Star Trek: Discovery stars and producers walked the red carpet last week in New York to celebrate the premiere of season two. We continue to bring you interviews from the event.
We talked to Shazad Latif (Tyler) about how things have changed since he was last seen on Qo’noS and where else we can expect to see him in season two. He was cheerful as always, enthusiastic about what the new season will bring.
Are Tyler and L’Rell a couple?
Latif: They’re not a couple, they’re a team. But they’re not a couple. But they’re around each other a lot, they have a lot to figure out. So they spend a lot of time being emotional together and sorting out the Klingons.
We know they are ambassadors of sorts, but we see Tyler in his Starfleet uniform. What can you tell us about how the others deal with him when that happens?
Latif: There’s a lot of crossover, there’s a point where we will need each other and we have to work together again, so he goes over back to the other ship and he’s got stuff to sort out with Michael. So he eats a lot in the mess hall alone, basically. There’s a lot of scenes doing that.
Ash and Michael have some things to work out
Is he ever going to get to be just a normal guy? Does he ever resolve these two sides of himself?
Latif: I don’t know if he ever could, really. I don’t know if he fully could. I think he just needs to have distractions, and then maybe go fishing somewhere, on some planet alone, find some alien woman and just settle down in a cabin.
(Asked by another interviewer) We’ve seen Tyler in what appears to be a Section 31 uniform in the trailers. How did that come about?
Latif: He’s a man of many talents. He’s very adaptable. He’s got skills that a lot of people might want to use. He keeps moving around. He’s a utility player.
So is he part of the whole Section 31 storyline?
Latif: Yeah, he moves into that. And it’ll all come to the fore in the next couple of episodes. You’ll see a lot of stuff gets explained, right at the beginning.
Shazad Latif as Tyler in his Section 31 uniform
So do you think there’s a chance he could also turn up on the new Section 31 series?
Latif: I mean I’d love to, because me and Michelle love eating out together. So the more I can eat out with Michelle, the better.
But they haven’t spoken to you about it yet?
Latif: No, not properly. (laughs meaningfully)
Not properly? All right …
(he laughs)
More from the season 2 premiere
There is still more to come from our red carpet coverage of the season 2 premiere in NYC.
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. The second season debuted on All Access and Space on Thursday, January 17th, 2019, and on Netflix January 18, 2019.
Keep up with all the Star Trek: Discovery news at TrekMovie.
I don’t care if it’s on Discovery, on Section 31, both or somewhere else entirely, I just want MORE Shazad Latif in my Star Trek!
Right? I love his character so much
Shazad Latif was probably the highlight of the first season for me. I wasn’t a fan of that season, but he was fantastic. Here’s hoping they put his talents to better use going forward.
“No, not properly.” British for “Show me the money!!”
From Klingon to surgically altered human in Starfleet to now Section 31 member. Discovery knows how to keep it interesting with these crazy twists lol.
Section 31 contains members of the Klingon Empire and the Mirror Universe. What a mindjob.
And don’t forget last time we saw Section 31 ‘recruit’ someone was Khan lol. Mindjob indeed.
Section 31 is one of the worst ideas any Trek writer ever had.
Bryan Burnette,
I don’t know about worst idea in Trek, but as worst ideas go I don’t think it comes near the US paying uncovered WW II exNazis that it expelled, millions in Social Security:
https://apnews.com/97f4f581d4a7485e9878075021c49b43
And I can’t help wondering if the US Government thought they owed it to them because they employed them:
https://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/27/us/in-cold-war-us-spy-agencies-used-1000-nazis.html
So maybe it will be the Klingon that brings humanity and optimism to the Section 31 show…
Really don’t like the character
I’m still counting on Shazad and Sonequa’s characters ending up marooned forever on a lonely alien world — with enough provisions, mind you — and that winds up being the final scene of the series. It’s a scenario that can help explain why we didn’t hear of Michael Burnham in TOS, and yet it can also be a melancholy-but-happy ending for these two characters.
he’s my favorite actor on show, but they the writers really F***ed up his character. like really. I am glad he’s back and survived season 1
“So the more I can eat out with Michelle, the better.”
Heh.
I wouldn’t mind if he in the new section 31 show. I think he could have more of present in that show then Discovery. Of course he still also be able to do episodes on Discovery as well.
So am I right in thinking he’s a mirror universe version of the Ash that died? If so poor real Ash.