Back in December, it was announced thatThe Walking DeadstarSonequa Martin-Greenhas been cast as the series lead character on CBS All Access’Star Trek Discovery. Since herWalking Deadcharacter Sasha was still alive in the series, it had many wondering if the beloved character was about to be killed off, especially when considering that other actors being cast on different shows was often an indication of their characters being killed off. Despite reports thatSonequa Martin-Greenwould still be a part ofThe Walking Dead, the actress' Sasha character was killed off in the season finale. The actress revealed in a new interview that she didn’t leaveThe Walking DeadforStar Trek Discovery, revealing that her character’s fate had already been sealed before she landed the role. Here’s what she had to say below.
“It couldn’t have worked out more perfectly, because what was happening onWalking Deadwas already underway. It was the path. It was definitely in place. And then as we were going into the very end of the season, the very end of our shoot for the season, that’s when the opportunity forStar Trekcame. And so I know some people might think that I leftWalking Deadto do Star Trek, but it did not happen that way. It was after Walking Dead was already ending that the opportunity for Star Trek came.
Back in Season 2, it was reported thatJon Bernthalwas cast in the new TNT pilotL.A. Noir, which would eventually air under the titleMob Cityfor its first and only season. The news was confirmed by the network, just one day afterThe Walking Deadepisode aired where his character Shane was killed. Then in Season 3,Sarah Wayne Callieswas cast in the filmCategory Six, which was released under the titleInto the Storm, while production was still under way, and she was eventually killed during that season. And, most recently,Steven Yeunstarted filming a new Netflix original movie entitledOkjaforBrad Pitt’s Plan B productions, whileThe Walking DeadSeason 7 was in production. Fans learned in the Season 7 premiere that his character Glenn was one of two characters killed by the nefarious Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), along withMichael Cudlitz’s Abraham Ford. The actress also revealed that, after herWalking Deadfate was sealed, she wasn’t sure what she was going to do next, until thisStar Trekrole came along.
“I didn’t know what I was going to be doing next. And whenStar Trekcame I thought, Oh my goodness! This is…unspeakable! Like, what?? It’s going from such a goliath that reaches so many people in such a profound way, to a legacy. So basically going from legacy to legacy. BecauseStar Trekhas definitely been printed in the hearts of so many people and has been since the ’60s, obviously. To go from such a favorite show, to arguably the most favorite show of all time, is [laughs] I still think I’m catching my breath.”
Just a day afterSonequa Martin-Green’s Sasha character was killed off, it was confirmed that she will portray First Officer Michael Burnham. Former showrunner Bryan Fuller revealed before stepping away from the series that the show’s lead character will be a “lieutenant commander with caveats,” andSonequa Martin-Green’s casting confirmation cements two iconic firsts for the franchise. Star Trek Discovery will now be the first Star Trek show lead by an African-American female, while also being the first show to center on a character who isn’t the captain, with her character Michael Burnham serving as the First Officer. Hopefully we’ll learn more about herStar Trek Discoverycharacter as production continues, and more onThe Walking DeadSeason 8.
