I think there's a real difference between the way Discovery uses its minor characters and how earlier series did. Characters like Jae, Ayala and Nozawa showed up in dozens of episodes and I had no idea they were even there until someone told me because they were basically extras with the occasional line. It's impossible not to notice Owosekun and Detmer on the other hand, because they get as much screentime and stuff to do in a crisis as Ortegas. They're just not treated like actual characters and it's frustrating because I'm sold on them and I want to see more. Kyle is more of a Chief O'Brien right now, except he shows up much more often and if they keep coming back to him like this I'm going to end up wanting him to be a main character on a Star Trek: Deep Space K-7 spin-off.
I felt that way about Lieutenant Giotto. Now, I take that as a sign that they are doing a good job because if I want to see more then they are actually characters who are interesting, rather than just extras like people insist they are. As for Kyle, I think he will be Chief Engineer someday.
"Amok Time" gets a lot more creepy if Spock is looking at photos of his wife age seven when he's seen her just a few years prior. And Chapel having a totally different personality does too, surely?
I think they're doing a good job with Kyle, but at this point I'd actually be happy seeing less of Detmer and Owosekun. They should replace them with random extras if they're not going to turn them into proper characters, because being teased like this is just annoying.
I think they're doing great with Detmer and Owo. And hopefully Kyle is an inspiration to more with them, not less. To me, characters, regardless of their use, should feel like characters, and make me intrigued to know more. I always go back to "Balance of Terror" where I know little about Tomlinson but I still want to know more. He feels like a person in a world, and makes me intrigued. Detmer had more and I would prefer more. That's the beauty of characters.
But they are. They give the rote Trek Bridge dialog. Shields down to.... Hailing frequencies open. Warp 6. The pop up in group scenes and sometimes on landing parties. Just like Sulu and Uhura did. Only in recent seasons have they moved beyond that. They aren't opening credits characters. Ortegas is. They are Kyle, Christina and Mitchell.
The thing is, I'm fine with Kyle, Christina and Mitchell. I was fine with Sulu and Uhura, and O'Brien and Ogawa, and Eddington and Seska. In fact I'm generally never bothered about minor characters in the way that Detmer and Owosekun bother me. The only other example I can think of is Hoshi and Mayweather in Enterprise. The episodes are written and filmed in a way that makes them too prominent in relation to their role in the narrative, which makes them feel like underused main characters, to me anyway. It's even more weird considering how much the fans have latched onto them, as that's part of the reason characters like Worf and Nog got more and more to do. And why Kyle is on the path to superstardom.
I really want Owo to get more to do. She shone so brilliantly in "New Eden" and a few other episodes but has largely just been, well, a TOS Chekov without the heavy promotion from the producers.
When something's clearly working and getting a positive reaction a creator will often give people more of it. This is how breakout characters happen.
It's why Peli Motto in The Mandalorian has made repeat appearances, even in The Book of Boba Fett. Amy Sedaris is very popular with Star Wars fans and her character became more than just the funny hangar bay master with quirky droids.
I find that annoying. That's how we got terrible spin offs about Mandalorians because Fett "looked cool." SMH
Detmer and Owo are listed in the end credits as "co-stars" which means they're only one step removed from background extra. The work that's been done with them is already a lot more than the show was ever required to do. Ditto the rest of Disco's bridge crew like Bryce, Rhys, Nilsson and Ariam.
Actors are promoted to better positions all the time and I don't judge characters on their contracts or position in the credits, I judge them by what's on screen. Doing more with them than they were required to is part of the problem as it feels like they've been elevated to the point where they've hit a ceiling and the series is unwilling to pay the extra money to let them move up to an appropriate role.
They really haven't been "elevated" beyond what they were. I think Culber/Cruz is the only one who made the leap. I'm willing to bet the actors get raises every season. I think the writers will decide what's "appropriate".