Spock’s parents will both appear in series
We learned yesterday, through a exclusive interview conducted by TrekMovie, that Amanda Grayson will appear in Star Trek Discovery. Amanda Grayson, Spock’s human mother, will be played by Canadian actress Mia Kirshner.
Rumours had been spreading ever since the summer of 2016 when then-showrunner Bryan Fuller confirmed that those working on the series did like the character, and that her appearance in the series hadn’t been ruled out. While neither he, nor anyone else involved in the show, had confirmed that Spock’s mother would appear in the show, recently executive producer Aaron Harberts spilled the beans during an interview with TrekMovie.
While it’s unlikely that Amanda Grayson will have a significant role in the first season of the show, Spock’s father, Sarek, is slated to have a key spot in the story arc of the show.
The character of Amanda was played by Winona Ryder in Star Trek (2009) which occurs in the Kelvin Universe. Star Trek: Discovery is part of the Prime Universe canon.
Amanda, a school teacher born on Earth, married Sarek and moved to Vulcan. At the time, Sarek was the Vulcan ambassador to Earth. Spock was her only birthed child, however she was also involved with the upbringing of Star Trek Discovery character Micheal Burnham, and likely played some part in providing her with human culture and insight. From what we understand, Sarek played the larger part in her upbringing.