9 Reasons To Be Hyped For Star Trek Discovery

The Walking Dead's Sasha actress Sonequa Martin-Green will take the lead in Discovery, playing what Fuller describes as a "lieutenant commander with caveats." This means she ranks lower than the captain and first officer aboard the U.S.S. Discovery.

"We’ve seen six series from the captain’s point of view," Fuller has said, explaining his decision not to make the captain the main character. Martin-Green's lieutenant commander will give fans a new "perspective on the starship — [with a protagonist] who has different dynamic relationships with a captain, with subordinates," Fuller promises, "it [gives] us richer context."

Having a hero who isn't quite at the top of her field makes a lot of sense. Martin-Green's character has something to aspire to, and she has people that can get in her way, question her decisions and get on her nerves. That's some character drama waiting to happen.

And casting someone of Martin-Green's zombie-killing calibre suggests a lot of action may be in store for her. If so, this could be a bad-ass female lead with a chip on their shoulder - a fan favourite in the making, who's utterly different to the Star Trek protagonists of yore.