Kenneth Mitchell to return to Star Trek: Discovery season 3 - as a human!
Kenneth Mitchell will star as "Kol," a commanding officer in the Klingon Empire. Mitchell's television credits include the fan-favorite "Jericho" on CBS, "The Astronaut Wives Club" and "Frequency." Photo Cr: Johnny Vy. ©2017 CBS Television Studios. All Rights Reserved.
Kenneth Mitchell will be returning to Star Trek: Discovery. But surprise! This time, it’s not as a Klingon.
Mitchell is well-known in Trek circles for having played three Klingons so far in Discovery: Kol of House Kor, in season one; and in season two, Kol-Sha, Kol’s father, and Tenavik, the son of L’Rell and Voq. Now, TrekCore reports that in the September 2020 issue of the official Star Trek Magazine, Mitchell revealed that he’ll be back to play a fourth character...a human one!
“I’m playing a human character,” Mitchell told Star Trek Magazine. “It’s beautiful, and I’m excited for the fans to meet him.” TrekCore also notes that Mitchell says the role will be part of two late-season episodes.
Mitchell revealed earlier this year that he’s living with ALS (or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease. ALS is a motor neuron disease that causes gradual weakening of muscles in the body. As a result, Mitchell now uses a wheelchair on a day-to-day basis. Although he was diagnosed in August of 2018, Mitchell has continued to work, including as a recurring character in the CW series Nancy Drew. He filmed his parts for Discovery season three just before his public announcement.
In the Star Trek Magazine piece, Mitchell expressed gratitude towards the Discovery production team for including him in the latest series, saying, “I am also thankful for the continued support of Alex [Kurtzman], Michelle [Paradise], Olatunde [Osunsanmi], Jonathan Frakes and everyone at Secret Hideout, who made it happen for me.”
And of course, you can check out Mitchell’s past Klingon performances in seasons one and two of Discovery, which are streaming now on CBS All Access, with season one also due to start broadcasting on CBS network television on September 24th.
