‘Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’ Cast Breaks Down Kirk, Spock, And Uhura’s Iconic First Meeting: “Oh My God”

While Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is no stranger to callbacks and Easter eggs, for the most part, it’s aiming for the mission in the title, to present a fresh new take on a fictional universe that is several decades old. But there are some moments too iconic to not lean into with a wink and a nod. And there’s no better example of that than the first meeting of Kirk (Paul Wesley), Spock (Ethan Peck), and Uhura (Celia Rose Gooding) at the end of this week’s episode.

In the hour, titled “Lost in Translation”, Uhura is afflicted with horrifying hallucinations. Luckily, she has Kirk by her side, helping her stay even and figure out this mystery in the middle of spiraling insanity. At the end of the tense episode, Uhura and Kirk are relaxing over a drink when who walks up but Spock — who, mind you, hasn’t formally been introduced to Kirk yet. Of course, Star Trek fans know that these are three of the core cast of characters of Star Trek: The Original Series… But the characters don’t know that yet.

[NOTE: The following interviews were held in May before the current SAG-AFTRA strike, where actors are currently fighting for the compensation and rights they justly deserve.]

“When I was cast as Spock, I did a lot of work to not think too much about how my performance will be perceived,” Peck told Decider. “And so by that point in time I’d already been so practiced in not overthinking these amazing scenes that we get to do with these iconic characters, right? Because it can be quite heavy.”

Adding that he tried to play the scene “sort of casual,” Peck also noted that Spock does express, “skepticism about this very charming, intelligent, fierce man that Paul inhabits so beautifully as Kirk.”

Wesley, meanwhile, had no chill.

“In the opposite of Kirk-like fashion, the opposite of the antithesis of what Ethan just said, I totally over-analyzed it,” Wesley said. “I was like, ‘Oh my God, they’re meeting for the first time. We got to make a big deal out of this!’ And rightfully so Ethan and the director were like, ‘Yeah, don’t make a thing out of it.’ … Kirk and Spock don’t know what they’re what the future holds, right? We have to play in the moment. And in the moment, it’s just two guys meeting.”

Gooding, who gets to play a weary Uhura after a nearly deadly and emotionally draining day also tried to keep her cool in the moment. “Celia, as an actor felt that very heavily of, this is Spock and Kirk meeting for the first time,” Gooding recalled. “Don’t mess it up. Don’t play it. It’s too crazy. Keep it casual. Keep it low stakes, especially after the episode that has that is episode 206.”

On the opposite end of the spectrum from Gooding the actor, for Uhura it’s a chance to take a “breather” and introduce her friend Spock to Kirk, who helped her stay even during a difficult day. “For audiences to have all that information and then download the realization that this is probably the first time these three are hanging out in canon… High stakes, low stakes, huge deal but also no biggie. It was a balancing act and I hope we did it well.”

Even with the trio of actors trying to make the moment work in the show, Wesley did admit he added a little bit of a wink to the future of the franchise in his performance as Kirk.

“There is a little kind of intrigue or sparkle in his eye,” Wesley said. “He’s just like, hm this guy is interesting. I don’t know if it’s because he fulfills some of the logic that Kirk maybe needs in his life. I don’t know what it is. I think there was a subconscious sort of, ‘hm there’s something about this guy and I want to get to know him.’ You know, in a platonic way, of course.”

“Yeah,” Peck agreed. “Platonic love at first sight.”

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds streams Thursdays on Paramount+.