The opening credits of the original Star Trek promised a journey that would “explore strange new worlds. To seek out new life and new civilizations. To boldly go where no man has gone before!” However, there are only so many times that we can see Klingons, Vulcans, or Romulans before they just aren’t “new” anymore. Later this year, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is rolling back the clock to the earliest days of the Enterprise. And from here, the sky is the limit in terms of races and worlds we’ve never seen before.
Only hardcore Trekkies remember that Captain Kirk and his crew weren’t the original main characters of Star Trek. A single pilot episode, “The Cage,” was produced with Captain Pike, Number One, and a young Spock. Pike and Number One would have remained in obscurity if they hadn’t resurfaced in Star Trek: Discovery season 2. They, along with Spock, will be back for Strange New Worlds. In the first teaser trailer, Pike rediscovers his sense of purpose.
Anson Mount is reprising his role of Christopher Pike from Discovery season 2 alongside Rebecca Romijn as Una Chin-Riley/Number One, and Ethan Peck as Spock. Surprisingly, two of the characters from Kirk’s Enterprise will also have roles in the series. Celia Rose Gooding will portray Nyota Uhura, while Jess Bush steps into the part of nurse Christine Chapel.
The new characters on the ship include Dr. M’Benga (Babs Olusanmokun), Erica Ortegas (Melissa Navia), and Hemmer (Bruce Horak). Christina Chong is set to play La’an Noonien-Singh, a woman who is somehow related to Kirk’s ultimate foe: Khan Noonien Singh.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds was created by Akiva Goldsman, Alex Kurtzman, and Jenny Lumet. The first episode will premiere on Paramount+ on May 5.