Star Trek: Strange New Worlds
2022
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Melissa C. Navia (born August 24, 1984) is an American actress known for playing helmsman Erica Ortegas in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (2022–present). In 2013, Navia won the award for best actress at the Wild Rose Independent Film Festival for her role as Dawn in the sci-fi movie The Paragon Cortex.
Melissa Navia is known for her roles in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, Bull, Dietland, and Moana. She is also a stunt performer, a banjo player, and a martial arts and sword fighting enthusiast.
- 1.60 m
- 3 min
- Actress, Writer, Stunts
- “The Universe Is Punking Me”
- “How Do You Fly A Starship?”
- “She Doesn’T Have to Put A Label on It”
- “It Was The Most Talked About Episode All Season”
- “The Payoff Will Be There”
- GeneratedCaptionsTabForHeroSec
Because Ortegas wasn’t already a part of “Trek” history like Uhura or Nurse Chapel, Navia was clued into everything about the character for her first audition. “The name was right there in the breakdown,” she said. “She’s a pilot. Combat veteran. Latina.” Navia watched “Star Trek: The Next Generation” as a kid — “that opening with Patrick Stewart a...
When Navia stepped onto the eye-popping set of the Enterprise bridge with her castmates, she remembered everyone else standing agape at the polish and detail of the production design. “And I was just like, ‘How does this all work?'” she said. “I still remember heading back to our chairs after like our first setup, and googling, ‘How do you fly a st...
Navia is fully aware that Ortegas’ androgynous appearance — not to mention her chemistry with male and female crewmates alike — has suggested to many LGBTQ+ “Trek” fans that Ortegas is queer. It’s a perception she’s played into happily. “I’ve been playing Ortegas to be very much, like, she’s super loyal to her crew and she also has a crush on proba...
One day early into shooting Season 1 of “Strange New Worlds,” Navia visited the costume department for a fitting and someone there asked her if she knew how to sword fight. “And I was just like, ‘Well, I have a martial arts background and I’ve done sword fighting stunt work for a film before,'” Navia recalled. “And they were like, ‘The writers have...
Navia knows that while Ortegas has often had a big role to play throughout Season 1, she’s never been given a showcase episode in the way that the rest of her castmates have. And she’s fine with that. “The biggest storylines in Season 1 are not me,” she said. “My thing is, like, I’m flying a ship. I don’t have time to have all these emotional conve...
Melissa Navia, who plays the original character Lt. Erica Ortegas on the Paramount+ series, talks about her role, her sexuality and her love of 'Star Trek'. She also reveals how she learned to fly a starship and how she coped with the loss of her partner.
- Adam B. Vary
Jul 7, 2022 · ‘Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’ Actress Melissa Navia Talks Ortegas’ Grit, Heart and Spot-On Sarcasm. In an interview with THR prior to the season one finale, Navia discusses becoming a part of...
Melissa Navia is a Colombian-American actor and writer who stars in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds as Lt. Erica Ortegas. Learn more about her height, stage and screen roles, and other skills on IMDb.
Mar 11, 2024 · The actress who plays Lt. Erica Ortegas talks about her hopes for her character, her Latina heritage, and her haircut. She also reveals some secrets about season 3 production and teases a possible Mirror Erica episode.
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Jul 11, 2023 · Melissa Navia, who plays Erica Ortegas, the helmsman of the U.S.S. Enterprise, talks about her character, the crew, and the fans in an interview with StarTrek.com. She also reveals her passion for flying and her pilot's license.
