Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' Melissa Navia addresses criticisms about Ortegas

Melissa Navia as Ortegas in STAR TREK: STRANGE NEW WORLDS season 1

JULY 22, 2022 - Last month, Melissa Navia, Lt. Erica Ortegas from Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, was gushing about the upcoming season two of the latest entry in the Star Trek on-screen universe. Navia has had more to say since then, as summarized by TrekMovie this week.

In a series of interviews, Navia spoke about what’s coming up for Ortegas and responsed to criticisms of her character. Other story lines tend to happen while Ortegas is busy flying the ship, but in season two, Navia says that Ortegas will have a little more to do: “Ortegas does have an episode in season 2.... I like to think of her as the person who gets to comment on every single story. Ortegas gets to do a bunch of things that she does in season 2 that she didn’t get to do in season 1, so I’ll leave it at that.”

Navia is also more than willing to address criticisms of Ortegas, from her “professionalism” to her ambiguous identity. Regarding her quips, especially to Captain Pike, “She’s a soldier and pilot, and so much of what I’ve heard from actual soldiers and pilots is she is the most authentic crew member in that her gallows humor is exactly what happens in life and death situations.”

And regarding her identity, Navia is not interested in labeling Ortegas. “I don’t want to sound like it’s a flippant thing, but she doesn’t have to put label on it. I like that we’re approaching it in a way that nobody bats an eye. Like, they shouldn’t, right? Everybody should be a bit queer.”

For more on Melissa Navia’s take on Erica Ortegas, head over to TrekMovie. And while we await season two of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, season one is streaming now on Paramount+.