Red Alert! This interview accommodates spoilers for Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 2 episode 4, “Among the Lotus Eaters,” now out there for streaming on Paramount+.
It’s no secret that Strange New Worlds season 1 swiftly turned a fan-favorite Star Trek sequence. However, after the inaugural season had concluded, Trekkies made one demand for subsequent seasons clear: extra of Melissa Navia’s irresistible USS Enterprise pilot, Lieutenant Erica Ortegas! Fortunately, a big function for Ortegas in “Among the Lotus Eaters” might function an overture for sating the insatiable demand for “Moretegas.”
The Beat leaped to Warp 5 to meet up with Navia over Zoom. We requested her about what instruction she acquired for piloting the Enterprise, what she is aware of about the character’s at present clandestine backstory (trace: a lot), and which of the superior costumes worn by Ortegas over the course of the first one-and-half seasons of Strange New Worlds are her favorites.
AVERY KAPLAN: What’s it wish to pilot the Enterprise? Were you given any formal instruction or route, or are the actions all you?
MELISSA NAVIA: Answer one is: the finest job in the world.
When I first acquired to the bridge and I sat at the helm, they should have thought I used to be actually nice at my job. Because they stated, “We’re just gonna let her wing it and figure it out.” And then we might end takes, and I used to be like, “Did I miss a course? Everyone is just assuming that I know what I’m doing here?”
So I actually began to dig into starships and piloting. I’ve advised this story earlier than, however I bear in mind sitting at the helm sooner or later. Anson Mount (Captain Christopher Pike) was behind me in the Captain’s Chair, and requested, “Melissa, have you ever seen Galaxy Quest?” And I stated, “Yes, I think about it every day.” There’s the scene the place he says, “sucks to be the Captain,” after which he has to fly the ship and the complete film virtually ends earlier than it begins.
So yeah, flying the ship isn’t any joke. So I labored with the graphics staff, and I labored with all of our members on the back-end staff. John Van Citters, who’s fantastic. We had Zooms and we had telephone calls. I’d textual content and ask, “What does an evasive maneuver look like?”
I feel I’ve gotten extra assured in doing it. Just watch for season 3! Or, asking questions to determine find out how to do what I’m doing to the better of my means. That requires understanding what I’m taking a look at when a scene is occurring – to know the place the ship goes. Essentially, like we’re going into battle. So that requires the administrators to have the ability to clarify to me what’s occurring, and my fellow solid members to be in on it as nicely.
And then, me too: for me, it’s actually what’s occurring – clearly, what I’m seeing, and what’s occurring at the helm. So I’ve sequences to go to warp, I’ve sequences once we’re flying manually. If it’s actual to me, then I could make it actual to the viewers.
And the suggestions I’ve gotten is that it seems to be like Erica Ortegas is flying the ship. So, cool, let’s simply maintain doing that.
KAPLAN: Obviously, Ortegas will get extra screentime this season. However, she has felt like a totally fleshed-out character from the begin. What goes into your portrayal? Do you could have a private headcanon for the character’s backstory?
NAVIA: Yes. When season 1 occurred, I spoke with our showrunners and our writers. I knew Erica’s backstory as a soldier and a pilot. And we spoke about the place she comes from and her household. So for me, we type of already had all these tales percolating.
The proven fact that she’s Latina actually spoke to me, as a result of that’s my background. And so I used to be so thrilled that our writing staff has made it very easy for everybody in the solid to infuse the characters with bits of themselves. For me, I positively have an thought of the place she’s been, I’ve an thought of what occurred to her as a soldier and the way she was capable of come out of it as a model of herself that’s so assured and succesful and fun-loving. And very calm below stress, or seemingly calm below stress, when the scenario is dire. For all these causes, that’s the reason Pike and her crew belief her a lot.
In season 1, we are available in the center of every thing occurring, and we already see a crew that works so nicely collectively. I feel the viewers actually noticed that and felt like “the crew had always really existed, and we could be a part of the crew.” And Ortegas type of looks like the viewers, saying what we expect on the bridge and telling Pike that he’s loopy, however executing what he desires anyway.
So for me, there’s positively a backstory, and there are issues that I take into account for the character. But I like that we don’t see her in Star Trek: The Original Series, so actually, her future is open, and I like that. We don’t know the place she’s going. That is usually a scary factor for some followers, which I’ve heard, however… by no means worry. Or perhaps worry! We’ll see.
KAPLAN: Well, there’s all the time the Black Mountain, so even when the worst occurs…
NAVIA: There you go. There you go.
KAPLAN: Do you could have a favourite Ortegas second (to date)?
NAVIA: I’m attempting to assume, I like all of them a lot…
I imply, I actually love final 12 months that she acquired to play a knight, Sir Adya. I’d nonetheless wish to sooner or later speak to all the writers and ask, “How did that come about? Did my own weapons/kung-fu background play into the fact that she was a swordfighter? Did you know that I wanted to be Indiana Jones one day? How did this happen?”
I liked each episode in season 1, however “Memento Mori,” the place the Enterprise is being chased by the Gorn… It was pitched to us like a submarine movie, the place the worry is in what you may’t see. So I liked that. I watched all these submarine movies to prepare for the character. And then I’ve that nice line the place she says, “Dive, dive, dive!”
I had seen Harvey Keitel in U-571. I stored attempting to do it such as you truly would on a submarine. That episode I actually dug, since you acquired to see Ortegas doing what she does so nicely, and attempting to evade, actually, what’s the unknown, and coming for you. But in season 2, I positively assume “Among the Lotus Eaters” is a spotlight, since you get to see her, on her personal, rediscover who she actually is, to be able to save the ship.
KAPLAN: Speaking of “Among the Lotus Eaters,” we get to see Ortegas’ quarters. Are there any particulars you may share with us that we would not have the ability to see from house?
NAVIA: Her quarters had been so cool as a result of I really feel like they had been precisely what I had envisioned. She has her little gold Enterprise. There had been facets too in there that you simply’ll see: there’s a variety of each aviation and likewise her Latina heritage. I don’t know the way a lot it performs in the scene, nevertheless it all performed to me as a result of I noticed it.
So I’m completely hoping that we’re gonna – (I imply, we’ll – perhaps – I don’t know – once more, I can’t say something. It’s all a landmine.) But that we get to see extra of her quarters. When I walked in, what I noticed was a design that was put along with full data of who Erica is and what makes her who she is. And a lot of that’s her background, is her household, and is her ability as a pilot.
And the mattress was made, which I’m fairly certain was one thing that will get carried out mechanically. I don’t know if she could be making her mattress on daily basis.
KAPLAN: I discover out of your social media that you’ve an affinity for birds. What pursuits you about our avian associates?
NAVIA: [laughs] So the hen factor is that I’m all the time like, “They’re dinosaurs. That’s wild.” Everyone’s all the time like, “Let’s go back to dinosaur times.” And I say, “They’re right here! Birds are dinosaurs.” So each every so often, I simply put up, “This is your monthly reminder that birds are dinosaurs.”
You see a few of them, and I can completely see “dinosaur.” And there was the present just lately, the place they redid dinosaurs of their full glory, the place you truly really feel such as you’re watching a David Attenborough particular. You’re watching dinosaurs. And so lots of the largest ones, I say: “That’s a giant chicken, and it will kill you.”
I’m completely fascinated by birds, and I hope that my platform as an actor on Star Trek, there can be some connection the place somebody will deliver me on a hen present.
KAPLAN: In addition to the Starfleet uniform, Ortegas has had some very attention-grabbing alternate costumes. Do you could have a favourite?
NAVIA: My Sir Adya costume was type of superior. I’d in the future not have as many ruffles. There had been ruffles on the wrist and neck, and only for continuity, it drove me mad. But positively, leather-based and steel – you may’t go incorrect, you already know what I imply?
And I like the Starfleet uniform. And we’ll see one other model of that, of her in it… so Ortegas positively likes her outfits. We will see a extremely cool jumpsuit developing in season 2 that was made particularly for me for season 1, and we didn’t get to put on it.
But for every thing that she wears, the costume division is de facto nice about asking, “Do you dig it?” And if I don’t dig it, I don’t put on it. So every thing that you simply see Ortegas sporting, Melissa Navia approves of.
KAPLAN: What would you, personally, order from the meals replicator?
NAVIA: Oh my goodness. So, I’ve been requested this query earlier than, and I’d completely do that: empanadas; particularly, Colombian empanadas. Because there are differing types, however for me, Colombian empanadas are supreme.
They’re good, scrumptious meals for on-the-go, which I really feel like is the factor that Erica would need, you already know? “I need to eat and I have no time.” You know, as a result of we’re at conflict with one other ship.
New episodes of Strange New Worlds are launched on Thursdays on Paramount+.
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