'Star Trek: Discovery' casts first non-binary and transgender characters

The "Star Trek" universe will soon include both non-binary and transgender characters.

On Wednesday, CBS All Access announced that "Star Trek: Discovery" will add the roles of Adira, an intelligent and self-assured non-binary character who joins the U.S.S. Discovery, and Gray, a warm and eager transgender character who longs to fulfill his dream of being a Trill host. The new characters are played by actors whose gender identities coincide with those of their characters.

Blu del Barrio, a non-binary actor who uses they/them pronouns and has been acting in theater and short films since age 7, plays Adira in their first major TV role.

"When I got the call that I'd been cast as Adira, I hadn't yet told the majority of my friends and family that I was non-binary," del Barrio told GLAAD about their connection to the character. "I had only recently discovered the word and realized that it described how I'd felt for a long time. I knew I wanted to tell my friends and family, so when this (role) happened, it felt like the universe saying 'go ahead.' "

Ian Alexander, a transgender actor and activist who uses they/them and he/him pronouns and starred as Buck Vu in "The OA," plays Gray.

According to CBS, Alexander is the first out transgender Asian-American person to act on television. "I'm extremely excited," Alexander said in an Instagram post shared when the casting news was released.

"Star Trek: Discovery" – one of the franchise's newer shows along with "Star Trek: Picard," "Star Trek: Lower Decks" and the recently announced "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds" – has its Season 3 debut on Oct. 15.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'Star Trek: Discovery' adds new non-binary and transgender characters