Hiro Kanagawa has been on our tv screens for decades, appearing in such favorite shows as Smallville, iZombie, Legends of Tomorrow, Inuyasha, The X-Files, Altered Carbon, and much more. Now, joins the critically acclaimed Star Trek: Discovery as the inquisitive Dr. Hirai, one of the Federation’s leading specialists in astrolinguistics, xenophonology, and theoretical semiotics in the 32nd Century. As the Federation prepares to engage with the extra-galactic Species 10-C, Dr. Hirai is pivotal to establishing first contact.
We were fortunate enough to speak with Hiro Kanagawa on his decades-long career, the experience of joining Discovery, how he sees the media landscape changing for Asian representation, and what work remains to do on that front.
New episodes of Star Trek: Discovery stream Thursdays on Paramount+.