Over the past couple of seasons, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds has steadily moved closer to the events of The Original Series and the eventual transition to James T. Kirk. Along the way, the series has continued expanding the backstories of iconic characters like Spock, Nyota Uhura, and Christine Chapel.
While Season 2officially introduced Montgomery Scott to the Enterprise crew, but major members of the original Enterprise lineup had still yet to appear: Hikaru Sulu and Leonard McCoy.
Thankfully, both characters have already been confirmed to appear in the show's fifth and final season. According to Deadline, Thomas Jane will portray Leonard “Bones” McCoy, the beloved role originally played by DeForest Kelley, while Kai Murakami has been cast as Hikaru Sulu, the iconic helmsman first portrayed by George Takei in the original series.
Both characters are reportedly set to appear in the final episode of Season 5, which will also serve as the conclusion of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.
While there's still an entire fourth season before the two iconic characters make their appearance, the current cast of Strange New Worlds did briefly discuss Sulu and Bones on the set. Speaking to Collider at CCXP in Mexico City, cast members Paul Wesley, Rebecca Romijn, Celia Rose Gooding, and Ethan Peck were asked about their interactions with Sulu and Bones.
The exchange, unfortunately, didn't spoil too much, but Gooding did tease that the portrayals by Jane and Murakami will make fans "really excited." Wesley added that their performances "were fantastic," while Gooding also added that Murakami actually got to meet the legendary George Takei. Here's the full exchange, courtesy of Collider:
PECK: They're out there. They're out there.
GOODING: Their takes on the characters, I think, are going to make fans really excited.
WESLEY: Yeah, they were fantastic.
GOODING: Strange New Worlds’ Sulu got to meet George Takei, and I don't know much about how that interaction went down, but I can only imagine.
As the cast is still promotion Strange New Worlds Season 4, I wouldn't expect much in terms of details surrounding McCoy and Sulu, but at least we know we can look forward to their arrivals in the Season 5 finale.
Also confirmed at CCXP last month, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds will return to Paramount+ this summer on July 23 for its fourth season. The 10-episode season will release new episodes weekly on Thursdays through September 24.
An official teaser for Season 4 was shared during the panel teasing everything from puppets to horror to dinosaurs.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds will officially come to a close with Season 5. The truncated fifth and final season has already been filmed, though a premiere date is not yet announced. Beyond Strange New Worlds and Starfleet Academy, which will end after the already filmed second season, future plans for Star Trek television remain in limbo. We're still hoping for a Year One spin-off, but it's looking increasingly unlikely at this point.