Tig Notaro: Star Trek: Starfleet Academy shows 'same Tig, different galaxy'

Tig Notaro is back at work. The out comic actor is appearing on stage tonight in Fort Lauderdale, the first stop of 40 on what looks to be a nonstop standup tour. Last week, the incredibly moving documentary she produced about her friend, poet Andrea Gibson, Come See Me in the Good Light, was honored with a GLAAD Media Award nomination.

And as an actor, Notaro is also starring in Paramount+’s newest sci-fi streamer, Star Trek: Starfleet Academy, in which she reprises her role from Star Trek: Discovery, Starfleet Commander Jett Reno. Formerly depicted solely as an engineer, Reno is now a teacher and coach at the Starfleet Academy, which can actually fly into space like a 32nd-century Magic School Bus, since it doubles as the starship Athena.

Starfleet Academy is the first in the 60-year-old Star Trek franchise to depict the challenges, obstacles, adventures and yes, even sex lives of teenage Starfleet cadets. Viewers will also witness their wild classroom interactions with mentors played by Oscar winner Holly Hunter and Trek veteran Robert Picardo (The Doctor), as well as a scene-stealing, scenery-chewing bad guy played by Golden Globe winner and longtime Trekkie Paul Giamatti.

Ahead, Notaro, along with queer cast mates Gina Yashere and Kerrice Brooks, discuss their roles Star Trek: Starfleet Academy.

Tig Notaro as Commander Jett Reno

Out: How far is the particular role of coach, whistle and all, from the real Tig Notaro?
Notaro: I always joke that i'm just Tig in space, but the reality is that I don't really like loud noises, so a whistle is out. I'm also a high school dropout, so I think my teaching skills might be terribly lacking. While I love the idea of being this confident, whistle-blowing, clipboard-holding tough guy, real-life me would probably be like, “You’re all doing great, I assume. I didn’t see it, but statistically someone must be.” Jett Reno has real authority. I have quiet and dry observations. So, same Tig, different galaxy, wildly different comfort level with sports equipment.

What can you tell fans about the odds that Jett Reno, a lesbian widow, will find love again -- maybe even with an alien?
I'd say that I absolutely cannot say anything other than Jett Reno deserves love again. In any form. With any age-appropriate being.

Your character quotes Oscar Wilde in one episode. Is there a quote of his or anyone else's that is meaningful to you? Perhaps you have one from your late friend, Andrea Gibson?
I loved when Andrea said: "What kind of poet would I be if I could only make life beautiful on the page." I love that, because it lets that beauty leak off the page and into life.

Gina Yashere as Cadet Master Lura Thok

The queer Nigerian-born British comic plays tough-talking Cadet Master Lura Thok, a Klingon-Jem’Hadar hybrid — which is a new thing for Star Trek, since until now, all Jem’Hadar warriors were male! But Yashere told Out that Thok is a reminder of how accepting the future will hopefully be.

“The message that I think that Starfleet Academy gives, is that in the future, it doesn't matter who you are,” she said. “There's no discussion of whether it's another man or a woman or a transgender person. It's just relationships. And that's what I like, the inclusivity of the show.”

Kerrice Brooks as SAM: Series Acclimation Mil

The queer Black 25-year-old from Washington, D.C. was so moved by how warmly fans received her at New York Comic Con this past summer — and their reaction to the show's first trailer — that she almost couldn’t stop crying. Like Yashere, Brooks plays an entirely new character in Star Trek: Starfleet Academy: the first Kasqian ever enrolled, a sentient hologram known as SAM: Series Acclimation Mil.

As a member of the LGBTQ+ community, what message does she hope Starfleet Academy is sending the universe? “As a member of the community, I would say there's space for us everywhere. So don't ever be afraid to be yourself. Ever,” said Brooks. “Be you as loudly as possible. Out loud. For real.”

George Hawkins as cadet Darem Reymi; Sandro Rosta as cadet Caleb Mir

Out asked some of Starfleet Academy's straight costars what message they think the show sends to the LGBTQ+ community.

“Wow,” said costar George Hawkins, who plays cadet Darem Reymi. “I would say everyone is loved. Everyone is loved. You are eternally, eternally loved, no matter who you are.”

“Yeah, for sure, I back that,” added newcomer Sandro Rosta, who has the most prominent role in the premiere episode alongside Holly Hunter, as cadet Caleb Mir.

“Come in,” Rosta said. “Welcome! Take a seat.”

Robert Picardo at The Doctor

Actor Robert Picardo plays the (over) 900-year-old Emergency Medical Hologram, The Doctor, of Star Trek: Voyager fame, and has appeared in dozens of other memorable roles in film and television going back to 1976. He echoed his cast mates' message of inclusion.

“Every cadet, every crew member is valued for the content of their character, for their contribution to the group and not for the color of their alien skin or human skin or who they choose to love.”

Mary Wiseman as Tilly

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One queer actor who joined the cast on the blue carpet last week but whose role is apparently limited in this first season is Mary Wiseman, a veteran of stage and screen who played Tilly on Star Trek: Discovery. She was not made available for an interview but she told Celia Rose Gooding how happy she is to be back in Star Trek.

“Oh my gosh! I'm so grateful and so honored to get to be a part of it and so happy,” said Wiseman. “To be a part of the family and get invited to cool stuff and make new friends from different parts of the world. I'm just thrilled and really grateful.”

Star Trek: Starfleet Academy

The first two episodes of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy premiere on Paramount+ on Thursday, January 15 at 12 a.m. Pacific Time.