Discovery’s David Ajala On Cleveland Booker’s Journey & Shooting The “Powerful” Series Finale

[WARNING: The following interview contains spoilers for Star Trek: Discovery‘s final season.]After a five-season run, Star Trek: Discovery came to an end on May 30, 2023, providing closure for characters such as Captain Michael Burnham and Cleveland Booker, while also offering a further glimpse forward as to what their future could hold. After ordering a 10-episode fifth season in January 2022, Paramount made the surprise choice in March 2023 to make it the last of the series, a decision that came as a shock to both the cast and the crew and resulted in some additional scenes being shot to create a coda to bring the series to a satisfying conclusion.

The Kwejian rogue first appeared in the series in season 3 as a nomadic courier, meeting Michael Burnham and forming a relationship with her, and despite many trials and tribulations as he dealt with the loss of his homeworld and family, he ultimately became an asset to the Discovery crew.

While attending MCM London Comic Con in May 2024, where there was also a celebratory Star Trek: Discovery panel in the run-up to its series finale, Screen Rant sat down with David Ajala, who plays Cleveland “Book” Booker, to discuss his time on the show and his thoughts on Booker’s journey and Discovery‘s series finale, “Life, Itself“.

“It’s A Journey”: David Ajala Reflects On Book’s Star Trek: Discovery Arc

Screen Rant: How would you describe Cleveland Booker’s arc in your three seasons from where he started to where he ended?

David Ajala: Well, it’s a journey! It’s a massive, massive journey. I think when we first meet Cleveland Booker, we meet him in the middle of doing what he loves, his call, his purpose, which is to save endangered species. And in the middle of him, you know, saving a species, he literally bumps into Michael Burnham, and she becomes a massive inconvenience to him. But somehow, her being away from her home or her family, and trying to find the home and family reconnect just resonates with Cleveland Booker. So, against his better judgment, he decides to take her on board of his ship, and kind of help her to just find her way again.

Screen Rant: That actually takes me onto this next question. We still don’t know the details of that one year where Booker and Burnham were couriers together. Like, would you be down to tell that story if there was a spin-off?

David Ajala: Oh, absolutely. I think that’d be an amazing story.
Because that year, I call it “The adventures of Burnham and Book, featuring Grudge the Queen”, like that specific period of time, I think there was so much growth for Michael Burnham, so much growth for Cleveland Booker.
I think that journey inside of that year, has allowed them to be the individuals that they’ve become, that we then meet in the rest of season three.

I just feel that these two are meant to have met each other, and they’ll continue to be in each other’s lives forever, and I know things can be rocky, but the course of true love never did run smooth, and Cleveland Booker has gone through a
whole gamut of emotions
and experiences that has led them to this moment, right now in season five, where he’s been given a second chance… and he grabs it like a life raft.

Screen Rant: So you mentioned the Queen, Grudge. One thing that I have noticed fans saying about the latest season… Where is she?

David Ajala: [Laughs] I know! She’s expensive, Glenn! She is a queen, she’s a diva, and with that comes a whole entourage, and she’s just very high maintenance. Logistically, we would always love to have more Grudge, on screen. Absolutely.
But I guess sometimes with the way the story goes, it’s not that there isn’t room for Grudge, there’s always room for a queen, but the direction the story goes, we’re always trying to find interesting ways to be able to have Grudge feature, but we will be seeing a bit more of our beloved queen, for sure
.

Screen Rant: Family is so important to Book. Can you talk more about Booker’s need to connect with Moll as the last family that they have left?

David Ajala: Yeah. I mean, it’s so wild that his last and only connection to any kind of family member is the very person who is quote-unquote, his enemy. It’s such a profound way to discover your last kind of lifeline, which he thought had expired, but now he’s presented with another chance to connect.
I guess his need to connect is the very thing that propels him and makes him duty bound to try and give Moll that same second chance which he was afforded
, that level of grace. I just felt if anyone is going to connect with Moll it is Cleveland Booker.

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Book’s Family Link To Star Trek: Discovery’s New Villain Moll Explained

Star Trek: Discovery season 5’s new villain, Moll, has an unexpected family connection to Cleveland Booker that could have major implications.

Screen Rant: What did you learn from working with Sonequa Martin-Green? And also what did she learn from working with you?

David Ajala: Oh, great question. I learned from Sonequa, and I feel the best teachers occasionally use words. Sonequa Martin-Green for me, is such a
wonderful leader and lightning in a bottle
. She describes the show as being “lightning in a bottle” and I agree. Day by day, I would see Sonequa always showing up and giving her all, having the most wonderful amount of curiosity, enthusiasm, and commitment to her work. She’s super inspiring. Just a great individual to be around.

I saw her go through… we all witnessed going through challenging times and to see how she navigated that space as best she could in completely unfamiliar territory. No one ever has to be any specific which way when they go through certain challenging things, but Sonequa’s light continues to shine.
I know she describes the show as being “lightning in a bottle”, and after working with her and finishing season five, I believe that she is the lightning in the bottle
.

Looking At Star Trek: Discovery’s Evolution Through 5 Seasons And Beyond

Screen Rant: Outside of Burnham, Booker got to develop a friendship with Dr. Culber. Could you talk about the bonds that formed between them… and was that real Mofongo that you guys ate?

David Ajala: Yes, it was, and according to Mr. Wilson Cruz, he said that it was a very good Mofongo! We really enjoyed it. I remember we shot that scene early part of the morning, so that was actually my breakfast. We enjoyed it, but you know, what I really, really loved about the relationship between Culber and Cleveland Booker is it just came to a place where Cleveland Booker needed help to unpack thoughts, experiences, trauma, and at the same time it created a fertile ground for Culber to now look inwardly at himself as well.

So he used himself as a subject to be able to help Cleveland Booker, but then Cleveland Booker did the same for him
. It was like they, they literally helped each other out and I think it had a quite profound effect on Culber, because he’s always there to help other people, but now he needs to understand that sometimes, you need to create room so that people can help you, too. I really love that very transparent relationship that they have.

Screen Rant: I think that’s such a brilliant message to give people as well, because it’s so relatable to so many. Everyone needs help sometimes.

David Ajala: Absolutely.

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Star Trek: Discovery Season 5’s Best Surprise Is Book And Culber’s Friendship

Friendship is vitally important in Star Trek: Discovery, and it’s been a joy to watch Cleveland Booker and Dr. Culber become friends during season 5.

Screen Rant: As Star Trek: Discovery ends, and we look to the future of the franchise, we have Starfleet Academy coming up.

David Ajala: Yes!

Screen Rant: Would you come back as Cleveland Booker in that and what course do you think he would teach?

David Ajala: That’s a great question!
Would I come back? If I’m invited? Absolutely
. It would be a pleasure. Which course would Cleveland Booker teach? I think it would be a course that would be very unconventional, but beneficial, and dare I say it, the only way that Cleveland Booker would be able to teach is if he is given free and full reins to teach in his way.

Screen Rant: I would pay good money to watch that!

David Ajala: [Laughs] That’d be cool, right? I love the fact that the world of Star Trek continues and evolves through the academy. I just feel it’s wonderful, fertile ground to tell some really, really amazing stories.

Screen Rant: We got a screener of the finale, and I would like to talk about some of the stuff in it…

David Ajala: I haven’t seen it! I’ve got it. I have it.
But when I’m working it’s hard to watch the stuff that I’m in, so I won’t watch until the end of the year
. I can obviously talk to you about it though.

Screen Rant: Thanks! So Burnham and Booker have that moment on the beach after Saru’s wedding. Was that the original ending for season 5?

David Ajala: Yeah! It absolutely was! And that was before we found out. So the thing is, it’s kind of bittersweet, but when we had to go back to Toronto after we had the news that season five was the final season, we didn’t really shoot much to kind of
tail end the story
. There were a few little bits here and there, but we didn’t really shoot a crazy amount.
One of the main additions was the more mature Cleveland Booker and Michael Burnham
. That was an addition.

Screen Rant: Yeah, my other question about it was going to be about that final scene with Booker Burnham and their son Leto, the new Captain Burnham. So how was it coming back to film that, because that was after you found out?

David Ajala: Yeah, it was. It was so special, like, really, really amazing… And all the feels, all the warm energy, all the healthy sentimental values of why we appreciate this franchise so much, but to be able to tell that story…
You know, it’s like Star Trek and the different iterations of Star Trek. They’re like heirlooms, and they’re just passed down from generation to generation
, but to see the physical manifestation of that on screen I think it’s incredible.

For Michael Burnham to say, “Son, you’ve got this.” And in that moment, what’s so special is, when Leto is stood there, he has a little moment of being shy and doubtful, and the way Michael Burnham sees it arrests them in that moment – like, “Hey, I see that and it’s fine. In spite of that, you still got it.” I found it so powerful, because we’re not superheroes. We just have courage. Yeah, that’s what it is. It is courage. It was a very, very wonderful moment to shoot that scene. Truly.

About Star Trek: Discovery Season 5

The fifth and final season of Star Trek: Discovery finds Captain Burnham and the crew of the USS Discovery uncovering a mystery that will send them on an epic adventure across the galaxy to find an ancient power whose very existence has been deliberately hidden for centuries. But there are others on the hunt as well … dangerous foes who are desperate to claim the prize for themselves and will stop at nothing to get it.

Check out our other Star Trek: Discovery season 5 interviews here:

Star Trek: Discovery

Star Trek: Discovery is an entry in the legendary Sci-Fi franchise, set ten years before the original Star Trek series events. The show centers around Commander Michael Burnham, assigned to the USS Discovery, where the crew attempts to prevent a Klingon war while traveling through the vast reaches of space.

Release Date

September 24, 2017

Seasons

5

Writers

Alex Kurtzman

Showrunner

Alex Kurtzman

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