Tig Notaro dishes on having fun on the set of Star Trek: Discovery season three

"Die Trying" -- Ep#305 -- Pictured: Tig Notaro as engineer Jett Reno and Anthony Rapp as Lt. Paul Stamets of the CBS All Access series STAR TREK: DISCOVERY. Photo Cr: Michael Gibson/CBS ©2020 CBS Interactive, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

NOVEMBER 13, 2020 - After the introduction of her character Jett Reno in Star Trek: Discovery season two, Tig Notaro’s role in the franchise’s flagship series has expanded significantly in season three. In a recent interview with Forbes, Notaro shared her experiences working on Star Trek: Discovery and her role in helping to create the character of Commander Jett Reno.

Notaro’s character wasn’t always going to be named “Jett”. In fact, the original name for the character was meant to be “Denise”. But something about the name just didn’t resonate with Notaro, and she explained that she convinced Executive Producer and longtime friend Alex Kurtzman to change the name to “Jett” as an homage to rock legend Joan Jett.

In addition to discussing the origin of her character’s name, Notaro also talked about the “fun” she had filming with her co-stars, some of which may have gotten her in trouble. Of being on set with newcomer Blu del Barrio, she said it was “probably too fun, because we were laughing when we weren’t supposed to be.” And while her on-screen relationship with Anthony Rapp can get a bit tetchy at times, she said of their off-screen relationship, “we definitely amuse one another. And I feel like the dynamic is even similar in real life, where we rib each other pretty relentlessly.”

Notaro also addressed that audiences seem to think she is responsible for much of the character’s dialogue. She clarified the situation, saying, “I am very, very flattered that people think I'm adlibbing [...] but I cannot wait to give all of the credit to the talented writers of the show. Whenever I get a new script, I'm beyond excited to read what they're doing with Jett.” While Notaro doesn’t know exactly where the Reno character is heading in the future, she expressed her faith in the writers saying, “I don't know, but I'm curious [...] That's the exciting part: I have no idea. I'm open to whatever comes my way.”