With ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ production in full swing fans have begun to speculate if a ‘cameo’ appearance will take place during the pilot.
When Star Trek: The Next Generation premiered in 1987, famed actor DeForest Kelley was on-set to pass the proverbial ‘torch’ on to the next Enterprise crew. Essentially bridging the gap between TOS and TNG, and showing fans that this new show was in fact really Star Trek.
Since then a similar cameo appearance has occurred for every new Trek Series. For Deep Space 9 it was Patrick Stewart, Enterprise had James Cromwell, Voyager had Armin Shimmerman.
This small act has served as a staple for Trek fans for over 30 years; but the questions remain: Will Discovery follow suit? Should they keep this tradition alive? And more importantly, who would be the cameo?
Speculation Time, baby!
Let’s tackle the first question: Will Discovery Follow Suit?
With the first announcement of Discovery in 2016, the ‘powers that be’ have gone on record with stating that 1) The time is right for a new Trek series and 2) The format and style of this show will be different than anything seen before.
Since then CBS has taken a softer approach to the show and tried to ease long-time fans’ concerns about them mucking up the Trek formula.
There’s nothing wrong with change, but too much change and I might as well go watch the BSG remake.
Reading fan forums and news outlets and you begin to see that most Trekkies want Discovery to follow suit. But will they?
Final Verdict: No, they won’t. We might get a picture or model of the ‘NX-01’ on a desk but that’s about it.
Onto the next question! Should they keep this tradition alive?
In short, yes.
Trekkies love wearing their nostalgia goggles (myself included) and pulling us too far from what we love will only hurt the already troubled show.
It’s no secret that Discovery has faced a lot of issues (even before they started filming) and trying to pull in a new audience for a sci-fi show isn’t exactly easy. You need the core fan-base to love it first; doing so will help generate the audience needed to keep the show alive.
Some small fan service might help boost the popularity of the show with the core audience. Having a little ‘nod’ in the pilot that only Trekkies will notice goes a long way in appeasing your fans, and tieing your new series into the Trek Multiverse.
Final Verdict: Yes this is something that should continue for each Trek show.
So, if Discovery were to include a cameo, who should it be?
My answer: T’pol
Her character makes the most sense, especially with the apparent heavy inclusion of Vulcan’s on the show. Having a small, intimate scene, between T’pol and Sarek would serve as a great ‘torch’ passing opportunity, while also rooting Discovery firmly into the timeline of Star Trek.
T’pol recollecting about being on the first NX–01 and her experiences with living onboard would tie an emotional bow onto the ‘Enterprise‘ series and remind fans that this new show is, in fact, Star Trek.
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What do you guys/gals think of this idea? Should there be a cameo appearance or not? Let us know on Facebook or in the comments below.