FEBRUARY 1, 2021 - While the plot of Star Trek: Discovery season three was ostensibly about finding the cause of The Burn and repairing the Federation, one of the defining characteristics of the season will be the inclusion of characters Adira and Gray, the franchise’s first non-binary and transgender characters. Although both characters were developed with GLAAD, an early criticism of Discovery’s realization of the Gray character was that he arguably fell into the “bury your gays” trope, having passed away before we met him, and his death being a major motivator for Adira.

However, in the finale of season three, Adira’s sort-of adopted father figure, Dr. Culber, promises both Adira and Gray that he’ll find a way for Gray to “be seen, truly be seen, by everyone.” And in a recent panel, Executive Producer Michelle Paradise has confirmed they’ll do just that in season four.

Paradise was speaking as part of Deadline’s Virtual Screening of Star Trek: Discovery last Thursday. In the event, Deadline’s Dominic Patton interviewed a panel consisting of Paradise, her co-Executive Producer Alex Kurtzman, and series star Sonequa Martin-Green. Their discussion primarily focused on season three, including the post-production process during the COVID-19 pandemic. But near the end, the conversation turned to what viewers might expect to see in season four.

As per usual, Kurtzman et al were mostly tight-lipped about plot points, but they did reveal that the new “villain” would be “not actually any kind of a living, breathing entity, but something else.” Kurtzman also confirmed that much of the action would continue to be centered around and framed by Michael Burnham’s experience.

When it was Paradise’s turn to spill a singular bean, she chose to talk about Gray. She said, “Culver promises him, ‘We will find a way for you to be seen.’ And I won't tell you how we do it, but it is, I think, important for people to know that we do pay off that story.”

Paradise did also clarify that Doug Jones will be returning as Saru in season four, allaying some fans’ fears that his departure at the end of the finale could be permanent.

You can catch up on Star Trek: Discovery season three on CBS All Access now.