Sonequa Martin-Green is the face of Star Trek: Discovery and understands the passion of the fanbase.
Let’s be upfront about this, personally, I’m not a fan of Star Trek: Discovery. It’s just not for me. This is sad, as I was super hyped for the casting of Sonequa Martin-Green as the lead. She’s done a great job, and no surprise there, she’s a tremendous talent.
Yet the show had too much that I didn’t think should be in Trek and changed too much of established lore. It bugged me, but I make no bones about anyone wanting to enjoy it.
That said, while I think the show is rightfully lambasted, I don’t agree with the disdain some have for Martin-Green, who not only does a fine job with the scripts given to her, but also knows what it means to be a Trek fan. She routinely shows her support for us and continues to do so.
In a recent interview with The Radio Times, Martin-Green spoke about how she understands a lot of fans don’t like Discovery, and instead of pulling a Rian Johnson maneuver, insulting those who don’t like the property, she instead accepts it and acknowledges that fans may have a right, not like it;
"The fanbase for the franchise as a whole and the fanbase for Discovery, in particular, is a highly intellectual, loyal crowd. These are very intelligent people who have such a depth of passion and heart and loyalty to the franchise, so they have an ownership; they’ve carried it with them for years and it’s meant a lot to them.So, because of that, their voices deserve to be heard and we appreciate their voices, even if they are in disagreement with us. Even if they’re criticising, it’s like, ‘I get where you’re coming from, though – it’s because this means a lot to you.'”And there are many people who are like, ‘but I love the changes’. There’s so many different perspectives and isn’t that the whole point? That’s the whole part of diversity and inclusion, everybody’s got to be represented.I get it. I hear you. But maybe you’ll change your mind. And if not, then you’re allowed – it’s all good."
Sonequa Martin-Green gets being a Star Trek fan, and that isn’t a common thing
Too often you’ll hear people who work on shows like this talk about how toxic fans can be, and they absolutely can be. Yet, rarely, do you ever hear someone actually take the stance that some of the fans may have a meaningful reason to not like something.
Martin-Green shows poise and grace that so many people lack in the entertainment industry and in validating those who dislike Discovery or other Nu Trek shows, she emboldens herself among the entire fanbase. She ascends the list into rare territory. Someone who loves the franchise and supports it, even if it isn’t what everyone wants.
She accepts that. She doesn’t lambast or insult anyone for disliking it. She gets us.
She should be respected and celebrated for this. Hopefully one day she is, and while I’ll likely never be a big fan of Discovery, I only ever seem to be a growing fan of hers.