Leonard Nimoy’s Spock from Star Trek: The Unique Sequence helped Star Trek: Discovery‘s Sonequa Martin-Inexperienced perceive their very own character. One in every of Discovery‘s strongest hyperlinks again to Star Trek: The Unique Sequence was that Star Trek: Discovery‘s lead character, Michael Burnham, was the adoptive sister of Spock (Ethan Peck). After Michael Burnham’s mother and father have been killed by Klingons when she was 10 years previous, Spock’s mother and father, Sarek (James Frain) and Amanda Grayson (Mia Kirshner), took within the orphaned Michael and raised her on Vulcan.
At her FanExpo Dallas Star Trek panel, Sonequa Martin-Inexperienced talked to ScreenRant‘s Joe Deckelmeier about historical past with Star Trek: The Unique Sequence, and how finding out Nimoy’s efficiency as Spock helped her put together for taking part in Michael Burnham as Spock’s human sister in Star Trek: Discovery. Learn Sonequa’s quote under:
Sonequa Martin-Inexperienced: My entry level was Star Trek: Discovery. I imply, I knew what Star Trek was rising up. I knew Uhura, and I knew of the franchise. Folks would ask, “Had been you a Trekkie?” No, however my mother and father would watch it, and so I might see it, and I would be like, “Oh, that appears enjoyable.” After which I would go run off, and do no matter, climb a tree or one thing. So, it is form of via osmosis that I knew about it. However the full-on entrance was Discovery.
However at first [of Discovery], I began watching, like, “Oh, what is that this world? Let me dive in.” Then it was Star Trek: TOS and Enterprise as a result of that they had such a Vulcan presence. I wanted to study, “What’s it to be Vulcan?” As a result of that was the place we began with the character, when she was nonetheless attempting to be Vulcan.
ScreenRant: Now that you simply’re watching it as a fan, who’s your captain that pulled you in?
Sonequa Martin-Inexperienced: After I dived in, I had like [five days] earlier than I used to be on set for Discovery… So, I used to be gobbling it up; doing it so quick, like, “What is that this world?!” And I felt so moved by Spock, I actually did. He pulled me in additional than Kirk. However I am certain that is as a result of I am like, “That is my brother, and I gotta construct this.” However my goodness, what a fascinating efficiency. What a legendary, fascinating efficiency. He pulled me in additional than any captain.
What Finding out Leonard Nimoy’s Spock Meant For Sonequa Martin-Inexperienced’s Michael Burnham In Star Trek: Discovery
Sonequa Martin-Inexperienced Found “What It Means To Be Vulcan” By means of Spock
Watching Leonard Nimoy’s Spock in Star Trek: The Unique Sequence gave Sonequa Martin-Inexperienced all of the important background info of “what it means to be Vulcan” so Martin-Inexperienced may play Burnham as a human who was raised amongst Vulcans. Particularly, Vulcans’ attitudes in the direction of people will be extrapolated from watching Nimoy’s Spock. In TOS, the half-human Spock emphasizes being a Vulcan and treats his personal humanity like a flaw that must be suppressed. Spock downplays his personal human genetics till Amanda (Jane Wyatt) arrives on the USS Enterprise with Sarek (Mark Lenard) within the basic Star Trek episode “Journey to Babel”.

Associated
Star Trek: Each Spock Household Member, Defined
Spock is without doubt one of the most well-known characters in Star Trek, and the Vulcan’s prolonged household has made an indelible impression all through the franchise.
Leonard Nimoy’s legacy as Spock is baked into how Michael Burnham is, as Sonequa Martin-Inexperienced says, “nonetheless attempting to be Vulcan” in the beginning of Star Trek: Discovery. Vulcans imagine they’re superior to people, so in Star Trek: Discovery‘s first 2 seasons, Martin-Inexperienced naturally portrays Burnham as somebody desperately attempting to slot in regardless of an internalized inferiority advanced. All of Spock’s struggles as a half-human raised on Vulcan have been doubled for the fully-human Burnham, from being bullied on the Vulcan Science Academy for inherently human traits, to adopting extra Vulcan mannerisms to attempt incomes Sarek’s approval.
Our Take On How Spock Helped Sonequa Martin-Inexperienced Perceive Michael Burnham
Michael’s Sibling Relationship With Spock Was The Begin Of Burnham’s Star Trek: Discovery Arc
Leonard Nimoy’s Spock in Star Trek: The Unique Sequence was a pure start line for Sonequa Martin-Inexperienced to grasp her personal Star Trek: Discovery character, however finding out Spock may assist us perceive Michael Burnham higher, too. Burnham’s whole Star Trek: Discovery character arc begins with Michael’s connection to Spock, and ther sibling bond as youngsters on Vulcan. Each Spock and Michael, with their human DNA, didn’t—may not—match the everyday Vulcan mould, in order that they needed to masks who they honestly have been with a purpose to slot in.
Michael Burnham’s journey from “attempting to be Vulcan” to completely embracing her humanity will be traced via Burnham’s bodily look—and particularly, her hairstyles—over the course of Star Trek: Discovery‘s 5 seasons.
Being raised to suppress her personal id created a springboard for Michael Burnham’s Star Trek: Discovery character arc. With out the inherent Vulcan qualities Spock has, Burnham’s solely recourse was to imitate Vulcans by ignoring her personal instinct. That modifications after the USS Discovery enters Star Trek‘s thirty second century, placing 900 years between Burnham and Sarek’s expectations. Then, Michael accepts her human compassion, merging it with Vulcan logic—not in contrast to what Spock additionally does. Burnham’s Star Trek: Discovery arc turns into a stupendous story of self-discovery, giving Sonequa Martin-Inexperienced her personal Star Trek legacy for future generations to stay as much as.

Star Trek: Discovery
- Launch Date
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2017 – 2024-00-00
- Showrunner
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Alex Kurtzman
- Writers
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Alex Kurtzman, Bryan Fuller