One Star Trek Character Will Never Appear On Strange New Worlds

Season 3 of "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds" really laid the nostalgia and meta references on thick, threatening to possibly turn the series' throwback approach from a strength to a weakness. We had guest appearances by old "Trek" villains like Trelane (Rhys Darby), a holodeck episode, the beginning of the Spock (Ethan Peck) and Jim Kirk (Paul Wesley) bromance, and more.

We at /Film mostly loved "Strange New Worlds" season 3, but it left many other Trekkies underwhelmed. Showrunners Henry Alonso Myers and Akiva Goldsman have reassured those fans that season 4 is going to be more serious. Discussing other parts of the season, though, they've been less forthcoming. 

Speaking to TrekMovie, Myers and Goldsman played it coy when asked if "Strange New Worlds" season 4 will also bring in any classic "Trek" characters. Currently, we've seen about half of the original series' Enterprise crew on "Strange New Worlds."

Spock and Uhura (Celia Rose Gooding) have been main characters from the beginning. So has Nurse Christine Chapel (Jess Bush), who was a recurring character (played by Majel Barrett) in the original "Star Trek." Captain to-be Kirk debuted during season 1 finale "A Quality of Mercy" (in an alternate future, granted) then became a recurring character in season 2. Future Chief Engineer Scotty (Martin Quinn) then debuted in the season 2 finale, "Hegemony," and joined the Enterprise crew/main cast in season 3.

That leaves three major absences: Dr. "Bones" McCoy (originally DeForest Kelley), Enterprise pilot Hikaru Sulu (originally George Takei), and Ensign Pavel Chekov (originally Walter Koenig). Goldsman told TrekMovie that "We cannot confirm or deny" if McCoy or Sulu will appear, so count them as "maybe." They were much blunter about Chekov.

"There's no Chekov," Goldsman said, with Myers concurring: "Yeah, Chekov doesn't make any sense." 

Chekov has always been a bit of a black sheep or B-player compared to the rest of the original "Star Trek" cast. That's because he is and isn't a member of the original Enterprise crew.

Chekov did not appear in the first season of "Star Trek" — he debuted in the season 2 premiere, "Amok Time." According to Koenig many years later in 2012, Chekov was added to the show to appeal to young viewers; that's why he wore a wig resembling Davy Jones from the Monkees.

"Star Trek" may have been chasing ratings (what show doesn't?) but Chekov's inclusion became a powerful statement; having a heroic Russian main character on "Star Trek" spoke to the show's utopian internationalism. Remember, in the 1960s, Russians were the stereotypical "enemy" nation in American media. In the future of "Star Trek," the Cold War was such a distant memory that Americans like Kirk and Bones would serve on the same vessel as a Russian like Chekov.

To account for him not showing up in "Star Trek" season 1, a lot of Trekkies take it as unspoken canon that Chekov was only recently assigned to the Enterprise in season 2. He was an ensign and clearly the youngest of the main cast. This doesn't quite fit, though. Since Chekov wasn't in "Star Trek" season 1, he never met the villain Khan Noonien Singh (Ricardo Montalban) in the episode "Space Seed." Yet in "The Wrath of Khan," Chekov and Khan recognize each other. So, was he on the Enterprise, but just unseen? 

Myers and Goldsman seem to be leaning towards the "new assignee Chekov" interpretation. It would be a tad awkward if "Strange New Worlds" set him up joining the Enterprise crew, then (retroactively) he vanished for one season, only to return later in the next. So, if Chekov is your favorite of the "TOS" characters, you're out of luck this time.

"Star Trek: Strange New Worlds" is streaming on Paramount+; season 4 is expected to be released in 2026.