Is the Galaxy Ready for Sam Richardson’s Genius?
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The post Is the Galaxy Ready for Sam Richardson’s Genius? appeared first on Consequence.
Following its initial 2019 greenlight as a spinoff series and its April 2023 shift to “an original movie event,” Star Trek: Section 31 continued its long journey to the screen with an important step on Tuesday, January 30th — starting production. Paramount also announced a collection of additional cast members for the Michelle Yeoh-starring feature, including Omari Hardwick, Kacey Rohl, Robert Kazinsky, and (you already know, if you read the headline for this article) Sam Richardson in an unspecified role.
We save Sam Richardson for last because while this likely won’t be the versatile actor and comedian’s most high-profile role in the future, it instantly amplifies the potential for Section 31 to be something really special. Or at the very least, it’ll provide Richardson with yet another opportunity to prove that he’s one of our most under-appreciated talents.
While Richardson had early roles on Arrested Development and The Office, his first exposure for many people might be the HBO series Veep. Richardson joined the cast in Season 3 and quickly became one of the show’s biggest scene stealers — which is an Olympic-level achievement when you consider that show’s regular cast of greats, including Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Tony Hale, Anna Chlumsky, Timothy Simons, Gary Cole, and Hugh Laurie.
Richardson also co-created the cult favorite Detroiters with Zach Kanin, Joe Kelly, and Tim Robinson, and has since frequently collaborated with Robinson and no shortage of other comedians, with notable roles on shows like The Afterparty, Ted Lasso (for which he won an Emmy), Curb Your Enthusiasm, BoJack Horseman, and of course I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson.
It’s not a shock to see him brought on board for Section 31, as Star Trek has a rich tradition of enlisting comedians as guest stars — beyond the cast of Lower Decks being largely comprised of established comedy pros, past Trek series have featured everyone from Whoopi Goldberg on Star Trek: The Next Generation to Sarah Silverman on Star Trek: Voyager to Rainn Wilson on Star Trek: Discovery. Not to mention the films, which include Christopher Lloyd as a Klingon in Star Trek: The Search for Spock and Simon Pegg’s witty take on Scotty for the J.J. Abrams films.
However, it’s the fact that Richardson is being brought onto Section 31 specifically that’s fascinating — the project was already near the top of this Trek nerd’s most anticipated list, because as any Deep Space Nine fan will tell you, the concept of Section 31 adds some fascinating spice to Star Trek’s soup of utopian ideals, when utilized well.
Section 31 is a black-ops organization dedicated to using ruthless tactics to preserve the Federation’s status as a peaceful and harmonious society — in the new film, Yeoh’s Emperor Philippa Georgiou joins the division, for which she’s uniquely suited, as she hails from a vicious mirror universe free of the Federation’s previously mentioned utopian ideals.
And that’s where Richardson’s involvement gets interesting, because while Veep’s Richard Splett was pure comedic sunshine, the actor’s delivered much darker performances: The Afterparty’s genre-switching approach and some I Think You Should Leave sketches have tapped into his potential here. Though perhaps the most notable example from his past work is his aforementioned Emmy-winning appearances on Ted Lasso, playing an Ghanan billionaire who seeks to intimidate and humiliate those who don’t do his bidding.
Just based on the intensity Richardson brought to that performance, it doesn’t seem like we’ve seen the limits of his versatility, especially his capacity for anarchy on screen. So we’ll eagerly await word on what his role in Section 31 will be, and what kind of chaos he’ll bring to a potentially unique new take on Star Trek.
Maybe, if we’re really lucky, he’ll play a Klingon.
Star Trek: Section 31 is in production now.
Is the Galaxy Ready for Sam Richardson’s Genius?
Liz Shannon Miller
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