In March 2023, it was announced that Star Trek: Discovery would end after five seasons, and this was news that surprised even the cast and crew, including Saru actor Doug Jones, who learned about the cancellation while on the Star Trek Cruise. When they were shooting Season 5, there wasn’t any indication that Paramount wouldn’t let the show continue into Season 6, and Callum Keith Rennie, who’s playing the new character Rayner, summarized his disappointment over the decision as presenting “missed opportunities.” However, while speaking with CinemaBlend, the actor also had some interesting things to say about Discovery’s ending.
During my interview with Rennie about Star Trek: Discovery Season 5, which is now underway for Paramount+ subscribers, in addition to learning from him how working on this show compared to his time on Battlestar Galactica, I was also curious how he reacted when he learned that Discovery had been cancelled. He answered:
Often it comes out of the blue. It was [makes disappointed noise], because there’s missed opportunities of things that you’d like to try and a comfortability. You’ve learned the landscapes, you know walking in as I did, which was a bit like Rayner on the Discovery going into a new crew, new people, new this, who do I like, who do I not like, who do I listen to? So all of that would have been done with, and you could have approached some of the work from a more grounded understanding of what the bridge was like, how certain things play out.
As reported by THR, Star Trek: Discovery’s cancellation stemmed from Paramount deciding it would spend less on streaming content in 2024. This news understandably wasn’t music to Callum Keith Rennie’s ears, as he’d gotten used to being part of the Discovery cast. With the icebreaking out of the way, he was ready to return to the set with a more experienced perspective. So if the actor was prepared for more appearances on the Star Trek show, ideally that means we don’t have to worry about Rayner being killed off, though it’ll be a while until that mystery is solved.
But as one piece of good news, Star Trek: Discovery won’t leave fans with any kind of cliffhanger. Paramount allowed extra shooting time in order for the series to be properly concluded, and while Rennie couldn’t recall any specifics from when he’d seen the ending, overall, he sounds pleased with how everything wraps up, which pairs well with Doug Jones’ positive words about the epilogue. In his words:
I saw that a while ago, and then it disappeared. I have to see it all again. The end’s great, it all ties up. It’s got a great finale. I mean, the whole thing follows right to the end, so every episode builds in this crescendo to this very sweet finish.
With three episodes down from a 10-episode final run, Star Trek: Discovery will end on Thursday, May 30, with the show racking up 64 episodes total. Currently Rayner, who previously captained the USS Antares, is serving as the Discovery’s first officer after initially being forced to retire from Starfleet because of questionable actions he made, and he’s now getting used to the different work dynamic that Michael Burnham encourages among the crew members. Considering that the upcoming Star Trek show Starfleet Academy is also set in the 32nd century, maybe that will allow Callum Keith Rennie to reprise Rayner, even if it’s just for a guest spot.
There’s just seven episodes left to go until we bid farewell to Star Trek: Discovery, so keep visiting CinemaBlend for continuing coverage. If you’re looking for other programming to watch, the 2024 TV schedule shows what’s currently airing and premiering soon.
