The series star tells ET whether we could see her and the cast in a future film as 'Discovery' kicks off its final season.
It's the end of the line for Star Trek: Discovery and Sonequa Martin-Green thinks fans will love how it all ends.
The star of the Paramount+ series, which launched the current era of the Star Trek TV universe, spoke with ET ahead of the premiere of the show's final season on Thursday, where she reflected on the show's legacy, her favorite memories on set, and the possibility of seeing a return in a future film.
Paramount+ announced on March 2 that Discovery would be signing off after the fifth season. The final season will find Captain Michael Burnham (Martin-Green) -- the franchise's first Black female captain -- and the crew of the USS Discovery uncovering a mystery that will send them on an epic adventure across the galaxy to find an ancient power whose very existence has been deliberately hidden for centuries. But there are others on the hunt as well -- dangerous foes who are desperate to claim the prize for themselves and will stop at nothing to get it.
"I hope that at least a part of our legacy is that we went boldly, right? And that means a lot of things; we went beyond where any other Trek had ever gone before in so many different ways," Martin-Green tells ET. "I know there was some serialization in Deep Space Nine, but we took it further into hyper-serialization, which is hard to do with Trek and still hold onto the hope that's at the heart of it."
"We went boldly with the diversity -- we went so much further than any had ever gone," she adds, which was a significant element of the show's freshman season.
Discovery has featured a cast that highlights diversity in all its forms: The crew was captained by an Asian woman in Philippa Georgiou (Michelle Yeoh), with a Black woman second in command turned captain in Michael, and several aliens in the primary cast. Chief Engineer Paul Stamets (Anthony Rapp) and Chief Medical Officer Hugh Culber (Wilson Cruz) comprise one of the show's most beloved (and heartbreaking) couples.
In season 3, the show introduced a non-binary character, Adira Tal (Blu del Barrio), and their transgender partner, Gray (Ian Alexander), adding to what has been the most diverse cast in Star Trek history.
But Discovery has also been able to play with Star Trek's lore with time-jumping plots. "We went ahead in the timeline, so we were able to create canon in bold ways," Martin-Green says. "And I also think character evolution is a legacy of ours, where you can see the growth and the change. Because these characters became who they were meant to be, and you got to watch that journey."
"It certainly was a gift for me as a Black woman to be able to show that journey from mutineer to captain," she adds. "I feel like I was able to do a lot of like super heroic things on Discovery, and I feel that I almost got that superhero experience that you would get from a Marvel film."
Last February, Martin-Green reflected on her history-making legacy on Discovery when her character became the first Black female captain in the franchise's history.
"It was exhilarating, it was solidifying, it was cementing and fulfilling in so many ways," Martin-Green shared with ET. "I felt as if I had arrived, or sort of reached the pinnacle of what this season is about."
The actress, who is also a producer on Discovery, credited her character's strength and tenacity, which she says has only gotten stronger over time. "One of the things I love the most about the character of Michael Burnham is there’s this power, this grit, this heart, and there’s such a rawness there," she said. "I’m always ready to jump in and get down and dirty, which I love."
Now, reflecting on the show's final episodes, Martin-Green says they "exceeded" her expectations. "It went so far beyond what I thought we would do to end the show. I wish I could say more, but of course, it would spoil it," she adds.
The actress says fans will really love what they've done to wrap up their legacy. "I think that it was done so beautifully, so gently, but courageously and powerfully," she teases.
While her time leading Discovery is on borrowed time, Martin-Green wouldn't say no to donning her captain's suit again in a possible spinoff or film sequel.
"I think that that would be a lot of fun, and I think there's opportunity for that," she shares. "I think the door's always open, right? I was just talking to Whoopi Goldberg about this -- there's no goodbye. There are always opportunities, you know? Yes, we're in this timeline that sort of separates us a bit, but it would be fun, and I think we all feel that way."
That's right, Martin-Green would bank on her co-stars jumping on the opportunity with her, should the possibly arise. "We love this, we love the characters, we love each other, we love entire franchise. And I think we would all come back if we could, it would be a lot of fun."
Star Trek: Discovery season 5 premieres April 4 on Paramount+.
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