Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' Melissa Navia pays tribute to her late partner, Brian Bannon

Melissa Navia as Lieutenant Erica Ortegas at the helm in STAR TREK: STRANGE NEW WORLDS

MAY 26, 2022 - Melissa Navia, known to Star Trek: Strange New Worlds fans as Lieutenant Erica Ortegas, has had a challenging year. In a recent interview with the Newstalk podcast Moncrieff Highlights, Navia reflected on the recent loss of her partner Brian Bannon, and his profound influence on her acting career.

"Brian is 100% the reason that I booked Star Trek,” Navia told Moncrieff. “He is the example of the kind of person and partner that a working actor like myself, a struggling actor at times, needs in their life.” Brian’s faith in Navia’s career never waivered, giving her the support she needed to pursue her dream. "He absolutely believed always that the right role would come along,” she said.

Sadly, Brian was diagnosed with leukemia in late 2021, and passed away soon after. In February, Navia traveled to Ballyshannon in County Donegal, Ireland, to celebrate what would have been Brian’s 50th birthday in his hometown. Even though Strange New Worlds was already in production on the series’ second season, Navia said the production team was “able to make space in [their] crazy schedule”, enabling her to visit Brian’s family and friends for his birthday. “I ended up flying into Dublin on the morning of February 25th as the sun was rising,” Navia recalled. “I had to laugh, Brian makes me laugh still all the time - he had told me that he didn't want to spend his 50th birthday with anybody but me.” For Navia, watching the sunrise that morning, thinking of Brian, made it seem as though the two were celebrating together.

Although the mood may have been somber, Navia also commented on the new series. Pleased about the episodic nature of Strange New Worlds, Navia told Moncrieff, “It's hopeful, it goes back to kind of what I think made Star Trek so beloved at the beginning.” Calling Strange New Worlds “a slice of what life is,” she went on to say, “Star Trek allows us to dig into stories in a way that I don't think other TV shows quite can".

Please join us in offering our condolences to Melissa Navia and the Bannon family for their loss. To listen to the full interview, check out Newstalk’s Moncrieff Highlights wherever you get your podcasts.