As Star Trek: Discovery inches toward its big debut—still just set for “some time” in 2017—everyone from beloved geek icons to stars of ratings juggernauts is requesting permission to board the latest series in the franchise. In an interview with Collider, series producer Alex Kurtzman said he has a list of actors who would love to appear, even briefly, on the show. “So many actors are fans. We literally got a list of them that were like, ‘Here are people who said they want to be on Star Trek,’” Kurtzman reveals. “It was awesome… To just be in an episode or come in or out.”
According to ScreenRant, William Shatner has been angling for a cameo on the sci-fi drama that’s set 10 years before the events of the original Star Trek series, which he headed up as Captain James T. Kirk. Even though it’s set in the past, we all know that time is just wibbly wobbly timey wimey stuff—wait, that’s a different show—so it’s possible he could play some dimension-traveling version of his old self, or an entirely new creation. Discovery will depart from previous entries and center on the first officer, played by Sonequa Martin-Green, whose Walking Dead co-star Andrew Lincoln is reportedly vying for a cameo on her new show. And the family of the late Leonard Nimoy has also expressed interest in working some CGI magic to include his image.
When asked about the production delays, Kurtzman just reiterated what CBS has said about wanting to “get it right” and otherwise ensure the show’s quality. The Mummy director also weighed in on Bryan Fuller’s departure, telling Collider that the American Gods producer’s influence on the new Star Trek series will still be felt. As we reported last year, Fuller retains executive producer and story credits on Discovery.