Sonequa Martin-Green: 'Star Trek' role inspired me as wife, mother

New Delhi (IANS) Sonequa Martin-Green is the first woman of colour to lead a "Star Trek" show, and the actress says the experience has inspired her as an actor, as a woman, as an artist, as a wife, as a mother and as a friend.

"All the pleasure and all the responsibility. I still am floored by the fact that I am in this position right now, especially in this day and age," Martin-Green told IANS when asked about the responsibility that comes with the role.

"I couldn't be more grateful. I feel so empowered. But I also feel so humbled. I feel this tremendous amount of responsibility. There is a great sense of duty to not just give the story justice, but also to reflect the truth. If I'm going to tell the story and if I'm going to tell the story with my all will, then my life should reflect it," she added.

After featuring in projects such as "Toe to Toe", "The Good Wife" and "Once Upon a Time", Martin-Green found acclaim through her role as Sasha on "The Walking Dead". Her life turned around dramatically in 2017 when she became the first African-American woman to lead the of the "Star Trek" franchise in the role of Michael Burnham.

The 35-year-old says the experience has been "personally maturing".

"I certainly had a moral standard before but this has been very inspiring for me as an actor, as a woman, as an artist, as a wife, as a mother and as a friend. It's really inspired me in a lot of ways that I wasn't even expecting. From the very beginning, the producers, writers and network and everyone, they were very adamant about having a black woman at the helm and I think that was a courageous decision," she said.

The actress continued: "A black woman who excels in math, science and technology is also something we don't see much of. I think that it's gonna hopefully be very inspiring for everyone."

Martin-Green is leading "Star Trek: Discovery", aired in India on Zee Cafe. She is taking forward the legacy of the original "Star Trek" TV series of the late-1960s.

"Star Trek: Discovery" follows the voyages of Starfleet on their missions to discover new worlds and life forms. The series revolves around Michael Burnham (Martin-Green), a Starfleet officer, who learns that to truly understand all things alien, she needs herself.

From the right diverse notes to accurate representation, Martin-Green feels "Star Trek: Discovery" always pushed the needle forward.

"The very essence of 'Star Trek' has always been about diversity, equality, representation and innovation. We had a duty to uphold that. And we try to push the needle forward with that. There's an Indian actor, having the first female captain, first openly gay couple… We have all these different elements of diversity, and we're only going to keep going. I think we would not be true to the legacy if we didn't do that," she said.