Star Trek: Picard’s Isa Briones and Evan Evagora Connect With Fans at C2E2 2020

It was September 8th, 1966 when the original Star Trek debuted. This incredible voyage among the stars has brought thousands of people together in different variations and adventures — creating a fandom like no other.

Throughout the years, several spinoffs, continuations, and even reimaginings have been birthed not only on television but on the big screen as well. The most recent version dubbed, Star Trek: Picard, has become a massive hit, giving evidence that CBS All Access is a major contender in streaming networks.

Two emerging stars from the show made their way to Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo, greeting fans and signing photos while listening to fond memories and theories of what will happen next. Isa Briones and Evan Evagora seemed right at home within the vast sea of Trekkies, ready to communicate where this new adventure has brought them thus far.

Settling down into their panel, Briones and Evagora smiled intently at each question that approached them, answering to the best of their abilities with the utmost candor.

The first question pulled no punches, getting right to the point about the Star Trek legacy and how the actors felt about being dropped into it.

Isa Briones explained how she sees it. “It’s a dream as an actor to already have an audience. With any project you do, you hope that people watch.”

“Star Trek fans are loyal. There is a built-in audience,” she said.

Evan Evagora agreed with her completely. “She said it so well. Star Trek is going on seven generations. Each one of you I talked to have all had a favorite Trekkie, a captain, and an episode.”

“The new generation and the old generation can come together and appreciate Star Trek again,” he added.

This question gave way to a similar topic about when and how the stars realized they were part of something enormous with Star Trek: Picard.

Evagora approached the question first. “We came out in San Diego, welcomed by screaming before anyone had even seen our trailer. That’s when things changed for me mentally,” he said.

Briones’s views were similar. “We are all aware that Star Trek has an amazing fanbase, but once you are in it, you get a whole overview of it. Many people I talked to really made it clear how important Star Trek has been to them growing up and coming into who they are as people — that’s really touching,” she said.

“I’ve talked to people who have said that Star Trek was their family when they didn’t have a family to rely on. Star Trek was their home. That is so special that we now get to be part of that family,” she concluded.

It is so reassuring when the actors and fans embrace each other equally.

When asked if they were fans of the original growing up, Evagora admitted to watching Star Trek: The Next Generation. With Patrick Stewart starting his role as Jean-Luc Picard on that show, fans wondered what it was like actually meeting and working alongside Stewart on set.

“The first time on set I was terrified and shaky. Having to work opposite him, I was sweating. Every day became easier and more comfortable,” he confessed.

Briones shared her insight on Patrick Stewart. “Patrick has the most ease and grace to him. He makes you feel like you’ve known him forever. We have all become a very close family, and it all is because of Patrick,” she said.

Later on, a fan asked what Evagora and Briones knew about their characters ahead of time and if they were given any context to their background.

Evagora explained he was fairly clueless. “I just knew it had Patrick, and it was Picard. I read through my lines, worked out things as far as I could, and did the audition.”

As for Briones, she had a little more to say on the subject. “I was on tour with Hamilton when I first started auditioning.”

“I was in Columbus, Ohio. In my hotel room, I put a bedsheet over the door, so I could have a white background. I did maybe four or five self-tapes,” she said about her process.

Focusing more directly on the question asked, Briones continued, “I didn’t know anything about my character. The description said she is a young woman. I was like, ‘I know how to play that.’ Very slowly I started to piece it together.”

Briones went on to say, “I didn’t know I was playing two people. I didn’t know who my father was until I read it in the script. It was a big discovery for all of us. The creative team and I didn’t know what direction we wanted to take the character.”

Surprisingly, this sense of mystery helped in Briones’s portrayal of her character. “I have the advantage of discovering along with the audience, which is awesome. She is figuring out who she truly is for the first time.”

“What I love is that Soji and the audience have this special bond of both going through it together. Other people may know more about her, but she is discovering it along with everyone watching.”

On the other hand, Evagora draws inspiration from his similarities with Elnor.

“I found a lot of similarities between Elnor and myself. He is a refugee, and both of my parents are immigrants. We were both born in countries we have no loyalty to. It is about finding these commonalities and staying true to the script,” he told the audience.

Besides sharing similar backgrounds, Evan Evagora and Elnor share something more personal.

“I’m actually using my own accent in the show. The accent you hear is Australian; it’s just not very, ‘G’day mate.’ I can’t imagine talking like that actually,” he said with a laugh.

Briones added, “Everyone gets to keep their own accent in the show, which I think is a good representation of what our world is.”

“We are all from different places and different backgrounds and that is all represented. We get the privilege to be ourselves up on the screen. It is a beautiful thing as an actor. You get to examine yourself from a new lens and the eyes of the audience,” she said.

It is amazing how that metaphor mirrors the show, but is that art imitating life, or life imitating art?

Eventually, curious fans asked about the amount of stunt training they received to perform the awesome action sequences.

Briones began, “I started stunt training about a month before we started filming. We have a great stunt team. Thankfully they taught me most of it, and I got to do a lot of it. My amazing stunt double did more of the strenuous things, the flips and stuff, I didn’t do that.”

Evagora further explained, “We started working on sequences for an hour and a half to two hours a day just trying to get me to look like I know what I’m doing.”

By the look of things, their training went excellent. These feats seem flawless!

Finally, someone brought up the ever-important topic of merchandising. The stars let us in on the secret fact that action figures are forthcoming.

Isa Briones could barely contain herself while talking about them. “We did the poses, so I hope they’ll be coming soon. We haven’t seen them yet, but I’m very excited about it. I want to hold myself in my hand,” she bubbled over.

Her excitement spread to Evagora as well. “That’s the thing I’m looking forward to the most,” he said matter-of-factly. The audience laughed in reply and agreement.

With all the important topics pegged and hinted on at least once, the panel came to a close, whisking the stars off stage and back on to the show floor. Evan Evagora and Isa Briones finished out the weekend among fans who now seemed like family more than ever. It was clear that they are a welcome addition to the Star Trek mythos once and for all.

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Star Trek: Picard is now streaming on CBS All Access

For more information on Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo visit here.

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