Chieffo On L’Rell’s Sacrifices
2 min read
Speaking with Den of Geek, Mary Chieffo spoke about recent developments in the Star Trek: Discovery: Point of Light episode which dropped last night. Note: There are spoilers, so if you haven’t seen the episode yet, go watch and then come back to read the article.
In Point of Light, L’Rell was hiding something from most of the other Klingons as well from Ash Tyler/Voq. She had conceived before Voq was changed into Tyler/Voq and hid that from everyone except one Klingon. In the episode, to keep her power and remain Chancellor, she was obliged to make a difficult decision.
“Medea was already a huge source of inspiration for me in the first season, just as a woman making sacrifices for the greater good,” said Chieffo. “So this just, kind of, took it up to the next level of ‘Oh, yes, and now she literally has a child and has to deal with that.”
“I think it’s the extreme version of what almost every woman feels like they have to deal with, if they ascend to any sort of power. This, sort of, negating [of] vulnerabilities.”
Unlike with Burnham, which has a family, as dysfunctional as it is; L’Rell does not get to have one if she wants to stay in power. “[Last season], she wanted to stay in the shadows and work behind others,” said Chieffo. “So, while of course it was sad not to see L’Rell get to spend time with her child, which is generally just heartbreaking, I thought it was, certainly in the building of her character, a really intense and heartbreaking way to let her stand on her own two feet.”
Another heartbreak for L’Rell is having to let go of Tyler/Voq. “I think once he’s made that communication with Burnham, that’s the full confirmation that that’s really where his heart lies,” said Chieffo. “As painful as it is for her, she’s smart enough to acknowledge that. She’s not going to try and force something. She is a genuinely good Klingon. She’s still Klingon but she wants to do right and I think she’s learned that there is something to the humans.”
So what’s next for the unlucky L’Rell? “Sadly I think this really is this moment of true isolation and sacrifice,” said Chieffo. “I keep taking it back to Queen Elizabeth and so many female rulers that we’ve seen in history, that have had to create a certain level of isolation.”
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