One of the stars of Star Trek: Lower Decks, Dawnn Lewis, who plays Captain Carol Freemanof the USS Cerritos I was inspired by someone else StarTrek actor, the late Nichelle Nichols, who played the iconic Nyota Uhura in Star Trek in the 1960s. Lewis said CinemaBlend that what she saw in the original series, the respect and collaboration, was not something she was used to seeing as a child.
“I saw myself on Nichelle Nichols’ show and I saw the possibility for all kinds of different people, from all kinds of different places, to work together, to respect each other, to collaborate with each other. And that’s not what I saw when I watched any other show or particularly the news growing up, in the sixties,” Lewis said.
Nichols played Uhura in all three seasons of Star Trek and the original series’ Star Trek feature films. Lewis added that she met the actress before her death in 2022.
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“When I first met Nichelle Nichols decades ago, I didn’t know what to say. I just got really emotional and she just hugged me” said Lewis. “She knew my name because she watched A different world And I hang out with Mr. Cooper” Lewis said, referring to two sitcoms she starred in in the 1980s and 1990s. “I couldn’t believe she knew my name. And then we became friends, going to dinner, going to the museum, playing concerts and partying at each other’s houses,” Lewis said.
Lewis added: “And when you went to a Nichelle party, you had to meet Walter (Koenig), you had to meet everyone. And it was breathtaking.
Lewis played Captain Freeman during all five seasons of Lower decks. The Paramount+ show is currently in the middle of its fifth and final season. In addition to leading the Cerritos, Freeman is also the mother of Ensign (now Lieutenant) Beckett Mariner, voiced by Tawny Newsome. In 2022, Lewis opened up about Mariner and Freeman’s relationship and navigating his emotions in what is an animated comedy series.
“I was a teenager with a mother who I knew absolutely loved me, and I absolutely loved her, but sometimes I was absolutely certain she didn’t love me, and I knew I didn’t didn’t like him. Watching us navigate this road of love, lack and connection, you sometimes try to express yourselfeven with the greatest frustration, but out of love,” Lewis said.
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Ultimately, Lewis says, Mariner and Freeman love each other
“You don’t always get it right, but at the end of the day, you want them to know that you love them, but that’s just not what you hear in my tone of voice. Right now, all you can hear is how frustrated, angry, and confused I am, but deep down, I hope you truly know how much I love you.. I really believe this is the dynamic that exists quite often between Beckett and Captain Freeman. Ultimately, they know how much they love each other, but sometimes they’re like, “You really don’t love me, and I really don’t love you!” How do we do this? Sometimes you don’t do it right, [and] It comes out like that,” Lewis added.
New episodes of Star Trek: Lower Decks dropping Thursday on Paramount+.
Source: CinemaBlend
Star Trek Lower Decks
- Release date
- August 6, 2020
- Cast
- Jack Quaid, Gillian Vigman, Dawnn Lewis, Noel Wells, Eugene Cordero, Fred Tatasciore, Jerry O’Connell, Tawny Newsome
- Seasons
- 4
- Story by
- gene roddenbury
- Writers
- Gene Roddenberry
- Streaming service(s)
- Paramount+