Wiseman plays Ensign Sylvia Tilly in the show.
Mey RudeStar Trek Discovery’s Mary Wiseman, the actor behind fan-favorite character Ensign Sylvia Tilly is “queer and proud,” she says in a recent interview with StarTrek.com.
Wiseman was being interviewed on Zoom recently for the site when a sharp-eyed fan saw her say what looked like “I’m not straight,” while the Zoom audio cut out. YoutTuber Verity Ritchie read Wiseman’s lips during the interview and asked the Star Trek star if she really said that.
“I did say this!” Wiseman replied, “It’s not a big deal at all, I just didn’t want to say I’m straight when I’m not! Before Noah [Averbach-Katz, Wiseman’s husband, and another actor on the show], I dated and loved people of all genders. I never liked it when straight-presenting women dominated conversations about bisexuality/pansexuality when I was with women, so I try not to do it now, but I also don’t want it to feel like I’m hiding anything because I’m queer and proud!”
Wiseman represents yet another queer actor to the already stacked LGBTQ+ cast the show has. Not only is the show’s co-creator Bryan Fuller of the community, but so are cast members Tig Notaro, Wilson Cruz, Anthony Rapp, Blue Del Barrio, and Ian Alexander. This season lesbian writer and producer Michelle Paradise joined Discovery as the new showrunner and head writer.
Cruz and Rapp play a couple, Dr. Hugh Calber and Lt. Paul Stamets, respectively, the first out queer couple in Star Trek TV history. Notaro has guest appeared on the show in ten episodes as Cmdr. Jett Reno. The show recently made the news for adding Ian Alexander and Blue del Barrio, two nonbinary actors, to the cast. Alexander plays Gray, a member of the alien race the Trill. Del Barrio, in their first major acting gig, plays Adira.
The queer characters on the show have created a chosen family of space queers to boldy go where no family has gone before. Additionally, straight actress Michelle Yeoh plays Captain Philippa Georgiou, who is pansexual on the show.
Star Trek: Discovery has steadily become one of the queerest shows on all of TV, and with Wiseman, that doesn’t look to be stopping. Truly, this is the future gays want.
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