Summary
- Detmer and Owosekun's absence in Star Trek: Discovery season 5 has been keenly felt by fans and the crew of the USS Discovery.
- Lt. Commanders Detmer and Owosekun have only made brief appearances in two out of the six episodes of season 5 so far.
- Star Trek: Discovery season 5's new bridge characters makes it feel like the USS DIscovery has a new crew.
Lt. Commander Keyla Detmer (Emily Coutts) and Lt. Commander Joann Owosekun (Oyin Oladejo) have been conspicuously absent from Star Trek: Discovery season 5. Both Detmer and Owosekun have been serving on the bridge of the USS Discovery since season 1, as the helmsman and the operations officer, respectively. Although they have not been featured as prominently as some of the other characters, Detmer and Owosekun are compelling characters who have always been a welcome presence. More than any other Star Trek show, Discovery focuses on its lead, Captain Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green), but Detmer and Owo have been a part of her story since the beginning.
Star Trek: Discovery season 4 expanded the roles of Lt. Commanders Detmer and Owosekun, as they both helped the USS Discovery uncover the truth about the Dark Matter Anomaly. In Star Trek: Discovery season 4, episode 8, "All In," Owosekun accompanied Captain Burnham on a mission to a black-market casino, where her hand-to-hand combat skills proved incredibly useful in earning money in a fighting ring. Detmer, too, was part of an away team a few episodes later, in Star Trek: Discovery season 4, episode 11,"Rosetta," when Discovery visited the homeworld of Species 10-C. Star Trek: Discovery season 5 is the show's final season, and it's likely Detmer and Owo will return before the end, but their absence throughout much of the season so far has been keenly felt.
Detmer's piloting skills have also come in handy on multiple occasions, and both officers excel when stationed on the bridge.
Detmer & Owosekun Have Been Noticeably Absent From Star Trek: Discovery Season 5
Detmer and Owosekun have only appeared in two out of Discovery season 5's six episodes so far.
Detmer and Owosekun have briefly popped up in a couple of episodes of Star Trek: Discovery season 5, but have otherwise been completely absent. Lt. Commander Asha (Christina Dixon) and Lt. Gallo (Natalie Liconti) took over Detmer and Owo's stations on the USS DIscovery's bridge, while Keyla and Joann were only mentioned in dialogue. After the events of Star Trek: Discovery season 5, episode 5, "Mirrors," Detmer and Owo were ordered to polit the ISS Enterprise back to Federation Headquarters. This means they will likely remain absent for the rest of Discovery's search for the Progenitors' technology, which is disappointing, as both characters would be fun additions to this intergalactic treasure hunt.
When Captain Burnham brought Commander Rayner (Callum Keith Rennie) aboard as the USS Discovery's new First Officer, he did quick meet-and-greets with the ship's crew members. Detmer and Owosekun were conspicuously absent from these scenes as well, again replaced by Asha and Gallo. Despite all their talk of family, Discovery's crew has not fully coalesced into a solid core group the way other Star Trek casts have. As Star Trek: Discovery season 5 was filming, the cast and crew were unaware that it would be the show's last season, making it all the more unfortunate that Detmer and Owosekun do not have more of a presence in what will be Discovery's final episodes.
Star Trek: Discovery Feels Like The Starship Has A New Crew In Season 5
Star Trek: Discovery changes its dynamic every season.
Since the days of Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) and his Starship Enterprise crew, most Star Trek shows have featured ensemble casts. While the Captains were more or less the main characters, the other senior officers also featured prominently in certain episodes. Star Trek: The Original Series came to focus on the iconic trio of Captain Kirk, Mr. Spock (Leonard Nimoy), and Dr. Leonard McCoy (DeForest Kelley), while Star Trek: The Next Generation would have episodes that often showcased one character. Star Trek: Discovery has always centered Michael Burnham by design, but that means some of the other characters have been sidelined.
Discovery has struggled to find its identity, experimenting with different kinds of stories and cycling through crew members.
Over the course of its five seasons, Star Trek:Discovery has struggled to find its identity, experimenting with different kinds of stories and cycling through crew members. When Michael Burnham became Captain of Discovery at the end of season 3, it finally felt like the show had found its rhythm. Star Trek: Discovery season 4 still focused on Burnham, but allowed more of the characters to play a larger role. Burnham is a great character, and she will always be Discovery's star, but the crew felt more like a family than ever in season 4, and Star Trek: Discovery season 5 has shifted the dynamics yet again.
