WEBVTT

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The Federation's stance on
genetic engineering is clear.

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The practice is
dangerous and illegal.

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We'd talked about doing
a courtroom episode

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from the very beginning.
Some of the best episodes

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of Star Trek have been
courtroom episodes.

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One of the ones
that always comes up is

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the "Court Martial"
from The Original Series,

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but also "Measure of a Man,"

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a TNG episode
where Data is put on trial

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because there is a scientist
who wants to take him apart

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and he makes the argument
that Data is not a person

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but an object that
is owned by Starfleet.

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Our show is fundamentally optimistic,

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but if you even look at TOS,

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Starfleet isn't always in the right.

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I don't think that it is against

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the mission statement of Star Trek

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to have to wrestle with the
government that you work under,

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and that's something that a
courtroom episode is perfect for.

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One of the things that we did

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in Episode 3 of Season 1,

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was to reveal that Una is from
a species called the Illyrians

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who genetically modify
themselves as a cultural practice,

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as a reaction to the
environments that they are in.

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My people were never
motivated by domination.

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Illyrians seek
collaboration with nature.

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At the beginning of Season 2,

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Una is in prison awaiting her trial.

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She got sent to prison
at the end of Season 1

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for lying to Starfleet
about being an Illyrian.

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Initially, and it's
said in Season 1, that

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if Una's identity as
an Illyrian ever came up

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that Pike welcomed that
conversation with Starfleet brass.

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You let me worry about Starfleet.

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Unfortunately, he's found that

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it's not gonna
be a conversation.

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It's going to be a trial.

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And so he has to employ
every trick in the book

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to try to get her
out of the situation,

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and that begins with finding
the right lawyer, Neera.

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I knew you were stubborn.

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I just didn't think you were stupid.

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We felt like the metaphor
shouldn't just be about Rebecca.

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We wanted to tell
sort of a deeper story

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about the whole culture
that she came from.

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This idea came out that we
should find someone from her past

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who might help to express the
challenges of being Illyrian,

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and we had an opportunity
to cast Yetide Badaki

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to play her lawyer.

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My client is only here
because of who she is

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and because she felt
she had no other choice

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than to hide that fact,

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just like the millions before her

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who were forced to hide
how they worshiped,

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how they loved, what
they truly looked like

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because it made
others uncomfortable.

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The trial episode,
we went to the Discovery set

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and we saw the Federation bridge,

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and we were very inspired by that.

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So it's not strictly a canon approach.

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We just loved this big space.

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We were arguing that this
layout was a Starfleet standard

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and it was repeated on Earth
at Starfleet in San Francisco.

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There was a great big window
to look out over Starfleet.

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The courtroom itself,

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I brought in elements
of rosewood paneling.

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That darkened the set down.

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Then I was inspired by
the U.S. Supreme Court

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which has these huge frieze
panels running around it,

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and I thought that would be
great fun to have alien judiciary.

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So then we had these
beautiful sculptures done.

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They were all carved by hand.

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The one canon thing we did do

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from the TOS episode
called "Court Martial",

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they had a chair with a
circular panel that lit up

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and you put your hand on it
and to identify yourself,

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probably like a lie detector as well.

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We thought we have to have that.

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So the combination of the
view out over Starfleet,

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the rosewood paneling
and the gold elements

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were all new non-canon elements,

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but it made it feel like a
courtroom, I like to think.

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[Javas] We grant the
defendant's request for asylum

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and find Una Chin-Riley not guilty.

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I think Una feels vindicated
by the decision, of course.

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It's mostly relief because
she loves Starfleet so much

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and now her secret is finally out,

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and there's a big weight
lifted from her shoulders.

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But I think she wishes
she could have done more

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for her people.

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It's a little bit bittersweet,

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but yes, definite vindication.

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It's arguably my favorite
episode of the season

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because it takes today's issues

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and puts a science fiction lens on them.

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That allowed a resonance

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to echo into today.

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And I think the performances
in it are extraordinary,

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and I think the storytelling is

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solidly exactly what it needs to be,

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which is to sort of, say,
question how you see the world,

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look and see whether you
are making people other,

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but also don't try to tell a story

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where because you see that,
there's a happy ending.

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Just seeing it is the
beginning of the happy ending

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that's coming much later.