Star Trek: 10 Secrets Of The USS Shenzhou You Need To Know

With two full episodes devoted to depicting life aboard the USS Shenzhou, Star Trek: Discovery's producers put extra emphasis on creating a memorable crew for the ill-fated vessel.

Alongside series regulars and recurring characters like Captain Philippa Georgiou, Commander Michael Burnham, Lieutenant Commander Saru, Lieutenant (j.g.) Keyla Detmer, and Ensign Danby Connor, the crew of the Shenzhou was filled out with unique makeup and costume designs for characters like the blue-skinned Lieutenant Troke, cybernetic Lieutenant Troy Januzzi, and Ensign Jira Narwani – who wore the distinctive snail-shaped helmet which would appear on other background characters over the course of Discovery's run.

While most of the Shenzhou's crew would go unnamed on screen, many of them were actually provided extensive backgrounds for the tie-in novel "Desperate Hours", released to coincide with Star Trek: Discovery's release. According to author David Mack, development of the Shenzhou's crew for "The Vulcan Hello" and "Battle at the Binary Stars" was a joint effort between himself and Discovery's writers:

Most of them I developed on my own, along with detailed character bios, backstories, quirks, interests, etc. Those were then submitted to the show via Kirsten Beyer for approval. Some, such as Gant, Detmer, and Jannuzzi, ended up being used on the show. (A few, like Connor and Britch Weeton, were established by the show's writers.) Also, Kirsten tells me that the Shenzhou bridge crew actors were given my bios of their characters to provide a foundation for their performances.