One of the pleasant surprises of Star Trek: Discovery‘s third year has been the addition of David Cronenberg as a supporting character. The filmmaker plays Federation agent Kovich, who shares some of the more disturbing realities of life in the 32nd century with the time-displaced Discovery crew. And according to an interview with the director in Variety, he’ll be turning up again in the remaining three episodes of season 3, and again in the already-in-production fourth run of the CBS All Access hit.
Kovich was most recently seen showing an interest in the Mirror Universe and Michelle Yeoh’s Emperor Georgiou, and helps set up a seeming return to her own time. When interviewed, Cronenberg discussed how he sees the character, commenting as so:
“He is an interrogator who’s also kind of an academic historian. He plays his cards pretty close to his vest, as does the Emperor. And as he tries to pry open some secrets from her, she actually is doing the same to him.”
Whether Kovich will get a larger role on the show going forward is another question, although his potential Section 31 links certainly imply that he could also cameo in the reported spinoff dealing with the mysterious agency. That is, if the project actually happens, following recent rumors that it may have been shelved. At the very least, we should be getting some more information about Kovich’s fascination with Georgiou over the remaining few instalments of Discovery‘s third season.
Of course, it’s not unusual for Cronenberg to appear as an actor, and as well as guesting in his own work, he’s previously lent his talents to memorable turns in movies such as Nightbreed and Jason X, as well as Canadian-based programs like Alias Grace.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem that the man responsible for The Fly and Crash will get behind the camera for Star Trek: Discovery, despite the intriguing possibilities of his body horror-themed aesthetic being adapted for the Trek universe. Cronenberg admits as much in the same Variety interview, wherein he cites his general lack of interest in directing for television, and the limitations of working within a style established by the showrunners and producers. For now, then, we’ll just have to enjoy his brief cameos as Kovich as season 3 of Discovery reaches its climax.
