Sayak Basu
The first episode of the new Star Trek series is going to be directed by woman, Hanelle Culpepper, a veteran of the industry. Although the series has seen numerous episodes being directed by women, it does not have a single woman-directed first episode or pilot. The feature films in the franchise, 13 of them which have been produced till date, have all been directed by men. The second season of the series debuted recently, on January 19. The character of Jean-Luc Picard will be brought back in the third season by Culpepper, who will be directing the first two episodes.
Culpepper has directed two other episodes in the series, season one’s twelfth episode called ‘Vaulting Ambition’ and also one in the ongoing second season, the tenth episode named ‘The Red Angel’ which will be premiering on March 21. Creator Alex Kurtzman seems excited to have appointed Culpepper to lead the way in the third season which will see Sir Patrick Stewart reprising his role as the famed Jean-Luc Piccard. Stewart had last appeared as Picard way back in 2002 when he played the part in the movie ‘Star Trek: Nemesis’.
Series writer/creator Alex Kurtzman said he is pretty excited that Culpepper will be the one to direct the first two episodes as she “is a gifted and dynamic filmmaker whose directorial choices are always deeply rooted in character.” He further added that “she’s the perfect person to reintroduce the beloved character of Picard to longtime fans and new viewers alike. We’re thrilled she’s joining our Trek family on this next adventure.” Other than Star Trek: Discovery, Culpepper has also been a director on shows like ‘Criminal Minds‘ (2005-), ‘How to Get Away With Murder‘ (2014-) and Gotham (2014-).
While Stewart’s coming back is a guarantee, fans have also been in love with the other characters of his crew of the USS Enterprise-D. The season that Stewart will be a part is one to expand the series further, which they are also doing by bringing out an animated series which will air on CBS All Access and probably also on Nickelodeon. Other ways the expansion will be done is by producing a few other episodes of ‘Short Treks’, a spinoff series to be telecast on Discovery, and another spinoff featuring the Starfleet Academy is also in the works.
When Will Season 3 Premiere?
Considering the fact that season two has just premiered last month, it can be assumed that season three will be premiering at a later date. While the exact date has not yet been confirmed by the producers or CBS themselves, reports are that it might hit our television screens by the end of 2019. Till date, we are only thankful that the show creators took a step in the right direction by appointing a woman to direct the first two episodes of an important season which will bring one of the most famous characters in the entire franchise’s history back. Read more about Season 2 here.
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