Props, Klingon details, and other Discovery updates

CBS have released another behind the scenes Discovery video, this time giving us a look at the design of the props in the show (region locked of course...). Check that out below, plus lots of interesting new details about the Klingons in the show, and more:



Here are a few stills, including good looks at the props, concept art, beauty shots, behind the scenes clips and new footage!

The latest issue of SFX Magazine is out now, and reveals some fascinating new details. Most intriguing executive producer Ted Sullivan explained the background to the Klingons we've seen most of so far, giving a lot of new context:

It's a 200-year old ship. This is a group of Klingons who've gone back to a puritan way of life. They look very different; they wear armour that's 200 years old and they do't have any hair. Their commander runs his Klingon house - the house of T'Kuvma - by the rules of Kahless, the Klingon messiah. And he calls himself the second coming of the Klingon messiah.

T'Kuvma, is but one house of many, and Sullivan also described how they vary:

Now when you see the different Klingon houses you see different political ideologies, religious ideologies, and that's there's internal conflict within the houses. Each house has a different clothing style, some wear robes made of animals, some leather, others metal armour. And they all believe and feel different things - because they're not a monochromatic species, they're a fully developed culture.

He also spoke specifically about the sarcophagus ship:

In the past, Klingons have not really cared about their dead - they're not like marines - but these Klingons are. The outside of the ship is covered in thousands of coffins. Some are 300 years old, some are just two days old.

Showrunner Aaron Harberts also had some interesting comments in the issue, discussing how the two ships and captains reflect on Burnham:

Discovery is the latest and greatest shop to roll off the assembly line. It's a repurposed science vessel, whose crew’s been turned towards using their abilities to turn the tide of the war with the Klingons, which is reaching fever pitch. But it also serves as a metaphor for Michael Burnham and her journey, with the Shenzhou being an older ship and the Discovery representing Starfleet's future.

A large theme is duality, and these captains represent two ends of the spectrum. Georgiou is an optimistic, hopeful captain who embraces Starfleet's ideals. Lorca represents a captain in a Starfleet that's at war, and has to make certain decisions based on situational ethics. He's darker, more pragmatic. So they're playing tug of war with Michael Burnham in terms of which captain is going to shape her.

Harberts is also the latest interviewee on StarTrek.com, and teased of strong TOS connections to come:

We are going to be doing a few things that shake hands with TOS in a way that I think are going to be so fun. I think people will be pretty excited about what's coming down the pike. I mentioned off the record at one point one of the storylines we're doing to another reporter, and he's a Star Trek fan, and he literally like put his fist in his mouth and was like, "You're making this very hard for me." There were lots of, there are several opportunities and things we wanted to take advantage of and say, "Hey, let's tell a prequel to a couple of these TOS stories."

Star Trek: Discovery is due to start later this month, and it will be distributed almost everywhere in the world on Netflix, except for the US where is will be available on CBS All Access, and Canada where it will be on Bell Media channels and services. To keep track of all the latest details from the new show, visit my Star Trek: Discovery guide page.