James Frain Joins Discovery As Sarek

James Frain will play Sarek, Spock's father, on Star Trek: Discovery, it was announced today by CBS Television Studios, which also confirmed that production on Discovery will begin next week in Toronto. Sarek, a formidable Vulcan, is a beloved character who appeared throughout the Star Trek franchise, from The Original Series to several of the TOS features and from Star Trek: The Next Generation to Star Trek (2009).

A respected British actor, Frain's many film and television credits include Prime Suspect, Elizabeth, Hilary and Jackie, The Tudors, FlashForward, True Blood and Tron Legacy. More recently, he played Leet Brannis on Agent Carter, Ferdinand on Orphan Black, and Theo Galavan/Azrael on Gotham.

Frain joins the previously announced cast members Michelle Yeoh, Doug Jones, Anthony Rapp, Chris Obi, Shazad Latif and Mary Chieffo. Star Trek: Discovery is coming to CBS All Access in 2017, following the premiere on the CBS Television Network, and will be distributed concurrently on Netflix in 188 countries and through Bell Media in Canada.