Anthony Rapp and Wilson Cruz Talk the Messy Family Dynamics in Star Trek: Discovery

Lt. Commander Stamets (Anthony Rapp) and Dr. Culber (Wilson Cruz) have had a long, challenging journey. Now, they’re together, but they’re not in the best of circumstances. In an interesting conversation, Rapp and Cruz discuss the way Discoveryhas developed its crew dynamics and how Stamets and Culber’s love story factors into it.

In a short but intriguing conversation with Wil Wheaton on Discovery’s “The Ready Room” debriefing, Cruz and Rapp talk about the way conflict is handled among the show’s ship crew and how the show’s approach to mental health is starting to play out. This isn’t the clean, cooperative crew of The Next Generation, after all; this is a messy family group pushed to the very edge. In this clip, Wheaton lays out the stakes and Rapp and Cruz muse on what the development means for the show and its characters.

Wheaton hogs a bit of the screentime here, but what I find compelling is the suggestion that Discovery might be dramatizing how Starfleet evolved its approach to mental health. Supposing they ever return to their normal timeline, this crew will come back with some insights about operating under extreme duress, and, as Cruz and Wheaton point out, Dr. Culber is stepping up into a more counselor-like role that prefigures other characters in later parts of the timeline. Seeing those ideas coalesce and end up as part of the character evolution is an enticing prospect.

Star Trek: Discovery is still in the midst of its third season, which streams on CBS All Access.

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Source: io9.gizmodo.com