Lower Decks’ Actress Explains Why She Was ‘Petrified’ of Trek Fanbase

Since the Vulcan character T’Lyn was introduced in the second season of Star Trek: Lower Decks, her determination to fit in with the chaotic crew of the Cerritos and her exploration of life outside of Vulcan logic have made her a favorite of Star Trek fans. However, Gabrielle Ruiz, the actress who plays T’Lyn, wasn’t sure that would be the case.

Trekkies, or Trekkers as some prefer, are known for their zealous devotion to the franchise. Fans of Star Trek: The Original Series (TOS) were so obsessed with the series that when the show was supposed to be canceled after the second season, they organized a letter-writing campaign so massive that NBC literally announced on-air that Star Trek was no longer canceled and begged people to stop writing letters. That zealotry goes both ways, though. When Trekkies/Trekkers aren’t pleased with something in the Star Trek universe, they let everyone know, loudly and repeatedly. And their criticism can get really harsh.

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That’s exactly what Ruiz was worried about. In a recent interview with Cinema Blend, Ruiz admitted that she was “petrified” of the fanbase’s reaction to T’Lyn, partially because she’s been a Trek fan for years, and she knew how tough it could be to please Trek fans. To her great relief, the fandom has not only embraced T’Lyn, they’ve helped her understand her character better.

Trusting the ‘Lower Decks’ Creative Team

Ruiz revealed that one of the reasons she took the role, even though she was terrified about the reactions from the Trek fandom, was the amazing creative team behind Lower Decks, especially its showrunner, Mike McMahan. Even in the first season of the show, McMahan had already proven that he was not just a Star Trek fan, but a superfan, and this informed every decision he made about the show.

The fact that the creative team had already created so many characters that devoted Trekkies/Trekkers loved convinced her to trust that they’d do it again with T’Lyn.

“I was able to trust that it was possible because this team is remarkable and has such a great reputation with everything else that they’ve done. I was able to trust them with this character,” Ruiz told Inverse.

Ruiz was even further convinced when McMahan told her that T’Lyn was inspired by T’Pol from Enterprise. She knew the team was going to create an incredible character and that she wanted to be the one to bring that character to life.

Leaning on the Fanbase to Learn About T’Lyn

Of course, being an actor on a Star Trek show means learning a lot about the established canon, and Ruiz admitted how overwhelmed she was by the enormity of the source material.

“[I was] also thinking, ‘Oh, no, I have to learn everything Vulcan now,’ because I really have to know my sh*t.”

The creative team behind Lower Decks as well as her costars were excellent tutors, but Ruiz also found an unexpected source of Star Trek expertise. She revealed that she’s learned a ton about Star Trek from the fans themselves.

“Luckily, the fandom of Star Trek is so wonderful that they’re teaching me everything.”

Whenever she has a question about how to be Vulcan or what’s happened in the decades-long history of Trek, she can always turn to the Trekkies/Trekkers for answers.

Unfortunately, fans won’t be enjoying T’Lyn for much longer. Lower Decks is in its last season, and there currently isn’t any information about whether the characters will appear in future Star Trek shows.

However, Star Trek has repeatedly proven that characters are never really gone forever, so it’s not impossible for fans to get more of T’Lyn, and consequently, Ruiz, in the future.

Star Trek: Lower Decks

Source: Cinema Blend