Star Trek Discovery Adds Trans and Non-Binary Actors to Cast

Star Trek has always been about inclusivity. Even back in the days of The Original Series, barriers were broken when they cast Nichelle Nicholes, George Takei, and Walter Koenig. Now the current generation of Trek has surpassed one more barrier and has cast its first trans actor as well as another non-binary actor.

As reported by IndieWire,Star Trek: Discovery has cast Blu del Barrio and Ian Alexander for the third season of the show. Del Barrio is said to be playing a character named Adira, a clever teen who has found an unlikely home on the Discovery; Alexander, on the other hand, will be playing the part of Gray, a man whose lifelong dream is to be a Trill host.

While some may think that del Barrio will be the first non-binary actor on the show, that title most likely belongs to comedian Tig Notaro who had played Jett Reno on Discovery. Nevertheless, this looks to be del Barrio's first acting credit, and it's likely he/she will be a series regular moving forward.

On the other hand, Ian Alexander has had more experience acting but is probably best known now for his work on the highly-acclaimed (and highly controversial) The Last of Us Part II. In that game, Alexander had played Lev, a young trans man trying to escape a post-apocalyptic cult with his sister. We don't know if the part of Gray will offer the same kind of nuance, but Alexander will likely do the best with what he has.

For now, the third season of Star Trek: Discovery is set to premiere on Oct. 15.

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