Original-Cin Chat: Two More Canadians Boldly Go in Star Trek: Section 31
By John Kirk
Star Trek has deep roots in Canada, stretching back 50 years to include the work of William Shatner, John Colicos and even Christopher Plummer who all graced the stage at Stratford.
Recently, one of the Pinewood Studios in Toronto was re-named the “Star Trek Stage,” and even the mayor of Toronto has a model of a Miranda-Class Starship in her office.
And the Canadian connection continues in the Star Trek: Discovery spin-off Star Trek: Section 31, which debuts this week.
Humberly Gonzales
The story (per a Paramount release): “In Star Trek: Section 31, Michelle Yeoh will reprise her fan-favorite role as Emperor Philippa Georgiou – a character she played in Star Trek: Discovery’s first season – who joins a secret division of Starfleet. Tasked with protecting the United Federation of Planets, she also must face the sins of her past.”
Kacey Rohl
Original-Cin sat down with two Canadian actresses from this newest addition to the Trek franchise, Humberly González and Kacey Rohl, to see how they felt being a part of this tradition.
“It’s a rite of passage to be Canadian and to be in Star Trek.” Humberly Gonzalez began. Humberly’s (The H is silent) character is Melle, a Deltan operative in the team. Deltans, as any good Star Trek fan will remember, were first seen in Star Trek: The Motion Picture with the late Persis Khambatta’s portrayal of the Deltan navigator, Lieutenant Ilia.
“It’s a badge of honour. I became Canadian through naturalization (Humberly was born in Venezuela). So, this is like one of those status diplomas, except it’s in movie form and it’ll be immortal forever!” She added.
“So full of gratitude!” Rohl responded. Rohl plays Lt. Rachel Garrett who, a name fans of Star Trek:The Next Generation will remember as that of the celebrated Captain Rachel Garrett of the USS Enterprise-C in the fan-favourite episode “Yesterday’s Enterprise”.
For actors joining the franchise, there’s always a draw. We asked Gonzalez AND Rohl what were their draws.
“Space!” The both exclaimed at the same time.
“Just being IN Star Trek. Truly.” Humberly said. “I’m based in Toronto and I know it’s something that has been shot here for many years. I’ve been at that stage but not on it, but I know, I will be there one day … it’s a very alluring project and I’m so glad I booked it!”
“Yeah,” Rohl added. “I think the legacy of Star Trek as a whole is such an exciting thing. I want to respect and honor what this franchise has done, what it’s changed, what it’s affected and what it’s represented. It’s just a treat to be in a space and I’ve always wanted to be a part of it.”
Rohl has a unique character to play, given that Rachel Garrett is already such a revered character in the Star Trek canon.
“She’s a very particular character to play. Once I was informed that I was playing her, I didn’t take it lightly. It is a responsibility.”
We asked Kacey how she felt handling the weight of the character.
“Tricia O’Neil (who played the older Garrett in “Yesterday’s Enterprise”) did such an amazing job establishing the character, I didn’t want to get so weighed down by feeling like I had to do some sort of impression. I was hired to show more colours of her life, her earlier life and spend the most time with her.
“And so, I got to play her in a lot of ways. I was encouraged to do that. The macro-pressures were lovingly absorbed by ‘Tunde (Director Olatunde Osunsanmi) and the producer team to shield me from too much. He said: ‘Just do you, babe!” She laughed.
“That was a verbatim quote!” Humberly pointed out.
Actors also often remember the first time they saw Star Trek. We asked Humberly and Kacey if they could remember their first introductions to this vaunted series.
“Gosh.” Humberly began. “I think it was just when I was moving to Toronto and I knew that they shot it here. I saw bits and pieces of it. But for me, I know I needed to know about this show, so I had to go back and watch DISCO, because, you know, Phillipa Georgiou.
But reaching back to the 1979 motion picture and learning more about the only Deltan we’ve seen, Ilia, is a love I’ve grown into.”
“I grew up without a TV!” Kacey quipped. “So, I wasn’t watching the original series or anything. I watched the J.J. Abrams movies which is obviously very zeitgeist-y, but I think my true entry point to Trek would have to be George Takei. My Mom is queer, and so when there are queer people in the world, I’m very interested in what they’re doing.”
But if you’re Canadian and in Star Trek, you might be thinking about other Canadian contributions to the franchise. We asked Kacey and Humberly what was the first Canadian Star Trek representation that came to their minds.
Humberly answered first. “I mean, I’m an immigrant in Canada who wants to be a part of this. That, in itself, is Star Trek to me. Star Trek is about the visibility of others and it’s amazing to me that you get to have a Latina play an iteration of this character who was played by a fellow brown girl from India. For me, that’s like passing the baton decades later. We emigrated here for a reason, and that’s acceptance and inclusivity. I felt that from the beginning. Now I get to be a part of Star Trek!”
“That’s such a beautiful answer.” Kacey agreed. “The first thing that came to my mind was such a joke, William Shatner singing Rocket Man! We did a lot of karaoke about that! There are so many better answers than that, but that’s the first thing that came to mind!”
Finally, we had to ask how Section 31 would be received by Canadian fans.
“I hope there’s a sense of pride.” Kacey said. “It got made here. The crew is Canadian and the Trek (production) crew has Canadians – the people who are helping us make it. We have an incredible film community.”
“Toronto’s film community is exceptional.” Humberly agreed.
It’s clear both actors have a lot of hopes and dreams for their characters in this production. Their best memories of the show demonstrate that. Melle and Garrett are different characters but Humberly and Kacey are joined together in a more unique way than most other Trek actors. They’re a family, yes, but they’re a Canadian one with many memories.
“We really grew close together as a cast.” Humberly emphatically answered. “I will share this: there was this one time where we were shooting our first big group scene. And I think it was Omari who found this radio in between scenes and brought it to our cast holding and started playing music.
“We were all in our chairs just bopping, but then it became a full-blown ‘Show Us Your Best Dance Move’ competition! It was amazing, and I still have all the videos. But it really reminded me that I’m in Star Trek, working with my friends and we’re making a family. It was really good and I’ll never forget that.”
Kacey nodded in agreement. “The Runway Walks. I have those recorded. As your character! (Laughs).
“But then, there were the beautiful, quiet moments. You know, watching Michelle go through her fight choreography quietly by herself. Our incredible stunt performers watching all of that go down, or seeing the special effects for the first time. You’re like a six-year-old thinking that would be cool to do one day, but we did it, with really good people.”
We Canadians have a world reputation for being appreciative and grateful. It’s nice to see these values incorporated into the efforts of these Canadian Star Trekperformers, but it’s also comforting to know that Canadian values are also Star Trek ones.