Callum Keith Rennie: Portraying Rayner in Star Trek: Discovery
Callum Keith Rennie revealed the development of Rayner, Star Trek: Discovery’s new Number One, delving into the character’s unconventional traits and his relationship with Captain Burnham and her crew.
The final season of Star Trek: Discovery kicked off last week and was packed with action, adventure, and unexpected changes–with Saru passing the baton to Burnham’s newly announced Number One, Rayner who was once Captain of the USS Antares. Seasoned actor Callum Keith Rennie, who is no stranger to sci-fi (The Umbrella Academy, Battlestar Galactica), revealed his experience portraying Rayner, exploring the character’s unconventional personality and his dynamics with Michael Burnham as he steps down from the Captain’s chair to serve as Discovery’s first officer.
The first episode of Discovery’s fifth season started with a warp speed chase that introduced Rayner and his ship, the Antares. Although we didn’t get to meet the crew, the Captain’s attitude and methods sort of painted the ship’s nature: “In my mind, my ship, the Antares, is like a pirate ship. Rayner and his boys may get the Starfleet jobs that nobody wants, the kind of under the table jobs that might be illegal as opposed to the Discovery, which seems to be very spit and polish, by the book,” Rennie said.
“There is a part of me, that stoic, unforgiving sort of quality that they were seeking. It’s fun to start something where you’re not playing to be liked, to come into a show that’s already established where everyone’s hugging each other all the time and giving everybody a pat on the back and not be any of that is great fun. There are things they learned from me and I from them … it’s a great journey.”
With just that interaction between Burnham and Rayner, the audience was immediately in for something spicy for the show, a way to stir things up and refresh the now established storytelling on the Discovery crew by incorporating a character with such a strong and unapologetic decisiveness that would bring challenge and resolution to arguably the most important mission in all Star Trek history. The actor admitted that the filmmakers picked the right guy for the job: “There is a part of me, that stoic, unforgiving sort of quality that they were seeking. It’s fun to start something where you’re not playing to be liked, to come into a show that’s already established where everyone’s hugging each other all the time and giving everybody a pat on the back and not be any of that is great fun. There are things they learned from me and I from them … it’s a great journey.”
Callum Keith Rennie’s transformation, from the pointy ears to the iconic Starfleet uniform was daunting, the actor sharing that the fitting process for the prosthetics and costume had to be just right to make him comfortable on set but also to reflect Rayner’s physicality. However, once he stepped into the world of Trek, one person in particular made sure to make him feel welcome: Sonequa Martin-Green. The character dynamics between Michael Burnham and Rayner hits the right chemical balance, the two sharing a similar past of demotion, hard work, and passion for what Starfleet stands for while still having their own unique traits. “[Burnham] learned about forgiveness by giving this guy another shot at it. As much as she doesn’t want to admit he’s a lot like her and vice versa, his wild card nature that she understands might just be what she needs in her journey. And for him, there’s the part of learning about compassion and understanding and dropping the guard a bit. There’s a lot of history; he’s carrying a lot of weight, but he’s like, ‘Ok, I can be sent out to pasture or I can still keep working. Maybe I’ll like it. I don’t know; I’ll try.’ They might not quite be on the same team, but they’re moving towards a better place. I think that’s what’s nice about this season, it slowly evolves.” Rennie shared.
The actor ended the interview by hinting at Rayner’s role in Discovery’s overarching story: “Sometimes what appears to be the crazy qualities are also the best part of them. Within a rigid form, he may not function all that great, but left to his own way sometimes is the right way. You can grow even though you look like you might be incapable of it. Through that route, characters that are relatively closed off can be warmed up by other people’s care, and that’s a good thing.”
Star Trek: Discovery’s final return to television is guaranteed to bring closure to each character’s journey and hopefully open new paths beyond the show. With only eight episodes left, hopefully Rayner’s arc will close the circle on this new fascinating character. Make sure to catch up on the final season of Discovery on Paramount+ and follow Callum Keith Rennie on Instagram for any updates on his projects.
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