The Walking Dead‘s Sonequa Martin-Green (Sasha) has spent five years cutting down zombies in the wasteland of postapocalypse America, so diplomatic missions to the far reaches of space should be a breeze for her.
News broke on Wednesday, December 14, that the actress, a core cast member on AMC’s hit series TWD, is adding another big-name show to her résumé. Martin-Green, 31, will play the lead role on CBS All Access’ upcoming Star Trek series, the first new installment of the famous sci-fi franchise in more than a decade. (The last entry, Star Trek: Enterprise, zoomed away in 2005 after four seasons.) Her character, a lieutenant commander aboard the ship Discovery, will anchor Star Trek: Discovery for the duration of its 13-episode debut season, which premieres on CBS in May 2017 before moving to CBS All Access.
Needless to say, this is a big deal for the actress — and for Star Trek, which is making a point in its latest iteration to feature its most diverse cast of characters yet. (According to Entertainment Weekly, which first reported the news, having an African American actress leading the charge had been a longtime goal of cocreator Bryan Fuller.) But it’s also given rise to some nervous speculation as to the fate of Martin-Green’s character on The Walking Dead.
Sasha has been a major presence on the AMC series since she and her brother, Tyreese (Chad L. Coleman), first appeared in season 3 outside the gates of the prison — which is where Tyreese tragically died two seasons later. Sasha has survived not just the various threats of the zombie apocalypse, but the fall of the prison, the cannibals at Terminus and the deaths of two boyfriends. Could The Walking Dead really be getting ready to say goodbye to her?
The answer: Mmmmmmaybe. On the one hand, Sasha is among the survivors who are currently actively plotting to assassinate Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), the show’s biggest and deadliest villain — which means her life is necessarily in more danger than the average character’s. Plus, her latest story arc will be coming to a natural conclusion if and when she avenges the death of Abraham, her late paramour who kicked the bucket in this season’s premiere episode.
But on the other hand, EW reports that Martin-Green will continue to remain as a TWD regular despite her big Star Trek break. (Walking Dead has already wrapped filming on season 7, which means we’re at least guaranteed to see Sasha on screen for the next eight episodes or so.) And considering the size of the Walking Dead cast and the sprawl of its various plotlines, it wouldn’t be difficult to sideline Sasha for a season or more without killing her off, so maybe she’s safe! … Or at least, she’s as safe as anyone can be in a world overrun by zombies.
Tell Us: Do you think Sasha will soon be meeting her demise?
The Walking Dead returns to AMC Sunday, February 12, at 9 p.m. ET. Star Trek: Discovery premieres on CBS in May 2017 before moving to CBS All Access.
