“Star Trek: Strange New Worlds” is about to get a little more delightful — Carol Kane (“Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt”) has joined the cast for Season 2 of the “Trek” series it was announced at Thursday at the Star Trek Day Celebration.
The Oscar-nominated (“Hester Street”) and Emmy-winning (twice, for “Taxi) actress will recur as Pelia, described as a “highly educated and intelligent” engineer who “suffers no fools.” Per a release, “Pelia solves problems calmly and brusquely, thanks to her many years of experience.”
The series follows Captain Christopher Pike during his years as Captain aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise. Anson Mount stars as Captain Pike, Rebecca Romijn plays Number One and Ethan Peck plays Science Officer Spock. Kane joins a cast that also includes Jess Bush as Nurse Christine Chapel, Christina Chong as La’an Noonien-Singh, Celia Rose Gooding as Cadet Nyota Uhura, Babs Olusanmokun as Dr. M’Benga and Melissa Navia as Lt. Erica Ortegas.
During Thursday’s announcement, Paramount+ also debuted first-look footage from Season 2, as well as a first look at Cane suited up for space. The streamer also announced a February 2023 premiere for “Picard.”
“Strange New Worlds” has been a success for the streamer, spinning off several fan-favorite “Star Trek: Discovery” characters into a series that has been critically praised as a return to old-school form for the beloved sci-fi franchise. In TheWrap’s review, Thelma Adams hailed it as a “‘Star Trek’ origin story that captures the humanism, humor and impulse to connect of the original while smoothly ‘assimilating’ into the larger ‘Star Trek’ universe.”
And the series has equally been a hit with fans, becoming an in-demand staple thanks to its passionate audience. The series was renewed for Season 2 all the way back in Jan. 2022, months ahead of the Season 1 premiere.
