WARNING: Contains SPOILERS for Star Trek: Discovery’s finale, “Life, Itself”.
Summary
David Cronenberg playsStar Trek: Discovery’s enigmatic Dr. Kovich, a small role in a TV and film career which spans decades. First introduced inDiscoveryseason 3,Dr. Kovich is a Federation scientist with access and knowledge that goes far beyond anyone else in Starfleet. However, Dr. Kovich was always hard to pin down, maintaining a frustrating level of secrecy, even when he asked Captain Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) and the USS Discovery to track down theProgenitors' treasure inStar Trek: Discoveryseason 5.
David Cronenberg was cast inStar Trek: Discoverybecause Alex Kurtzman was a fan of his work as a director. Cronenberg had acted before, in his own movies as well as in the J.J. Abrams' seriesAlias. Cronenberg played Dr. Brezzel in the show, another scientist who was a bit more forthcoming than hisDiscoverycharacter. However, the true identity of David Cronenberg’s enigmatic Dr. Kovich is finally revealed in theStar Trek: Discoveryfinale, and it explains a lot about the character’s evasiveness.
Star Trek: Discovery’s finale, “Life, Itself” was written by Kyle Jarrow & Michelle Paradise, and directed by Olatunde Osusanmi.
Star Trek: Discovery Season 5 Returning Cast & New Character Guide
As Burnham seeks the universe’s greatest treasure in Star Trek: Discovery season 5, she’ll need help from a host of new and returning characters.
David Cronenberg Has A Directing Career Beyond Star Trek: Discovery’s Doctor Kovich
Although David Cronenberg has had multiple acting roles outsideStar Trek: Discovery, he’s best known as a movie director. Many of Cronenberg’s sci-fi horror movies, likeThe BroodandThe Fly, pioneered the body horror genre. There’s a recurring fascination with the effect of technology on the human body in many ofDavid Cronenberg’s movies, from the commentary on screen violence inVideodrometo the hugely controversialCrash,which depicted a group of people who were sexually aroused by car accidents.Given the futurist themes of his movies, it’s unsurprising that David Cronenberg was a fan ofStar Trek: The Original Serieswhen he was younger.
David Cronenberg’sCrashstarred Holly Hunter, who has recently been announced as part of the cast of the upcomingStar Trek: Starfleet Academyspinoff.
A number ofStar Trekactors past and present have appeared in David Cronenberg’s work over the years. Callum Keith Rennie, who starred inStar Trek: Discoveryseason 5 with Cronenberg, played Hugo Carlaw in the director’s 1999 movie,eXistenz.Star Trek Into Darkness' Peter Weller starred in Cronenberg’s 1991 movie,Naked Lunch,as the exterminator drawn into a government plot orchestrated by giant bugs. David Cronenberg also worked withStar Trek: Voyager’s original Captain Janeway, Genevieve Bujold in his 1988 movieDead Ringers, recently remade as a series for Prime starring Rachel Weisz.
David Cronenberg’s Doctor Kovich Is A Mystery Star Trek: Discovery’s Finale Solved
Star Trek: Discovery’s ending finally revealed the true identity of David Cronenberg’s Dr. Kovich, which explained a number of things about his character.Dr. Kovich was actually a codename for Temporal Agent Daniels (Matt Winston) fromStar Trek: Enterprise. The revelation that Kovich is an older version ofEnterprise’s Daniels does explain multiple things about his character; from why Kovich knows so much about Starfleet history and the Temporal Wars, to how he managed to acquire a genuine 20th century legal pad made of real paper.
Star Trek: Enterprise
Star Trek: Enterprise acts as a prequel to Star Trek: The Original Series, detailing the voyages of the original crew of the Starship Enterprise in the 22nd century, a hundred years before Captain Kirk commanded the ship. Enterprise was the sixth series in the Star Trek franchise overall, and the final series before a twelve-year hiatus until the premiere of Star Trek: Discovery in 2017. The series stars Scott Bakula as Captain Jonathan Archer, with an ensemble cast that includes John Billingsley, Jolene Blalock, Dominic Keating, Anthony Montgomery, Linda Park, and Connor Trinneer.
Daniels played a key role inStar Trek’s Temporal Wars, recruiting Captain Jonathan Archer (Scott Bakula) in his attempt to ensure that history remained on course. Daniels was undercover aboard the Enterprise NX-01 as a humble Crewman, but also served aboard the USS Enterprise-J, which is why Kovich/Daniels says “USS Enterprise, and other places” when introducing himself to Burnham. Even thoughStar Trek: Discoveryhas now ended, the confirmation that Dr. Kovich is a former Temporal Agent creates a possibility for David Cronenberg to return elsewhere in theStar Trekfranchise.
All episodes of Star Trek: Discovery and Star Trek: Enterprise are available to stream on Paramount+.
Star Trek: Discovery
Cast
Star Trek: Discovery is an entry in the legendary Sci-Fi franchise, set ten years before the original Star Trek series events. The show centers around Commander Michael Burnham, assigned to the USS Discovery, where the crew attempts to prevent a Klingon war while traveling through the vast reaches of space.
