As Star Trek: Strange New Worlds gears up for its final two seasons, we finally know who’ll be playing everyone’s favorite exasperated physician, Doctor Leonard “Bones” McCoy. We can confirm that Thomas Jane, known for his roles as Frank Castle in The Punisher (2004) and Carter Blake in Deep Blue Sea, will be playing the no-nonsense, old-fashioned doctor and eventual Chief Medical Officer of the USS Enterprise under James T. Kirk (Paul Wesley). Collider learned of Jane‘s casting recently, holding the information in light of the fact that Season 4 has not yet set a release date. Meanwhile, it has also been confirmed that Kai Murakami will play Lt. Hikaru Sulu — both Jane and Murakami will appear in the final episode of the series, which recently wrapped filming.

Jane and Murakami join a handful of stars playing beloved characters from the original Star Trek series, which is set to celebrate its 60th anniversary next year. The role of Bones was originated by DeForest Kelley in 1966 and brought to the big screen for a new generation by The Boys star Karl Urban in the 2009 Kelvinverse reboot movies. Murakami takes over from the legendary George Takei in the original series and John Cho in the Kelvinverse. Over its three seasons so far, Strange New Worlds has followed Captain Pike (Anson Mount) and his Enterprise crew, which includes characters both familiar to longtime fans and new to the universe. Jess Bush plays Nurse Chapel in the series, taking over from the first lady of Star Trek herself, Majel Barrett Roddenberry. In the original series, Chapel and Bones worked well together, running sickbay amid the standard sci-fi chaos the series is known for.

Bones and Sulu are among the final members of Kirk’s main Enterprise crew from the original series to arrive on Strange New Worlds, with Ethan Peck‘s Spock and Celia Gooding‘s Nyota Uhura having been part of the series from day one. Others, like Wesley‘s not-yet-captain Kirk and Martin Quinn‘s Scotty, have been picked up along the way. The series has also given us a deeper look at original characters like Number One, with Rebecca Romijn breathing new life into the short-lived but nonetheless groundbreaking role also originally played by Roddenberry.

‘Star Trek: Starfleet Academy’ Is Right Around the Corner

While the end is on the horizon for Strange New Worlds, there’s still plenty ahead for fans to look forward to with Season 4 expected to air sometime next year. However, Star Trek fans will be able to venture out into the galaxy in just over a month for a brand new series. Star Trek: Starfleet Academy begins airing on Paramount+ on January 15, and it will be the first academy-set series in the franchise’s 60-year history. The series stars legendary actors like Holly Hunter and Paul Giamatti alongside a bright slate of rising stars, including Sandro Rosta, Kerrice Brooks, Bella Shepard, Zoe Steiner, George Hawkins, and Karim Diane.

In the meantime, Strange New Worlds Season 3 is available to own on Digital.

via Collider