Back in December, it was announced that The Walking Dead star Sonequa Martin-Green has been cast as the series lead character on CBS All Access' Star Trek Discovery. Since her Walking Dead character Sasha was still alive in the series, it had many wondering if the beloved character was about to be killed off, especially when considering that other actors being cast on different shows was often an indication of their characters being killed off. Despite reports that Sonequa Martin-Green would still be a part of The Walking Dead, the actress' Sasha character was killed off in the season finale. The actress revealed in a new interview that she didn't leave The Walking Dead for Star Trek Discovery, revealing that her character's fate had already been sealed before she landed the role. Here's what she had to say below.

"It couldn't have worked out more perfectly, because what was happening on Walking Dead was already underway. It was the path. It was definitely in place. And then as we were going into the very end of the season, the very end of our shoot for the season, that's when the opportunity for Star Trek came. And so I know some people might think that I left Walking Dead to do Star Trek, but it did not happen that way. It was after Walking Dead was already ending that the opportunity for Star Trek came.

Back in Season 2, it was reported that Jon Bernthal was cast in the new TNT pilot L.A. Noir, which would eventually air under the title Mob City for its first and only season. The news was confirmed by the network, just one day after The Walking Dead episode aired where his character Shane was killed. Then in Season 3, Sarah Wayne Callies was cast in the film Category Six, which was released under the title Into the Storm, while production was still under way, and she was eventually killed during that season. And, most recently, Steven Yeun started filming a new Netflix original movie entitled Okja for Brad Pitt's Plan B productions, while The Walking Dead Season 7 was in production. Fans learned in the Season 7 premiere that his character Glenn was one of two characters killed by the nefarious Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), along with Michael Cudlitz's Abraham Ford. The actress also revealed that, after her Walking Dead fate was sealed, she wasn't sure what she was going to do next, until this Star Trek role came along.

"I didn't know what I was going to be doing next. And when Star Trek came I thought, Oh my goodness! This is...unspeakable! Like, what?? It's going from such a goliath that reaches so many people in such a profound way, to a legacy. So basically going from legacy to legacy. Because Star Trek has definitely been printed in the hearts of so many people and has been since the '60s, obviously. To go from such a favorite show, to arguably the most favorite show of all time, is [laughs] I still think I'm catching my breath."

Just a day after Sonequa Martin-Green's Sasha character was killed off, it was confirmed that she will portray First Officer Michael Burnham. Former showrunner Bryan Fuller revealed before stepping away from the series that the show's lead character will be a "lieutenant commander with caveats," and Sonequa Martin-Green's casting confirmation cements two iconic firsts for the franchise. Star Trek Discovery will now be the first Star Trek show lead by an African-American female, while also being the first show to center on a character who isn't the captain, with her character Michael Burnham serving as the First Officer. Hopefully we'll learn more about her Star Trek Discovery character as production continues, and more on The Walking Dead Season 8.