Season 2 of Star Trek: Discovery is, ideally, hoping to premiere sometime in 2019, so the show's crew is hard at work casting characters for the intriguing story they wish to tell in Season 2. The series recently announced Inhumans' actor Anson Mount would be joining to play the famed Captain Pike, and now stand-up comedian Tig Notaro just got added to the season as well. Notaro will join the series in a guest-starring role as Chief Engineer Denise Reno and will be aboard the USS Hiawatha when Season 2 kicks off.
Unlike Mount's Christopher Pike, Tig Notaro's Denise Reno is not a character with a history in Star Trek lore. As a Chief Engineer, Reno would be responsible for the overall performance of the USS Hiawatha, which might lend some clues as to how she comes in contact with the Star Trek: Discovery crew. As for how relevant Notaro's character will be in Season 2, we can only speculate, as Variety reported her character's episode count is unknown.
Chief Engineer Denise Reno is not a big name in Star Trek canon, and the ship she's a part of is only slightly more notable. The USS Hiawatha has never received a reference in official Star Trek canon (until now) but was mentioned as an Akula-class destroyer starship in the Star Trek video game Starfleet Command. Akula-class starships are often used to escort fleet vessels and defend them from attack. If Tig Notaro's character and the ship are involved in the Star Trek: Discovery episode, it could mean the ship's defensive capabilities are having issues, which would leave other ships vulnerable to an attack. It's possible Notaro's character and the ship receive aid from the Star Trek: Discovery crew, who are more than capable of holding their own in a fight.
Of course, that's assuming Tig Notaro's Denise Reno is with her ship when she appears on Star Trek: Discovery. Other characters from the show, like Ash Tyler, have had their past ships revealed even though those vessels never played a factor in the actual series. Perhaps Notaro is joining the USS Discovery crew to take on the role of Chief Engineer? Possibly, but one would think Star Trek: Discovery would've just announced her as a series regular if that were the case.
Fans will have to wait to see what is happening with Tig Notaro as Season 2 of Star Trek: Discovery is coming to CBS All Access possibly in early 2019. For a look at what else can be watched on television leading up to that time, visit our midseason premiere guide and summer premiere guide. For more on the Star Trek series, be sure to check out the recently released deleted scene from Season 1 that revealed where a certain character will be headed in Season 2.
