EXCLUSIVE: Anthony Rapp On How Stamets Mellows Out And How He Isn’t The New Scotty

At New York PaleyFest last weekend TrekMovie had a chance to have a chat with actor Anthony Rapp, who was introduced as the Discovery’s gruff science officer Lt. Stamets in episode 3. We talked about his character’s arc on the show, the contentious relationship between Stamets and Capt. Lorca, and if Stamets could actually fix his spore drive.  The full video interview and highlights are below.

Stamets mellows out, but is no fan of Lorca

When Lt. Stamets was introduced in episode 3 he came off as rather gruff, but the actor explained that mellowing out a bit is part of the character’s arc:

Yes [Stamets does mellow out]. One of the great things about the fact that we are doing a serialized story is you get to see growth and change in all of us, especially in the way we deal with one another. I think there is really good reason for Stamets to be in a bad mood when we meet him. There is some really bad stuff going down and it is a really high pressure situation. I feel it felt true to the moment. Yes, there are ways that many other colors also show. 

Rapp also talked about the clear conflict between Stamets and Captain Lorca (Jason Isaacs):

The relationship between [Stamets and Captain Lorca] is pretty contentious. I think it is pretty typical of people like Stamets, who are intensely curious and involved in their research and then having this corporate or militaristic boogeyman breathing down their neck. So, they are really at odds with one another. Also, Stamets doesn’t suffer fools. Also, Stamets doesn’t really adhere to chain of command ideas, necessarily.  It is a really an interesting conflict.

Loosening up is part of Stamets’ arc

Stamets is not the new Scotty

So far we have seen Lt. Stamets in the the engine room of the USS Discovery, but Rapp made it clear that the character is not filling the role of chief engineer on this show, and he is all about the science, saying:

[Stamets] is a science officer with a very specific application of the science. It is always first and foremost about the science. Stamets wouldn’t be able to go fix the drive himself, but Stamets could do the research that could lead and understand the science that goes into what makes the drive work. But, Scotty or O’Brien could go fix whatever, that’s not Stamets.

Stamets makes his home in engineering, but don’t ask him to fix the drive

Binged his way to S2 of DS9

The actor also gave us an update on his Star Trek binge watch. He has finished going through all of The Original Series, The Animated Series and The Next Generation and he is now working his way through the second season of Deep Space Nine, with the latest episode viewed the two-parter “The Maquis.”

More from PaleyFest

Jason Isaacs Needed To Know Everything About Lorca Before Starting ‘Star Trek: Discovery’

Mary Wiseman On How Tilly Is Revealed As Best Theoretical Engineer On ‘Star Trek: Discovery’

Akiva Goldsman Explains Episode 9 Switch And Why Discovery is TV-MA

Shazad Latif On Lt. Tyler’s Inner Turmoil And Chemistry With Burnham

TrekMovie has more interviews with the Discovery cast from PaleyFest NY 2017. These will be posted over the next few days so stay tuned.

Star Trek: Discovery is available exclusive in the US on CBS All Access with new episodes released Sundays at 8:30 pm ET. In Canada Star Trek: Discovery airs on the Space Channel at the same time. Discovery is available on Netflix outside the USA and Canada with new episodes made available Monday at 8 am BST.

Keep up with all the Star Trek: Discovery news at TrekMovie.