Making of ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ roundtable panel

“This is lightning in a bottle. These are just phenomenal people,” a teary-eyed Sonequa Martin-Green tells Gold Derby during our Making of “Star Trek: Discovery” video roundtable. Joining Martin-Green were co-showrunner Michelle Paradise, executive producer and director Olatunde Osunsanmi and cinematographer Philip Lanyon. “This was a group of people who had no ego and who led with their hearts,” the series star reveals about her “Discovery” cast and crew during the emotional Q&A celebrating the acclaimed final season and the show’s lasting impact and legacy. Watch our exclusive video interview above.

SEE Exclusive Video Interview: Wilson Cruz (‘Star Trek: Discovery’)

“Star Trek: Discovery” stars Martin-Green as ship captain Michael Burnham alongside Doug Jones, Wilson Cruz, Anthony Rapp, Mary Wiseman, David Ajala, Blu del Barrio, with Callum Keith Rennie joining the cast this season, and with Paradise serving as co-showrunner alongside Emmy nominee Alex Kurtzman (“Star Trek: Short Treks”). The show’s fifth and final season opens with the crew of the U.S.S. Discovery navigating the complicated politics of a newly re-formed Federation over 900 years into the distant future. They soon stumble upon an age-old mystery that sends them on an epic adventure across the galaxy to uncover an ancient power whose very existence has been deliberately hidden for centuries. Embarking on a cat-and-mouse chase around the galaxy, the Discovery hunts for clues and fights off threats to secure the coveted technology that the ancient race of proto-humanoids known as the Progenitors left behind. The crew’s epic journey eventually culminates in the series finale (“Life, Itself”), which concludes with an emotional send-off that is fitting for the show that effectively revived “Star Trek” on TV back when it premiered in 2017.

“Swinging for the fences? Yeah, that’s Season 5,” Martin-Green exclaims about the series going out on a high note. “We continue to ‘go big or go home.’ Each season we go bigger than the last,” she says. “I’m hopeful that we did our part to hold down the house for ‘Star Trek,'” Osunsanmi adds, beaming with pride. “My hope is that we did it justice. It feels really good to come to the end of the journey and known know that we all collectively gave it everything. We gave it everything. I hope the fans are enjoying the ride as much as we enjoyed the ride behind the scenes!”