While somewhat maligned early in its run, CBS All Access delivered in the first season of
Star Trek: Discovery perhaps the most consistent and best produced inaugural run of a Star Trek show since The Original Series. All facets of the series were firing on all cylinders, and the show became a brilliant long form story about earning and upholding the ideals of Starfleet through a fog of war.
One of the highlights of
Discovery for many people was Jason Isaacs' performance as the eponymous starship's complex, war mongering and somewhat duplicitous Captain Gabriel Lorca. Recently while promoting
The Death of Stalin Isaacs spoke about his entry into the science fiction phenomenon with
Third Coast Reviews:
It's amazing. Obviously I've been in the Harry Potter films, so I know what fandom is like. I've met some fabulous, passionate fans, but they've only been fans since the year 2000. There are many people I've met now who have been obsessed with Star Trek for 50 years. It's overwhelming, but it's a new and wonderful thing. Jonathan Frakes, who played Riker on TNG and directed some of our episodes, has been my guide and mentor through the madness of it all, and he persuaded me to sign up for some of the truly extraordinary Star Trek experiences like going on a Star Trek cruise with fans. I said to him 'I can't imagine anything worse'. He said, 'I did it, and it's great and you're coming.' It's a very eclectic bunch of people, as you would imagine, who have in common only that they love Star Trek for different reasons - some of them because they like the ships and uniforms, some of the like the philosophy - but they are drawn from a very, very interesting pool, that's for sure."
The Harry Potter star was also asked in the interview whether he had attended any of conventions for the franchise:
"I've done some Harry Potter conventions recently, and the Trek fans have found me there, but I've never been to an exclusively Star Trek thing. Subject to work, I'll be going to Las Vegas this year, which apparently turns into a giant Star Trek city for a week. I can't pretend I'm not looking forward to it. I've only met lovely people and had lovely conversations, and they are slightly insane, often, but in a great way"
It's clear from this interview and others, as well as his appearances on
After Trek, that Jason Isaacs has had a lot of fun in being a part of the show and holds the franchise in very high esteem. There's currently no word yet on whether he'll return for the upcoming second season of the show, which according to showrunners Aaron Roberts and Gretchen J Berg will be about faith vs science.
Season One of Star Trek: Discovery is available now on CBS All Access in the US and on NETFLIX internationally.