9 Years Later, Laurence Fishburne’s Canceled Star Trek Klingon Look Revealed

9 years after Star Trek: Discovery premiered, series creator Bryan Fuller revealed what Laurence Fishburne would have looked like if he’d played a Klingon as Fuller originally intended.

Bryan Fuller created Star Trek: Discovery but left before season 1 premiered due to creative differences. In 2025, Fuller guested on The D-Con Chamber podcast and spoke openly about his original concept for Star Trek: Discovery, which was initially designed as an anthology. Fuller, who also created and was the showrunner for NBC’s Hannibal, also intended to bring several of that show’s actors into Star Trek, including Laurence Fishburne.

On his Instagram, Bryan Fuller wished Laurence Fishburne a happy birthday by unveiling the concept art for Fishburne’s Klingon look in Star Trek: Discovery. Markedly different from the Klingons’ controversial redesign in Star Trek: Discovery, Fuller’s reveal is a fascinating glimpse at his unfulfilled ideas for the warrior race. Check it out below:

The radically different Klingons that eventually appeared on Star Trek: Discovery remain one of the most hated aspects of the series. As Fuller told The D-Con Chamber, “My last week there, I had approved the Starfleet uniforms, which they tossed out. And I had rejected the Klingons, which they kept.” Fuller kept his Klingon designs, and now reveals Laurence Fishburne as a Klingon for the first time.

Bryan Fuller’s canceled Klingon look hews much closer to the popular look of the warrior race established by Star Trek: The Motion Picture and Star Trek: The Next Generation. The ridged foreheads are intact, and the armor is more barbarian-style and less distinctly ‘alien’ than the Klingons that debuted in Star Trek: Discovery (that Fuller said no to before exiting the series).

Image credit: MoviestillsDB

Along with Fishburne as a Klingon, Fuller wanted other Hannibal cast members to join Star Trek: Discovery, including Richard Armitage as Ambassador Sarek, Gillian Anderson as a Starfleet captain, and Hugh Dancy in an unknown role. Fuller also originally cast Anthony Rapp as an Andorian, and Wilson Cruz was the original Dr. Paul Stamets, which became Rapp’s character.

Bryan Fuller’s Star Trek: Discovery is one of the franchise’s most intriguing lost Star Trek ideas. Fuller’s vision would have been very different from the version of Disco that ultimately launched CBS All-Access (now Paramount+), ran for five seasons, and was the flagship of a decade of new Star Trek TV series.

Had it happened, Star Trek: Discovery would not only have benefited from six-time Emmy winner Laurence Fishburne in its cast, but the first new Star Trek series in 12 years might have avoided the rampant controversy and online hate heaped onto its Klingons ever since.

Watch Bryan Fuller talking about Star Trek: Discovery on The D-Con Chamber below:

All episodes of Star Trek: Discovery are streaming on Paramount+.

Release Date

2017 – 2024-00-00

Showrunner

Alex Kurtzman

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