Expect More Classic Star Trek Characters In Strange New Worlds Season 3
As much as "Star Trek" prides itself on taking a forward-looking approach to sci-fi, even this storied franchise isn't immune to bursts of nostalgia every now and then. There's a reason why the J.J. Abrams movies, after all, brought back Leonard Nimoy as Spock despite going out of their way to reboot the timeline. Much of "Star Trek: Picard" (and practically the entirety of its third and final season) felt like a grand reunion special, catered specifically to the long-suffering fans who never quite got a satisfying sense of closure from the movies centered on the cast of "The Next Generation." And now, even a spin-off/prequel like "Strange New Worlds" has found itself introducing more and more of the famed crew of the USS Enterprise — most recently in the season 2 finale, with Martin Quinn's portrayal of the engineer Montgomery Scott.
Although the series is still years away from catching up to the timeline of "The Original Series," the pieces are already moving into place for more and more appearances by newer versions of the classic characters we've come to know and love. For instance, we've already met a young James T. Kirk (Paul Wesley), future successor to Anson Mount's Christopher Pike and a key supporting character in multiple "Strange New Worlds" episodes. Now, the somewhat surprising addition of Scotty (actually played by a real Scotsman, for the first time in franchise history!) further suggests that the bold new adventures of this show will start to feel a little more familiar, too.
That sentiment was confirmed in a recent interview with co-showrunners and executive producers Henry Alonso Myers and Akiva Goldsman when they suggested there will be more where that came from in season 3 and (hopefully) beyond.
'It starts to become inevitable'
There's a fine line between paying homage to the past and remaining stuck in it. But if the early returns from "Strange New Worlds" are any indication, then this well-received series might have figured out the perfect balance between navigating the past, present, and future. When it comes to finding room for both the impressively fleshed-out cast of new characters and guest roles/cameos for the crew that will eventually take over the Enterprise alongside Ethan Peck's Spock and Celia Rose Gooding's Uhura, Henry Alonso Myers and Akiva Goldsman clearly have a plan.
In an interview with TVLine, the co-showrunners revealed some interesting tidbits about original characters showing up in future episodes of the series. First, Myers confirmed that, regarding Martin Quinn's casting as Scotty, "we will see him more" down the line. Given how smoothly the series integrated Kirk into the action (through his connection with his brother Sam, a member of the Enterprise crew played by Dan Jeannotte, and the time-bending romance with Christina Chong's La'an Noonien-Singh), it should be interesting to see how they manage to corral Scotty into the mix.
Secondly and more excitingly, Goldsman acknowledged that as "Strange New Worlds" moves closer to the starting point of "The Original Series," "...it starts to become inevitable that we start to pull in more folks that are sort of 'TOS'-based." But for those who may feel a little skeptical about this cameo-filled approach, Goldsman strikes a reassuring tone:
"...because there's a reason to do it, rather than just to kind of go, 'Hey, let's dust off Scotty because he's cool.' Although there's always a little bit of that."
We're in for a bit of a wait until "Strange New Worlds" season 3 rolls around, but that's certainly one way to keep fans excited.