This month we’re interviewing the writer behind LtCmdr. Kayla Drex, playing a Human female Science Officer assigned to the USS Eagle.
She won the Cochrane Award: “Given to those Science officers who have contributed greatly to the advance of science in the midst of their Starfleet career, by staying knowledgeable about their field, participating in the community of science, but most importantly, by placing their knowledge at the service of their ship and its mission.”
FORTUNE: Tell us a little about the writer behind the character — where in the world do you hail from?
DREX: I live in Richmond, Virginia. I’ve been here since 2009 when I moved up to finish my undergrad at Virginia Commonwealth University (Go Rams).
Your Captain has praised your ability to introduce realism into the scientific portion of Star Trek and your eye for details. Have you always been drawn to the Science field?
Some of my favorite Trek characters have always been scientists. I was a high school science teacher IRL too. I believe there’s a beauty and wonder in asking discovering new ways of seeing the universe. It’s been said that truth is stranger than fiction, but I would go a step further: The reality of something mysterious, once explored, often becomes more wondrous and mysterious. Even more than that, the more we know about something, the more entwined everything in existence becomes with everything else. I’ve heard (non-scientifically-minded) people say that science can be cold, calculating, and impersonal, but when you realize that the movement of quarks and atoms mirror the movements of whole galaxies … Sorry, can I have a tissue? ::wipes eyes:: Sorry, but seriously – We’re part of something amazing. If I can help people better see that, and as a result realize that their lives have greater significance than they could ever imagine, I’ve done something good. … wait. What was the question? Oh right. Yes. I like science.