Kacey Rohl plays a Starfleet officer alongside Academy Award-winner Michelle Yeoh in the latest Star Trek franchise film.
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Kacey Rohl’s latest job is out of this world. Literally.
Not only does Rohl get to play in the Star Trek universe, she is doing so atop the Trekkie food chain as a Star Fleet science officer. In the just-released film, Rohl, who is widely recognized for her role of Abigail Hobbs in NBC’s TV series Hannibal, plays Rachel Garrett, a Starfleet science officer that is part of Section 31, a division of Starfleet that carries out covert operations for the United Federation of Planets.
“It came to me like any audition, except it had a code name, so it was a little cloak-and-dagger,” said Rohl, adding that her manager did finally suggest to her it was for Star Trek. “I was like, ‘Oh my gosh. OK, so bring my ‘A’ game.’ You know, I didn’t think I had a snowball’s chance in hell. So, I threw it on tape in my kitchen with my mom, did two very different takes.”
Those two different takes were a comedic one as the breakdown of the character suggested and the other take was more staid and, well, Starfleetly.
“I got called back, and they were like, ‘We want to chase the Starfleet thing, that sort of flavour. I was like, ‘OK, let’s go,’” said Rohl.
Casting then reached out and offered some notes as she went further into the audition process.
“‘Please kick the tires, like anything you need to see from me that makes you feel like you can bet on me,’” Rohl recalls telling casting.
It worked. And she went through to the final callback, which she said was long and was a mix of scripted and improv.
“It was on Zoom. Those are not generally my favourite. They’re hard. There are time delays. You’re not in the room and feeling the crackle of people,” said Rohl about the audition in fall 2023. “It’s hard to get a true read. But it was amazing. It was a fabulous room. It was so warm, and we had so much fun. And at the end of it, Craig Sweeny, our writer, was like, ‘I’m so sorry that was so long, and we put you through so much.’ I was like, ‘Are you kidding? Spending an hour-and-a-half doing my job in space?’ That was the greatest afternoon of my life.”
Section 31 is a rag-tag group of specialists tasked with stopping major threats. Rohl’s Garrett is a straight shooter and someone who paid attention during her time in Starfleet Academy.
“Yeah, I think she’s a real by-the-book gal,” said Rohl. “I think she takes great comfort in existing inside of systems that have rules that she can follow, very clear, right and wrong. I think she’s the kind of person that can sort things into good, bad, right, wrong.”
Her by-the-book tendencies are put to the test as she is supposed to be (that is up for discussion) in charge of this motley crew of very colourful and specialized elite fighters.
“She really thinks she’s in charge, and I don’t know if she actually is, right,” said Rohl. “Sure, she could call up Starfleet and really do some damage, but I don’t know that she’s in charge as much as she thinks she is.”
Venturing deep into science fiction land comes with some unique challenges. There’s the procedural, made-up language at the top of that list.
“I’m lucky enough to have a brain that can grab those weird things,” said Rohl. “If they’re not my everyday thing I can hold it. So, I’m good with jargon, medical or space, or what have you. Even if I don’t completely understand it.”
As for when the film is set, Paramount isn’t specific, but the word in the galaxy is it takes place in Star Trek’s “lost era,” which according to the internet, spans from 2293 to 2364.
Whatever the actual timeline, it’s obviously a very different world from ours. A world Rohl said thankfully, for the most part, they saw while they were shooting.
“The gift of this film is that largely we used screens. We used AR (augmented reality) screens,” said Rohl. “A lot of environments that would have been green or blue screens we could actually see them. A great example of that is, is the Baraam (nightclub) … we could see the aliens in the upper balconies. We could see the spaceships flying overhead. That was great … It wasn’t a lot of quietly acting opposite a tennis ball.”
Shot in Toronto last winter, Star Trek: Section 31 has Academy Award-winner Michelle Yeoh, who reprises her Star Trek: Discovery character, the butt-kicking Emperor Philippa Georgiou, at the top of its bill.
“Oh my gosh. I mean, I’ve been such a fan of hers. She’s just such a strong presence, a powerful woman in the industry. And by that, I mean, she’s in her power. She knows her worth. She kicks (butt),” said Rohl about Yeoh before adding she fan-girled out when she first met the iconic actor.
“My first interaction with her was a little bit embarrassing. She was so gracious and so open and so kind, and gave me a big hug, and was just like, you know, a normal human. And all I could manage to say was, ‘You’re so cool,’ ” said Rohl. “She was, again, very gracious and said, ‘Oh, thank you.’ And eventually we made our way to a chiller place.”
Rohl explained that Yeoh is a force on set.
“She’s a really funny person, and she sets a tone as a No. 1,” said Rohl, referring to Yeoh’s status atop the call sheet. “She delivers, she knows she can deliver. She’s efficient, but she’s also playful. She’s mindful of safety, she’s mindful of people who have families at home, like, ‘Let’s get out of here at a decent hour.’
“And she cares about the product as a whole. She’s not looking to crank it out and just get it done. She wants it to be amazing. Everybody, cast, all departments … want to rise to meet her.”