Star Trek: Discovery's final season celebrated the series and gave an ending that actors like Doug Jones felt gave them closure on their characters. That's not to say everyone felt that way, however, as actor Wilson Cruz recently revealed to CinemaBlend he felt there was more potential for Hugh Culber's story to grow. With several Discovery cast members joining the cast of Starfleet Academy, Culber could return, too, but would the actor show up?
Cruz was gracious enough to speak to CinemaBlend to promote the upcoming digital release of Star Trek: Discovery Season 5 on August 26th, and on Blu-ray and DVD on August 27th. We discussed the totality of Culber's story in the series, which fans can rewatch with a Paramount+ subscription, and how Season 5 finally felt like the ship's doctor had conquered his inner turmoil and was ready to move forward. Cruz spoke about his feelings of the final arc and the potential it had:
I was actually really excited about now that we've closed this chapter of questioning, who he was gonna be now, right? Like, he was firing on all cylinders at that point. So, I, I feel like we're gonna probably see him step into more of his counseling and see him more on these away missions. There was a lot of opportunities for that. So I just feel like, by the time we finished the season, this was a character that was completely three-dimensional We've seen him in every conceivable position. I could really take him anywhere, and I felt like as an actor, I could step into any situation, and I could make it work.
Hugh Culber had a new zest for life he lacked after his resurrection, and it sparked a real change in him that would've been great to explore in another season. Of course, Star Trek: Discovery was canceled, so I feel we were robbed of what this new era of Culber on the show could've been.
Part of that transformation was thanks to the episode "Jinaal," in which Culber volunteered to be a temporary vessel for a Trill, Jinaal Bix, who had information the Discovery crew needed. Though the ritual made the process temporary, Wilson Cruz confirmed to CinemaBlend that there are echoes of Jinaal that remain in Hugh's body:
If you look at the rest of the season, I haven't really talked about this, there was an element of Jinaal still left in him. There was still the awe, you know, the thing about Jinaal was that he was locked in that away for 800 years, and there was a joy of being alive again that [Culber] understood but never allowed himself to live it. And I feel like Jinaal gave him the ability to be like, ‘Yes, this existence is amazing and can be exciting and fun, and I need to embrace that part of it.’
Imagine Culber maintaining some semblance of his boldness while being Jinaal and taking that with him on new away missions! It's killing me that we didn't get another season of Star Trek: Discovery to explore that, though I did think the series' conclusion was solid enough.
There is one upcoming Star Trek series that Hugh Culber could join, and it's already added Discovery characters to its cast. I felt like I knew the answer already, but for posterity's sake, I asked Wilson Cruz if he'd like to reprise Culber on Starfleet Academy for a chance to show off the new side of the character. He answered:
Yeah. They know where I am. They know my email. They know my phone number. They know all of my representatives, and they know that I would come back. So I'll leave it at that, but I haven't been asked.
I have a feeling that once Star Trek: Discovery characters start to appear in Starfleet Academy, we're going to see a number of them pop in and out of the show. I definitely think that Wilson Cruz's character is an obvious choice, and that he could teach cadets a lot of things about medicine and counseling others on a ship.
Starfleet Academy is its own show, though, and with the massive cast it already has, it could be telling more stories about the 32nd century rather than continuing the story of Star Trek: Discovery. That's not to say there won't be ways for it to be connected, as even shows like The Next Generation found ways to work in The Original Series actors, in addition to its numerous guest stars, despite a 100-year gap in the timeline.
If an appearance in Starfleet Academy isn't in the cards, there are always novels and comic books to continue Hugh Culber's personal journey. After all, the story in Star Trek is never truly over for its characters when the show ends unless they die like Trip Tucker did in Enterprise's finale. Aside from that, however, I would expect to see Culber in more Trek adventures regardless of their medium.
Star Trek: Discovery is available to stream right now on Paramount+. I'm planning on re-watching Seasons 3-5 ahead of Starfleet Academy's release to get a refresher on life in the 32nd century, and am hoping a good number of fans get the same idea so we can revisit it together.
