‘Discovery’ Cast Reflects on Bittersweet Filming After Cancellation

NEW YORK, Aug. 27 (UPI) — Wilson Cruz, Mary Wiseman, and Blu del Barrio revealed they didn’t know Star Trek: Discovery was canceled while they were filming most of what would become the show’s fifth and final season, which releases on DVD and Blu-ray Tuesday.

“We didn’t have the luxury of knowing that these were our last episodes when we were shooting them,” Cruz shared in a recent Zoom roundtable with reporters.

“We didn’t know,” Wiseman reiterated. “But we did get the chance to come back and film some things to really make it feel like a series finale. The vibe was bittersweet, to say the least. Goodbyes are always tough, but they also felt somewhat unreal.”

Wiseman realized her seven-year stint was over when the cast and crew, led by Sonequa Martin-Green, applauded her after she filmed her last scene.

“I felt tears and spit just rocket out of my face,” Wiseman recalled. “It was a very spontaneous and weird moment, and that was when I accepted that it was over.”

Del Barrio shared their vivid memory of that time, saying, “I was laughing the entire day. I didn’t know how to deal with it. The grieving process for this show has come in tiny little moments. It’s like 20 seconds where it hits you really hard, you might cry for a second, and then it feels weird again.”

Echoing similar sentiments, Wiseman remarked, “You’re asking that question and I’m like, ‘Oh, yeah, it’s over.’ I’m still realizing that.”

Cruz couldn’t participate in the additional scenes needed for the series finale because he was already engaged in filming another project, Mother of the Bride.

“They were gracious enough to call me while I was in Thailand shooting,” he said about his co-stars who remotely included him in their emotional farewell. “They wrecked me, and the makeup person on that movie wasn’t thrilled, but they made me pretty again.”

The sci-fi series follows the adventures of the USS Discovery crew in the 23rd century, approximately ten years before the events of the original Star Trek series. Sonequa Martin-Green stars as the ship’s captain, Michael Burnham. Cruz plays Dr. Hugh Culber, a medical officer who was killed and brought back to life. Wiseman portrays Starfleet Academy teacher Sylvia Tilly, and del Barrio plays Adira Tal, a human bonded with an alien Trill symbiont.

Del Barrio expressed pride in being the first non-binary actor to play a non-binary character in the Star Trek franchise. “I’ve always felt like I knew myself really well,” they said. “This experience has helped me grow in ways I didn’t think possible. The show opened up my mind and made me listen to myself, and having these people around me as mentors and friends really helped.”

Cruz highlighted his character Hugh’s marriage to chief engineer Paul Stamets, played by Anthony Rapp, making them the first openly gay couple in Star Trek history. With more than 25 years of working together, Cruz said he learned that goodbye is never really goodbye forever.

“Anthony has been a part of my life for so long, and he will continue to be. Now, all these amazing people I’ve shared this experience with will also be a part of my life,” Cruz reflected, admitting he would miss his everyday interactions with them.

“What I will take away from Discovery is the belief that no matter how hard things get, no matter how challenging a cultural or political moment might be, we can only control our responses and who we are. Like Culber, if our lives aren’t working for us, it doesn’t have to take a sudden death to realize we can reinvent ourselves.

“You can create the life you deserve, the love you deserve, the career you deserve, just by choosing to do it,” Cruz said. “Give yourself that permission.”