Plus, the role of Dr. Roger Korby has been filled.
Paramount Plus brought Star Trek to San Diego Con's Hall H this year in a big way, and it all kicked off with first looks at the highly anticipated third season of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. Unfortunately, the five-plus-minute clip shown to Trekkies in Hall H, as well as on YouTube and other social platforms, left a large portion of the fanbase, including the team here at Strange New Pod, with a sour taste in their mouths.
The clip above depicts Nurse Christine Chapel giving an away team consisting of Chief Engineer Pelia, La'an, Uhura, and Captain Pike, a variation of the antidote used to bring back Spock's Vulcan physiology in episode 205, "Charades," turning the crew into Vulcans for an undisclosed away mission. If this had just turned the crew's physiology into Vulcans, we'd be in normal Trek territory; the undercover trope has been used in the franchise since the 1960s.
But what the production team seems to be forgetting is that Vulcan culture isn't biological. Learning Surak's teachings and accepting and studying logic isn't biological. Vulcan culture isn't biological. And yet, the minute they get injected with this serum, the bridge crew have all of a sudden mastered logic and apparently racism, calling Spock a half-Vulcan on more than one occasion in a five-minute clip.
While there was undoubtedly some positive reaction to the clip from the Hall H crowd and those following along on social media, there was also a ton of backlash, specifically on Twitter, when it came to Spock and his half-human/half-Vulcan heritage constantly being a focus on Strange New Worlds.
One thing that I think is important to add here is that this is just a five-minute clip from a 45+ minute episode, so there could, of course, possibly be an explanation for all of this, but episodes like "Charades" and "Spock Amok" have shown that that is not necessarily the case.
There are some positives to take away from this clip. It seems the entire main cast and bridge crew come out unscathed from the events of the season two finale, "Hegemony." This will be a breath of fresh air for those concerned about the fates of La'an and Erica Ortegas, who were transported away by the Gorn in the finale's final moments.
Both Carol Kane's Pelia and Martin Quinn's Scotty get some love and comedic beats in the five minutes shown. The bants that have to be happening between these two characters is something I'm definitely looking forward to next season.
Cillian O'Sullivan Cast as Dr. Roger Corby:
It was inevitable that Strange New Worlds would introduce Dr. Korby, the future fiance of Christine Chapel. We know by the end of season two that Chapel has accepted a fellowship with Korby, so it will be interesting to see how he plays into the plot this season and how their relationship develops. I also wonder if we'll see any early signs of the Dr. Korby (or the android version we meet) we're introduced to all the way back in "What Are Little Girls Are Made Of?".
Odds & Ends From Akiva Goldsman and Alex Kurtzman:
One very mouth-watering piece of news for those like me who sing parts of the Strange New Worlds musical "Subspace Rhapsody" on a daily basis: it was hinted at that the powers that be are trying to find a way to bring the episode to life on the stage. Yes, I'm already throwing all my money at this the minute it comes to fruition. It does have to be said, though, that the cast seemed a bit baffled by this and didn't seem to have a clue that a stage production was possibly in the works.
And when it comes to new genres for Strange New Worlds to tackle like the musical or the upcoming "Hollywood Murder Mystery" being directed by Jonathan Frakes, Akiva Goldsman said, "We will do any genre the cast can work in." I don't know about you, but this cast has shown its range time and time again, so as Captain Picard once said, "The sky's the limit."
No time frame or release date was given during the panel, but with the delay to filming due to both the SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes, it's safe to assume we won't be seeing Strange New Worlds season three until sometime in 2025.
Stick with Strange New Pod today for the rest of our coverage of San Diego Comic Con, and check out our wrap-ups on Lower Decks and Starfleet Academy.
