Production on the fourth season of Star Trek: Discovery began nine months ago, and slowly but surely it is coming to a close.
Season 4 production update
Unlike Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, which wrapped up primary production on its first season a little over a week ago, season four of Discovery is wrapping in stages, with the various actors finishing up their work at different times. The latest of these is David Ajala (Cleveland “Book” Booker) who sent out a tweet on Monday evening as he packed up his trailer in Toronto saying, “That’s a wrap for Cleveland Booker. And breath…”
That’s a wrap for CB. And breath… #startrek #justbookit pic.twitter.com/RusU8tAXEi
— David Ajala (@iamDavidAjala) August 2, 2021
Very early Saturday morning, Patrick Kwok-Choon (bridge officer Gen Rhys) notified his Twitter followers “And that’s a wrap!” along with some sleeping emojis.
😴🛌💤
— Patrick Kwok-Choon (@KWOK_ROCK) July 31, 2021
Other actors have also completed work on season four. Anthony Rapp (Stamets) told TrekMovie he had wrapped in mid-July, adding, “There’s still some shooting in one location and Stamets was not a part of that location. So I’m not a part of that shoot.” It does appear that Doug Jones was required at that other location as he said he was still at work, adding the production was “closing in on the end of it.” Jones noted at the time that producing the show under COVID protocols has been adding to the production time; they had to take at least one hiatus due to those protocols.
Jones is one of the actors who canceled an appearance at next week’s 55 Year Mission Star Trek convention in Las Vegas. Other season four Discovery actors who have canceled in the last week due to professional obligations: series star Sonequa Martin-Green (Burnham), Ronnie Rowe (Bryce), and Raven Dauda (Dr. Pollard).
Rapp, Ajala, and Kwok-Choon are all confirmed to appear at the convention, along with other season four Discovery actors Mary Wiseman (Tilly), Blu del Barrio (Adira), David Benjamin Tomlinson (Linus), Oded Fehr (Vance), and Tara Rosling (T’Rina). The convention will also include a number of actors who appeared in previous seasons.
If things stay on track, production on season four should wrap up some time in August, perhaps very soon.
UPDATE: Ajala wrap gift
It’s customary for cast and crew to get special wrap gifts, but sometimes cast members also give out gifts, and this year David Ajala sent one out that was very special. Season 3’s Ryn (and husband to Mary Wiseman) Noah Averbach-Katz shared a picture of this custom mug featuring Book and Grudge in a tub.
Congratulations to @iamDavidAjala on a Season 4 Wrap, and congratulations to me for receiving the most glorious wrap gift of all time https://t.co/uqzTTBe8H1 pic.twitter.com/vGeGSIjhHA
— Noah AK (@N_A_K) August 3, 2021
Post-production update
While things wind down for the actors in Toronto, post-production work on the season continues. Over the weekend, executive producer and co-showrunner Michelle Paradise reported she saw a cut of the second episode with the sound mix, revealing they were working out of order. She praised the work of executive producer/director Olatunde Osunsanmi, writers Anne Cofell Saunders and Glenise Mullins, and the production and post-production teams.
Had our first mix of S4 yesterday – so cool! (402 – we're mixing out of order) @CenterWillHold killed it, as always. As did our actors (as always!). Awesome script by @acofell & @glenisemullins, great work by our prod & post teams. Can't wait for you to see it! #StarTrekDiscovery
— Michelle Paradise (@michelleparadis) July 31, 2021
This may be the first mention of Mullins being part of the Discovery writing team. Her experience has mostly been in editing for television and feature films, but she’s also a writer on the new Amazon Lord of the Rings TV series. Anne Cofell Saunders joined the show as a co-executive producer on season 3, and she followed up Paradise on Twitter with her praise for every department “working miracles creating an amazing season 4 during COVID19.”
Stoked to see the final 402! Every crewmember, actor, AD, editor, DP, assistant, artist — EVERY DEPARTMENT on #StarTrekDiscovery has been working miracles creating an amazing Season 4 during #COVID19 — heroes all! Thank you @michelleparadis @CenterWillHold @glenisemullins https://t.co/qW2h52DTi9
— Anne Cofell Saunders (@acofell) August 1, 2021
Editor Chad Rubel also jumped in to praise the Emmy-nominated sound team.
This is what I had such a good time doing yesterday. Our sound team is amazing. They absolutely deserved to be nominated for an Emmy for last season’s work. 🖖#editor #StarTrekDiscovery https://t.co/G5vozlxlU2
— Chad Rubel (@ChadRubel) July 31, 2021
When will it be on Paramount+?
It’s been announced that season four of Star Trek: Discovery will arrive on Paramount+ in late 2021, but no specific date has been given. The animated series Star Trek: Lower Decks is set to debut its second season on August 12th, and the first season of the kids’ animated series Star Trek: Prodigy is coming this fall. If Paramount+ continues to release new episodes on Thursdays and wants to avoid any overlap between the three Trek series, then season four would kick off on Thursday, December 30th, just under the wire before the new year.
Find more news and analysis on Star Trek: Discovery.
David Ajala was quite good in Season 3; I look forward to seeing what he does in Season 4.
I like the new characters they introduced in Season 3, but my favorite characters are Saru, Culber, and Tilly. I really hope the writers don’t let the new characters crowd out my beloved Saru!
I’ll be honest, I’ve never warmed up to Tilly. I love almost everything about Discovery, but she gets on my nerves very quickly.
That was my first reaction to her, then I warmed up to her persona and thought it was cute, now I’m back to being annoyed…
She’s not to everyone’s taste, certainly, but I’ve seen her referred to several times as a fan favorite, so some of us do like her. :-)
Sounds like not everyone dislikes her, not everyone likes her, and not everyone likes or dislikes her all the time.
Sounds like real life to me.
Saru became my instant favorite. From day one, I knew he was going to be an amazing character.
Doug Jones is an amazing actor, he got the right concept, makeup, and he is very fortunate to get the good lines, always.
Doug Jones is a treasure, and we’re SO lucky to have him for Star Trek!
I love how kind and gentle Saru is, and Doug Jones plays that so well. It’s not the usual portrait of a hero — they tend to be snarky and kick-ass — and Saru is SUCH a breath of fresh air!
Absolutely. He is super talented, humble, and kind. Hope in the near future we can see more (Saru) personal stories. Also more CGI physical super powers in between. On the show or an upcoming movie.
Is Tilly first officer in season 4? I mean she is kind of like a cross between Wesley and Barclay. Just more effervescent and likeable. She’ll probably end up Captain of a starship, i mean she doesn’t Mutiny every five seconds so she is on the way to a Captaincy already.
Anne Cofell Saunders wrote 24- Day 4: 7:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m. “Jack and Paul enlist civilian help when they must fend off mercenaries from McLennan-Forster. Tony discovers that Michelle is taking over command of CTU. Marwan orders an underling to kill an Air Force pilot and his family and assume the pilot’s identity.”
Cleveland Booker has been a great addition to the show. I really hope we can learn more about him, his people, on Season 4.
Agreed. I really love Booker. Such a cool and down to Earth guy. And more proof when I used to hear people say you go too far into the future people become more ‘unrelatable’. Booker lives a thousand year into the future and yet he could land in the 21st century and be the most popular guy at a party. ;)
Book reminded me of Han Solo. That isn’t a complaint either. I found him very enjoyable.
Just a little correction to the article: Hannah Cheesman played Airiam 2.0, not Nilsson.
true. So many Airiams… removed her (as she doesn’t count as S4 actor, as far as we know)
Love how Adjala is departing wearing a 6ix State of Mind t-shirt.
Is Averbach-Katz going to be back as a new character?
I had that thought too.
It would be harsh for the spouses to stay in the US while the cast were bubbles in Toronto.
Perhaps some secondary roles were found for them on one of the various Secret Hideout productions in Toronto.
Yes, I thought it might be that.
Wrapping up on Disco4 could or could not be related to why actors have dropped from STLV this month. But its good news to know that we have soon have Disco4, SNW and PIC headed our way.