Last week’s big Star Trek: Discovery panel at San Diego Comic-Con included the announcement that actress Rebecca Romijn will be appearing in the second season of the series, playing the role of Number One on the USS Enterprise, originally played by Majel Barrett Roddenberry in the first Star Trek pilot “The Cage.” The actress was not on the Discovery panel, but has now spoken about playing Number One in some recent interviews.
Gorgeous sets, and talking Spock with Pike
Speaking to ET at a TCA event on Thursday, Romijn spoke about her background with Star Trek and what it was like for her landing the role:
“I was a Trekkie as a kid with the original series. After I was filled in with all the details — after I said ‘yes’ — oh man, I was floored. It was amazing.”
The actress also gave her impression of the first time wearing her costume and walking on the sets:
“When they fit me for that uniform, I was teary-eyed. Because [the show] was shot in the ‘60s, we’ve gone with a little bit of a ‘60s flair, which is great. And being there on set, there’s a ‘60s vibe on set. The production is amazing. Just walking through the stages up there, it’s gorgeous — really, really beautiful sets.”
While she did confirm that she has already shot scenes for the show, she would not confirm how many episodes she appears in for the second season. She did confirm she had scenes with Anson Mount’s Captain Pike and that Spock was brought up:
“I’m working with Anson Mount, who plays an amazing Captain Pike, and we have discussed Mr. Spock. Mr. Spock has been a topic of conversation.”
Honored and awed to be in TOS Gold
While Romijn didn’t attend the Discovery panel or press event at SDCC, she was actually at Comic-Con on the day she was announced, promoting the DC animation film The Death of Superman. While doing press for that, she got a few questions about Discovery.
In a SDCC round table interview recorded by GeekRock TV shortly after the Discovery announcement, Romijn talked about what it was like getting on the radar of Trekkies on social media:
I just got introduced to Trek Twitter, it’s a world I had not known about. I just turned on my phone five minutes ago and I was like “Woah!” it’s wild. It’s a real honor.
She also talked enthusiastically about the experience of wearing the classic gold uniform:
I get to wear the original gold. My character is from The Original Series. So, I play Number One, who is second in command to Captain Pike. So, when we get on board the ship Discovery, which is the ship before the Enterprise, it takes place 10 years before The Original Series, we show up in the original gold… It was awesome! It was so awesome!
You can see the sleeves of that gold uniform in the Instagram post Romijn sent out after the announcement last Friday.
Speaking to MTR Network Romijn talked about taking on the role of Number One, and exuded enthusiasm saying:
I’m very excited. I have already been shooting up there. It’s a beautiful production up there.
You can watch the interview with MTR below.
Star Trek: Discovery is available exclusively in the USA on CBS All Access. It airs in Canada on Space and streams on CraveTV. It is available on Netflix everywhere else.
Keep up with all the Star Trek: Discovery news at TrekMovie.
Through a fan’s eyes, but not a “into the weeds” fan, I can see how Rebecca might remember “The Menagerie” as the pilot. Close enough.
The Cage was the pilot show.
“The Menagerie” did not air as the original pilot on TV, that was “The Man Trap”. She’s also wrong about Kirk and Spock being introduced at the end of “The Menagerie”.
“Take her to Detroit.”
LOL! Great reference!
It seems to be the norm for the actors not to be *fans* of the franchise. It’s never been a problem before so I don’t see why it would be now.
I do think it’s slightly rude if anything to their colleagues that the likes of Shatner haven’t watched Discovery given how little of it there is but I suspect the actors and creatives themselves wouldn’t have that issue.
Yeah who cares? Its a role, as long as they play it well, fine. But this is partly fault of the actors too who feel they have to kowtow with the uber-fans and act like they have been watching it since they were four years old. And maybe they have….once when they were four lol. But fans aren’t stupid. It sounds pretty phony when you say you grew up watching so and so and can barely name more than five episodes.
And I don’t think it matters if other past Trek actors watched the other shows. Again, what difference does it make? They were payed to play on one show, they weren’t made to be fans of the entire franchise. Yes fans love hearing that but it never mattered. All I care about is that they respect the franchise at least and loyal to the show they are on.
I “grew up” watching “I Dream of Jeannie” and “Get Smart;” demmed if I can remember any of the episodes. Except that genius comedic title sequence in “Get Smart.” God bless Mel Brooks.
Just want to chime in… One of my favorite Get Smart gags… We see Max stealthily cutting through some sort of perimiter fence, making sure to disengage alarm systems doing so. He sneaks through only to find himself at the feet of a guy on the other side. He pulls Max up and says, “Come with me.” Max: Where? Guy: To close the front gate. I left it open for YOU.
It’s never been a problem for an actor to not be a fan of the franchise, as long as he or she is a good actor and delivers the goods. Case in point, Shatner wasn’t and still isn’t a “fan” of the franchise (he’s been an at first unwilling and then unenthusiastic and finally somewhat enthusiastic and bewildered supporter) – and everyone thought he’s done a great job, right?
Great is a strong word for Shatner’s work, he’s not bad, most of the time.
He was fine until he started phoning it in partway through S2.
For a guy who doesn’t care about the franchise, he certainly still making a lot of money off of it lol. All the documentaries he’s made about Star Trek in the past decade alone shows he has no problem running to the well when he needs to. But that’s not a problem and the ones I seen have been well made and insightful. But it also proves once you become a Trek actor, you can make money from it decades later due to all the fan stuff around it. Its why most actors are happy to do it.
bmar,
Perhaps not in the way you or I would experience it, but his points in the production as the lead actor awarded in his contract would certainly be a cause to stimulate him to ensure that it did well. And certainly a desire to see it do well. Unlike any of the other actors hired in the first series, he’d have been shooting himself in the foot if he did anything to undermine it after production ceased.
Its only a problem because people are so determined to trash DSC that they make mountains out of molehills.
I actually don’t think they’re lying though. I can see them as being fans. I’m a fan of a lot of things but I happen to be a super fan when it comes to Trek I know things that most “fans” don’t care about or don’t spend enough time to find out. I don’t think we can fault someone for enjoying and watching a series without being the super fans we here are.
The menagerie was Never the pilot….
I can’t watch the video but is she just confusing The Cage with The Menagerie? That was the first pilot.
GQMF,
Most fans get confused that the first pilot was actually originally filmed under both titles, i.e. THE CAGE and THE MENAGERIE, but Romijn in the video is clearly confusing the events in the ending of the 2-part episode as taking place in the 1st pilot as she says “It ends with Kirk and Spock.”
Easy to confuse them, since most of “The Cage” was used in “The Menagerie” as a way to cut costs!
Mmmmmm yea…… She didn’t quite get all her facts straight but her hearts in the right place.
She seems genuinely enthusiastic about being part of Trek. She could be great in the role of Number One. Looking forward to seeing how this works out.
they made it so- no.1 finally gets more than a few scenes in a pilot ep after 50 years.
I would hope so.
I guess her role will be minor at first, overseeing the repairs of the Enterprise you know. But eventually the Enterprise may come to the rescue!
Number One is here,
Our shining queen of the stars-
So smart and sexy.
-Bashō
Yes, the Enterprise she is here ;-)
What a lovely beautiful woman!!..Great choice for Number One..i wonder if her hair is darker on the show..Like Majel’s back in the day.
We expect her hair to be dark. She had dark hair on her most recent TV show The Librarians.
She looks better with dark hair, I think.
Seems like most Hollywood actresses are compelled to be blondes.
so she’s part of Pike’s crew on the Enterprise right?
Yes, she’s the First Officer, thus, “Number One.”
Prvoklasna pičoka
You know she’ll do a great job if she’s cast later-on as the computer voice and Nurse Chapel for a TOS TV RetconReboot…. then marries the executive producer/creator….
I jest but still…. :P
LLAP