FEBRUARY 7, 2021 - Avaah Blackwell first joined the cast of Star Trek: Discovery under cover of prosthetic makeup as the alien character Osnullus. Then in season three, she dropped the foam rubber and latex in favor of her own skin as Lieutenant Ina. In a recent interview with Trek Report, Blackwell shared the story of how she joined Discovery’s cast, and what life has been like for her as a performer.

Blackwell’s place in the cast of Discovery was largely unplanned. During production of the first season, when another actor was unable to fill the role of Osnullus, Blackwell’s agent asked her to come down to the studio “right away”. “I happened to be free,” Blackwell told Trek Report. “I showed up and was able to fit into the costume and prosthetics. They did a camera test — and the rest, as they say, is history!”

With the stars aligned, she joined the cast. Appearing not only as Osnullus, Blackwell has also played an Osnullus trader and Captain Rahma, all under cover of prosthetics. That is, until she was offered the role of Lieutenant Ina in the third season.

It’s as Lt. Ina that Star Trek audiences get to see Blackwell on screen as a human for the first time. She joined fellow cast members Doug Jones as Saru and Kenneth Mitchell as Aurellio, all of whom appeared in human form for the first time in Discovery season three.

Blackwell said she loved playing Ina, but would not confirm whether or not the character would return in season four. When pressed for more information about Ina’s past, Blackwell said, “I will let the producers, directors, and writers elaborate on all of that when they are ready to do so.”

All the same, Blackwell has been staying busy. Currently, you can see her as a stunt double on the CBC series Frankie Drake Mysteries. She is also starring in the upcoming film EFC. Between her stunt work, modelling, and acting, Blackwell embraces the challenges of the craft, finding value in her work as a performer. “There have been some grueling days outside in the cold,” she said. “Long days in challenging prosthetics for almost every role, having to face my fear of heights and very challenging fights in stunts. But all of them allow me to grow as an artist and as an individual. It is all totally worth it.”

You can read more from Avaah Blackwell over at Trek Report, and be sure to catch her turn as Lt. Ina in Star Trek: Discovery season three, now streaming on CBS All Access.