Of all the upcoming Star Trek series set to debut soon on Paramount+, the spinoff series Strange New Worlds is perhaps one of the most anticipated, and Wednesday's announcement, as part of the festivities surrounding the second annual Star Trek Day, might only stoke the fires hotter. Paramount+ has revealed the roles being played by six of the previously announced new cast members, and two (and a half) of them should be very familiar to fans.
In the below announcement video, you can watch as Jess Bush, Christina Chong, Celia Rose Gooding, Melissa Navia, Babs Olusanmokun, and the newly announced Bruce Horak introduce themselves to Trek fans — with Gooding revealed to be playing young Cadet Nyota Uhura (the role originated by Nichelle Nichols in the original series, and continued by Zoe Saldana in the Kelvin-verse), and Jess Bush playing Nurse Christine Chapel (originally played by Majel Barrett Roddenberry in TOS). Meanwhile, Olusanmokun will be playing Dr. M'Benga, a medical officer who appeared in two episodes of TOS, originally played by Booker Bradshaw.
Chong is revealed to be playing a character named La’an Noonien Singh — sharing a surname with the infamous Khan Noonien Singh, which will likely play into her role. (Hopefully, she'll be... less... hellbent on revenge.) In addition, Navia will play Lt. Erica Ortegas, while Horak is playing a role known only as Hemmer. They all join previously established series stars Anson Mount (“Captain Christopher Pike”), Rebecca Romijn (“Number One”), and Ethan Peck (“Spock”).
Mount's take on Pike, along with Romijn and Peck's versions of their characters, was first introduced in Star Trek: Discovery, with Strange New Worlds announced as a spinoff after the events of the Discovery Season 2 finale transported that show centuries into the future.
Here's the official synopsis for the show:
STAR TREK: STRANGE NEW WORLDS is based on the years Captain Christopher Pike manned the helm of the U.S.S. Enterprise. The series will feature fan favorites from season two of STAR TREK: DISCOVERY: Anson Mount as Captain Christopher Pike, Rebecca Romijn as Number One and Ethan Peck as Science Officer Spock. The series will follow Captain Pike, Science Officer Spock and Number One in the years before Captain Kirk boarded the U.S.S. Enterprise, as they explore new worlds around the galaxy.
And here's the video featuring the cast members announcing their newly revealed roles:
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds will air exclusively on Paramount+. A release date has yet to be announced.