American director and former cinematographer who directed Subspace Rhapsody, the 2023 musical episode of Strange New Worlds in which the Enterprise crew are compelled to sing.
Dermott Downs worked as a cinematographer before moving into television directing, where he had already made a musical crossover episode for another series.
That experience led to his being hired for Subspace Rhapsody, the ninth episode of the second season of Strange New Worlds and the first musical episode in the franchise. An experiment with a subspace fold causes the Enterprise crew to break into song whenever emotions run high, and the effect spreads to other ships, including Klingon ones.
The episode features original songs performed by the regular cast, with large ensemble numbers staged on the bridge and in the corridors.