Exclusive: Exec. Producer/ Director Olatunde Osunsanmi On Season 3 Finale Of Star Trek Discovery
Star Trek: Discovery finished off its third season last night with Commander Michael Burnham finally being promoted to Captain and given a ship. Took a long season, time travel and battle against Osyraa to save the Federation. For fans of Burnham and its portrayer, Sonequa Martin-Greene, they get to see her in command (officially) by the time we get to season four.
BlackFilmandTV.com caught up with executive producer Olatunde Osunsanmi, who directed the season finale, but also had helmed the first episode this season.
You directed the first episode you directed the last episode. Was that by choice?
Olatunde Osunsanmi: To be able to do the first and last episode, because everything means so much. Everything is either sending us something big or paying off something big. But practically, it makes a lot of sense because I'm producing in between. Every time I direct, it takes me away from my producing duties and being able to help out the other directors and other department heads. So we usually try and set it up, but I do the first and the last for that reason.
How much involved are you with every episode when you get behind the chair as a director?
Olatunde Osunsanmi: Very, very much. So, basically, when I'm directing, and doing double duty, I'm directing and producing, but there's lag time. So as opposed to being able to react immediately, maybe I have to react at the end of the day, and then with this show as complex as ours, that can be that can be tricky. You usually want to help solve issues as they occur, or be additive and not change the direction at the last second. Fortunately, we have a tremendous crew, tremendous department heads that know the show as well as I do. We have amazing directors who come in like for instance, Jonathan Frakes. I always try and put him behind me because he can essentially produce himself.
The season finale almost felt like a series finale. Can you tell us more about this episode and how you wanted it to end it?
Olatunde Osunsanmi: It did feel of a series finale and I think it's because Burnham finally takes the chair and she becomes captain. This is something that at least myself as a fan, and ifI step out of the fact that I work on the show. I've been rooting for Burnham to get that cheer for a while. At the end of the first season, I was wondering if they were going to do it. Then thought about it for the second season and then third.
So yes I think it does end a very significant chapter in seeing Burnham rise, and overcome a ton of obstacles, and learn how to be a leader and finally get her ship. I think you're absolutely right, it did show that we've had that kind of gravity in the end. And it was something that we started talking about. There is a season four. Just wanted to make sure you know that. The writers came up with a lot of great character stories, and Star Trek stories. We're in the middle of shooting it right now. And it's been awesome.
Was the whole season written prior to shooting it knowing how you want it to end or did this shift midway?
Olatunde Osunsanmi: This was always the plan. Alex and Michelle are very interested in that we have, I guess you could call it an intake meeting at the beginning of the season. They tell us where we're starting, where we're going to be mid season, and where we're going to end. Even before we got the first script, we were told that we were going to end up on a dilithium planet. We were told that Burnham was going to get the chair. It was a very nice, clear path and allows us to build and prepare and to get ready on our side on the production side, particularly because a lot of our sets take 20 weeks, 32 weeks to build because they're all custom made.
Costume design, like her space suit can take anywhere from 16 to 18 weeks to build, because he can't go to a Target to go pick it up. So they’re good at identifying big markers that we should know about. Sonequa taking a chair was a big marker, just because of the hair. What is the hair going to look like? What do we want to say about the braids? How do I want to shoot the braids. Those braids take weeks for Ryan Reid, who's our hair, in order to get in place and it gets done. So our show is a show of planning and a lot of ways, the writers are very good about layout.
Will the show continue in a time travel setting?
Olatunde Osunsanmi: I know what happens, but I don't think I'm allowed to say. I can say that it will continue in a lot of Trek traditions with a spin. As a fan, I'm even more excited about what we're doing season four than what we've done the last three. Season Three was extraordinary in that we left further than any other Star Trek series previously. That was really cool. So this one has its own coolness.
Do you read the commentaries from the fans as whether or not you know the plot of the season was working to their satisfaction? Does that take into effect with the writers?
Olatunde Osunsanmi: I think we're all keenly aware and care, with a significant emotional level, what the fans think about that. As much as we would like to say we don’t, we read as much as we can. I don't know if it affects what Alex and Michelle will actually write next, but I do know, it's just an extra motivation to make sure that they get it right, that it's as good as it can possibly be. And certainly am I in this extra motivation to make sure that I directed right, and I produce it right, and that we're doing everything we can to put the best possible show trying to defend. It was interesting, because we finished this one while we are working on episode season four. So it hasn't been as much downtime to be able to really absorb what the fans have said about season three, but I'm looking forward to it.
Going back, were there any episodes that stood out?
Olatunde Osunsanmi: I think there were two. I love the ones that I directed but there was one that Chloe Domont directly where Michelle goes to her show. That scene in the snow when she walked through the gate was deeply, deeply emotional for me. And just seeing just everything in the mirror universe. knowing that we're saying goodbye to Michelle, who we just love and she's just a steady presence for us here. Then see her performance with with Sonequa that was a very emotional episode. I would say the finale episode with what the writers wrote, diversity wise, was quite fascinating. Book who's a black men, and Owosekun, who is a black woman and Sonequa, who is a black woman. All three play a critical part in the climax of the episode seamlessly just as heroes and just being excellent. So I thought that was something that I had never directed before. Having that many leads that were diverse, essentially, saving everything. That was pretty cool.