Performers considered for DIS roles
This is a list of performers who were considered for  roles, but who ultimately did not appear in the final version of the series. Performers listed here have been verified as having been considered by Star Trek personnel for a particular role in which they ultimately did not appear.

Bryan Adams 
Canadian singer and songwriter , according to himself, was approached for a role in Discovery in late-.

During a television appearance on the BBC with Jason Isaacs and Sonequa Martin-Green in early November 2017, Adams claimed that he had received a call about a month earlier whether he would come to Toronto, the series' shooting location, but "then it went away". Adams joked he looked "like a Klingon anyway."

Angela Bassett 
 was a casting favorite, but stated that she was too busy filming another project.

Prior to his past involvement with creating the series, former showrunner Bryan Fuller imagined ideally that "I want Angela Bassett to be the captain, that's who I would love to have, you know Captain Angela Bassett and First Officer ." He added, "I would love to do that version of the show [...] but that's in the future to be told."  Regarding his interest in Bassett for the fledgling series, she responded, "That's thrilling, that's very nice, but how am I going to do that and ? How is that going to work? ... Oh my gosh, and raise twins?"

Michael Dorn 
Main article: Michael Dorn
Michael Dorn played Worf in some of the previous films and television series (as well as  in ), and had "a couple of conversations with producers" over the course of a couple weeks in the summer of  for a possible role on Discovery. The discussions were eventually unfruitful, and, as of , there were "no plans for him to appear at this time" in the series. During a Q&A with the audience following an interview with Jim Helsinger, the Artistic Director for Florida's Orlando Shakespeare Theater, Dorn stated that he would appear as another Worf ancestor in a guest role in "the first episodes of the new series [that would] center around the Klingons." Rumors indicate that he ultimately turned down the role because he would have received low pay for his appearance.

Jewel Staite 
 (born 2 June 1982) is a Canadian actress who was asked to send in a tape for an unspecified role in Discovery when the series was in development. (Personal question at FedCon XXIX, 24 October 2021)

Staite is well known for her roles as engineer Kaylee Frye in the science fiction series Firefly (2002-2003, with Ron Glass) and the feature film Serenity (2005) and Dr. Jennifer Keller in the science fiction spin-off series  (2005-2009, with Paul McGillion and Robert Picardo).

Staite also starred in the television series Space Cases (1996, with George Takei), Honey, I Shrunk the Kids: The TV Show (1997-1999, with Barbara Alyn Woods and Thomas Dekker), Da Vinci's Inquest (1998-2001), The Killing (2013-2014, with William O. Campbell), and Family Law (2021-2022, with Victor Garber) and had guest roles in episodes of The X-Files (1995, directed by Kim Manners), Seven Days (2001, with Alan Scarfe and Norman Lloyd), Dead Like Me (2003), Warehouse 13 (2010, with Saul Rubinek and Conrad Coates), Supernatural (2011, with Jim Beaver and Benito Martinez), Legends of Tomorrow (2016, with Victor Garber), Castle (2016), The Good Doctor (2018), The Magicians (2019-2020), and Blindspot (2017 and 2020, with Michelle Hurd).

Tony Todd 
Main article: Tony Todd
Tony Todd, who appeared as Kurn, an adult Jake Sisko, and a Hirogen, expressed interest about working on the new series and even confirmed he was on a casting list of the studio.  
Production lists
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