Mary Chieffo Explains Why Sonequa Martin-Green Is the Perfect Star Trek: Discovery Leader

Sonequa Martin-Green is the first woman of color to lead a Star Trek series, but her Discoverycast mates reveal that she's a much a leader off screen as she is on.

Mary Chieffo, who plays the Klingon L'Rell in the new series, told TV Guide on the CBS Summer Soiree red carpet on Tuesday Martin-Green is the glue that keeps their cast together thanks to her diligent attention to the people working around her.

"I think the casting of a woman and specifically a woman of color and specifically Sonequa Martin-Green is profound," Chieffo said. "She treats us all as unique individuals. She respects us...She comes into the prosthetic trailer when I've had a big day and checks in with me. [She] says hi when she's off doing all these other epic things. She organizes game nights. We have dinners."

Here's How Star Trek: Discovery Will Set Up Everything That Came Before

Martin-Green's behind the scenes compassion makes it that much more exciting to follow her journey in the new series. Along with being the first woman of color to lead a Trek series, Martin-Green's First Officer Michael Burnham is also the first non-Captain character to lead a series. Chieffo is excited to see a woman have that kind of arc on such an iconic show.

"I think, too, having a woman as the protagonist -- they have to change the most. We've seen that a lot. We've seen a lot of great male protagonists," she said. "To see a female have to make that turn, to have that journey from point a to point b, I think is really, really important and exciting. Sonequa couldn't be a better person for that job."

Star Trek: Discovery premieres Sunday, Sept. 24 at 8:30/7:30c on CBS before moving exclusively to CBS All Access.

(Full disclosure: TV Guide is owned by CBS)

Additional reporting by Lindsay MacDonald