‘Star Trek: Lower Decks’ Actress Explains Why She Was ‘Petrified’ of Trek Fanbase

by

Key Takeaways

  • Trekkies love T’Lyn from Star Trek: Lower Decks, surprising actress Gabrielle Ruiz.
  • Trusting the creative team and embracing fan insights helped Ruiz understand T’Lyn better.
  • Fans educated Ruiz on Vulcan lore, showcasing the positive interactions between fanbase and actor.

As a die-hard Trek fan and admirer of Gabrielle Ruiz’s remarkable portrayal of T’Lyn in Star Trek: Lower Decks, I must say that it’s truly awe-inspiring to witness the beautiful interplay between an actress and her fans. The level of dedication and passion from both parties is something I’ve never seen before – not even when I was part of the letter-writing campaign to save the original series back in the day!

Ever since the character T’Lyn, played by Gabrielle Ruiz, debuted in season 2 of Star Trek: Lower Decks, her eagerness to blend with the unruly crew of the Cerritos and her investigation into life beyond Vulcan logic has won over many Star Trek enthusiasts. Yet, Ruiz herself wasn’t certain this would be the outcome.

Fans of “Star Trek: The Original Series” (TOS) are famously passionate about the franchise. So much so, that when the show was scheduled for cancellation after its second season, a letter-writing campaign was launched, which was so large that NBC announced on-air that the series would continue and asked people to stop writing letters. This enthusiasm extends to both sides; when Trekkies/Trekkers aren’t satisfied with something in the “Star Trek” universe, they make their displeasure known, often loudly and critically, and sometimes quite harshly.

Ruiz had been concerned about how the Star Trek fanbase would react to T’Lyn, and in a recent interview with Cinema Blend, she confessed that she was “terrified.” This is because she’s a long-time Trek fan herself and knew that it could be challenging to satisfy such passionate fans. Fortunately, the fan reaction has been overwhelmingly positive, even helping Ruiz gain a deeper understanding of her character T’Lyn.

Trusting the ‘Lower Decks’ Creative Team

Ruiz openly admitted that one factor leading her to accept the role, despite apprehension over fan responses from ‘Trek’ enthusiasts, was the exceptional creative crew of Lower Decks, particularly its producer, Mike McMahan. Even in the early stages of the series, McMahan had demonstrated that he wasn’t just a fan of ‘Star Trek’, but a passionate one, and this influenced every choice he made regarding the show.

Given that the creative team had previously developed numerous cherished characters by Trekkies/Trekkers, this bolstered her confidence that they would successfully create T’Lyn as well.

Ruiz shared with Inverse, “I had confidence in them because this team is exceptional and boasts an outstanding reputation due to their past achievements. I felt confident in placing my trust in them regarding the character at hand.

As McMahan shared with me that T’Lyn was fashioned after T’Pol from Star Trek: Enterprise, I felt even more certain that our team was cooking up something truly remarkable. I couldn’t wait to step into the role and breathe life into this captivating character myself.

Leaning on the Fanbase to Learn About T’Lyn

Absolutely, playing an actor in a Star Trek series involves learning extensive details about the existing lore. Ruiz openly acknowledged feeling overpowered by the vastness of the source content.

“[I was] also thinking, ‘Oh, no, I have to learn everything Vulcan now,’ because I really have to know my sh*t.”

As a die-hard Star Trek: Lower Decks fan, I must admit that the creative team and my co-stars have been phenomenal mentors. Yet, an unexpected wellspring of Star Trek wisdom came from none other than the dedicated fans themselves. I’ve learned an incredible amount about this iconic universe straight from them!

“Luckily, the fandom of Star Trek is so wonderful that they’re teaching me everything.”

Whenever she needs to know about becoming Vulcan or wants to understand events from the extensive Trek timeline, she can consistently rely on fellow enthusiasts, the Trekkie/Trecker community, for answers.

Sadly, viewers won’t get to watch T’Lyn for too long more, as Lower Decks has been announced as its final season, and at this point, no details have been disclosed regarding the characters’ potential appearances in future Star Trek series.

Nevertheless, it’s been shown multiple times within the Star Trek universe that departed characters may return, suggesting there’s a possibility fans might see more of T’Lyn and Ruiz in the future.

Read More

2024-11-17 23:24