A prison chaplain named "Robert April" appears in two episodes of Have Gun – Will Travel (1957–63), for which Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry wrote.
In the pilot episode of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, April (now an Admiral) orders Captain Pike, in command of the Enterprise, on a rescue mission.
April is listed as one of Starfleet's most decorated officers in the Star Trek: Discovery episode "Choose Your Pain" (2017), along with Jonathan Archer, Matthew Decker ("The Doomsday Machine"), Philippa Georgiou, and Christopher Pike.
Carey's version of April comes from Coventry, and he wears cardigan sweaters over his uniform due to a blood disorder that causes him to feel slightly chilly most of the time.
[6] Keith DeCandido said outcry over casting a dark-skinned actor as April, having been previously depicted with light skin in animation and print, "has served as a nice way of revealing the racists among Trek fans".