Star Trek's New Robert April Breaks Silence After Being Welcomed by LeVar Burton
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' new Robert April has broken his silence on being welcomed into the franchise by LeVar Burton. April is one of three Enterprise captains involved in Strange New Worlds, which focuses on Captain Christopher Pike and will later feature James T. Kirk in some capacity. Adrian Holmes plays April, who previously only appeared in the Star Trek: The Animated Series episode "The Counter-Clock Incident." April was the Enterprise's first captain, having overseen the ship's construction. He had Pike as his first officer. Holmes spoke to The Hollywood Reporter about the role, what Star Trek means to him, and how he received a welcome message from Burton.
"April was Gene Roddenberry's original pitch back in 1964 to CBS for the captain role, but he was changed to Capt. Pike later when NBC accepted it," Holmes says. "That was cool to discover. And then, in the 1974 animated series, he was really introduced in 'The Counter-Clock Incident.' So, it's cool how it all came together. I'm learning a lot. I grew up a big sci-fi fan."
"A friend of mine is friends with LeVar Burton, and LeVar was so kind," Holmes continues. "He sent me a video welcoming me to the franchise, and I was just so moved by his generosity. He basically said, 'Welcome. We are family, and we're just proud to have you.' He said that when Gene set out to make Star Trek, he knew that as human beings, we could get our shit together. And if we were to become a space-faring civilization, we had to solve the problems that lie in here now. That is the core of Star Trek's ethos. It's about us all working together to build a better future.
"What I love is the diversity and inclusivity of the franchise. It's very progressive and forward-thinking, which goes to support the building of a better future. Representation matters."
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is now the highest-rated Star Trek show ever on Rotten Tomatoes. Paramount+ released the first episode online to watch for free.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds follows Captain Christopher Pike at the helm of the USS Enterprise in the years before Star Trek: The Original Series. The series brings back fan-favorite stars from Star Trek: Discovery's second season: Anson Mount as Captain Christopher Pike, Rebecca Romijn as Number One, and Ethan Peck as Science Officer Spock. The series follows Pike, Spock, and Number One before Captain Kirk's command of the USS Enterprise, as they explore new worlds across the galaxy. The series also stars Jess Bush as Nurse Christine Chapel, Christina Chong as La'an Noonien-Singh, Celia Rose Gooding as Cadet Nyota Uhura, Melissa Navia as Lt. Erica Ortegas, and Babs Olusanmokun as Dr. M'Benga.
Star Trek: Strange Ne Worlds debuts new episodes weekly on Thursdays on Paramount+.