Star Trek: Discovery allowed Wilson Cruz a first in his career

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As a long-time gamer with a soft spot for Star Trek and diverse representation, I was absolutely thrilled when Wilson Cruz’s Dr. Hugh Culber got to speak his native language in an episode of Star Trek: Discovery. It’s not every day you see such a significant moment in a series that has been running for five seasons!

30 years after Wilson Cruz first appeared on TV as Rickie Vasquez in My So-Called Life (1994), he had never been able to do one thing throughout his acting career. However, during the last season of Star Trek: Discovery, the Puerto Rican actor was finally presented with this opportunity.

In a chat with Trekmovie, Cruz disclosed that until then, he hadn’t been given the chance to act in a scene using Spanish. This opportunity finally presented itself when Cruz’s character, Dr. Hugh Culber, conversed with a hologram of his grandmother on Discovery. This happened after Culber had taken in the Trill symbiont, Jinaal, as part of an attempt to guide Captain Burnham [Shonequa Martin-Green] and Book [David Ajala] towards the next clue for locating the Progenitors’ technology.

That creating that relationship, building that relationship, so and getting to do a scene in Spanish with my grandmother, and honoring our grandmothers. You know, doing a scene in Spanish–I had never in my life, in my career, been allowed to do a scene in my native language. So that was really exciting and satisfying to do. Look, I have chills. [holds up his arm]

Wilson Cruz

In the sixth episode of the season, Dr. Hugh Culber found himself at a loss for understanding his feelings after a recent event and sought advice from his grandmother. This poignant scene offers another glimpse into the complex character of Dr. Culber, who has faced numerous challenges throughout the show’s five seasons.

1. In an open discussion, Cruz expressed his desire to feature in the upcoming Starfleet Academy series, hoping it would provide an opportunity for his character and maybe introduce more of his linguistics and culture. I found Culber’s narrative engaging throughout the entire series, particularly after his resurrection following Ash Tyler (Shazad Latif)’s killing him, and I eagerly anticipate seeing what new dimensions he can bring to a fresh series as Dr. Culber.

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2024-08-27 19:23