CBS’ upcoming new series Star Trek: Discovery has added a new member to its cast, this time in the form of a previously-established character in the Star Trek canon: Sarek, the father of the U.S.S. Enterprise’s famous Vulcan science officer, Mr. Spock.
According to EW, Sarek will be played by character actor James Frain, known best for his roles in television series like Orphan Black, Gotham, True Blood, and True Detective. There’s no word yet on how Sarek will factor into Star Trek: Discovery, though he’s cited as having a “key role.” We know that he’s not a member of Starfleet, instead acting as the Vulcan ambassador to the United Federation of Planets, so perhaps the Discovery crew spends some extensive time dealing with the famous alien species. The role of Sarek has been played previously by three actors: Mark Lenard, Jonathan Simpson, and Ben Cross.
In other Discovery news, EW also reports that the series’ premiere date has been pushed back once more. It was supposed to debut on CBS All Access (in the US) and Netflix (globally) in May, but has been delayed to allow some breathing room for series star Sonequa Martin-Green’s screentime on The Walking Dead (as not to confuse audiences by promoting Discovery while TWD is on air) and to ensure that Discovery is as good as it can be. Here’s CBS Television Studios’ statement on the delay:
“Production on Star Trek: Discovery begins next week. We love the cast, the scripts and are excited about the world the producers have created. This is an ambitious project; we will be flexible on a launch date if it’s best for the show. We’ve said from the beginning it’s more important to do this right than to do it fast. There is also added flexibility presenting on CBS All Access, which isn’t beholden to seasonal premieres or launch windows.”
Frain and Martin-Green are joined by Michelle Yeoh, Doug Jones, Anthony Rapp, Chris Obi, Shazad Latif, and Mary Chieffo. The series is being overseen by showrunners Gretchen Berg and Aaron Harberts.
Originally published January 18, 2017. Updated April 12, 2018.
