was already something Fuller had planned on including in the 10-episode series.

While details about the cast are still yet to be determined, the news that it would be led by a woman comes as little surprise. Showrunner Fuller — who is openly gay — recently moderated a 50th anniversary Star Trek panel at San Diego Comic-Con where he used the platform to stress that the franchise could serve as an antidote to the current political upheaval.

"Think about what’s happening in America, and think about the promise of Star Trek, and what we can all do to get there," he told the crowd before ending the panel by asking all the fans in attendance to take each other’s hands and “make a promise to leave this room with love, to leave this room with hope, to leave this room and take responsibility to craft a path to Gene Roddenberry’s vision.""