Mary Chieffo brings a whole new style of Klingon into Star Trek: Lower Decks season 5. Chieffo originally played L'Rell, who became Chancellor of the Klingon Empire, in Star Trek: Discoveryin the first two seasons.
In Star Trek: Lower Decks Season 5, USS Cerritos investigates rifts in space that lead to alternatives Star Trek timelines. One of these breaches in space brought Lieutenants Beckett Mariner (Tawny Newsome) and Bradward Boimler (Jack Quaid) to the Klingon homeworld in Star Trek: Lower Decks Season 5, Episode 4, "A Farewell to Farms." Mariner met up with his old friend Ma'ah (Jon Curry), who was tempted by a lusty Klingon woman named K'Elarra (Mary Chieffo).
TelaRant spoke with Mary Chieffo about playing a Star Trek: The Next Generation was Klingon in Star Trek: Lower Decksyourtar Trek: memories of discoverywhat she thinks happened to Chancellor L'Rell, and if L'Rell could have been part Star Trek: Section 31.
Mary Chieffo on Being Cast as a New Klingon in Star Trek: Lower Decks Season 5
Chieffo is Modern Star Trek's most prominent Klingon actress
Screen Rant: Let me give you flowers, because you are the most prominent Klingon actor in this era of Star Trek, and you are certainly the most important woman to play a Klingon since Discovery started.
Mary Chieffo: Thank you. Qapla'! as we would say in Klingon. I feel very honored. I love that. That's such a Klingon thing to feel, but it was such an honor from the beginning, when I was cast, just to be able to do in-depth research. There's a lot out there about Klingon history and, of course, the language itself. And I'm also such a nerdy geek that I just managed to dive in and research Klingin and bring a lot of honor to the species.
We had a lot of that in the first two seasons of Discovery, especially with L'Rell, and her whole journey was so epic and incredible. I just couldn't believe all the epic things I did as that character. And then continue that legacy with Star Trek Online. And then being able to use some of the energy inspired by the Duras sisters in the Lower Decks. But I feel so grateful to be a part of this legacy, especially with the Klingons, and as a woman and as a woman leader, as a chancellor who faces a lot of things, I'm glad we had that story represented. .
Tell me about finding out you got a role Lower decks. It's been a while since you joined Discovery.
Mary Chieffo: It was a great emotion. They got in touch and I was out of town. And it was just the most delightful thing to say, 'Oh yeah, I'd love to go in and be a different Klingon.' And I'm a big fan of Lower Decks. I think they do great things. Microphone [McMahan] and Brad [Winters] They were always so kind and I always enjoyed their company. And then, that moment was so perfect. They said, 'Wait a minute, we need a Klingon lady. We met a Klingon lady.
I got to voice L'Rell in Star Trek Online, as I said, and it was great to continue her voice. But then making a new Klingon from this era was a delight. It's a great comedy. They just write it so vividly. Everything made sense. When I got the lines, I thought, 'Ah, yes, this is a lady.'
The differences between K'Elarra in Star Trek: Lower Decks and L'Rell In Discovery
Chancellor L'Rell never had a boob window
The first thing I noticed about K'Elarra, when I realized you were doing the voice, is that you didn't have the Klingon teeth to speak like you did with L'Rell, right? I was like, 'Wait, Mary looks different.' And it took me a minute to put it all together. So tell me about playing a Klingon without prosthetics, where you're just doing the voice.
Mary Chieffo: Totally yes, no prosthetics, no teeth, no accent. For L'Rell, I developed a specific dialect based on the fact that we spoke a lot of Klingon. Those Klingons were not exposed to the English Federation. K'Elarra is from the TNG era, so I really needed it to be closer to that higher Shakespearean dialect. And I let her have a little more of Mary's flavor in a certain way, which enchanted me.
I think again, having done all the different Klingon research in the past and looking at all the different Klingon women, I've really tried to pull out different elements. And when I was in the recording booth, Brad and I had a lot of fun playing around with the sexy moments where she really gets into the sexy talk and then when she gets really rough. It was really fun to play with a different energy than L'Rell, but still with a lot of Klingon energy.
My favorite line was when Mariner said, 'What came up through her breast window?' Refresh my memory, but L'Rell didn't have it, right?
Mary Chieffo: No chest window. My first copper Chancellor dress had a nice long V-line. (laughs) We joked that it was as if she was setting a precedent. But no, I never had an official boob window, so I'm glad I lived up to that legacy too.
What Could Have Happened to L'Rell and Her Family After Star Trek: Discovery
Has Chancellor L'Rell been erased from Klingon history?
As you mentioned, you played against L'Rell in the first two seasons of Discovery and Star Trek Online. Do you have any thoughts on what you think happened to L'Rell, Ash Tyler and Tenavik?
Mary Chieffo: I love that question. A lot of what they played with in Star Trek Online was really cool. They kind of went a little bit more with Tenavik and brought me back. It's a completely different timeline. So I thought that was really fun. But for me, it's the question I love to ask. And I felt that from the beginning with L'Rell, even before she became Chancellor, with all the characters we played on Discovery in the first two seasons, you kind of have this question mark of why they're not referenced in the future. ? And obviously we got a big part of that answered at the end of season two for everyone, but for L'Rell to be Chancellor, I think is pretty prescient. Why are so many female leaders forgotten and erased from history?
I would love to see what could have happened. How long did she reign? And did they at a certain point take it for granted or was there some kind of scam? I think there's a lot of potential, but I've always been fascinated by the question of what could have been? Because something happened that didn't allow me to talk about her in the future. Obviously we know because the shows were written beforehand, but I guess that's the fun of any kind of prequel. We can ask this question and perhaps investigate it.
I can only imagine, given L'Rell's track record on the show, I'm sure it's probably a very tragic reason. I can only imagine it will be a little more Greek and a little more Shakespearean. And speaking of Tenavik, I think the episode with him is incredibly beautiful. Tragedy, I would love to imagine a world where L'Rell could finally be reunited with him as an adult. I would love that.
Section 31 is a spin-off of Discovery that was originally planned as a TV series
There are some seasons of Strange new worlds arriving. Maybe they'll touch on that. It's the same time. I'm also so excited to Section 31, Originally it was supposed to be a TV show. Were you ever informed about maybe a role in this before it became a film?
Mary Chieffo: No, I wasn't. I mean, I thought it was a great idea. I think it's amazing to explore this world. Obviously, L'Rell has had many interactions with Georgiou and has also received some advice from her. But unfortunately, there is no L'Rell in Section 31.
Star Trek: Discovery's Klingons Were From a Different Sect
Discovery's Klingons Had a Backstory That the Show Didn't Fully Expand
We didn't see the Discovery Klingons for years, and I was thinking about Starfleet Academy and I wish they would do Klingon 101 and canonically explain all the different types. Just kind of everything for the cadets in the future. I remember you once said that your Klingons were from a different sect.
Mary Chieffo: Yeah, when we explored that in the first few episodes with T'Kuvma, they were kind of an older race or legacy. This is what T'Kuvma found to be true. And he created this sarcophagus ship, the ship of the dead. And I really loved it. I remember we had some deep conversations, even in rehearsals, before we filmed anything, about how he had been ostracized as a Klingon and wanted to create a space for other Klingons who weren't taken seriously and weren't respected.
It was a house of misfits in many ways. Voq, and then L'Rell, being from two different houses, and L'Rell being from one of the only female-led houses, the Makai house, who were spies. We didn't fully explore it in depth, but I definitely felt like that was the story that we all came with as those Klingons, knowing that that was part of the reason we loved T'Kuvma. He was a leader for all Klingons, not just some of the more brutalist and loud ones.
You, of course, were part Discovery from the beginning. You helped lay the foundation for everything we have now. What is your perspective on how Star Trek evolved over the last six or seven years as someone who helped start it all?
Mary Chieffo: Thank you. And I feel it. The breakthrough was an incredible moment near the beginning where we were, 'Ah, here we are, we're bringing this franchise back to life on the medium-sized screen, or whatever screen you might have. I feel so honored again to have been a part of that beginning and it's been incredible to see what's happened since then.
I was thinking about Lower Decks and how I think maybe the second or third Vegas was. You know, Star Trek Las Vegas is always a reference. It's been for me since before the show even aired. I came there to help promote the show. So it just became a consistent part of my life. But I remember the year Lower Decks was announced, and Mike was there with a group of writers, and I remember us all getting together for dinner and saying, 'Welcome to the family!' Because that's what we experienced as Discovery from the fans and from everyone. So it was really cool with Lower Decks.
And then I remember when they announced Picard and obviously Strange New Worlds came straight out of the Discovery family. And so, it's been amazing to see the franchise continue to expand. And as a queer woman, it's been exciting to see how much more LGBTQ representation we're getting. And I hope we get even more Star Trek in every aspect. You know, infinite diversity and infinite combinations. I hope this legacy continues because it is infinite. And I hope that with the amount of shows that are being released, we will have more and more.
About Star Trek: Lower Decks, season 5
In season 5 of Star Trek: Lower Decks, the crew of the USS Cerritos are tasked with closing “space holes” – subspace rifts that are causing chaos in the Alpha Quadrant. Hole duty would be easy for junior officers Mariner, Boimler, Tendi and Rutherford... if they didn't also have to deal with an Orion war, angry Klingons, diplomatic catastrophes, murder mysteries and most frightening of all: the your own career aspirations. This upcoming season on Paramount+ is a celebration of this downtrodden crew who are dangerously close to being promoted from the lower decks to strange new roles in Starfleet.
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