David Benjamin Tomlinson - Linus on Star Trek Discovery - joins us Live

0:03 Let's sing the dog because we don't have a recording of the song. Eric be representing very weird chapterain Tyke to the Wife King Antony after like Fomer Tendi Tarbornthem is very hard for drive black Alert Torgie, you have done preserved Teja bad method where it is an idiot backing dead wolf is wed check ups wearing. Red teet his hat, jimp that chat. You are head enough for that feemy. You make it so everybody, lets go.

0:43 Series you now about the. Series' coming to. Now about the series. Show now, Well, good evening. Treki's and Trekkers around the Globe is Thursday night, September twenty six, twenty twenty four. It is seven thirty pm and that means we are live. You can let your fingers do the walking and call trek Talking right now.

1:31 Six four six six six eight two four three three is our number. You're gonna want to put that in speed dial and you're gonna call right away because we have a hell of a show planning for you guys tonight. Unfortunately, we had to cancel this show a couple of weeks ago, but we got him back. We're gonna be chatting with lioness himself from Star Trek Discovery, David Benjamin Thomas, and he's going to be joining us in just a few minutes and we'll have the phone lines and you guys can chat, have your questions ready. It's going to be a blast. But before we get to that, I want to introduce to you guys in my awesome Trek Sperts and we'll start out in Las Vegas and we're gonna say hello to Charles. How you doing tonight, Charles, I'm.

2:16 Doing all right. Talks and talk talking your mother nature made her mind. Yeah, we'll see. We'll see how that works with the big hurricane. Freaking have it with my bets, I'll tell you that. And we also have out. Not the hurricane. It's effected, got nice falls last week. We're back downer this week. Wow wow. And we're going to swing out to Portland where I've got my trispectum, my triple play out there. And we'll start off with David. How you doing tonight? David, I'm doing pretty good. Pretty good. Hi you guys doing.

2:58 How the world doing? That's a good question there. That that is the big question, that's the bigger question of the questions, and also, as I said out in Portland, we have our very own toy guy. How you doing, Paul? You know I'm doing well, brother, I'm doing well. Good to have you on here, good to be reunited on the air, and excited to have our guests. So it's good. Should be a fun night, get some good energy. Should be really fun. I'm looking forward. I've been looking forward to chatting with David for a while. I was disappointed that we had to cancel last time, so I'm looking forward to tonight and last but definitely a lot least. We almost had Uncle Eric tonight, but you guys are stuck with Uncle Jim. How you doing, Eric?

3:42 I am doing really well. Luckily, I am an actual uncle in real life. So the fact that I had to potentially impersonate an uncle tonight, you know, it was kind of like a lateral move for me. It felt it felt okay, It felt okay, not gonna, not gonna lie. Was a little worried about the technology piece of it. But I'm super glad that we are on the air and rocking the ann rolling right now. Ready to talk some trick. Yeah, I just I just wanted to let you guys know that my father is doing better, which is good, which is why I'm able to be on the show tonight. I had everything set up to have Eric played a part of Gym tonight, but my father took a turn for the better, which is great, which made me be free to be on the show tonight. So I'm really excited about that. And I really appreciate, you know, all the good wishes and prayers that everybody sent. It means a lot to me, So thank you so much for that.

4:40 And my father is you know what happened there, Jim was he he took a right at Albuquerque, which is the correct way to go when you're trying to get to Albuquerue. Right, he took a right, but instead of taking the. Left, that's exactly what he did. Yep, I took the road, but way. Relative. I'm not sure where that's rom, but that was like a. Joke recall from like three episodes ago. Sorry about that, Yes. Bud Bunny like bugs Bunny's digging underground and like he should have taken a Oh did I mix those up? He always says I should have taken a left at Albuquiki, And so that's what your dad did he took a left at Albuquiki instead, he took a left, so that's good.

5:29 Before we get too far though, I want to let you guys know the schedule because we have a very busy, busy month coming up. So Michael Dante, who played Mob and the TS episode Friday's Child, he's going to be on with us on October third. October tenth is going to be our Prodigy super show. We have four episodes of Prodigy to cover, so October tenth we're going to cover all of Prodigy, and that's very important because October seventeenth, we're going to have the man himself, Aaron Walke right here to take your questions, the writer and producer from Star Trek Prodigy. So he's going to be on with us on October seventeenth, so have all your Prodigy questions ready.

6:13 And on October twenty fourth, we're gonna have John Simpson, the young Serik from Star Trek five to Final Frontier, as you guys know, my favorite movie and the best Star Trek movie ever, and he's going to be on with us on October twenty fourth, and then Happy Halloween October thirty first, we're going to be reviewing the very first episode of season five of Star Trek. Lower Decks, which airs on the twenty fourth, will be a week behind. So if that is our schedule for October, we're going to be busy, but we're gonna have fun. So I want to let you guys know what's going on. So, without any further ado, I would like to introduce to you guys Linus himself, David Benjamin Thomas, and welcome to the show.

7:01 David, thank you very much. Thank you for having me. I'm glad that we were finally able to work this out. We had some technical difficulties last time and couldn't make it work, but everything is now, which is great. I'm always happy to get over the technology piece. I know Linus has a problem with that technology on Discovery from time to time. Yes, let me just say that that comes from a very authentic place in me. That's good. So are you ever in the right place? Man? Yeah? We must be related. We all worked together. So, David, I wanted to ask you, were you a Star Trek fan before you landed the role on Star Trek Discovery.

7:49 I was a I am totally a science fiction nerd, and so I love it all. I grew up on next to Jack and that was kind of like my show when I was a teenager, and so Star Trek was certainly a big piece of my love of sci fi. But I'm you know, I'm Doctor Who, I'm Star Trek, I'm Star Wars, I'm Alien. You know, I'm everything that's great to hear. That is really great to hear. When you stepped on to Discovery, did you realize that the legacy that you were carrying on by being on the first live action Star Trek since Enterprise went off the air?

8:32 You know it? It didn't hit me. But in the first season, I was playing a Klingon. I played three Klingons, and I remember thinking when I was, you know, just like in these unbelievable sets, in this incredible makeup, and I just I kept thinking, I'm a freaking cling on right now. Like it was so much to process. It was I couldn't believe it. And then I, you know, I had to be like, hey, pull yourself together, you know, and get to work. And I kind of going to work is it's always a thrill because it's it's the community of people is beautiful and there's always something beautiful to look at in terms of the sets, and I, you know, I love wearing the prosthetic. And last summer I did a friend of mine has a home theater system that's amazing, and so we watched all of the all of the Trek feature films, of all the iterations right through like a week after week. We did it over the whole summer, and I forget now which one it was. I think it's Generations where Kirk has a monologue at the end of the film and he says something to the effect of, you know, celebrating the future cruise, and I sort of sat up on the couch and I looked at my friend and I said, oh my god, I'm on one of those crews. And it just it

10:05 hit me really late in the game. I wasn't I guess it's it's better. I mean, I don't like to dwell on that stuff, like I like to go to work and do my job. But I just I was like, I finally got a glimpse of it. Oh my god, like I am on one of those crews, and I got goosebumps. And that moment in that movie was very profound for me because it was the first time I really really really understood the journey of the last couple of years. Now. I'm glad that you mentioned Klingons because I'm a huge Klingon fan, and we hear a lot of talk about how difficult it was for the actors to wear all that prosthetic and act through that and particularly talk through those teeth. Could you please share with us a little bit about how long it took to get into that makeup and what it was like to be transformed into a Klingon.

11:05 Well, straight up, what it was like to be transformed into one of those Klingons was unbelievably cool. Unbelievably cool as the first prosthetic that I've ever worn in my life. It was unbelievably challenging. It was a very challenging and demanding prosthetic. The size of it was big, so like on the back of our heads. We had to wear sort of a foam bowl that would then like would hold up the back of the head. And it took about two and a half three hours to get into it.

11:45 But it was it was a real trial by fire for me, which was appropriate for being a Klingon, but it was it was I was what was demanded of me was to figure it out very quickly and throw myself into it. So it was. It was an incredible adventure. It came with a lot of challenges. The Klingon language is beautiful, and trying to find a feel for it was really tough for me. I mean, there were some cast members like Mary Chiefo and Ken Mitchell and they would they would speak kling On and it sounded like a shakespeareansa on it and I would be so jealous because I never felt like I got there. But speaking the language, wearing the teeth, and figuring out the prosthetic, it was. It was a lot, and it was very demanding.

12:41 And I remember the first day that we were on set shooting and it was a very long day and Mary and I had polled around a lot in a lot of the pre production process, and she came up to me and her eyes were wide and we were like pushing, I don't know, you know, our fifteen hour sixteen and she said, I don't think, I don't think, I'm I can do this. It's too much. And I just I took her hands because I was feeling exactly the same way. I took her hand and we looked at each other and we breathed together, and I said, We've got this, we can do this, and we did and she was. She was incredible. So it was it was hard, but it was it was a really good welcome to working in a prosthetic, because working in a prosthetic is all about overcoming the challenges that you're faced with on a daily basis. As it turns out, do.

13:51 You feel like phobic or was that part of it? You know? I grew up loving practical effects, and I would always watch the bonus features and watch the actors get their head cast and the straws and the nose and think about how cool it would be, you know. You know, And when I finally got a chance to have my head cast, I was so excited, but also a little apprehensive because I can be a little claustrophobic in certain situations. I'm a tall guy, and I don't love crowded, small spaces with a low ceiling. I tend to get a little wiggy, and so, you know, I went in and obviously they had this incredible crew doing the the life cast, and they took incredibly good care of me, and I found it to be so relaxing that you know, as they put all the layers on and then it starts to heat up as a kind of bakes on your head.

14:55 I passed out. I just was so relaxed. But I'm sorry, but you just said bakes on your head. What does that even mean? They're like, oh, so there's I don't know, I actually don't completely understand. But what they put on your head is a layers of like bandages and plaster, and then I believe, like a slimy stuff and they do so so what makes a hard shell? And when the when the when the materials meet each other, they heat up as they kind of solidify. There's a chemical reaction. So it just kind of feels like like a warm You just feel a warmp You're not like, it's not like four hundred degrees or anything like that. You just it's a nice it's a nice, comforting warmth. And I found it unbelievably soothing and relaxing. As this was happening and my head was in this tight thing, and I kind of keeled over to the side and everyone started, are you okay? And I was significant signaling thumbs up with my hands, and afterward I was like, I'm so sorry.

15:59 I was so relaxed, which was a good auspicious sign that this, this kind of work was going to be that I was going to have a facility for being in a prosthetic. So I guess, long, long story short, it can be part of it, but it's not a part of it for me. In fact, it doesn't bother that piece of it doesn't come into play for me. David's like, you know, keeling over, and He's like, I'm having a spa day. Literally literally was amazing. I'm fine. And then and then of course I started thinking, oh yeah, when I do yoga and I'm into vasna at the end, I always like to wrap something around my head. So I'm like, oh, there's something about that in me where I like to have my head covered and it's comforting, which doesn't I mean, which I'm not saying that every day is a picnic and it's you're walking around in bliss. But I'm not freaking out. I'm not freaking out inside the prosthetic, which I think is a good first step.

16:56 M Wow, what about the tea? Did they had to take a cast of your mouth to get the teeth? Yeah? Yeah, so the teeth were were molded to my teeth, and when I finished playing Klingons, I was like, oh good, because the teeth tend to be my least favorite part. And then I found that when affered me Linus, I was like very excited, it's the new Alien. And then I found out that Linus head teeth and oh no, so uh yeah, they're based on a mold of my mouth. Wow, that's that is awesome. Now you you also played Kelpians as well, so you you and Doug Jones kind of have a kinship there.

17:48 Oh yeah, yeah, Doug. Doug and I developed a really beautiful friendship over the course of the of the show. He he was an incredibly generous and supportive champion for me in terms of my path in learning, you know, figuring out what I was doing. He was gracious with his attention, and we're very When we get together, it's we're kind of like two peas in a pod. So when we're in the prosthetics trailer, we're like calling back and forth and you know, hackling and cackling and giggling.

18:29 And when we're on set together, we're often sitting together, you know, holding space for each other, or you know, not even just sitting there beside each other and not talking and and just like we know what each other is sort of going through, which is different. You know, everyone else in the cast is on their phones or eating a sandwich, and we can't do either because our hands are covered and we're wearing silicone gloves and we can't really eat with the prosthetics. So we just sort of space for each other. And so we got to pile pile around a lot in a lot of different and a lot of the different makeups I wore, but being Kelpians together was super fun.

19:09 Now did you have to wear the Kelpian boots and get the arms sway going? Oh? Yes I did. Yeah, yeah, I had a special class with Doug and he he gave me the ways and I was allowed to bring the boots home to work with them. You know. Apologies to my downstairs, downstairs neighbors. I got to trump around. I don't know what they I don't know what they would have thought was happening, but it would have just like clomp clomp clomped all the way down and all the way back. And I definitely got the hang of it. And the episode I had to wear them in. It turned out that I was marching across a beach, which was a whole other level that I wasn't prepared for. So I had to like navigate the boots on sand, which was an interesting talent. Yeah, it was a lot.

20:05 Does I can I can barely walk on sand in my human feet. It was, it was, it was good, But I just went for it. And again, I spent so much time in the boots leading up that it was just like making a slight adjustment. I mean, they look, the look of those boots are incredible, but you know, there's a there's a there. Certainly after a while, there's a bit of a discomfort factor that settles in. Wow, that's incredible. That is incredible. You also say that you played Young Sue Call as well the Star Trek Discovery and that Hope is You Part two? Yes, that I did the scream that exploded all the dilithium.

20:51 That little boy Kelpion who watches his mom die, That's that's me. So it's it's if my fust, I know, it's my secret shame is that I made the scream. You are the burn. I am the burn. You are the bern. I remember getting the email about it and they're like, we'd like you to play you know this, uh, this the character young Sue Call. And then I looked in the script and I was like it it seems to me like he's like eight or nine. Has there been a mistake? And then I found out, Oh no, they're they're going to shoot my performance and then they're going to shrink it down. And so it was very cool to see how they did that. And uh and yeah, I forget that that's me when I watched that episode.

21:44 Was that the episode where Doug Jones appeared as himself? Yes, yeah, he and Culbert and Blue I think our idea are on the planet and Sue Call is having to stop the hologram of sort of denial that he's in and so he's he plays the memory where he screams. Yeah, okay, yeah, Yeah, that's awesome. So just for people that are listening, I'm looking up here so people can find you. So you appeared in the Star Trek Discovery short Treks the Brightest Star. Yeah, you played I'm gonna butcher this. You played all the kling On in the Vulcan hillo and into the Forest. I go, Yeah. You also appeared as a Klingon Officer Number one in the Discovery episode Will You Take My Hand? M uh. You appeared as a Kelpian villager in a short Treks episode as well and Discovery The Sound of Thunder. You played Cosmos Trait in the Hope Is You Part One, a Kelpian servant, and Discovery episode Terra Firm Apart One. Young Suka.

23:03 We just talked about you played the Sarian diplomat and Discoveries All as Possible, And something I wanted to talk about next is you played Where Do They Come Up? Who comes up with these names? You played Ghoolie in Strange New Worlds at aspra Per. Yeah, so I wanted to talk a little bit about about Strange New Worlds. Okay, so most of your experience was on Discovery. Strange New Worlds came after the fact, so our Discovery had been on to cart had been on, and then Strange New Worlds came along. So was there a different feel being on Strange New Worlds versus doing it for the first time on Discovery? Oh?

23:53 Yeah, for sure. I wasn't freaking out as much because I knew I knew what I was doing by the time I hit Worlds. I mean, every set has its own feel, right like Discovery you know very much my family to me and a fun vibe and Strange New Worlds equally as pleasant in a slightly different direction. But I was absolutely comfortable on the set and you know, enjoyed chatting with everyone. But it feels like it's a different group of people. And there were some people from Discovery who were working on the crew at that time because Discovery was a hiatus, so there's a number of people came up and said, hey, David, different face. But yeah, like it's the Strange New Worlds group is a great group of people. I would have liked to have spent more time there, just to get to know everyone a bit better.

24:55 Well, when starts with Discovery, I'm taking up all the questions here. Well, when Star Trek Discovery was canceled, were you guys surprised to hear that? What was that like for the crew? When you guys weren't told? But this is going to be the end. We weren't told in person when we when we finished shooting season five, which I think was the fall of what year was that it was years ago? Yeah, so we finished, we wrapped on season five, and the talk was see you next season. You know, well I'll have our you know, five month hiatus and we'll get back at it and we'll see you all soon. And the phone calls and emails came in February and it was a huge shock, a huge shock, and thankfully, and I'm hugely grateful for this, we got to go back and shoot the coda, so we were sort of able to be to get there as a as a crew and a cast and a family one last time and really get a chance to say goodbye. I mean, it sounds a little weird, but you know, when I got the email, my first thought was, I'm not going to get a chance to say goodbye to the head. You know, this glorious and confounding head that I've been wearing for four

26:26 years that I have a huge emotional attachment to. And it broke my heart a bit. And then I found out about the CODA and that I was going to be involved, and I was relieved and also sill relieved that we got a chance to be together and see the crew again and no one, no one expected it. The talk was six seasonsp probably seven. That was what everyone was expecting. Now, what was it like being direct did by Jonathan Frakes himself? Because he directed that that particular code or correct?

27:06 No, no he didn't. He directed the episode before. Oh, the episode before? Okay, yeah, all right. I love being directed, but I love being directed by Jonathan. He's amazing. He is incredibly actor friendly, which is always a plus for me, because he understands life on the other side of the camera. He's one of the most buoyant and professional and motivational people. No matter what time of day you're shooting with him, he never lets you see his fatigue. He's always marshaling you forward. He's always inspiring you on, you know, encouraging you to find new things.

27:56 He's I would work with Jonathan at the drop of a hat. Yeah. We we we whenever he directs an episode, we know it's going to be a good one. Oh yeah, sure, yeah, absolutely so. Eric. I'm sorry I interrupted you there. What were you going to say? Oh no, sorry, I don't remember exactly what I was going to say, but it was No, that's fine, Jim, keep on going. I'm I'm very sorry. I apologize. Yeah, anytime Jonathan Freaks directs an episode, we know what to expect. We know it's going to be good. So David, uh, now you can tell us, because you know we're cool here, we won't we won't tell anybody. Did you keep anything from from the series?

28:49 But did I do? That's a loaded question. I got my seat back, which you know is which was I mean, I can't tell you the feeling I had when I walked on to set. I think it was season three and I saw Linus on the back of one of the cast chairs or the front of the cast chairs, and it just it just made my day. And so that that had a lot of meaning. The I mean, I would have loved to have taken my badge, but those things are under lock and key. So I'm very happy with the seatback.

29:33 Yeah, that that would be cool. That would be cool. So you know, I think I've taken up enough time. I think I'm going to turn you over to Paul. Go ahead, Paul, I'm I don't want to take up all the time. Thanks Jim, Thanks, Hey, it's great to meet you, David. Thanks for making time to share stories with us tonight. Man appreciate it very much. I'm super curious about the craft of acting. And then the process the was on with that. So what I'm really curious to ask you is you get the part right and to what degree do they come to you and say, Okay, David, this is the backstory for this character. You know, even if we don't ever get to address it in terms of, you know, dialogue this season. Do they just provide that for you or do you do you have the liberty to sort of craft that yourself.

30:25 You have deliberedy. I think it's a little bit of both. They'll throw a couple of things your way, and then I mean, I have a very rich inner life, so I'll always write a story for you know, as far as Linus is concerned. You know what's going on with him and where he's been, and that's sort of just a piece of what I deliver in the performance. And then if if I'm doing something that that doesn't you know, doesn't sit well with anyone, then then they'll offer an alternative and I'll go in a different direction. But it's a it's a bit of a too, like a little bit of both. Interesting. Interesting, Can you share some of the things that you came up with as far as his like background that never really saw the light of day on the show.

31:12 Sure, I mean I mean most recently, well, I mean when he first made the when he showed up in the elevator in season two and he seemed to have a rapport with Siniqua Burnham, I had kind of in my head, I was like, Okay, so Linus is a bit of an outsider. He you know, he probably eats alone in the in the mess hall, and it's not unlikely that maybe because she's an outsider as well, that they they sit at the same table often and maybe they don't talk a lot, but they they make space for each other. So that's how I kind of approached that, that that sort of interaction, that they were familiar with each other and and held space for each other, which you know, it informed that whole. Then for me, that's.

32:07 Great, so kind of kindred spirits both of them a little outcasts perhaps are just not as that's great. And see something you would know necessarily looking at it. But it's sort of one of the things that was fueling what I was doing. And that's something that you can use as you exploring the character in developing. Do you do you find it you have like when you consider the whole experience. Do you feel like you have a particular episode that is just your personal favorite, one that you just really where you're like, that. Was the day. I just felt like it was just Wow, what a thing to contribute to. Oh man. You know, when I would watch the every season back, I would always give myself a couple of performer notes like, oh, try this, do a little bit more of that. And when I watched the first episode of season five, I just kind of threw my hands in the air on the couch and I said, no notes.

33:07 I felt like I had achieved everything that I had been working towards over the course of the seasons. I don't know that there's one thing that sticks out. I do really love his elevator moment with Burnham at the end of the season, when she's time traveling. There's something really beautiful to me about the bookending of those two. You know, he starts with her in an elevator and it turns out that he ends with her in an elevator, and I think there's a beautiful synchronicity to that, and we've both been on such a journey professionally and personally.

33:50 I like that moment a lot. Yes, there's a unity between how things started and how they concluded. Yeah, there's just a sense of wholeness there, I think. But on this show here, we're we're all big fans of Discovery. I mean, I just think it's a it's a great show. I think it's ahead. Of its time in a lot of ways, especially in terms of, you know, being forward thinking with the writing and the character work. It's just it's a very special achievement. We just just love it. So I think something I think we I feel like sometimes these shows just don't always find their audience when they're ahead of their time, and then they become more of a culpe phenomenon later sometimes, And I just feel like that's that's going to be something where I just know the Discovery is gonna have a long enduring life, and I think a lot of people are going to continue to discover it and maybe ask for more of it to come back in the future, you know.

34:42 I mean, if they if they ever. You suppose, if like they pitched the main cast and said, hey, you know what about some kind of a continuation standalone movie, right even if it was just on even if it wasn't theatrical, they just did like what they're doing with the some of their experimentation, like with the section thirty one thing now just a single moved. Do you think people would be up for that? Has everyone kind of gone on. To other things? Oh, I mean it's hard to know. It would. I think it would depend on what it was. I mean, we weren't. We are an incredibly you know, height group of people, and there is a lot of love in that community, and I think it would be I mean, if they said, look, we'd like to do something with Linus, it would be hard for It would be very hard for me to say now because I love that character so much and I love that that crew so much.

35:41 But who I mean, everyone's got a different everyone's doing different things now, and so it's hard. It's hard to say. But look, I'll always be happy to put that head back on, have. The head reunion. Let's get back in the spa again. Yeah yeah, yeah yeah. Before we pass it over to another one of our truxperts here, I wanted to just ask you also. It's just like, do you have anything else that we're going to be seeing you in coming up that we can that we can that you'd like to talk about. It's new projects that are or maybe I don't know. The NDAs I know are tough, but. I have certain things in the works at the moment I'm working. I also am a writer, and so there's I'm working with some producery types on some things. But it's there's nothing I can really talk about currently, just more you know soon. I guess I'm.

36:32 Getting a feeling maybe or you do write science fiction, can you tell us that? Oh? Yeah, I write, I write. I write a lot, a lot of genre stuff. I tend to it's always funny. But right now I'm writing a lot about middle age, which is where I find myself, and so I'm writing a lot about what's happening with gen X and in a myriad of different ways. So we'll see where that goes. Exciting, man, exciting. Well, we wish you all the best, and I would love to see Linus return in some form. I mean, you've been in some of the comics. I'm pretty sure there.

37:13 Was a comic. There was a Linus comic. Yeah. It was beautiful. It was such a beautiful story for him, and it also was very inspiring to read. And you know, one of my favorite things about the character is that he exists in an intersection at the hands of a lot of different artists, you know, the people who designed him, and then the people who the various makeup artists who applied him, and then there's the special effects guy who adds the blinks in post production, and the sound people who modulate the voice. And so by the time that I see Linus on screen, a lot of different hands have been involved in bringing him to life. And reading that comic was like an extent another artist, more artists' hands, like inspiring the character forwards. I was really humbled and grateful for.

38:06 That, because you know, the comic doesn't exist unless your work has inspired somebody to bring their character to life, right, and they're like, let's explore this, right because they feel kind of moved. I think that's amazing. So how cool is that? Well? Thank you very much? Absolutely well, Uh, you know, we forget about like the eyes, that that's a post production thing, that that's a yeah, that's it was a sneeze. Was that what was what was oh lord digital or what happened with it? The goo was digital? That night? Look at it? That that night was a lot. Uh. I was so nervous. You know, I was so nervous. I had I had worked with a movement coach, uh, and I had watched a lot of Reptilian reference footage as I was kind of piecing this character together because I was very aware that being the first sorry and on screen in live action since the motion picture, this is going to be the first time that, you know, Sarians were featured in a in a big way. And I wanted to contribute to Cannon in a way that was responsible because that matters to me. And and so I did all of this work and went in and by the time I hit the set, I was so stressed out. I was overthinking and we're so worried. And we got in the turbo lift and the director said, okay,

39:36 we're going to let's rehearse it. So we rehearsed the scene and Sinequa, you know, walked in and asked me how my throat was and and no one had spoken to me about the kind of noise I should make in that moment, because I was to make a noise and indicate my throat and I just prepared a weird noise, and so in rehearsal, she asked me you know. Uh. We started the scene and how's your throat? And I gestured at my throat and made this like weird, like a raw sound, and Finikua looked at me and her eyes kind of bugged out of her head like a uga and then she said, Oh no, it's going to be a long night with this one. And everyone in the elevator started laughing, and I felt I felt Doug's hand on my shoulder, and there suddenly was so much good cheer and so much laughter and fun. And in that moment, I heard a voice at the back of my head, and the voice said, Oh, I know what this is. I've got this, and it was kind of the character that I had done all of this work and I was caught up and overthinking and then had this beautiful, joyous, hilarious moment and then suddenly the character was free to emerge. And then I kind of followed that voice whenever I was on set or felt like I needed to plug in to the character, and he

41:09 never sort of steered me wrong. And then we when we got into the sneezing, it's I think you can see this in the the gag reel from season one or season two at one point, I whipped my head so hard the teeth fly out of my mouth and they hit they hit the actor in the face and clatter to the floor, and I'm horrified. I am absolutely horrified because I think, oh my, oh my goodness, I have just broken a thousand dollars, you know what I mean, which, you know, it was just like, oh man, And so in the take you can see that I gamely am trying to continue with the scene, like I'm pretending like my teeth did not just fly out of my head, and you see Saniqua once again just kind of look at me and just lose it, and uh. There was more laughter and everyone just cracked up. And the prosthetics came in and I was like, I'm so sorry, and they're like, don't worry about it, and they had a second pair of teeth, you know, uh, and they popped them in and Yeah. It was a very his debut was he was a big hit with the crew and it was a it was a joyous, a joyous thing.

42:30 So there was a lot of the sneeze. Was pretty funny looking at it because I just always see the take where my teeth flew out of my face the poor actor got hit in the head. But he was a moment that you found that this is where you belong, right, Yeah, yeah, like that's that's. A beautiful moment, man. And and plus you added to a you know, a sory in cannon because now we know that they have projectile teeth. Right, yeah, it's like you know that's Ket's cannon now, bro there, Hey, didn't make the final cut. It didn't make the final cut. It's in the gag reel. So but well, I apologize for taking so much time, man, because I've just I just loved the chance to chat.

43:11 But I know I got the other Trexperts are elbowing me in the ribs here, So I want to just passed this over to one of our other hosts. Charles, are you in there? Is that your elbow? I feel pressing against me? Yes, Paul, that was my elbow, especially when you stole my story. Well you know I'm notorious for that, brother. Yeah. Hey, David Benjamin, uh you I have met. We talked as star trek Las Vegas. Amazing. Oh, I just that was such an amazing weekend. I had such a good time and we we we met sort of at the intersection of all the tables. Yeah, yes, right.

43:56 I tried to kick you because I don't want to get jump in your line, but I wanted to have a short chat with you. It was good. It was good to chat. Oh, definitely. How was your interaction with fans at Star Trek Las Vegas. Oh it was wonderful. You know, the first that was my second convention, and the first convention that was kind of the full because the previous one I went with that was in the middle of the pandemic, I guess, so it was kind of it was kind of at like half capacity, and it was such a complicated time. Uh.

44:37 And I was, you know, like Linus was becoming more prominent, and I went and there's all this stress happening in the world and and all this sort of fragmentation. And I got to the convention and I just kept hearing welcome to the family, and it was it was amazingly comforting. And and that was another kind of moment where I really plugged in that there's this beautiful family, this beautiful community that exists, and so getting to go back this year and build on those conversations. But also just like I love watching the cosplay and all of the unbelievable outfits and and hearing people be so excited about the character, and I'm always grateful and so humbled that people love him as much as I love playing him. I always get so excited by that because I do, like I love being Linus, and so it's I love all the questions and everyone's such good natured and respectful and lovely.

45:43 It's it's it's it's so, it's great. It's great. I had a great time. Star Trek Las Vegas is a unique invention perfectly for me, and the cosplay that goes in there. It's not just fancy. Oh it's a big Star Trek. Imagine know, it's a Star Trek invention. That's tag, that's an actual sci fi convention. There's so much sci fi that will show up there. Star Wars, Star Wars will show up fast, or Galactica shows up. Mary McDonald was there, and I am like, I was a huge Battlestar Galactica fan, and all found out that she was there, I was I broken my sweat. I was like, I didn't know what to do. I was just like, I gotta be cool. But then I like, I just walked past her table and I just you know, I just wanted to scream, I love you, my Dan President.

46:34 But she was, She's that was She's amazing. So yeah, I love all of the iterations of all the different franchises that show up and and how it informs all of the cosplay like Borg doctor Who's and and and you know, Galactica stuff used with other stuff like I I love it. Yes, yeah. The fact of having just down your table down the road was Doc. Brown, Oh man, it's a lot. I mean, I'm I'm I'm I'm an you know, like I guess it's like these are these are people whose work that I love and I get. So I was like, wow, I can't believe that you're right over there. It's such a great celebration of of of nerd them, which I am so passionate about.

47:26 I'm curious about how what it was like filming season two twice a season season season five twice. What do you mean, Well, we. We know you filmed season five to a point, right, but what we got was the extendities in five with the changes and what it was like filming because we as fans don't really know what the story was in season five, we know what the new season story was. Well, we finished shooting Steve A season five. The season five ended on the heels of the Saru and Trina wedding, so so the episode ended shortly after that. So when we shot the coda, it was all of the time jump, everything after the time jump forward. So I don't think they may have shaved a little bit off of the end of the wedding stuff to make way for some time for the coda, but it was very much its own.

48:39 They didn't try to weave it right in. They did a time jump and then it very much was its own thing. I was incredibly grateful to be able to go back and be with those people and know it was the end right like I I. You know, we were standing on the bridge and it was a long day of that shot is so beautiful of Burnham sort of remembering the crew and all of the hugging and smiling, and we were on that bridge hugging and smiling for like ten hours. So they got the shot and they covered everything and the cameras swooping around and the lighting changes.

49:19 It was really complicated and it looked so beautiful and it was a lot to do. There would sort of certainly were a buoyant bunch, and there'd be the occasional dip where it would get kind of sad because we all kind of realized, this is the last time we're going to stand here together in this space in this way, you know, like as a cast and as a crew, like this will never be like this again. You know, if there's a movie in ten years from now, it'll be probably somewhere different and the set will have been rebuilt, know, like, it's never going to be like this again. And that was I was, you know, So I I was grateful that I got to have that understanding and that goodbye, so I could really honor that community appropriately well, I rather.

50:17 From comments of her like at the con the fact that I think it's David at Jala Booker m wasn't really a big part of season five in the original shoot, but coming with the ending shot, they added brand news, They added re edited part of that season. So I don't know if you were what part of that. Oh no, I wasn't aware of that. From what I've heard, he was not. He was not as big in the original script, but when they did his script that they put him that they I get. I thought they were reshooting a big chuck.

51:00 That's why some of the crew members never showed up in some of the season, why we didn't see the Pridge crew right right. I was unaware that they they uh, because, like his storyline was taking place, I was really focused on what was happening on the bridge. So that's where I'm paying the most of time. You may have not been through some of those shoots. But I think it is reshooting. Oh okay, I did not know that. That's from what I father from the comments, because I noticed at the panel they talked about the fact that a couple of people couldn't be on the bridge for some of those later episodes because you were reshot.

51:44 Oh. My understanding was that they were. There were scheduling conflicts that a couple of the actors had. Other were working in other places, and so they were unable. It was just it came down to a scheduling conflict. It if we ever get the original story for season five. I think I think what you get what you got. I'm based on what I remember of the script. It's pretty close. Yeah for sure, Well definitely for me. Still a good season and make sure you hit the conventions. I think you guys, you softened that convention if you heard stories. You still have people from the real Star Trek.

52:33 You've got next generation who are still showing up these conventions and still part of the Trek family. So don't lose it that that you are part of. That's That's something that I've really has been really valuable to me as I've processed the end of the show and processed the sort of the dissolution of that family and we all have gone back to our lives that there's this other family that I'm also a part of that I you know, that's going to be active over the years to come, and so absolutely well. The stories I've heard of I think well, and how she treats the entire cats as family, just yeah, really makes those cons just so much more special because everybody just love each other.

53:18 It's you know, it can't be, it can't be. It's said enough. How unbelievable, how incredible a leader Sun Equal was through the through the seasons of discovery. She led with unbelievable professionalism and affection and compassion and support and love, and she was a formidable and uh incredible leader. She really created and fostered an atmosphere of affection and fun and support, and everyone who came onto that set benefited from it, from from her curation of such a such a supportive, affectionate environment. And that is not the norm. Uh, you know, that is not the norm. So to have had that experience with someone like Sniqua is is really special.

54:21 I think it's I'll be lucky, to be honest. I mean, you can you can feel that in Discovery right it has a like, I don't know, an air that no other Star Trek has. There's something, there's there's a quality to it, and there is you know, the the dynamics with the crew and the dynamics with the cast. It was you know when I say we were a family, it it you know, there was just a lot of positivity and and and support and care. It's a big show. It's a hard show to do, you know. I was surprised at how hard a show like that is to do. On everybody on crew, on on on the cast, directors and the writers and everybody contributing to the best of their ability and in the best possible way. It's really beautiful. Yeah, She's she's a She's incredible. I I will always have a very special place in my heart for Siniqua.

55:24 Yes, definitely. Also just want to make the comment glad to hear another hoovie and around and Eric and I are the who the ends of the group. Oh very good. You know, it's funny when when I was growing up, I you know, I grew up in a rural area outside of the city and and it was Doctor Who in its serialized format was on you know, this public broadcaster, and I watched it without understanding the legacy of the care or. And I grew up watching Tom Baker and I wasna, yeah, he's my doctor. And when he regenerated into Peter Davidson, I was like, what just happened? I did not understand. There is no I didn't have anyone, there was no internet to be like what happened? And I stopped watching the show because I just didn't get it. And then it had to go back and be like, this is a part of it, having to say goodbye to these beloved doctors. But yeah, just a real treat.

56:32 The Doctor Who, Tom Baker was my first doctor. Eckelson's the one. That me back. Oh he was amazing. Oh when Eckleson came on and I just slipped through and found him on BBC America. I was like, wait a minute, what's this? Oh? Oh, this is good. I gathered that he didn't have a for good time doing that season, but I would love would have loved for him to do a second season. I would have loved to see what he would have done because he's so winning in that role.

57:13 Yeah, yeah, doctor, and yeah, I mean my understanding was that it was like a personality conflict type of situation. But I would have loved to have seen multiple seasons of Eon. Yeah. I mean, of course, then we got Tenant, who I was a huge fan of as well, and I was I this worked out okay, But yeah, I would have I wouldn't have. I wouldn't have walked away from another season of Eckleton for sure. Yeah, and all the characters we met from them, and you too, Eric, and you will understand my joke of my favorite line from from that Sea That was a lot spooky line, are you?

58:00 I mean? Oh? Yeah, they do a lot of really great Uh. Some of their best villains are stuff where you can't see the faces. Uh. They do a lot of great stuff with mass on that show. Yes, they do. Well. Since I know Eric's really getting into it. Oh, I guess I'm going to David, though I think Eric's fighting. It's a bit to jump in. Yeah, hey, hey, thank you so much. Yeah. So, I am really curious about your first interaction with Will Wheaton.

58:42 I haven't actually interacted with Will. Oh I thought you were on the little show that he does after every episode. No, they had clips of me that they shot in Toronto. But I have not met Will personally yet. Oh, okay, I thought to do. So I'm I I love Will, so I'm sure our past will cross at some point. Nice. Cool. So, I'm pretty sure this would know what to ask me for about the most memorable time that you had on stage. But I just wanted to know what would your memorable blooper that you've ever had done on the set.

59:30 Oh gosh, I'm pretty notorious for because I because along the way, I've decided to say a lot of science talk. So I'm pretty notorious for if the words drop out of my head, I'll just make something up because in the in the end, in the end, they're gonna I'm gonna have to re record my dialogue anyway, and just and just so there might be something else in the scene in the in the take that they can use. So uh, sometimes I'll just come up some some crazy words. We'll leave my mouth and I'll just think, well, that's not the line, but it's close. But uh, I think the all time best would have been the teeth flying out of my mouth. It's uh, it's hard to top that.

1:00:23 I have to look for that on a blue Boo wheel. Yeah, So follow up, what's my question with the. Will Wheaton thing? What was your What was it like meeting uh Jonathan for the first time. Well, I'll tell you this. I I walked on to set and it was, uh when I met Jonathan, it was like my second or third time on side of his lines. So I was still getting my bearings and I had my eyes in and Jonathan sat down in a chair across from me, and he was excited to he really liked the character. And he sat down across from me and he said welcome aboard, and like no one could see but like my eyes, like I just started, like my eyes filled with tears because you know, to have like rikers sit across from you and say welcome aboard.

1:01:21 In this way that was. It was just like this moment in time. It was so memorable, and I'll remember that always. He was so lovely and welcoming and just made all the difference. Cool. Nice. I know that Eric got a lot of questions, so I won't take up too much of your times, but this one last question I pass it over to Eric. I know you've said that you've been a big fan of sci fi and everything, So my question to you is what shoeyes of Star Trek is your favorite.

1:02:03 Well, my sentimental favorite is Next Gen because that's the one I grew up on and that's the one that really got me locked into enjoying Trek. And I had so many, you know, so many amazing episodes along the way that kind of blew my mind or excited me. But after the last five years, it's really hard for me not to say Discovery because I've watched I've watched this very special path with this show, and this show means something to me that's incredibly unique and very special. So I mean, I'll give you the sentimental answer, but then I'll say, also, Discovery is lives large in my heart.

1:02:47 Nice. Wow a lot. That's cool. Well, thank you for me on the show, and I guess, yeah, pat it over to IC. Oh my gosh, I am having so much fun listening to you talk about Star Trek and your experiences and all this stuff. David, thank you so much for coming on the show. Yeah, can you, I guess, tell us a little bit about how you got involved in the show. Yeah. It came like I'd always again, like I had always been fascinated by this this kind of work, and you know, always wondered what it would be like, and then when the opportunity happened, it was it happened very quickly, and then suddenly I was, you know, doing camera tests as a Klingon and figuring out the product. I had to go. I had to figure it out, and you know, every mask is different. I mean, the big challenge with Linus was you can't there's really no, there's not a lot that you can see of my face. You can't even see my eyes. At least with Klingons you could see the eyes. So I had to develop very quickly a very physical language with Linus that that became well, that was very specific and was able to communicate reaction and emotion, and that was sort of my big unpacking with him, and that's very different than being a kling on.

1:04:19 So figuring out what also the mask demands as you're working? Oh yeah, I mean who are you trying to play? Do you so? Given that you are one of very few Sarians to actually appear on screen, do you do you know anything about Sarian culture that I don't already know? Well, I mean, what do you know the foreheart? Like, let's talk about the Brandy? So so, why what do you think Sorry and Brandy tastes like, Oh, I. Mean, look at I'm a tequila man, so in my mind it tastes a lot like tequila because it's the he's the only thing that I drink. But I think it's probably it tastes like tequila, but it's probably thicker.

1:05:07 It's it's like, I don't know, like a what is the like a Bailey's you know how that's it's got a thickness to it. Sure it's got some discosity. Yeah, viscosity. So, like I say, I feel like Sorry and Brandy is probably like a viscus tequila drink. I do wish. I do wish at some point there had been a Sorry and Brandy gag. I get why there wasn't, But I just it's so talked about and if you're ever gonna do it, it's with this guy. Uh But you know, I mean I do feel like that's a little bit of a missed opportunity. But I've I've thought about this, and you know, so sour hands are sort of lizard people, right, yes? Yeah, so do they So do they come from a from like a dry planet?

1:05:59 Is that? I always envisioned their planet as hot and and like volcanic, so it's like humid and hot. Okay, Okay, yeah, I mean I would not like to go to Linus's home planet. I think that would have been. Great. Yeah, that would have been great to see more of what the where. Like, It's it's one of those species that really anything. They could do anything at this point with the species. Well yeah, and your character gave enough personal connection to make it meaningful for people. But like, without really leaning into it, I feel like they could have used Sorian whatever.

1:06:45 I guess. Do Saurians come from Saria? I would say because in the beginning there was that there was the the idea that the translator on the ship was having trouble with his clicks and pops. Sure, So I think that maybe his planet is a word that doesn't translate readily. You know, it probably sounds like you know, you know, like who. Knows, so they would just call it Sarya, right. Yeah, they would probably call it just because it's a great question. I've never thought about it. Yeah, what is that planet? What's his own planet?

1:07:32 It's got to have an a. And like, I'm convinced that every single culture in Star Trek calls their planet earth or like dirt or you know, some version of that in their language, because like, if you don't know there's other stuff out there, what are you going to call where you're standing? You're going to call it like. Yeah, it's home to you, So it would make sense, right, yeah, right, yeah, I'm sorry, let's say that it's sorry, it sounds weird, I guess, but yeah, sorry, volcanic. Sorry, I love it. Yeah, I love that Volcanic. Sorry is where is where you people come from? There's like a there's like an egg laying clutch thing that happens right with like reproduction, So tell take us through the reproduction cycle of a.

1:08:25 Well that that that they are asexual creatures and they lay clutches and in my mind, like in these hot pockets, you know where they'd be, like they kept eggs, are kept warm by the volcanic steam, and then the hatchlings come and then they're attended by the entire community because they're very community focused people, and they they raise them in these waves generational waves. Did I just hear veris lay eggs in hot pockets? Did I O roascery store? Is that that sounds so yummy? Though? The worst kind of hot pocket? Sorry an egg?

1:09:11 Oh my god? Why does my hot pocket taste like chicken? No darling, It tastes like sorry. And oh, oh my god. So do you think like sarians lay many many young and then you know it's one of those like sea turtle situations where only you know, twenty percent survive or something because there's some predator that Like are. You talking about that snake beach clip? Did you ever see that thing? Did you see? Do you know what I'm talking about? That? I watched that on a loop for like a day because I could not believe that that was real life, Like I know what you're like, this is your best move is to lay your kids on snake beach And I didn't even know like would a racer snake or razor whatever they are, like, these eight foot long lightning bolts are gonna slither out of these rocks and descend upon your young Like what, No, in my mind, it is not like that at all. The eggs are lovingly deposited and cared for and protected. There's no snakes. That was That clip still gives me anxiety to watch it is. It's awful.

1:10:27 I mean, I guess that it's nature and that it's real, but holy mackerel. Lend some authenticity to the whole, like you know, aggressiveness of it all. Yes, yeah, it's like here's life, here's how brutal life can be good exactly. I just had an interesting thought about the showings. Actually, what if they are like related to the going. Oh yeah, because they're lizard people. Sure, yeah, sure, absolutely. I mean that these are the little pockets that you know, could be explored. Who knows? Oh yeah, now, no question. Uh So I didn't know that the blinky eyes were post production, So that was that was pretty cool to learn. But do you have any personal you know, like, okay, so season five shot, right, and then you have to reshoot a couple of things. Did you have any personal I'm assuming that you didn't know anything about potential season six, So do you have any personal headcannon of like, Okay, this is where I would have loved the the thing to go, oh, you know, versus like I is, if that's too big, let me know, But.

1:11:46 I don't know. It's a great question. It's a great question. Yeah, you know, if I if I really look at Linus's journey aboard the ship, it really runs parallel and unsurprisingly so to my own. You know, like over the over the four seasons, he's around more and more, is more part of the crew, and by season five he's he's he's on the bridge and he's stationed on the bridge, and he's he has his own station. He's he's gotten there and he's earned it. And season five was was was really like I felt like, Okay, I've got this, I've got this figured out. I'm here, let's go and then where and then the whole thing stops. So in my head six season there would have been just more more build like and maybe maybe something about sorry, you know, maybe something about Linus as a character, but like being in the thick of it and being around and being frontline centers been very cool. I don't I didn't have any specific story ideas. I just was excited to see where we were going to go next and and excited that, you know, Linus's part kept getting bigger and bigger. M.

1:13:10 Yeah, I mean, I think one of the things that Discovery did really well along the way was give certain characters, you know, moments to do character building, not just you know, whatever the main line of the story was, but to sort of pull aside and say, oh no, it's important to develop you know, what's going on with this character that character. And I could completely see in a season six Linus getting that sort of airtime, so to speak. Yeah, And you know, like I I understand in the big picture that Linus is, you know, a small piece of the Discovery adventure, but it was a giant adventure for me. And that's why I'm that's you know, that's I love talking about it and I celebrating it. And it would have been great to see where they would have gone and what you would have done next.

1:14:08 Well, it's so fun to talk to you about your experiences and the actors that you got to be with, and you know, your thoughts about the character and the culture and all that sort of stuff. So thank you so much for coming on our podcast. I really really appreciate It's been an absolute joy to just listen to you talk about your experience. Like one of the things that we talk about on this podcast is that, you know, for just some guys who like Star Trek and we just talk about Star Trek, and if other people aren't sharing that experience with you, then it's not as meaningful. And so have you come on talk about your experience is just super good. So thank you. I appreciate it. You know, like it's it's community rights.

1:14:50 It's one of the core values of the Discovery cast. It's like, you know, it's being there for a community and inspiring community, and it's it's I'm still not sick of talking about it. Good for you. I love it. We're not sick of talking about it either. And you know, to a point, I forget which one of you said it about the show and that it will have something to offer people in the future, and and you know, like Discovery definitely has something to offer people. And that doesn't mean it's a show for everyone, but I know that there's something really lovely and exciting on offer in the show, and I do hope that you know, future audiences, if they choose to circle back and take a ride on board the ship, that they have a great time, as great as time as we had making it.

1:15:50 I am convinced that they will. I think from season one of Discovery, we have all on the podcast thought about how ahead of its time it actually was. So I think Paul touched on that, and I think in ten fifteen years too will be like, yeah, yeah, that's the Star Trek that started this Star Trek revolution or addressed this cultural thing, or you know, brought Star Trek into the twenty first century or whatever. I just I really believe that we all on the podcast believe that to be true. So, which is exciting. And in the meantime, we have lots of exciting things to look forward to in terms of Section thirty one in Starfleet Academy and you know, more Strange New World. So it's a pretty good time to be a Star Trek fan.

1:16:35 The Golden Age. Absolutely, thank you so much. So, David. I I just got a couple of questions. Is there any in the future are we going to see a Linus action figure? Oh? I get asked that all the time. Look at I'm getting the first one. If it ever happened, I am to get number one. Not not that I am aware of, Not that I'm aware of. And I'm I'm I don't know that I would necessarily be informed if they were going to do it, But I mean I would love it just for my Linus shelf. But uh, not nothing that I'm aware of right now.

1:17:22 Wait, wait tell us, I'm just like you just said that. I was like, no, no, tell us more. Oh, my Linus shelf is how to describe it, I guess mementos and bits and pieces fan art. Someone sent me a crocheted Linus stall, a gorgeous picture of me and Doug hugging as Linus and Seru, just like mementos from the trail of the Adventure. Meaningful stuff, yeah, meaningful stuff, you know, beautiful beautiful fanhard and uh just yeah, just a And there's a there was a poster that they hung shortly after he made his I think it was taken from this camera test anyway. It's a picture of Linus at his camera test, or me at the camera test as Linus. But it's a I forget I don't know who started it, but someone and the crew got their hands on a picture and they made it into a poster and it just says Linus say Relax. And they hung it all over the set. They hung it all over the set. It was like all over the place.

1:18:43 And so someone made me a giant poster sized version and I framed it and so that's on the Linus. I mean, it's a big part of that. But yeah, like thee yeah, yeah, yeah, centerpiece, that's the word. Yeah, David, I wanted to ask you about season one of Discovery. You played a klingon. Were you how far ahead were you aware of the story or did you not know the story just just the scripts you were featured in. I did not. I was only aware of the episodes that I was appearing in. The secrecy around the first season was really intense. I remember that we had these huge football cloaks with the hoods, so if we were in prosthetic and we had to go anywhere outside, we had to don these giant cloaks so no one could see the prosthetics. There was so much secrecy, so I was only seeing scripts for the episodes that I was in, so I.

1:19:56 Didn't just excellent. So yeah, when we as fans, we talked about this on the podcast so much when we found out that Lorca was actually from the Mirror Universe. Did you find that out at the same time that we did, and did you see it coming at all? I mean, it's weird. I never shot anything on the Discovery stage that season, so I was very separate from what was happening on the Discovery side. So I think around season or round episode nine, when I was on the Sarco ship and that was the one where they blew it up. I think I'd heard some scuttle but that Lorca was Mirror Universe or something just through crew and people that I was working with. But that was a surprise to me when I found out, and it was so exciting to watch when I finally watched the episode.

1:21:00 Now, did you get to do any scenes with the incredible Michelle Yo. I did. I had a brief scene with Oh, I know a couple. They started this strange flirtation with Jorjo and Linus in season three at the top of the season. So there's a scene where the Discoveries crashed in the future and they're piecing the shit back together, and Jorjos spots Linus and uses him as an excuse to dodge a conversation with Non And then later there's a dinner sequence in Serrou's quarters and they have Georgo and Linus sitting together, and I remember Michelle turning to me and saying, are they trying to set us up? Because they were having us be kind of flirted with each other, and I was, which I thought was hilarious. I thought it was such a great match. I was like, this makes total sense that Linus would be into this terrifying, incredible woman.

1:22:07 I was like, this makes total sense. Very and then I found out, Oh, she's leaving. She's leaving the ship. So I think it was just I don't know what their intention was was at, but we sh had a couple of scenes together and we had a lot of blasts. She's also unbelievably lovely and super fun to paler around with. And you know, before we say goodbye, I just want to say, for me, Star Trek, Discovery I think is the closest thing to Tos as far as representation and inclusiveness goes. I think Discovery is leaps and bounds above anything that star Trek has done since Toos and the love that comes across on the screen for me anyways, you know, between say Stammet's and Colbert, or even a Deira and the new family that she finds herself in the the love that comes across between these characters through the screen. Is it just incredible? Is it the same way when you're there when when you're filming it in person on the set? Is that coming through or or am I reading stuff that's not.

1:23:25 There in terms of how we are when we're on set together and between seeks. Yeah, No, that is very much. That is actually the vibe. You know, I've you know, I've had many conversations with Anthony that are very funny. Wilson is lovely. There is a real sense of community. When you went into work, you know that you were you didn't know who you were, You weren't necessarily teamed up with the same people every every day that you shot, but you knew that there was going to be someone you know that you were going to be with good people, And a lot of my time I spent with the Bridge crew, and certainly Patrick who played Reese his certainly one of my Bridge, my Bridge boys, and Orville who played with Anna Christopher also and whenever Doug is on the bridge, then you and I would certainly pile around.

1:24:27 But there was a real there was a real vibe. I guess sounds a bit weird use of the word, but there's just a real family vibe and just respect and goodwill and everyone just loved and supported everyone, and not to say that, you know, like as a community, we functioned as a whole, and then inside the community they were like little groupings because you certain people were with different groups more. But it was never competitive. It was always just no, and there's this pocket and there's this pocket. But then we worked together as a whole.

1:25:09 I don't know that I've had a work experience that was so unbelievably joyous in terms of the mix of personalities. It was a really beautiful mix. And if someone was having a hard day, everyone was there for them. So you think that's. Part like I was just going to say, do you think that's part of the focus of Discovery being just a little bit more inclusive and you know, celebrating people in Star Trek who maybe haven't been celebrated along the way, or who deserve more celebration or that sort of said. Do you think that the the you know, that general culture is what led to that?

1:25:54 On the set, I'd say it's Sniqua ent her incredible leadership. I'd say it is luck with casting. They just cast people who were this eclectic mix of people who played really really well together. And I don't think it's anyone expected it to be like that, but I'm so grateful that it was. Later on in season two, they when tig Nataro came along and joined the crew. We we just love love tign carro Her, you know, was incredible. You had some scenes with her as well. You guys were playing a game at the table of Otto sinnonon.

1:26:41 I think it was right, yes, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, I forget what it was called. Yeah, what was that like? Because she cracks me up. She's so dead pan in her I mean, oh, I mean she just cracks me up. Everything she's in cracks me up. How did you hold a straight face any one of the makeup? Yeah, like, no one can see my face, So I get away with murder in that makeup. Shooting with take is a total joy. I mean it's everyone's having a good time and she's hilarious and so the scene just you know, is always fun to do because she's always coming at it slightly different, making it funny. Everyone's working together to make that moment work. It's pretty great. She was a great addition. I think the crew, she really really was for sure. And she's going to be in Starfleet Academy.

1:27:39 I hear. So that's so there'll be more Jet Reno. That's great. Now. Oh, one of the fans wanted me to ask you a question. So Discovery ended, we pretty much know where most of the crew ended up or was going, but they never told us where Lionis went. You know, we know where Stanmit's and Colbert We're going. We know Tilly's going to the Academy, we know where Debtmer's going, and we know where all what's going. We know where Burnham ends up with Booker, we know what thru got married, But what happened to Linus? Where did he go? And I guess it's up to you now to make it canon and tell us where Linus ended up with.

1:28:22 You know, it's a great question. Pressure, I'll tell you. This, Yeah, no pressure, No pressure. No pressure. One of the big character qualities for me about Linus was a sense of loyalty. That's something that was a sense of being protective and loyal to his crew. So in my mind, Linus is still up there on the Discovery, a loyal crew member, functioning as part of the crew because that's where he feels his purpose is. And at some points he may go find something else to do. But I think he would have stayed aboard the Discovery for a time.

1:29:09 For yeah, because we know Burnham sends Discovery off to the Nebula. For to set up calypse way in the future, way in the future. But way way in the future, right, right. So he'd spend like a number of years and then I don't know what he'd do. Hopefully get married, sorry, and wedding. Come on, who's not gonna want to sorry in wedding. We need to see that, which is going to Yeah, we have to see that for sure. Yeah, it's a great question. I haven't. I haven't really, you know, like it's the end of the show is a bit heartbreaking, and so it's it's who knows where he goes. I'm open to possibility. I guess.

1:29:59 Yeah, we'll have to that's a good we'll have to get that going at conventions and stuff. Yeah, it's a great question, you. Know, because everyone else got an ending, but but not Lioness. That's weird. Yeah, but he probably stayed You're right, he probably stayed on the. Discovery for a time, for a time at least, because again, like he's a very loyal person, and he doesn't he left his family to jump into the future. So he's really with that crew. That crew is very much his family. There's there's no one around at that point that he knew before. You know that he would have known in the past. So it would make sense that he would serve aboard the Discovery until that he was no longer able to, and then he would he would forge a new path somewhere else. I think that's wait, I know, I know. The obvious answer is he goes and teaches at Starfleet Academy. Obviously, what am I saying?

1:30:57 Of course, just about I was, I was just about to bring that off. Good lord. The answer is staring me right in the face. What am I doing right there there? Good Lord? David, come on, pull yourself together, macrol Okay, yeah, of course, yeah, yeah, amount. So he teaches a certa date Academy and then he gets his own spinoff show called Star trek Linus. I mean, I think there, you go there in the end. In season five, we saw a little bit of a shake up with the bridge crew and we added Rainer and as the first officer when Seru was doing his you know, his Seru stuff. What was it like working with him and changing the dynamic just a little bit?

1:31:54 Oh my gosh, was that all? Was that fun? I love Callum uh. I loved what he did as Rainer. It was so much fun to play opposite of. He added such a fun, cranky vibe. It was so interesting I mean not as a not as an actor, but as a character to watch, Like we have this plucky, happy bridge crew, and then Ryan Rayner comes in and cranks it up, and I thought it was absolutely perfect. It's what the what the Bridge needed, It's what the show needed. And I thought he did such a beautiful job of it. And I loved his story, his hesitancy to take the chair and then finally to take the chair, And yeah, I thought. I thought he was great and it was super fun playing opposite him. It's always fun playing opposite when you're a character like linis playing opposite someone who's super cranky. Total joy.

1:32:53 Yeah, He's one of those characters that we kind of kind of didn't like at first, but we loved him by the end. Yeah, he had a really good character arc. Yeah, he's he was so great. I just I loved that that that that that was a part of the storytelling of the fifth season. I really enjoyed that. Is how do you see Linus as a character on the show? Like, is he is he a meaningful, you know, comic relief type character. Is he a character that you know, lens complexit, you understand what I'm saying. I'm wondering, like at a deeper level, like what is what what do you think Linus does for Discovery that maybe no other character does. I mean, I have some ideas in my own mind's eye, sure does, But like I'm curious to know from you what you know, what you think he does?

1:34:03 Well? I think he started out as comic relief, and from what I understand, they didn't have a big plan for Linus. I think he was supposed to be in a couple of episodes and that was going to be that. So he started out as comic relief, which is totally fine. And then I think they saw an opportunity, and I think there's a really beautiful reflection of humanity from Linus, which is I think is really interesting coming from such an alien character. You know, I was earlier in the conversation we were talking about adapting to new tech and that sort of episode in the third season where he's bouncing around the ship because he hasn't quite mastered the teleporter.

1:34:52 I know that we all love our sci fi heroes to be masters of technology and you see on top of it, but the reality is that that's not always the case. And I loved that episode and that little story because it represented those of us who aren't easy tech adapters. And there's there's nothing wrong with it, Like if there's a new update on an app I use, it always is. So I was like, oh my god, you know, how do I figure this out? And it's like some people will take to it no problem, and some people it's challenging. And so he he was sort of like the illustration of this journey, like, yeah, sometimes you don't get it on the first try, and some things sometimes it takes a little piece of work. And in my mind, he got to where he wanted to go.

1:35:45 He did figure it out, but just because he kept trying. And it's a very human thing. And so I think Line has started to sort of reflect and represent human a lot of human stuff and be a character that people could relate to in a weird way because he did. He was an anxious character, and he was a character that was a little bit of an odd duck and yet was still welcomed and accepted by everyone around him. Wow. I am super glad that you said anxious character because I feel like that is one of the things that reads in your performance of Linus, and I just like, don't I don't have a canon reason for his anxiety other than that he's alien and you know, on the bridge of like a bunch of humans or whatever. That sort of like base level stuff. But like his anxiety reads, So can he tell us more about that?

1:36:47 Well? Yeah, I just you know, I think it mirrored my own journey. I mean, I struggle with anxiety, and this character became a place like as I, as I said earlier, our pasts were kind of parallel, and it was a place that I could you know, showcase the anxiety, but not as something that is manageable and just a flavor of this of this character. You know, Linus also taught me, you know, I can be a little bit of a loner and a little bit of an odd duct myself, and you know it's Linus also showed me that you can wield that not as a a minus but as a plus. You can still be a little bit odd and still be accepted and welcomed and good at your job. And as I spent more time in Linus, this quality of anxiousness and fluster for whatever reason just came with the character and it allowed me to be like, Okay, well I'm going to run with this. Then I'm going to really inhabit this and make it very human.

1:38:00 Uh. And again, Linus isn't bad at his job because he's anxious. He is anxious and manages it and is good at his job. But he's no less of a hero because he has an anxiety issue. Yeah, And I mean, I not to get like too philosophical about it, but I feel like Linus is one of those characters that embodies the alternate that is displayed by Discovery, you know, Like I feel like Discovery is trying to like appeal to many many audiences that maybe haven't been serviced by Star Trek in the past, and Linus is one of those stepping stones along the way because you know, you feel his anxiety and yet he functions, he does his thing, he provides you know, comedic relief.

1:38:52 Yeah, and when we laugh, yet when we laugh at Linus, where we're not laughing at him, we're laughing with him. It's never means did He's never the bite of the show where it's something we all recognize as very human. And yeah, like it's it was a like Linus allowed me to showcase a weird, deep part of myself and that was a powerful experience for me as an actor. I love that. I love that because I feel like you feel that in that actor's performance, Like you know, Linus is. Linus is a character that you know, like you've said, you know, has limited screen time, but when he plays and when he's used, I feel that from you.

1:39:39 So nicely done. I appreciate that. Thank you so much. Yeah, yeah, David, did you have any any input into the designing of Liners? Did you just show up and they flapped it on you and that was it? Oh? Yeah, No, I they offered me the role I showed up for a camera test. I walked in the prosthetics trailer and i'd looked up. I didn't know right, Like, I didn't know what a sarian was. That they sent an emails i'd'd like to offer David the role of Linus the Sarian. So I immediately went to the Internet and was like, what's a Sarian? And then I found the picture of the actor from the original motion picture this crazy design. He was in a crowd and I was like, oh my god, I can't wait to see how they update this. And so I was excited for the camera test and I went in for the camera test and I walked in the prosthetics trailer and he was sitting on the counter and I just gasped because he was so handsome and so beautiful, Like he's he's a really striking work of art. I mean, he looks one way on camera, and there's certain things the way he looks a little bit different off camera, and he's I mean, he's he's handsome across the board. But I just remember looking at him and thinking wow wow. So it was all that work was done by the time

1:41:09 that I was in play, but there was a very delicious intersection that opened up between me and that mask. Awesome. Do you think the elimination of the yellow eyes was key to that because the original had. The yellow eyes. Yeah. Yeah, Like, I feel like that's hard to identify with, right, so maybe the black eyes with like shide blinky stuff is easier to handle. I don't know. It's it's an interesting like. I like how sleek Linus is, uh the sorry and in the motion picture is a little bit longer in the face. I like that he's got a sleeper face. I know that some there were some directors who found talking to me in the prosthetic hard because and you're looking at him, you are just looking at these dark purple eyes yea, And so it's they're like, oh, you're very hard to talk to you like this, and uh so yeah, I know he can't be a little off putting that way, uh in person, because he always looks like he's staring and uh, you're you're talking to these dark, dark eyes. But I think better than the yellow I I love this design. I love that they kept the reptilian in the way that they did. I think there's probably a little bit of dinosaur in there. Some lizard. You know, I think it's

1:42:41 a really beautiful updating of that idea of what that makeup was. Well, because the one in the motion picture was a hatchling, he was very young, he hadn't matured. Yet, yellow eyed hash. Yeah, here we go out of the chameleon style. Yeah, so sorry, hatchling's eyes change colors until their teenage years and so multi colored eyes. But Linus went dark purple. Well, what would would Linus have a beard in the Mirror universe?

1:43:27 I don't think Linus could be in the Mirror universe because he's not human, and I think isn't the universe only human? Yeah? All aliens would be dead. Yeah, you're right, so the answer is no. But also for alas. We have we had Mirror, we had other species in there there because they're not art No, we had. Yeah, but the scenes were. But like Taren, Empire treats you know, aliens poorly.

1:44:09 So yeah, so maybe a beard that ultimately it doesn't matter because he'd be lunch right. Lunch. Yeah. So David, now that now that Discovery is over, we've had five seasons and you've had time to reflect. What are some of your your favorite memories or our favorite episodes, favorite scenes. What are some of the some of the things that you remember the most fondly about the five years of discovery that you want to share with us. Oh wow, you know, it's there's the part of my experience that will live on in terms of the the show itself being to look at those episodes and and those scenes and be reminded of it. And then there's the part that existed between those takes, spending time with those people and laughing with those people, and you know, getting together with those people for like game nights and things, and both sides of that coin are as meaningful to me.

1:45:29 I think, I think, I on reflection, really treasure, like watching Mary Wiseman between takes be utterly hilarious and utterly brilliant and just chaotic and doing like a you know, a tight two sing a song, a little razzle dazzle, and then like camera's role and she's she's back on point, you know, watching Siniqua lead with such grace, having really thoughtful conversations with with Anthony and and and Wilson, and pealing around with Doug and laughing with Patrick and and Horville, like those are the those are the moments that live in my heart that you know I'm going to treasure always that are They're as meaningful as the on camera stuff.

1:46:23 It's a it's a really rich experience personally and professionally. That's an awesome answer. Thank you so much. And before we before we end the show, I think Paul asked earlier, is there anything you're working on, any any plays, any anything that you want to let people know to keep an eye out for that you can talk about that you don't have an. Nda keep an eye out for more soon. I'm in a big writing uh phase. So I'm writing and like I said, working with some producer e types and I will probably I have a new solo show that I debuted last year that I would like to do coming up called Magnificent, And so that will be coming up hopefully sometime in this fall or early next year. But then in terms of bigger projects all being worked on, I know, it's a very I wish I had more to say, like more razzle dazzle a little.

1:47:41 It's good. And do you have any convention appearances where fans can go to meet you in person? A'llligned up. Nothing on the books right now in theory, the next convention will be at unless something pops up, will be Vegas next year. But like you know, like we just got into the fall, so who knows what will pop up. Excellent, excellent, Well, David, thank you so much for taking the time to talk to a bunch of Trek fans. We we really appreciate it. We had a great time, and thank you so so much for talking with us. Thank you so much for having me. A total pleasure to speak with you all, and I hope that you have a great evening.

1:48:27 Thank you very much, thanks for coming on. Okay, thank you, have a good night, bye bye bye. All right, guys, that was mister David Benjamin Thomas and he played Linus obviously on Star Trek Discovery. And uh, we're just about out of time. We got a few minutes left, but I don't think we have enough time to really get into too much here, Sore. What a great guest. Huh mm, so good. I mean, I love I love the authenticity of a you know, relatively minor character coming through and showing us why Star Trek Discovery spoke to many of us, you know, through the characters. I just love that.

1:49:28 Charlie, you know he was. He was a Klingon. I thought that I really liked the Klingon stories too, putting on the makeup, wearing his teeth, you know. Yep, he was a Klingon. Yep. So I I really I really enjoyed. He was a great guest and and I love Discovery. It's one of my favorite Star Trek shows. I think it will be for a while. It's gonna be hard to top it. And uh, you know, he was so genuine, so sincere had some great stories and I'm glad that we were able to get him on the show.

1:50:09 Yep. That's great. Yeah, And I know I know Paul had to leave alrighty, And that's all right. So I just wanted to say thank you to Paul for hanging out in Trek talking with us tonight. Paul, it was great and we look forward to next week. So thank you, Paul. And I want to say thank you to David, even though he didn't bring enough chicken noodle soup for all of us. That's okay, Hey, thank you David. You're welcome, and ty I couldn't share it with everybody, Oh that's okay. And thank you so much to Charles for hanging out and truck talking with us as well. Thank you Charles, Oh, thank you David Stories. I got a little bit nowhere near. We got the podcast story to tell.

1:50:57 Yeah, and I I before I forget though, because I always seem to forget this every week. So I'm going to do this right now so I don't forget. I want to say thank you so much to Ryan and Nathan. And we haven't heard from Nathan in a long time, but he was. He was popping up in the chat room and had a couple of questions that he wanted to ask, and so it was it was great to hear from Nathan as well, and is always so thank you guys. Had a new shift, but now he's changing shifts, so we I think he's home for a little but now to hear some of the show.

1:51:42 And that's that's great. So that's cool. And of course, thank you so much to Eric. And Eric was all ready to step in and be Uncle Eric for the show, you know, because I was. I was, I mean, you have very big shoes to fill, let's be honest. Well, I you know, with everything that was going on with my father, it was very important that we got this show off because we had this ample David's appearance already once and I was really worried about having to do it again. So I asked Eric if he would step in and be be uncle Eric, and I gave him all the information and he was all ready to do that. So thank you so much, Eric, And I'm sure everything would have been great, you know, very easy to talk to.

1:52:36 Some of the questions you throughout Jim were just great questions. I think everybody had good questions that really got him, got our got our guest talking. Yeah, it was it was great character he is, and I think you guys would have been just fine without me, but I didn't want to miss the show. I was looking forward to talking about being a kling On. So thank you so much to you guys, and thank you so much to each and every one of you guys that's listening right now. I really appreciate it. We could never do the show without you guys, and that's for sure. And we didn't get to say this. We didn't get to do our fans shout outs this week, so that's okay.

1:53:17 But you can head over to our Facebook page Trek Talking Podcast, and over there you'll be able to find this show, so you can listen to this show right there, and you'll see the Livelong and prosper, and just tell us where you're listening from, leave some emojis and stuff and look for a heart next to your name from Uncle Jim, and then you'll be featured in a fan shout out next week. So that's pretty cool, huh. And you can also find all of our shows at Trek Talking dot com. So that's my shield, all right. So I just wanted to say to everybody, thank you so much for listening, and be good, stay safe, and remember Star Trek fans are the best fans. You better believe it.

1:53:58 Hailing frequency are closed. Good night everybody, Good night, Love, long and prosper. Good I yell, let's see what's out there. Engage. Hello, you have reached the que continuum. We are unable to get to the phone right now because we are busy living in a plane of existence. Your feeble mortal minds cannot possibly comprehend. Furthermore, it's pointless to leave a message because we, of course already knew that you would call, and we.

1:54:46 Simply do not care. Have a nice day. The b