"Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" star Michelle Yeoh is the first cast member aboard on the CBS All Access sci-fi drama "Star Trek: Discovery." She is about to inhabit the captain's chair.
Yeoh has signed on to play her recurring role as the head of a Starfleet ship in the upcoming "Star Trek: Discovery," TV Line reported. A representative for the CBS All Access series would not confirm or comment on the casting.
Yeoh's character Han Bo will helm the Shenzhou and reportedly will have prominent roles in "Star Trek: Discovery" Season 1 with her ship. However, she is not the series' previously announced female lead character since the CBS network is not seeking a huge star and would prefer a fresh face for the lead female Lieutenant Commander, preferably a younger, African-American or Latina actress.
According to Variety, the casting process for the lead role of "Star Trek: Discovery" has spanned more than three months at this point, and the show is having difficulty settling on a star. However, a handful of names has been floating around for some time.
"Star Trek: Discovery" is set to be the first new "Star Trek" series since "Enterprise," which aired in syndication between 2001 and 2005. It was greenlit last year with the intent that it would become the first original scripted series exclusive to CBS' streaming service All Access.
However, "Star Trek: Discovery" has been subject to delays and creative-team changes. In September, CBS announced that it would bow in May, instead originally slated to debut in January, moving "The Good Wife" spinoff "The Good Fight" into the February perch previously occupied by "Discovery."
Then, in October, executive producer Bryan Fuller stepped down from the showrunner position of "Star Trek: Discovery." He was replaced by fellow executive producers Gretchen Berg and Aaron Harberts, who were joined by Akiva Goldsman in a top creative role.
The premiere of "Star Trek: Discovery" will air on CBS network before moving exclusively to CBS All Access.
Watch the video of Michelle Yeoh joining "Star Trek: Discovery":