I maintain that part of the reason why people wanted to get to know Owo, Detmer, and the rest after Season 1 was the difference between how the scripts treated them versus how the directors (and costuming treated them).
In earlier Treks, there were always extras. Sometimes they were seen on the bridge (this seemed particularly common during TNG) and they occasionally got a line or two. But they were meant to blend into the background. They were human characters with the blandest, most non-descript hair and makeup imaginable. The camera never lingered on them for more than a few seconds.
Discovery didn't do this with some of its extras. Airiam had really elaborate cybernetic prosthetics which kept everyone curious. Detmer had the scars, eyepiece, and partially shaved head. Owo just had great hair. All of this helped set them out in scenes. I think it's no surprise people wanted more of them, and didn't much care about Bryce or Rhys, who were much more "generic" in terms of their presentation.
The camera would also linger on them from time to time. Like Michael or Lorca would say something, and then they'd cut to Owo or Detmer's face and get a reaction shot. This means the direction was treating them as characters whose emotional responses mattered, rather than mere bridge furniture.
