Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' Ethan Peck Explains How They Crafted the Show's Vulcan Romance
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds debuts this May on Paramount+, and the adventure will include some Vulcan romance involving Spock. Strange New Worlds chronicles the missions of the USS Enterprise crew in the years before Capt. Kirk's five-year mission. From "The Cage" (Star Trek's original pilot), we knew that Spock served aboard the Enterprise under Capt. Pike, before serving as Kirk's first officer, Spock's life between that pilot and The Original Series has remained hidden until now. ComicBook.com spoke to series star Ethan Peck, who reprises the role after debuting in Star Trek: Discovery's second season, about how he crafted the Spock of this hidden era. He says it was a mix of studying Leonard Nimoy's original performance and his personal understanding of the character, leaning increasingly towards the latter.
"It's definitely a mix of the two," Peck says. "When I first was preparing for the role on Discovery, I definitely referred to episodes of the original series religiously when I was getting ready for my scenes. I filmed for five months on that series. About three months in, I let that go. I felt something was alive in me and I wanted to let it be uninterrupted and undisturbed going forward. So even now, I don't refer to it that much. I definitely have an impression that's been made that was very deliberate and focused in its uptake. and from there, I've built what I hope is something homegrown and unique to me because Leonard Nimoy is inimitable, and, of course, I, myself am a big fan of Zachary Quinto's portrayal and I love the Kelvin timeline movies, but my focus is on Nimoy's performance because that is ultimately who my Spock becomes. We're of the same timeline."
The USS Enterprise of The Original Series is nearly inseparable from the show's leading trio of characters: Nimoy's Spock, William Shatner as Kirk, and DeForest Kelley's Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy. When asked how the characters' dynamics in Strange New Worlds compare, Peck praised those original stars while emphasizing that the Discovery spinoff has a broader focus.
"That's a tough comparison to make," Peck says. "I mean, those three were like lightning in a bottle. They were just so exciting and sparkly on set, and on camera, and together. I hope that we can reproduce some of that magic in our show. It's definitely different though. We have an incredible cast. It's ensemble. Henry Alonso Myers, one of our showrunners and producers, said, 'You know, each episode is from a perspective of a different character,' which I hadn't even thought of it that way because I'm so focused on my experience as Spock on the Enterprise. But I think it's really a more universal experience from different characters in the show. At least, that's what I hope will be portrayed, and of course, I hope that there are special moments between each of us, and especially between Capt. Pike and Spock. I think Anson and I, we get along well, and I think we have good chemistry, and I hope that's communicated on camera.
Lastly, Peck touched on the Vulcan romance teased in the Strange New Worlds trailer, fleshing out the romance between Spock and T'Pring, first seen in the Star Trek episode "Amok Time." Crafting an authentic Vulcan romance that's still relatable to a human audience was no easy task. Peck says it took "A lot of deliberation. A lot of discussion. A lot of experimentation between Gia Sandhu, who portrays T'Pring, and myself with minds behind the camera."
He continues, "It was also quite frightening too because we want it to be authentic and feel real and be truthful to what's already been laid out before us. And so it was done very carefully and we had some fun doing it as well and hopefully we'll get to do some more."
What do you think? Let us know in the comments. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds premieres on Paramount+ on May 5th.