Asians in space: First trailer of 'Star Trek - Discovery' released

Capt. Philippa Georgiou (Michelle Yeoh) and First Officer Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) land on an unknown planet in the first released visuals. 

STAR TREK returns to our universe after the first series ended in 1969 after only 79 episodes.

The first visuals of the CBS offering are out and it looks freaking cool... and inclusionary. There will be more than one token Asian character impacting the story.

From the trailer (see below) released at the CBS upfront event last weekend, Michelle Yeoh figures to play a major role as Captain Philippa Georgiou of the Starship Szenzhou and Burnham's mentor.

Unlike the first Star Trek, which immortalized the characters of Capt. Kirk, helmsman Hiraku Sulu, communications officer Uhuru and Dr. Bones and, of course, First Officer Spock, the new version will be telling multiple stories in the same episode instead of having a linear format (that obeyed the space-time continuum). That means, even though Yeoh won't be on the title ship, stories may still revolve around her adventures.

It time frame for this series takes place 10 years before Kirk captains the U.S.S. Enterprise, so sometimes along the way, if the series succeeds, we might likely see a teenage Kirk and Spock.

In the first trailer released by CBS, Yeoh beams down to a yet-unnamed, desert-like planet with Sonequa Martin-Green, the First Officer Michael Burnham. You may recognize Green from her long-running stint on The Walking Dead.

Rekha Sharma

Contrary to earlier releases, Green won't be First Officer for long. The trailer has a scene in which Capt. Georgiou announces it's time for Turnham to have her own command, She then uses her flip phone communicator to call down the Starship Discovery hiding in the clouds.

Two Asians from Great Britain and Canada will have significant roles in the Star Trek universe.

Rekha Sharma, (who fans of the newest version of Battleship Galactica will remember as Tory Foster, personal assistant to President Laura Roslin) willl be take up the role of Commander Landry, the security officer aboard the U.S.S. Discovery.

Shazad Latif

Sharma was born in Vancouver, Canada, to immigrant parents of Indian descent. Both her father, a Hindu priest, and her mother were from the state of Uttar Pradesh in India before they relocated during the British period. The family resettled in the Fiji Islands before moving to Canada.

It was also revealed that Shazad Latif was originally cast as Klingon commanding officer Kol. Somewhere along the line, producers decided he would be better without all the Klingon makeup and instead, will be playing  Lieutenant Tyler, a Starfleet security officer.

Latif was born in London in July 1988 of mixed English, Scottish and Pakistani descent. He's best known for his role in the TV series Penny Dreadful.

Star Trek Discovery is currently filming in Toronto and other parts of the world. The series will premiere this late summer or early fall on CBS. I can't wait!