[Asteropax]

The first thing that came to mind after reading her quote was "Has she seen Star Trek before?"

Like COME ON; there have been several black characters in important Star Trek roles already.

Nichelle Nichols as Nyota Uhura from The Original Series.
Michael Dorn as Worf, son of Mogh from The Next Geneartion and Deep Space 9.
Woopi Goldberg as Guinan from The Next Generation.
Avery Brooks as Benjamin Sisko from Deep Space 9.
Tim Russ as Tuvok from Voyager.
Zoe Saldana as Nyota Uhura from the Reboot Series.
Idris Elba as Balthazar Edison / Krall from the Reboot Series movie Star Trek Beyond.

That's 7 people in major roles already in the above list and I know I've missed practically all of the minor characters.

[aceman67]

Since my last post didn't stay on topic, here's my two-cents:

Who cares?

So what if she doesn't know Trek Trivia or if she hasn't seen Star Trek? It shouldn't matter either way. She's a talented actress who for the most part is doing a great job on Discovery.

[Asteropax]

So what if she doesn't know Trek Trivia or if she hasn't seen Star Trek? It shouldn't matter either way. She's a talented actress who for the most part is doing a great job on Discovery.

No argument about her acting skills. I think she's doing a great job with her role in Discovery.

I just think that if an actor is going to take on a role which has a large universe already created should take some time to get to know that as well. It would be a bit like an actor commenting that they don't know what a lightsaber is when they are playing a Jedi in Star Wars. Just as that weapon is an identifying statement for Star Wars, the diversity of the characters is an identifier for Star Trek.

[aceman67]

Do you think Sir Alec Guinness knew what a Lightsaber was when he was cast as a Jedi in Star Wars?

Or do you think Leonard Nimoy knew what the Vulcan hand-gesture was for "Live Long and Prosper"? (Funny story: He did, as its similar to a gesture a Rabbi makes during Jewish religious ceremonies, and it was Nimoy's suggestion that gave birth to )

I ask those things because when it comes down to it, It doesn't matter. Sonequa isn't a Trekkie, so what, it's not a pre-requisite for the role. She's a professional actor. She prepared for her role by either studying the source material on her own time and/or through background info given to her by the writing staff.

[Noram]

Do you think Sir Alec Guinness knew what a Lightsaber was when he was cast as a Jedi in Star Wars?

Or do you think Leonard Nimoy knew what the Vulcan hand-gesture was for "Live Long and Prosper"? (Funny story: He did, as its similar to a gesture a Rabbi makes during Jewish religious ceremonies, and it was Nimoy's suggestion that gave birth to )

I ask those things because when it comes down to it, It doesn't matter. Sonequa isn't a Trekkie, so what, it's not a pre-requisite for the role. She's a professional actor. She prepared for her role by either studying the source material on her own time and/or through background info given to her by the writing staff.

Considering that was the first Star Wars ever, probably not.

Sonequa may not be a Trekkie, but there's a difference between knowing the minutia of Trek that we do and knowing that there were black people on the show before her. The worst part isn't even the ignorance, it's the arrogance of her assumption that she's something new and special in Trek because of her race.

[aceman67]

And I ask again: Why does that matter?

It doesn't, at the end of the day. Not being a Trekkie, or having a level of knowledge that would mean she can answer trivia questions, should not and cannot have any effect on her ability to star on Star Trek. Like I said, she's a professional actress who isn't a Trekkie, she has been given enough background information requisite to play her role. She's doing (and doing well) the job she was cast for.

Getting angry or upset over her inability for being able to answer trivia on a show she stars in is, quite frankly, petty? As far as not knowing that there have been several notable African-American roles in Star Trek, I say this: She's human, she can't know everything, and the fact she doesn't know is trivial.

Getting bent out of shape on this is not worth our time. There are far more important things in the world that are more deserving of said time.

[Dark]

It's not about "Star Trek trivia".

This doesn't require even a passing familiarity with the franchise, nor even a cursory bit of research. Literally 5 seconds just scrolling down the wikipedia article without even reading anything will reveal the black man plastered among the list of captains helming the various series.

It's a self-aggrandizing claim based on wilful ignorance.

"They're a ♥♥♥♥ but a great actor" is a perfectly valid view (and one applicable to a lot of A-list celebrities), and being a great actor doesn't excuse being a ♥♥♥♥. Given the current political climate I take more issue with people trying to excuse or dismiss it then her making the claim or how it reflects on her character, because there's way too much of that happening with much greater issues.

Someone can make a ton of medical breakthroughs that save millions of people, but still be a monster because they tortured and killed hundreds of thousands to achieve those breakthroughs.

So let's turn the question to those who keep making excuses on her behalf: Does it matter that she's self-absorbed? Do you need the actress to be a saint to enjoy her acting?