As Star Trek approaches its 60th anniversary, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds continues to prove why the franchise remains one of science fiction’s most enduring and optimistic visions of the future, and one that millions of people around the world continue to love. Blending episodic storytelling with modern production values, the Paramount+ series follows Captain Christopher Pike and the crew of the USS Enterprise in the years before Captain Kirk’s command, exploring strange worlds and moral dilemmas with a sense of wonder that echoes Star Trek: The Original Series.
Leading that charge is Anson Mount, whose commanding yet deeply human portrayal of Captain Pike has made him a fan favourite, alongside Rebecca Romijn as the fiercely intelligent and empathetic Number One, Una Chin-Riley. Joining them is the legendary Carol Kane, whose Academy Award-nominated career spans decades and who now brings a quirky brilliance to Chief Engineer Pelia. With Season 4 promising bold tonal swings, ambitious storytelling and even more character-driven moments, Strange New Worlds continues to expand what Star Trek can be while staying true to its hopeful core.
We sat down with Mount, Romijn and Kane to talk about the legacy of Star Trek, the joy of stepping into this universe and what fans can expect from the series’ most adventurous season yet.
Star Trek is now in its 60th year. How does it feel to be part of a franchise that has touched so many people with Star Trek: Strange New Worlds?
Anson Mount: Yeah, it is just heady. Rebecca and I were just doing press in Italy, and somebody told us that, if you do the math, Star Trek has been around for about a quarter of the lifetime of our country. That is amazing. It just shows you how baked into our culture Star Trek is. And now it is worldwide, and it is just a wild ride. There has not been a day when I have not looked around while shooting and said to myself, “I cannot believe I am on Star Trek.”
Amazing. Why do you think it has lasted so long and resonated with so many people?
Rebecca Romijn: I think when our nation and the world become more and more divided, Star Trek becomes more and more important because it shows people from all backgrounds coming together to work for the greater good. It offers a version of the future that is hopeful and optimistic rather than scary, showing younger generations the possibilities of the unknown. It is not something dark, but something to be curious about. And hopefully that will continue.
They sent us these screeners as well, and I have only seen a couple of them. I think you have probably seen more than I have, but I just got to show a couple of episodes to my five-year-old niece, and she is completely enthralled. She is a new Trekkie. We just introduced a new person to Trek, and I really hope that continues.
Anson Mount: Yeah. Sorry. Akiva earlier today called Trek a funhouse mirror—that it shows us a version of ourselves when the reality is too harsh to look at.
Now, on that note, what got you all into the franchise ahead of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds?
Rebecca Romijn: I’ll speak for Anson, just because I know the answer. Anson and I were both introduced to the original series by our mothers around age seven or eight. Where I lived, it was on every night in reruns, and so I would watch it with my mom. It would spark conversations about exploration and whether or not we’re alone in this universe. Fostering curiosity in your children is what you want to have in your child. So, I did the same thing with my daughters. And I think that’s why, for me, it’s kind of a generational experience.
Anson Mount: Yeah, it was one of those rounds of syndication that made Star Trek famous. It only lasted three seasons originally. It was cancelled. So, it was in syndication that it became so popular.
I just wanted to touch on this season of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. I’ve seen about four of the episodes so far, but it goes to some wild places. Are there any episodes that you’re really excited for fans to dive into and see?
Rebecca Romijn: I’ve only seen a couple of them, but we had so much fun making that shore leave episode. And that’s one of the ones I have seen. I was laughing out loud at everybody’s performance. I knew it—I mean, I was at the read-through. We all saw it on the page, and I was laughing out loud. But to see everyone’s performances and see everyone’s take, it was just so fun. And to get to work on Klingon—I really worked very hard to learn Klingon for that episode.
Anson Mount: I would say the same. That was an enormously fun episode to make. It was a banger on the page, and so we were wondering if it would—because sometimes you can have the best script, the best cast, the best director, the best of it, and then still turn out a turkey. So, you just don’t know. We were all very excited to see how it turned out, and I think it’s even better than we had hoped it would be.
Carol Kane: I haven’t seen it yet, but it seems almost impossible to imagine. I can’t wait to see the—I’m not allowed to say—puppets episode.
Rebecca Romijn: You can say puppets.
Carol Kane: Puppets episode.
No spoilers.
Rebecca Romijn: Exactly. No spoilers.
Just one last question to wrap up. This is to everyone here: How much of yourself do you bring to your characters, and how much of the personality that encompasses these larger-than-life characters comes from yourself or your own lives?
Rebecca Romijn: I think, as an actor, you always have to bring a certain amount of yourself to it in order to ground the characters, land them, and make them authentic. Of course, the script dictates where these characters go in the writing, but I think there’s a lot of ourselves in these characters.
Anson Mount: Yeah. Every time I’m looking around saying, “I can’t believe I’m on Star Trek,” I feel Pike is looking around saying, “I can’t believe they made me a captain.” I’m being honest. I think that really is a part of the character. And I think that’s actually one of his strengths as a captain.
Carol Kane: That’s fantastic.
Awesome. Thank you all so much.
Carol Kane: Thank you.
