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Star Trek: Discovery series stars Mary Wiseman and David Ajala tease their respective character arcs as the show returns for Season 4 on Paramount+.
After they were transported to the 32nd century, the crew of Star Trek’s USS Discovery was faced with the difficult task of reinvigorating Starfleet and the Federation in a galaxy isolated by a cataclysmic incident known as the Burn. As Star Trek: Discovery moves towards its fourth season on Paramount+, the starship continues to be assisted by far-future courier Cleveland “Book” Booker, while Acting Captain Sylvia Tilly relinquishes the captain’s chair to her best friend Michael Burnham, who will command the Discovery into its next adventure.
In a round table interview attended by CBR, series stars Mary Wiseman and David Ajala teased what fans can expect from their respective characters in Star Trek: Discovery Season 4. They also discussed where Discovery fits within the larger Star Trek franchise and how each of their characters will connect with the newly promoted Captain Burnham.
As a series veteran, Wiseman saw Tilly coming into her own in Star Trek: Discovery Season 3, with the character now having “more space” since Burnham has officially taken the captaincy of the Discovery going into Season 4. For Season 4, Wiseman teased that Tilly will begin “to figure out who she is” as she steps away from her previous command role to focus on herself, while maintaining her Starfleet duties and responsibilities.
On the other hand, Book was introduced at the start of Discovery Season 3 as a courier distrustful of organizations like Starfleet and the Federation while he cruised through the 32nd century cosmos. In Season 4, he will tacitly ally himself with the crew of the Discovery and deepen his blossoming romance with Burnham, which will dispel many of his preconceived notions about Starfleet, with Ajala observing that Book “sees the benefits of being part of a team” and the difference that comes with working with others towards a common goal. Ajala explained this realization as being a “big shift” to Book’s psyche, even if he technically is not official Starfleet personnel.
“I did have a sense of being the new kid on the block, but that way of thinking was dismantled very quickly by the kindness and generosity of the cast. They were just very open and collaborative and cool to be around,” Ajala recalled. “I love seeing these guys’ faces whenever I’m on set. It just feels safe. To be a position to build upon that is wonderful. There is a foundation to use as a springboard to dive a little deeper.”
Wiseman noted that she and Ajala don’t share a lot of scenes where they are the only characters involved in a given sequence. However, they often find themselves together in larger ensemble sequences. Wiseman explained that both Tilly and Book will be affected by Burnham’s promotion to captain in their own respective ways, with Tilly perhaps keeping a discreet eye on Book given Burnham’s previous romantic mishaps during the course of Star Trek: Discovery.
One of Book’s notable traits is a keen empathic ability that allowed him to interface with the Discovery’s spore drive engine, which proved especially key in Star Trek: Discovery‘s Season 3 finale. Careful not to divulge specifics, Ajala hinted that audiences will see more of Book’s telepathic abilities, but the higher emotional stakes of Season 4 may lead to some surprise complications to this trait. CBR closed out the roundtable interview by asking Wiseman and Ajala how they saw Star Trek: Discovery fitting in thematically within the wider Star Trek mythos.
“I think our show, by design and by merit of the people, is all about empathy and vulnerability and that is what true strength is and that is the only place to connect with other people from,” Wiseman explained. “You can’t do it from pride, anger or bitterness. You have to open up to reach true understanding; that always feels like a center of our show to me.”
“It’s so important to be caring about these characters and rooting for these characters and to see growth,” Ajala added. “I think the best compliment I heard — I think they were referring to Adira — they were saying how proud they felt in the growth of Adira. That level of investment with a character on TV, it is so inspiring to know that this is the infrastructure to create characters that have that effect on people. Come what may, however many seasons come in the future, I think it should always come from a place of being sympathetic, empathetic and being connected, vulnerable, open and honest and echoing the things Mary was saying of being void of of pride… it’s a bigger picture than one’s self!”
Developed for television by Bryan Fuller and Alex Kurtzman, Star Trek: Discovery Season 4 premieres Nov. 18 on Paramount+.
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