Next up in our series of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds roundtable interviews is Melissa Navia. Melissa plays a new character on the Enterprise crew, Lt. Erica Ortegas. Melissa has worked regularly in film and television for more than a decade including roles in Billions, Bull, New Amsterdam, and Homeland. Strange New Worlds is my introduction to Melissa Navia, but after reading her essay, “Girl with Short Hair,” I felt I’d met a kindred spirit. (Pro Tip: you should read it too). After watching screeners for the series, I can safely say that Lt. Erica Ortegas is my favorite character. She has cool confidence, a dry wit, and a sharp space haircut. Also, she’s perhaps the best pilot in the fleet, AND she swordfights? Yes, please!
Unfortunately, my internet was knocked out due to a power outage during the interview, so I missed my chance to ask Melissa Navia a question directly. Fortunately, my fellow interviewers got a lot of great info out of her about Lt. Ortegas. I’ll let Melissa do the talking from here on out. Check out her interview, where she’s joined by Celia Rose Gooding and Christina Chong.
Thank you to Paramount and ViacomCBS for inviting Fangirlish to participate in these interviews! Thanks also to Melissa Navia for consenting to the interview and for her thoughtful responses. I’m so excited to watch you bring a new character to life in the Star Trek universe, especially a character with whom I find emotional resonance.
Stay tuned to Fangirlish for all your Star Trek news, reviews, and information. We’ll be sharing more roundtable interviews with the rest of the cast of Strange New Worlds soon.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds will premiere on May 5, 2022, on Paramount+.
