Star Trek's Ethan Peck Explains What Separates His Spock From Leonard Nimoy [Exclusive]

Call it the pressures and privilege of taking on one of the most famous roles in all of science-fiction. "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds" had a lot to live up to upon release in 2022, but chief among them was residing in the shadow (almost literally) of "The Original Series." The prequel show is set on the same starship Enterprise, features many of the same characters, and embraces its throwback tone to an era of "Star Trek" that's long gone. So, when actor Ethan Peck was originally cast as the world-famous science officer Spock, tasked with stepping into the same shoes and immaculately tailored uniform as Leonard Nimoy's original portrayal, it would've been terribly easy to crumble under the weight of such expectations ... or, at the very least, constantly compare himself to arguably the most beloved aspect of "Trek" ever. Instead, "Strange New Worlds" allowed Peck the freedom and latitude to reimagine the character in his own way.

/Film only just attended the world premiere of "Strange New Worlds" season 3 at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York City, where we wanted to get to the bottom of this exact topic. By now, Peck has been posed endless questions about measuring up to Nimoy's performance and how he navigates the challenges of breathing life into a figure already so well-defined in pop culture. Instead, we decided to ask him what he and the writing team specifically brought to Spock on "Strange New Worlds" — in essence, what makes this version so different from the one we all know and love. Thoughtful as ever, Peck responded:

"I would say that they've really brought a comedic quality to the Spock that I play in 'Strange New Worlds.' I think they found that I might have an aptitude for him in kind of uncomfortable situations. And I think the writer just tries to put me as the actor playing Spock in uncomfortable situations, which I think is a great device and gimmick. So maybe that — they know that I kind of understand why he's finding himself [in these situations]. So, maybe his comedic nature ... and that he's not [self-aware] about it."

Trekkies familiar with "The Original Series" and the movies that followed know that Leonard Nimoy's Spock could also be the source of some incredible moments of comedy — just look at literally any interaction he has with DeForest Kelley's Bones, after all — but in a very different way than he is in "Strange New Worlds." Befitting for a younger and less refined version of the character, Ethan Peck's portrayal highlights his struggle to come to terms with his half-human side just as much as his half-Vulcan heritage. Whether that vulnerability leads to humor or pathos, well, that's all part of the fun of this new series.

During a special Q&A session after a screening of the season 3 premiere, co-showrunners Akiva Goldsman and Henry Alonso Myers were joined by much of the cast to talk in further detail about the episodes to come. Of the many topics they covered (which included star Anson Mount being grilled on whether he knows he's the "zaddy" of "Trek"), Spock's arc and his journey to becoming the much more logic-driven character from Nimoy's version loomed large. As Goldsman explained:

"I think that those of us who started with 'TOS' have an association with the most logical time in Spock's life. But if you think about Spock, not just in 'TOS' and before ['Strange New Worlds'], if you think about Spock, as he carries through the motion pictures, as he carries through the end of ['The Next Generation'], we start to see that actually his whole life has been a struggle with identity. And how he sees himself and the sweet treachery of emotion. And so Ethan gets to do a lot more of that. So, we fill out the personality of Spock and his life's journey."

Without giving anything away, let's just say that many of the episodes in this upcoming season put that progression right at the forefront with Peck's Spock ... and the results are incredible. Though we know that the show is coming to an end with season 5, we still have dozens and dozens of more hours with Spock, Mount's Captain Pike, and all our favorite crew of the USS Enterprise. Season 3 of "Strange New Worlds" hits warp speed on Paramount+ July 17, 2025.