Star Trek: Discovery
Warning : MAJOR SPOILERS for Star Trek : Discovery Season 5 , Episode 7 - " Erigah "
Summary
Elias Toufexis ' soulful Breen insurrectionist , L’ak , makesStar Trekhistory even as his ultimate luck is decided inStar Trek : Discoveryseason 5 . A lifelongStar Trek fan , Toufexis had a little role inStar Trek : Discoveryseason 1 , but he ’s back as one of season 5 ’s big bads alongside Eve Harlow , who plays L’ak ’s lover , Moll .
Star Trek : Discoveryseason 5 dropped major bombshells that acquire what ’s sleep with about the nefarious Breen Imperium . L’ak is not only a Breen , but he ’s the Scion , the last blood descendant of the late Breen Emperor . But L’ak fell in making love with Moll , and he turn tail the grip of his uncle Primarch Ruhn ( Tony Nappo ) , rejecting his Breen heritage to seek a sprightliness of freedom with his beloved . But Moll and L’ak ’s dreams amount to a tragical ending .
The Breen localise an Erigah , or blood bountifulness , on L’ak and Moll ’s heads .
As Burnham seeks the creation ’s neat treasure in Star Trek : Discovery time of year 5 , she ’ll need supporter from a host of new and returning theatrical role .
Screen Rantinterviewed Elias Toufexis about playing L’ak ’s death inStar Trek : Discoveryseason 5 , instalment 7 , " Erigah " , what it was like filming onStar Trek : Strange New Worlds ' Enterprise Set , andmakingStar Trekhistory as the first Breen to remove his helmet .
Elias Toufexis Discusses L’ak’s Shocking Death In Star Trek: Discovery Season 5
Screen Rant : We ’re gon na do a post - mortem onDiscovery episode 507 . Literally . Because I was genuinely stunned . I was like , Wait , is that for real?L’ak ’s really drained ?
Elias Toufexis : Well , I stand for , that was the matter , right ? It had to have an impact on the story . So I knew it was get . Even before I bugger off the script , I had figured it out . If they ’re gon na want to do this sort of Breen - Federation schism , even though it ’s already there , there has to be a reason . I was working this out on my own . It ca n’t just be L’ak just does n’t require to give this give up . So I looked at him like , ' He ’s gon na go . He has to die . ' They did n’t tell me . I just knew from a fabricator point in time of prospect he has to perish . There ’s no agency for where the story to go where it demand to go without L’ak ’s forfeit . And as deplorable as I was , I understood it for the story .
It ’s very interesting being a lineament like this , because there ’s a part of you that ’s really sad L’ak is go . And then there ’s a part of the role player going , ' Well , I do n’t have to wake up tomorrow at 2:30 in the dawn and put on four and a half hour of prosthetics any longer . ' So that ’s full . I plausibly would have done it . But yeah , that was what terminate up happening with L’ak .
It ’s funny , when I watched episode 505 the first time , I sense something was already up because L’ak ’s ship is destroy off - filmdom . And I ’m like , ' Elias loves that ship . Something ’s faulty . '
Elias Toufexis : I ’m glad you extend there with it . ' Elias get it on that ship . He would n’t let them do that . ' Like I have any say in the matter .
Tell me about playing L’ak ’s decease scene . You ’re one of the fewStar Trekactors who actually got to do a death picture .
Elias Toufexis : Yeah , it was an interesting instalment for me because he is in that medbay bed that entire episode . And so , there were times where I would have to put on [ L’aks ' ] whole [ costume ] including the hand because he has no mitt in this sequence . So it ’d be like six hour a day to get into this matter . And then , they would n’t shoot me because they ’d be shoot all the stuff that happens around the bottom . And I put on all this material ! I did the mathematics , John , I did the maths . And that week , I was more L’ak than I was me . That hebdomad , the hours that I had put in , I was more L’ak than me . So it was kind of freaking me out a picayune mo , it was get to me .
But the demise tantrum , it was mostly about Eve . It ’s not hard to dally because Eve ’s so honest , correct ? So the only matter that was dodgy about that was making sure that , much like most of the rest of the season , I was getting through the makeup and through the link lens , that the emotion that was needed [ was there ] . But it was mostly push through Eve , who gave an amazing carrying into action . You have it off , it ’s not that hard to attend up and see Eve and Moll cry and desperate . And I did n’t have that much else to do . I just had to await at her eyes . And it all kind of come in to me . So it was a tidy sum to do with her , and I do n’t think I ever shoot anything without look at her . I know we had a really close up , and I ’m taste to remember if I could n’t look at her . I ’m pretty sure I could look at her even in the close up . Because she helped me get to everywhere I needed to get to because of her great performance .
And then the way they rationalise it together too is really good . And it ’s suspicious because I see that in the hand . Again , the storyteller in me said , ' Oh , this is gon na be good . She ’s gon na walk slowly , and she ’s gon na walk by all the characters , and she ’s gon na see L’ak . ' And I eff it was going to work out . It was great to have a end . Everything I did on this show was great to do in terms of like , ' Look , I ’m doing this in Star Trek , I ’m doing this in Star Trek . ' I have my own ship . I have my own phaser . I have fights . I have holograph . I have all this crazy clobber that I ’m doing , and every time I do them , I ’m like , ' This is the coolheaded affair I ’ve ever done . ' So even dying was like , ' Yeah , that ’s cool . I get to die on Star Trek . '
Elias Toufexis' Favorite Scene As L’ak And Filming On Strange New Worlds' Enterprise Set
Did you have a favorite scene to shoot as L’ak ?
Elias Toufexis : The Breen stuff and nonsense was really good . All that all that stuff in the past , I really enjoyed that . Even though I remember that week was very exhausting because that wardrobe was really tight and hard to move around in . But again , it was Eve . Eve made everything easy for me . So her great operation is easy to play off . The only effect I had with L’ak is , I think we ’ve already mouth about this , but it was trying to get through the makeup . I did talk to you about this because I would see you at things and go , ' Did it come through ? Did it come through ? ' Like ' Did the empathy add up through ? Did you feel bad for him ? Do you experience dreary for them ? ' That ’s really all I really , really wanted .
But my preferent clobber was the Breen stuff . The stuff in the past tense , mostly because of the sexual love story . And then , being capable to play intimidated by his uncle , because he ’s such a badass for the eternal rest of the season . Showing that he ’s actually intimidate by his uncle and also by Moll , or shy around Moll and intimidated by his uncle . It ’s very dissimilar from what I present L’ak as in the first couple of episodes , where he ’s just this big , brooding tough guy . But the ability to go and play scared and shy is , I mean , my favorite stuff , because it ’s so different from what you would anticipate .
The last time you and I talked with Eve was right beforeDiscoveryepisode 505happened . So we could not talk about you film on the Enterprise readiness ofStrange New Worlds . I’ve catch ta ask you about that . I even I saw the photo you post of you in the police captain ’s electric chair . What was that like being on that set ?
Elias Toufexis : Like I carry on Twitter , there ’s apicture of me at 15 year oldon a makeshift captain ’s hot seat that I made bet Star Trek in my booster ’s cellar . And then I ’m sitting on the real bridgework as an literal major character in Star Trek . You almost have to step back from it because , when you ’re in the moment , you ’re like , ' Yeah , this is really cool . Okay , but I gravel ta memorise my blood line . ' And then , when you step back from it , you begin plump , ' This is insane . If had enjoin my 15 - year - old self that I was going to be on that Enterprise , not only the go-ahead , but the Enterprise from " Mirror , Mirror . " With that actual initiative , one of my favourite episodes ever . An episode I grew up watching my dad and my uncles … I do n’t know that it ’s even dip in . Like , it might sink in a twelvemonth from now . And it ’s really cool when you kind of leave about it for a minute .
But I would have incur in so much trouble if they had know what I was doing . I was climbing up the Jeffries Tube . Like , ' I ’m going up the Jeffries Tube , I do n’t care . ' Nobody was around , and I ’m rise up the Jefferies Tube , I ’m gon na check it out . I snuck onto the bridge deck ‘cause I did n’t shoot anything on the bridge . All my stuff was in the med bay tree . So I was walking around the set whenever I had a 2nd off and live , " Can you take a painting of me , please , on the bridge ? ' Yeah , so I was geeking out the entire time . It was half-baked .
Man , I ’m beaming you got to endure that dream .
Elias Toufexis : It ’s pretty crazy . Again , I do n’t know that I ’ve fully accepted it . My buddy Andrew and I grew up together loving Star Trek , and he did that stuff in the cellar with me . And he was tell me , ' Dude , every time I talk to you , I do n’t retrieve you realize what you did there . If I could tell you at 15 what you would be doing , you would be freaking out , and you seem very calm . ' I just do n’t make love that it sink in . It is very hard to break up workplace from life at time . I never get intimidated meet big actors because I always meet them at work . Like , some actor I have admired my whole life story , but I ’m meet them at body of work , so it ’s work . And then later , I ’m like , ' Oh , yeah , I worked with Jon Voight . I love Jon Voight ! I ’ve been loving Jon Voight ’s work forever , and I did a motion picture with him . ' That kind of stuff and nonsense sits later on , so I ’m not certain I ’ve actually grasped it yet . I will .
What It Means For L’ak To Be A History-Making Star Trek Character
There ’s an substitute timeline where Moll and L’ak steal theMirror Universe Enterpriseand that became their ship . I would write that story .
Elias Toufexis : You know what storey I require to compose ? There ’s two years between when Moll and L’ak elude the Breen to when “ Red Directive ” starts . Where ’s that story ?
Yeah , that ’s a honest stage . My last question for you : I write an article aboutL’ak being a account - makingStar Trekcharacter . The first fully - realized Breen character inStar Trek . You just made history . What ’s your take on that ?
Elias Toufexis : That ’s the matter . I remember being going to get , I intend I may have talked you about this , get the plaster mold . And when I catch there , I asked if they had any concept art . And then they showed me , and [ L’ak ] turned out reasonably much exactly like the concept artistry , maybe a little different . But I said , ' What slipstream is this character ? ' And he said , ' He ’s a Breen . ' And my brain was like , ' Wait a minute , the Breen do n’t take their helmets off . ' That was the first thing I said . And then , they express joy and said , ' Yeah , you ’re doing it . ' And then , I actualise , ' Oh , I ’m making chronicle . I ’m making Star Trek history . '
You know , where my mind live first ? Articles like yours , the one you wrote , and , technical manuals . Because I collected them , technical manuals , Star Trek manuals . I ’m gon na get one soon , and it ’s gon na have the Breen in it . And the first time the Breen ’s [ typeface is ] seen is me ! Again , much like being on the bridgework of the endeavor , it ’s kind of intellect - blowing when you step back , but you ’ve got ta ill-treat back .
About Star Trek: Discovery Season 5
The 5th and concluding season of Star Trek : Discovery find oneself Captain Burnham and the crew of the USS Discovery uncovering a enigma that will send them on an epic dangerous undertaking across the galaxy to find an ancient power whose very existence has been deliberately hidden for centuries . But there are others on the Leigh Hunt as well … dangerous foes who are desperate to arrogate the prize for themselves and will stop at nothing to get it .
Check out our otherStar Trek : Discoveryseason 5 interviews here :
young episode of Star Trek : Discovery season 5 stream Thursdays on Paramount+
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