When the new Apple TV+ series Murderbot hits on May 16, fans of the incredible and hilarious Martha Wells books are in for a treat. But the details of Murderbot are even more incredible than the fact that the first season is fairly faithful to the first book. Because on top of a great cast and an original premise, Murderbot also features future-tense sci-fi “content,” and in the TV series version, that fake sci-fi show, The Rise and Fall of Sanctuary Moon, will star none other than John Cho.
In the just-released first full-length trailer for Apple’s Murderbot, we get the entire set-up of the show: SecUnit (Alexander Skarsgård) is taken on a survey mission by a group of well-meaning scientists. SecUnit, who has nicknamed itself “Murderbot,” doesn’t really want to interact with humans and would rather watch a ton of shows in its own personal feed. And, just like in the books, one of the shows that SecUnit watches is called The Rise and Fall of Sanctuary Moon. Until now, it hasn’t been revealed whether that fictional series within Murderbot will have its own cast, but now we know it very much does. Because the faux-Star Trek of the Murderbot universe will star John Cho as “The Captain.”
Murderbot Trailer
Cho is, of course, known for his role as Hikaru Sulu in the three “reboot” Trek films, Star Trek (2009), Star Trek Into Darkness (2013), and Star Trek Beyond (2016). So, putting him in the “Captain” role in MurderBbt’s meta-show is obviously a huge shout-out to his background in the Trek franchise. As played by George Takei, Sulu did eventually become a starship captain in 1991’s The Undiscovered Country, and in Into Darkness, Cho’s Sulu was also in command of the Enterprise. Cho also played another spaceship captain of sorts, Spike Spiegel, in the live-action Netflix version of Cowboy Bebop.
While it’s unclear just how much screentime Sanctuary Moon will have in Murderbot, the fact that SecUnit watches a ton of this show is a huge part of the books. However, it already looks like the TV adaptation will be expanding the details of Sanctuary Moon, at least beyond what we learn in the first novel, All Systems Red.
To be clear, this cameo from Cho is just one part of what is shaping up to be a fantastic new sci-fi series. The trailer also makes it clear that the narrative point-of-view will come from SecUnit, just as it does in the novels, which results in hilariously deadpan voiceovers from Skarsgård.
The rest of the cast is excellent, too, including Noma Dumezweni, Sabrina Wu, Akshay Khanna, Tattiawna Jones, and Tamara Podemski. The show also stars David Dastmalchian, who plays Gurathin, an augmented human who is at odds with SecUnit. And yes, this is the same David Dastmalchian who expertly played the twisted Mentat Piter De Vries in Dune: Part One. Is Gurathin also kind of like a twisted Mentat? Yes and no. But one thing is for sure: the cast and look, and feel of Murderbot are all fantastic. Here’s hoping Apple TV+’s next big sci-fi show delivers.
