Star Trek: Discovery will soon premiere its final season, but because of the unexpected cancellation, fans may not get answers to all the questions they've had since the beginning. While the series did get to go back and film a finale to bookend the series, some of the more minor questions and details may be left unresolved. Fortunately, star Wilson Cruz was willing to sate some curiosities, which I'd consider canon, by finally answering a nagging question many have had for a while now about his character Hugh.
Season 5 of Discovery won't debut its first two episodes until April 4th, but a handful of lucky fans were able to see it at SXSW before anyone with a Paramount+ subscription could. Wilson Cruz was on the red carpet along with other stars celebrating the final season, and was gracious enough to give his two cents to TrekMovie.com when asked whether or not Hugh Culber is the Chief Medical Officer of the Discovery. Here's how he put it:
[Laughs] Trick question! I think at this point, I could probably own the fact that I am the Chief Medical Officer. But nobody has actually said that yet. Also, the fact that there was some controversy over whether Paul and Hugh were actually married or not. Which we were kind of confused about as well. But [co-showrunner] Michelle [Paradise] said, 'You’re definitely married.' So, I’m going go ahead and go out on a limb—whether these f—ers want to support me or not —I am the head motherf—er in charge. [laughs] What are they going to do, fire me now? [laughs]
Wilson Cruz has been around the block long enough to know when to dodge a gotcha inquiry from a Star Trek fan, but then also long enough to be able to confirm that Hugh Culber is indeed the CMO of the Discovery, at least in his own eyes. It only makes sense, considering he's one of the only prominent ship physicians we've seen throughout the show, though in latter seasons, his storylines have leaned more on him counseling others.
If we were to liken Hugh to the crew roles in Star Trek: The Next Generation, he definitely feels like a mix of Beverly Crusher and Deanna Troi. To be both the ship's lead physician as well as its counselor is doing quite some heavy lifting, but for someone who overcame his traumatic experience of death, he's handled worse.
The self-appointed CMO of Discovery will need to be on top of his game for Season 5, as the first details about the final season said the crew heads off in search of a powerful artifact. We're still waiting to hear exactly what that artifact can do, but based on the show's run, it'll likely be something incredible and game-changing.
Star Trek: Discovery did get a chance to film a final scene after its cancellation, and it sounds like it'll be a doozy. Doug Jones shared he found closure after watching the final scene during a recording session, and while Sonequa Martin-Green has seen bits and pieces of it, she felt it was special enough to wait so she could experience it alongside the fans. My personal hope is that it sets the stage for upcoming Trek shows we don't know about yet, but we'll just have to wait and see.
As mentioned, Star Trek: Discovery will premiere on Paramount+ with two episodes on Thursday, April 4th. Tune in for the wild ride the series has in store for fans, and continue to stick with CinemaBlend as we share what we learned from the cast ahead of the final season soon.
