Episode 4 Star Wars: Lower Decks Season 5 of “The Farm” is now streaming on Paramount+. The guest starring cast includes Star Wars: Discovery alum Mary Keefehe returns as a new, completely different Klingon: K’Elarra.
Comics Beat spoke with Chieffo via Zoom to learn more about her guest role in the episode. We asked her about how she got involved with the show, the difference between playing an animated Klingon and performing with full prosthetics, and (of course) what she’d order from a food replicator.
This interview has been edited for clarity and length.
AVERY KAPLAN: How did you get involved? lower deck?
Chief Mary: i’m lucky Mike McMahan and Brad Winters Miss me. They said they had crafted this episode, and they were like, “Wait, who’s supposed to be the Klingon lady? Mary!
I feel lucky again because this family is so strong while attending the Las Vegas Convention lower deck The first announcement, that was when I first met Mike. We’ve always been very friendly in our various Trek circles. I’m a huge fan of the show, so it was a really great moment. I’m excited to do the voice acting.
So they said, “Would you do it?” I said, “Of course.” And then I saw this scene and I was even more excited. I just want to be a great person StarCraft: The Next Generation Era Klingon Lady.
KAPLAN: What is the actual recording process like for you?
Chief: I got to go into the booth and work exclusively with Brad. I got this scene quite a bit in advance, which is always nice. I just started trying to do what I wanted to do. They wrote it to be very classic, Ms. Klingon, and I was like, “Oh, yeah, that’s what I want to play.”
We spent an hour playing. Then I have to come back another time and just do some cleanup after they put things together. I saw some images of the character, but of course, when you record it, it’s not fully animated yet. This was a fun part of the process, getting to see some snippets of the script and how they animated it.
It was a great time. Brad would throw different things for me to play with and get really excited about all the fun, sexy growls I made. It was a great time.
Kaplan: How is playing an animated Klingon different from playing a costumed Klingon?
Chief: This is the different part. With live action, there’s a lot more language preparation. Literally, as L’Rell, I speak more Klingon. Working with my scene partners, I’m lucky that we often have time to work when we’re away from prosthetics.
But that day, no matter what it was, it was sitting in a chair for three hours putting on makeup and putting on the armor of the Prime Minister’s outfit. Then a lot of people wore ice packs on their wrists and fans on their faces between takes. I always try to really understand what’s going on in a scene, especially when it’s primarily Klingon, so that on that day, all the other factors can be layered on top of the acting work we already have a foundation for.
And in recording, one of the challenges is that you’re not directly with your scene partners. But again I worked with Brad and he was really good at giving me stuff and playing with it. It felt very alive and I didn’t feel completely isolated. It’s still a very fun environment.
And it’s nice not to feel the pressure of “you have to be remembered perfectly.” As you can read below, I often feel that when I am not responsible, I am freer in certain aspects. Again, all different challenges and different ways to play.
Again, you can really ask, “Can I say this again?” However, if you were making an entire scene in a day of live action, you wouldn’t really stop and start the same way.
KAPLAN: I’m curious, how has your understanding of Klingon changed since you first played L’Rell?
Chief: I really had a great time watching all the different Klingon episodes and learning about all the different characters. My interpretation of L’Rell has been really inspired by that since then, especially as the Klingon lady and all the things she’s done to really get back on her feet.
I remember watching Star Wars: Deep Space Ninethis episode of Grilka, you really see that she can’t inherit her husband’s house because she’s a woman. I said, “Oh. The Klingon Empire does still have some patriarchy. So we do get to see that expand with L’Rell’s journey, even in the first season before she becomes Chancellor. And then We talked to Kol-Sha about eleven and he didn’t take her seriously as a leader.
So I guess my answer is, just deepening what that culture is and how it contrasts with the Federation.
And what we saw in this episode lower deck There is still this peace. Klingons are everywhere, they actually live on Qo’noS, and they’re not “fighting all the time.” We also got to see Turner Wick play the monk, which I thought was so beautiful.
So to continue to understand the depth of the Klingons, starting with their future-proof reputation and what I hope we achieve in some areas Discover are showing more vulnerability. I don’t like to say “human nature” because that’s very human-centered. “Clin sex.”
Caplan: Was your performance as K’Elarra inspired or inspired by any other Klingons, including but not limited to L’Rell?
Chief: Yes. It’s funny because I’ve witnessed a lot of this TNGWhen I watched, I did lean more towards the Duras sisters, Khelaire and Grilka, my number one favorite. These four are basic inspirations. Obviously, especially the chest windows; I have to respect that.
And then give her a little more of Mary’s voice in her voice. With the help of L’Rell, I enjoyed working with our dialect coach Rea Nolan to develop a complete dialect based on Klingon pronunciation. Discover. Which is so cool because I just love studying dialects.
But with this one, it’s more, “Mary, be a Klingon,” which is pretty neat.
Kaplan: Did you get any backstory or inside information about Kelara?
Chief: No, other than that, the guy in the band invited her. I think they were definitely excited for me to have free rein when it came to her backstory. Apparently, her relationship with Maa. It’s fun to come up with some stuff on my own, especially the ones I mentioned about all the shenanigans we’ve had in the past. They left a lot of interesting subtext there.
Kaplan: As we mentioned, you’ve played a Klingon in live-action, animation, and video games. Are there any others? StarCraft What species (including humans) would you like to depict in the future?
Chief: Any and all forms. But I really want to see myself as a Vulcan. I do think, in comparison…if there was a chance to be a Klingon, what would be the interesting antidote?
I also always say: Klingons and Vulcans both have deep emotional wells. they just dealt with Very different. So, I thought that would be fun. But there are so many great species here and it’s just awesome trek – You can go into such depth. Or, like Doug Jones Must be part of a completely new legacy that creates a new species.
Kaplan: What would you personally order from a food replicator?
Chief: This is stream of consciousness. I’m a vegetarian, number one. Technically, everything in the replicator is vegan. But what comes to mind is fudgy peanut butter cake. That’s probably what I want now…but when it’s like that really thick chocolate and peanut butter thing something.
new episodes Star Wars: Lower Decks Available to watch Thursday on Paramount+.
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