Get ready to boldly go where no one has gone before – alongside some strangely familiar faces! Variety reports that CBS All Access has announced the launch of a new Star Trek series, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.
The series will feature the return of fan-favorite characters Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount), the half-Vulcan half-human Science Officer Spock (Ethan Peck), and Number One (Rebecca Romijn).
While these particular incarnations of these characters were introduced in a season two episode of Star Trek: Discovery, other versions of the characters have appeared in previous Star Trek stories.
Captain Christopher Pike was the captain of the Enterprise in the original Star Trek pilot, “The Cage,” where he was portrayed by Jeffrey Hunter. Pike returned in the season two two-part episode “The Menagerie,” which included footage from the original pilot as well as a later, paralyzed version of Pike played by Sean Kenney. In that episode, it was revealed that Spock served under Pike for over a decade prior to being placed under Captain Kirk’s command.
Pike returned to the Trek universe on the big screen in 2009’s Star Trek and 2013’s Star Trek Into Darkness, where an alternate timeline version of the character was played by Bruce Greenwood.
Speaking of Spock, the character was originated by Leonard Nimoy in the original pilot, “The Cage.” Nimoy played the character throughout the original series, in the animated series, in many of the movies, and in a two-part episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation. An alternate timeline version of Spock played by Zachary Quinto appeared in the 2009 series, but Nimoy also appeared as the “original” version of Spock in both Star Trek (2009) and Star Trek Into Darkness (with the latter being his final appearance on-screen in the role).
Like Spock and Pike, the character Number One appeared in the original Star Trek pilot, “The Cage,” where she was played by Majel Barrett. However, the character was largely erased when the pilot was retooled, and Barrett went on to play several other characters. Nevertheless, some of the footage featuring Number One was used in “The Menagerie.”
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is based on a story by Akiva Goldsman (who is writing the script for the premiere), Alex Kurtzman, and Jenny Lumet. The trio will be serving as executive producers for Strange New Worlds along with Henry Alonso Myers, Heather Kadin, Rod Roddenberry, and Trevor Roth, with Aaron Baiers, Akela Cooper, and Davy Perez as co-executive producers.
Strange New Worlds will join the other Star Trek universe shows already available on CBS All Access, including Star Trek: Discovery, Star Trek: Picard, Star Trek: Short Treks, and later this year, the adult animated show Star Trek: Lower Decks. Meanwhile, an all-ages animated Star Trek series is being developed by Nickelodeon, and CBS All Access has previously announced a spinoff series based on the character Michelle Yeoh plays on Discovery.
