Star Trek: Discovery director Olatunde Osunsanmi explains how the show's surprise season finale came to fruition. The series, which debuted in September 2017 on CBS's now rebranded Paramount+ streaming platform, follows Captain Michael Burnham and the crew of the starship Discovery, beginning approximately ten years before the events of Star Trek: The Original Series. Helmed by showrunners Michelle Paradise and Alex Kurtzman, the series earned itself critical acclaim and landed a Primetime Creative Arts Emmy for prosthetic makeup and visual effects. Supporting Sonequa Martin-Green's lead as Captain Burnham are series regulars Doug Jones, Anthony Rapp, Mary Wiseman, Wilson Cruz, David Ajala, Blu del Barrio, and Tig Notaro.
In a surprising twist, the Star Trek: Discovery season 4 finale sees the real-life politician, voting rights activist, and admittedly proud Trekkie, Stacey Abrams, cameo as the President of United Earth. Abrams' role as the United Earth President awarded the Georgia politician to test her acting chops alongside Martin-Green's Captain Burnham. The previously unseen President also formally proclaimed that United Earth would be rejoining the Federation. Although it is unclear whether Abrams will reprise the role for the show's season 5, it was indeed a casting call nobody saw coming.
In an exclusive interview with Screen Rant, Star Trek: Discovery director, Olatunde Osunsanmi, explains how Abrams' surprise cameo in the season 4 finale came to be. Osunsanmi admits he was pretty surprised when he learned Abrams could cameo in the finale, with the connection to Abrams coming from Wilson Cruz, who portrays Chief Medical Officer Dr. Hugh Culber. After a productive phone call between the showrunners and Abrams, the politician eventually slid into the United Earth President role much to the surprise of Star Trek fans everywhere. Check out Osunsanmi's exact remarks below:
Yeah, it was a bit of a surprise for me too when I found out. She's always been a huge fan of the show. Alex and Michelle were pushed by Wilson Cruz, who was like, "Would you want to have a chat with Stacey?" They said, "Sure!" So they hopped on [a call] with her, and Alex and Michelle pitched this idea of, "Would you mind coming on the show?" She said yeah, she'd love to. They figured out what character to slide her into, and it ended up being the President. So once we found out about that casting, it was quite the surprise.
Abrams' real-life immersion in the political scene translates perfectly to her portrayal of the United Earth President in Star Trek: Discovery. In the 2018 Georgia gubernatorial election, Abrams claimed the Democratic nomination, becoming the first African American female nominated in the United States for a major-party gubernatorial race. Additionally, in 2018, the former Georgia State Representative founded an organization to address voter suppression, called Fair Fight Action. The fiery politician also lends her hand to writing, as the author of both fiction and nonfiction works which have landed on the New York Times best sellers list.
Landing Abrams was undoubtedly a brilliant play for the series' showrunners, and in such an unexpected way. While little is known as to whether or not Abrams may return in the next installment, as Star Trek: Discovery moves into its fifth season, more exciting developments are likely on the horizon. The series opens the door to the possibility of a multiverse with Dr. Tarka's creation of a next generation spore drive. That being the case, the franchise has awarded itself more liberties similar to that of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and DC Extended Universe. Perhaps Star Trek: Discovery season 5 explores that next frontier, and maybe Abrams returns to reprise her Presidential role. Either way, audiences will have to sit patiently by and wait until season 5 hits Paramount+.