Strange New Worlds Star Reveals How the Series Is Reshaping an Iconic Star Trek Character (EXCLUSIVE)
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is the perfect prequel series. We started out with Anson Mount’s Christopher Pike and only a handful of established characters, but classic members of the Enterprise crew are becoming increasingly dominant. The latest Season 4 episode, “Human Best Friend,” shone a light on the relationship between Spock and Kirk after a mind meld, while also focusing on the dynamic between Martin Quinn’s Scotty and Melissa Navia’s Ortegas.
Speaking to ComicBook, Quinn noted how Scotty is changing in “Human Best Friend” and beyond. “Scotty has to let people in a little bit, and [he] needs to not just focus on himself and the way he goes about that, as well… He was being kind of passive aggressive [toward] Ortegas in certain ways, putting a red light every time she’s pushing the thrusters too hard. And perhaps, if he was just able to have a conversation, but instead… he needs to realize he’s got to play as a team member.
“And he’s slowly but surely realizing this is part of the whole thing Scotty needs to learn. He’s got to let people in and then he can achieve his full potential, and he can then become the miracle worker that we all love.”
Star Trek’s Legacy Characters Are Taking Shape
This is the joy of Strange New Worlds; we get to see the heroes evolve into the form we know and love. Scotty has always had an irritable edge, and Strange New Worlds has revealed he started out even sharper – in part due to tragedies he’d experienced at the hands of the Gorn. “Human Best Friend” was a delightful character piece, a humorous tale following the previous episode’s full horror approach to Star Trek. The title referred to the dynamic between Spock and Kirk, but it turned out to be something of a trick, because we really did dive into the relationship between Scotty and Ortegas.
The real fun, though, lay in the fact their time together changed both of them. Ortegas learned just how much pressure she was putting on engineering with her piloting tricks, and realized Scotty wasn’t just acting up. On the other hand, Scotty realized his passive-aggressive reaction to Ortegas was based more in his reluctance to admit his own limitations. The two were a lot more alike than they cared to think, both resenting the other’s skills, and their insecurities drove their bickering to new heights.
Strange New Worlds is basically morphing into a full origin story for the Enterprise crew. We’re seeing the characters change and evolve, with Kirk stepping up to become a future captain, while key relationships are falling into place. The main concern, though, is that some of the Strange New Worlds cast aren’t in the original series at all; that raises a lot of concerning questions about the fate of Ortegas. She’s had a fantastic arc, but will it all end in tragedy? And if it does, how will that affect Scotty?
Looking forward, there’s a desperate push for something like a Star Trek: Year One show. The hope is that Paramount will make a series that spins out of Strange New Worlds, one that stars all the recast legacy heroes and continues Scotty’s story. According to the showrunners, they’re currently focused simply on ending Strange New Worlds well – with its current fifth season and an abbreviated Season 6. That said, the fandom is watching with eager anticipation. Casting like Quinn is far too good to end with Strange New Worlds, and we can only hope Year One actually does happen.
