A new teaser for the next season of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds promises a Star Trek episode unlike any other. It offers a glimpse of Enterprise commander Captain Christopher Pike, who possesses the gravity-defying hair and dulcet tones of Anson Mount, but is otherwise…a puppet. The clip was revealed during the Star Trek panel at San Diego Comic-Con today. The fourth season of Strange New Worlds is now in production and is expected to be released next year on Paramount+.
The clip begins with dramatic music, focusing on the back of Pike‘s command chair on the Enterprise‘s bridge as it slowly pans around, revealing that the captain is now a somewhat hilarious puppet. His “hit it” catchphrase goes unheeded on the otherwise deserted bridge, and Pike soon becomes concerned that everyone else went to Season 4 without him. The Jim Henson-esque appearance of the puppet-Pike brings to mind “Smile Time,” an acclaimed fifth-season episode of Angel; it saw the titular vampire detective (David Boreanaz) temporarily transformed into puppet form. Strangely enough, this isn’t the first time a Star Trek character has undergone a puppet-like transformation; in the Lower Decks episode “Kayshon, His Eyes Open,” new Cerritos security officer Kayshon is accidentally transmuted into a hand puppet by an alien artifact.
What Is ‘Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’ About?
Strange New Worlds takes place in the 23rd century, several years before the events of Star Trek: The Original Series. It follows the adventures of the Enterprise as it explores the galaxy in the wake of a devastating war between the United Federation of Planets and the warlike Klingon Empire. The ship is captained by Christopher Pike (Mount), who has seen a vision of the cruel fate he is destined to face, and is determined to make the most of the time he has left. His crew includes several familiar faces from The Original Series, including Spock (Ethan Peck), Una Chin-Riley (Rebecca Romijn), Nyota Uhura (Celia Rose Gooding), Joseph M’Benga (Babs Olusanmokun), Christine Chapel (Jess Bush), and Montgomery “Scotty” Scott (Martin Quinn), as well as newcomers La’An Noonien-Singh (Christina Chong), Erica Ortegas (Melissa Navia), and Pelia (Carol Kane).
Meanwhile, the audience at the Star Trek panel also got an advance screening of the next episode of Strange New Worlds‘ third season, “A Space Adventure Hour.” A murder mystery episode, this hotly anticipated entry was directed by Jonathan Frakes, a Trek legend both in front of and behind the camera. The episode will be available to fans on Paramount+ on July 31.
Season four of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is now in production.
via Collider