Star Trek has always been a franchise that celebrates diversity and inclusion. With Star Trek: Discovery's third season, the universe will finally introduce its first non-binary and transgender characters.
Blu del Barrio will play Adira. Beyond being the Star Trek universe's first non-binary character, Adira is "highly intelligent with a confidence and self-assurance well beyond their years." A brief look into Adira's story in the upcoming season reveals they will form an unexpected bond with Lt. Commander Paul Stamets (Anthony Rapp) and Dr. Hugh Culber (Wilson Cruz).
Blu del Barrio will be making their television acting debut in Star Trek: Discovery Season 3, as they were in their final year of studies at London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art when they auditioned for the role of Adira.
Star Trek's first transgender character, Gray, will be played by Ian Alexander, a 19-year-old actor who uses they/them and he/him pronouns. Gray is described as "emphatic, warm and eager to fulfill his lifelong dream of being a Trill host."
Alexander is best known for their roles as Buck Vu on Netflix's The OA. They also played Lev, a transgender character, in Naughty Dog's The Last of Us Part 2 video game.
“Star Trek has always made a mission of giving visibility to underrepresented communities because it believes in showing people that a future without division on the basis of race, gender, gender identity or sexual orientation is entirely within our reach,” said Michelle Paradise, co-showrunner and executive producer. “We take pride in working closely with Blu del Barrio, Ian Alexander, and Nick Adams at GLAAD to create the extraordinary characters of Adira and Gray, and bring their stories to life with empathy, understanding, empowerment and joy.”
Little is known about Star Trek: Discovery's third season, aside from the fact that it will take the crew well into the future.
After making the jump in the second season finale, season three of "Star Trek: Discovery" finds the U.S.S. Discovery crew dropping out of the wormhole and into an unknown future far from the home they once knew. Now living in a time filled with uncertainty, the U.S.S. Discovery crew, along with the help of some new friends, must together fight to regain a hopeful future.
Star Trek: Discovery's third season will premiere on Thursday, October 15. The season will consist of 13 episodes, available on demand weekly, exclusively for CBS All Access subscribers in the United States.