The Star Trek: Discovery Moment That Gave Ethan Peck 'Goosebumps' [Exclusive]

"Star Trek" has always been in a league of its own. More than almost any other franchise, this one defines itself by the original stars who first embodied characters like Captain Kirk, Spock, Scotty, and all the rest. To countless fans, William Shatner simply IS James T. Kirk, much in the same way that Mark Hamill IS Luke Skywalker. Unlike its rivals, however, "Trek" has never been afraid to move on from its past and look ahead to a bold future. The crew of the USS Enterprise have experienced plenty of change over the decades and, in recent years, have even undergone multiple instances of recasting in both film and television. There's more than enough room for Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto to put their own unique spins on their respective characters on the big screen, just as Anson Mount as Christopher Pike and especially Ethan Peck as Spock have done on "Strange New Worlds."

As the best modern "Trek" series barrels towards its next season, /Film was able to attend the season 3 world premiere in New York City recently. There, we caught up with much of the cast and crew to talk about a myriad of subjects ranging from their excitement for the episodes to come to their complicated feelings about the show coming to an end in season 5. Peck, however, is not one of those actors wrestling with a whirlwind of emotions. Fittingly, considering the stoicism required by the pointy-eared Vulcan he plays on TV, the actor is maintaining an even keel as his time on the series begins to wind down. (Not that he's thinking about it that way just yet, seeing as he's currently in the middle of filming season 4.)

Still, the overall tone of the event was a decidedly nostalgic one, and so we asked Peck what he'll remember and treasure from his experiences portraying Mr. Spock when it's all said and done. Without missing a beat, he pinpointed one specific moment that sticks out the most — not from "Strange New Worlds" but during filming on its predecessor series, "Star Trek: Discovery." Although seemingly minor in the grand scheme of things, it was an incident that gave the actor genuine goosebumps.

Casual viewers may forget, but Ethan Peck, Anson Mount, and Rebecca Romijn actually made their respective debuts as Spock, Christopher Pike, and Una Chin-Riley on the second season of "Star Trek: Discovery" — a successful string of appearances that naturally opened the door to the spinoff series, "Strange New Worlds." In those early days (back when the Paramount+ streaming service was still known as CBS All Access), it was clear that the writers and cast alike were still attempting to get a handle on these characters and their specific personality quirks. Yet, the novelty factor of strapping on those spiffy-looking uniforms, running around on such expansive sets, and standing side by side with the most otherworldly characters in all of "Trek" simply never gets old.

When asked what specific memory he'll hold onto the most when looking back at the overall experience, Peck had a surprising and introspective response:

"What first comes to mind is when I was on 'Discovery' actually, and I was in a turbo lift, our elevators, and we were about to walk out onto the bridge of Discovery. And in the turbo lift was Pike, Saru [the alien played by Doug Jones], and Michael Burnham [Sonequa Martin-Green]. The doors closed to the turbo lift — [the cameras] were rolling, and after they rolled, the doors closed. I was fully immersed, there was no apparatus of the production around me. I was fully immersed, there was this alien in front of me, I was dressed up as an alien, the captain. And I had this moment of looking around and everyone was ready to go onto the bridge and they were prepared and they were already in it. And that was a really stunning moment, because I was like, 'I'm in it. I'm in it.' Talking about it gives me goosebumps."

You oftentimes hear actors talking about the "magic" they experience while on the set of big franchise films or television shows — but this is one instance where it's extremely easy to believe it. As the series prepares to come in for a landing in the years ahead (or perhaps not, if the producers have their way), here's to plenty more moments like that. "Strange New Worlds" season 3 premieres on Paramount+ July 17, 2025.