Blu del Barrio and Ian Alexander to join Star Trek: Discovery as the franchise’s first non-binary and transgender characters

L-R: Blu del Barrio (Photo Credit: Phil Sharp), Ian Alexander (Photo Credit: Jake Akita)

Star Trek: Discovery is raising the bar yet again, bringing a transgender character and a non-binary character to a Star Trek production for the first time. Yesterday, ViacomCBS announced the additions to the upcoming third season of Discovery.

The self-assured and highly intelligent non-binary character, Adira, will be played by actor Blu del Barrio. Del Barrio is a non-binary actor and recent graduate of the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. A performer since the age of 7, del Barrio will be making their television debut on Star Trek: Discovery.

A hopeful Trill named Gray is the next addition to the Discovery cast, played by 19-year-old actor Ian Alexander, best known as the character Buck Vu on the Netflix series The OA. Alexander is the first openly transgender Asian-American actor on television and an advocate for transgender equality, racial justice and mental health awareness for the LGBTQ+ youth community.

In the announcement, Discovery executive producer Michelle Paradise praised the addition of the two characters, saying, “Star Trek has always made a mission of giving visibility to underrepresented communities because it believes in showing people that a future without division on the basis of race, gender, gender identity or sexual orientation is entirely within our reach.” The characters of Adira and Gray were created in close collaboration with del Barrio, Alexander, and Nick Adams (GLAAD’s Director of Transgender Representation) in an effort to, as Paradise said, “bring their stories to life with empathy, understanding, empowerment and joy.”

Please join us here at Daily Star Trek News in welcoming Blu del Barrio and Ian Alexander into the Star Trek family. And be sure to tune in to season three of Star Trek: Discovery, streaming from October 15th on CBS All Access.