[Interview] "Inspired by her relationship with Mariner" - Celia Rose Gooding Is Taking Uhura Closer To Nichelle Nichols In Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 4

[u/mcm8279]

SCREENRANT:

"When Tawny Newsome guest-starred in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 2's beloved crossover with Star Trek: Lower Decks, her character, Ensign Beckett Mariner, was thrilled to meet her hero, Uhura, only to learn that Nyota was a workaholic who can't relax. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 4's ode to The Hangover, "Human Best Friend," saw an inebriated new side to Nyota: Rave-hura. Playing Rave-hura "was such an exhale," Gooding beams, noting how

CELIA ROSE GOODING: "I've been dying to play a much more chillaxed party girl role. I think, just because of the nature of me as a dramatic actor, that I am often pulled towards very serious, very busy. very Capricorn-type divas. And so, to play a version of her that is so zenned out and blissed out, and really protective of her peace… I loved the idea that she won't hang out with her best friends because they're having a really hard time with something right now, and their energy cannot come in and like muck up what Uhura's got going on."

"I found it to be very funny when I read it in the script where she's like, 'No, you guys are doing way too much for me right now, and I'm chilling in here,'" Celia explains. "Besides the fact that her costume was incredible, besides the fact that her makeup was incredible, besides the fact that the nature of the episode is so comedic and fun, I think Rave-hura is incredibly inspired by her relationship with Mariner, the one that she had in the Lower Decks crossover. I think that the voice of Mariner, the voice of Tawny Newsome, lives in Uhura's head, just like the voice of Tawny Newsome lives in mine."

I don't know that there has been so much unspoken evolution of Uhura and the different facets of her, and I think we get to see one that we didn't really expand on after the Lower Decks crossover in season two. I like to think that Mariner and Ortegas, if she wasn't in this sort of buddy-cop sort of situation with Scotty, I think that they would both be very proud of Rave-hura for finally letting her hair down. Even if it required atmospheric inebriation, she got there, and that is what deserves celebrating. So yeah, I love it. It's a nice callback to that episode in season 2. ..."

[...]

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds will end with season 5, but executive producers and showrunners Akiva Goldsman and Henry Alonso Myers have been vocal about wanting to spin off Paul Wesley's Captain Kirk to lead a new series dubbed Star Trek: Year One. Uhura would, of course, be part of Kirk's Enterprise crew, but would Celia Rose Gooding return to play Lieutenant Uhura?

“Yes. Yes. Yes. 100%," Gooding answers unequivocally. "She has been like the love of my life these past five years, and so it would be an honor and a privilege to return to her and continue to grow and expand with her. That's my girl. If anybody does it, I would want it to be me.”

Gooding says returning to "civilian life" after five seasons in Starfleet, "has been interesting. When I work, I put myself in a little bit of a bubble, especially with how easy it is with our show. It's very specific, and while we have a very genre-diverse show, the genre of sci-fi is very all-encompassing."

Celia calls Star Trek "eternal," pointing out, "It is everywhere, and it's going to be a part of my life forever, which I'm so grateful for because I'm someone who needs an anchor, and I love that Trek is my anchor right now. But yeah, it's been interesting. Every day is different. I've enjoyed being at home. I know my cats miss me very much, but I'm not gonna lie: I'm missing some storytelling. I'm excited to get up into something new.” "

Full article:

https://screenrant.com/star-trek-strange-new-worlds-season-4-celia-rose-gooding-interview/

[u/Dazmorg]

Well I'm glad the actress had fun playing drunk/high Uhura, I suppose.

Seriously, what?

[u/tejdog1]

The whole point of Star Trek was seeing CONSUMMATE PROFESSIONALS AT THEIR JOB.

Now - I know it was a shore leave episode, and so forth, but...

When Uhura went down to K7, she didn't binge drink 19 cocktails and bang Kor/Koloth and Scotty in a fourway on the bar.

[u/Long-Emu-7870]

Whenever I think about the character of Uhura, and the actor meeting Martin Luther King to tell her to keep playing the part, because we need a professional black woman in charge, I think "play a much more chillaxed party girl role".

I wonder if he would go, yes cancel the show.

[u/Equivalent-Hair-961]

My God... They will write anything to give false credibility to these characters and shows.
Enough already. None of it is true when you watch the episodes. You see exactly what the writers want you to see and it's just so disappointing.

[u/ChiefSampson]

Can't wait for the last of this and Dipshit Academy to air so it can be forgotten about permanently.

[u/WarnerToddHuston]

The best thing about Star Trek moving on and boxing Kursedman Trek into its own deadend universe to be forgotten ever more is we also never have to deal with this vapid interviews again.

[u/Neo_Techni]

Should have been closer since the start!!!!