Star Trek: Discovery (and now Lower Decks) actor Kenneth Mitchell may need a wheelchair to get around, but that hasn’t stopped him from acting and doing his best to live life to the fullest. In 2018, Mitchell was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as ALS or Lou Gehrig’s Disease, which has left him unable to walk since last year. In a recent interview with SYFY WIRE, the actor shared how the disease has influenced his perspective on life, family and moving forward.

While many people were feeling a bit “stir crazy” under COVID-19 lockdown restrictions, Mitchell, a father of two, is thankful for being able to spend so much extra time with his family. Looking back to the time before his diagnosis, the actor said he lived a life that he is proud of. “But,” Mitchell said, “it’s certainly hard and created a shift in my focus. I’m more focused on my family than ever before. My kids are my everything. Thinking about them has been the hardest part. I don’t want to leave them."

In just three years, Mitchell has already had six different roles in Star Trek productions. His latest contribution to the franchise was lending his voice to the Star Trek: Lower Decks episode “Veritas” as the insect-like alien Captain, as well as a Federation guard and a Romulan soldier. Mitchell’s memory of recording that episode has a special place in his heart: it is the very last time he can remember walking before having to depend on a motorized wheelchair for mobility. "I remember walking up the stairs to go into the studio and the recording booth,” Mitchell told SYFY WIRE. “I remember having a great time [...] And then I remember walking down the stairs but having trouble getting down. But, to be honest, that’s my last memory of walking on my own. And for that to be [the] last memory, it’s pretty damn special." 

Mitchell talked a bit about his new role on the third season of Star Trek: Discovery, saying it is “something very unique that Star Trek hasn’t had a lot of.” The role was specifically adapted for Mitchell, which he says “will be meaningful to the Trek community and beyond.”

You can read Mitchell’s full interview at syfy.com, and be sure to catch him, or at least his voice, in the Star Trek: Lower Decks episode “Veritas”, available to stream now on CBS All Access.