Sonequa Martin-Green has been cast as the series lead in Star Trek Discovery. Set 10 years prior to Captain Kirk's voyage on the Enterprise, 'Discovery' seeks to reinvigorate the Star Trek franchise on television and launch CBS' streaming services next summer. Producers acknowledged looking for a woman of color. They were inspired, at least partly, by Nichelle Nichols from the iconic original series who played lieutenant Uhora, and the first African-American astronaut Mae Jemison.

We still don't know much about the premise of the new series, but CBS seems to be reaching out to a much larger and diverse audience with Discovery's recent casting. Michelle Yeoh, from 'Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon' fame and more, has also been cast as a captain in the series. Discovery will additionally feature the first openly gay main character. Check out UGD and Deviant Theory for more info as it comes in.