m'benga star trek strange new worlds

• USS Enterprise (NCC-1701) personnel
• Medical practitioners

Joseph M'Benga

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Doctor Joseph M'Benga was a male Human Starfleet officer and physician who lived during the mid- 23rd century .

• 1 Early life
• 2.1 Early career
• 3.1.1 Rukiya
• 3.2.1 Christopher Pike
• 3.2.2 Christine Chapel
• 4 Alternate timeline
• 5 Key dates
• 6.1 Appearances
• 6.2 Background information
• 6.3 Apocrypha
• 6.4 External links

Early life [ ]

Joseph M'Benga's personnel file

Joseph M'Benga was born on December 29 , 2223 in Nakuru , Kenya on Earth to Wangera and Gichinga M'Benga . He had a brother , Nicolas and two sisters , Nyawira and Sikudhani . ( SNW : " Under the Cloak of War ")

M'Benga conducted his medical internship on Vulcan , an experience that made him particularly skilled in treating members of that species . ( TOS : " A Private Little War ") During all of his time studying Vulcan medicine , M'Benga never had an opportunity to deal with a katric transfer . ( SNW : " Spock Amok ")

M'Benga had a relationship with a woman named Debra . In 2248 , she bore a daughter, Rukiya . ( SNW : " Ghosts of Illyria ", " Lift Us Where Suffering Cannot Reach ", " The Elysian Kingdom ")

Starfleet career [ ]

Early career [ ].

M'Benga during the Klingon War

At some point prior to 2259 , M'Benga served aboard the USS Cuyahoga and a Sombra -class starship . ( SNW : " Memento Mori ", " All Those Who Wander ")

At some point he served as a Starfleet special forces operative, known as "the Ghost", with most confirmed hand-to-hand kills. He also developed the combat drug known as Protocol 12 . ( SNW : " Under the Cloak of War ")

During the Klingon War of 2256 – 57 , Commander M'Benga served on the front lines. He was stationed on J'Gal and was present at the Battle of ChaKana and the Battle of J'Gal . By this time, he considered himself "just a doctor" and initially refused to take part in further special operations. ( SNW : " The Broken Circle ", " Under the Cloak of War ")

After witnessing the death of special forces commanding officer Va'Al Trask and his people, M'Benga took Trask's captured d'k tahg off his body and used it to attempt Trask's mission personally. He succeeded in killing General Gra'val , Commander Kiff and Captain Ruh'lis , but failed to assassinate General Dak'Rah who commanded the Klingon forces and gave the order to indiscriminately slaughter civilians on J'Gal. ( SNW : " Under the Cloak of War ")

Service aboard the USS Enterprise [ ]

By 2259, he was assigned to the USS Enterprise as chief medical officer under Captain Christopher Pike , with Nurse Christine Chapel as part of his staff. ( SNW : " Strange New Worlds ")

After his daughter Rukiya developed cygnokemia , he secretly kept her in the transporter buffer of the USS Enterprise so she could stay in stasis . Sometimes, he brought her out to read her a book . One favorite was The Kingdom of Elysian by Benny Russell . ( SNW : " Ghosts of Illyria ", " Lift Us Where Suffering Cannot Reach ", " The Elysian Kingdom ")

As the Enterprise was surveying the Jonisian Nebula , M'Benga found himself and the rest of the crew in a surrealistic recreation of The Kingdom of Elysian , which was lifted from Rukiya's mind by a sentient non-corporeal lifeform . M'Benga himself took on the form of King Ridley , with him and Hemmer being the only people aware of their real identities. Eventually, Rukiya and M'Benga decided she would be better off staying with the alien entity, named Debra by Rukiya, as pure consciousness rather than risk time running out while M'Benga searched for a cure. ( SNW : " The Elysian Kingdom ")

Later that year, now Ambassador Dak'Rah boarded the Enterprise , having taken credit for the deaths of his three generals in the Battle of J'Gal , becoming known as the Butcher of J'Gal for it. M'Benga was haunted by memories of his actions taken during the battle and the shame that it brought him. M'Benga eventually confronted Dak'Rah who claimed remorse for his actions before supposedly attacking M'Benga who killed Dak'Rah, apparently in self-defense, with the same d'k tahg that he had killed Dak'Rah's generals with years before. Analysis by the Enterprise computer found the blood of all of the Klingon warlords killed by the Butcher of J'Gal still on it along with both Dak'Rah's and M'Benga's fingerprints. With Nurse Christine Chapel backing up M'Benga's story of self-defense, Pike was sure that he would be cleared of any possible wrongdoing, but M'Benga continued to be haunted by his actions. ( SNW : " Under the Cloak of War ")

By 2265 , he was succeeded as chief medical officer by Doctor Mark Piper . ( TOS : " Where No Man Has Gone Before ")

By the 2260s , M'Benga had stepped down as chief medical officer and served as a general physician. After Doctor Leonard McCoy became CMO he continued to serve under Captain James T. Kirk , where, in the event of McCoy's absence, he served as the ranking medical officer.

In 2268 , M'Benga treated Commander Spock for a serious gunshot wound he was inflicted with on Neural . He had to slap Spock violently to bring him out of his Vulcan healing state . ( TOS : " A Private Little War ")

Later that year, Dr. M'Benga supervised his colleague Dr. Sanchez with an autopsy of Ensign Wyatt , who had died after Losira merely touched him. M'Benga reported that Wyatt's entire body had suffered cellular disruption : the touch had "blasted" every cell in his body from the inside out. In reply to Spock's inquiry regarding the incident, M'Benga explained that Sanchez had found that no known disease -causing organism had been responsible for the death.

He later reported that engineering Technician John B. Watkins had also died from a similar cellular disruption. ( TOS : " That Which Survives ")

Relationships [ ]

Friendships [ ], christopher pike [ ].

Pike and M'Benga hugging

Prior to 2259, M'Benga was previously acquainted with Christopher Pike , with Pike having guided M'Benga through his home of Mojave , California and M'Benga having guided Pike through Kenya. ( SNW : " Strange New Worlds ")

Christine Chapel [ ]

M'Benga first met Chapel when she was assigned as a head nurse to the Mobile Combat Surgical Unit on J'Gal he served in as a doctor during the Klingon War . ( SNW : " Under the Cloak of War ")

Alternate timeline [ ]

Dr. M'Benga in an alternate 2266

In an alternate timeline where Captain Pike avoided his exposure to delta radiation and remained in command of the Enterprise during the Neutral Zone Incursion of 2266 , Dr. M'Benga was still serving as CMO. ( SNW : " A Quality of Mercy ")

Key dates [ ]

• 2223 : Born in Nakuru , Kenya , Earth on December 29th.
• 2256 – 2257 : Participates in the Klingon War
• c. 2259 : assigned to the USS Enterprise as chief medical officer

Appendices [ ]

Appearances [ ].

• " A Private Little War "
• " That Which Survives "
• " Strange New Worlds "
• " Ghosts of Illyria "
• " Memento Mori "
• " Spock Amok "
• " Lift Us Where Suffering Cannot Reach "
• " The Serene Squall "
• " The Elysian Kingdom "
• " All Those Who Wander "
• " A Quality of Mercy "
• " The Broken Circle "
• " Ad Astra per Aspera "
• " Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow "
• " Among the Lotus Eaters "
• " Charades "
• " Lost in Translation "
• " Those Old Scientists "
• " Under the Cloak of War "
• " Subspace Rhapsody "
• " Hegemony "

Background information [ ]

Doctor Joseph M'Benga was played by Booker Bradshaw in The Original Series and Babs Olusanmokun in Strange New Worlds .

This character was actually created by Darlene Hartman , in her purchased (but never produced) TOS script entitled " Shol ". The notes for that script give Dr. M'Benga's first name as "Joseph" (confirmed in canon only in SNW : " The Elysian Kingdom "), and stated that he was originally a native of Uganda. His brother, Commander Simon M'Benga, was the first officer of USS Hope , a Federation hospital ship, in the planned-but-never-developed Star Trek spinoff Hopeship . [1]

An early draft of the script for " Obsession " (dated 6 September 1967 ) included a character by the name of "Nurse M'Benga". However, in research notes submitted for that episode (on 29 September 1966), de Forest Research noted the redundancy, stating that " M'Benga is the name of a doctor in 'A Private Little War'. "

In a later inter-department communication between Gene Roddenberry and John Meredyth Lucas (dated 2 October 1967 ), Roddenberry noted that regarding " Nurse M'Benga. There is no such Nurse existing on our spaceship. If we need a Nurse, we use our semi-regular Nurse Chapel. "

The first draft script for "That Which Survives" misspelled this character's name "Mboya".

M'Benga's rank of commander was confirmed when it appeared on his personal locker that appeared in "Under the Cloak of War".

Apocrypha [ ]

Jean Lorrah 's novel The IDIC Epidemic gave his first name as "Geoffrey". Meanwhile, David Mack 's Harbinger established his first name as "Jabilo", a word for "healer" in the Luo language of Kenya, [2] and set his assignment before the Enterprise as Starbase 47 , also known as "Vanguard". The novella The Tears of Eridanus , set in an alternate universe, gives his full name as Jabilo Geoffrey M'Benga.

The Vulcan Academy Murders presented M'Benga's time at the Vulcan Academy hospital and McCoy's subsequent recruitment of M'Benga for Enterprise . Tying into this, The Klingon Gambit , by Robert E. Vardeman , established that his internship on Vulcan lasted four years.

Andrea M'Benga ( β ), a great-granddaughter of this character, is portrayed in several novels written by William Shatner .

M'Benga's mirror universe counterpart appeared in the novel The Sorrows of Empire . Following Leonard McCoy 's death from xenopolycythemia in 2269 , he succeeded him as the chief medical officer of the ISS Enterprise . He continued to serve in that position until at least 2287 . The novel likewise stated that his first name was "Jabilo".

Jabilo M'Benga of the alternate reality

M'Benga's alternate reality counterpart appeared in the mobile game Star Trek: Fleet Command . He spent many years on Vulcan before its destruction at the hands of Nero in 2258 . By 2263 , M'Benga had close ties to the Vulcan Science Academy on New Vulcan and worked with Doctor Leonard McCoy aboard the USS Enterprise as part of the medical staff. The game likewise also stated that his first name was "Jabilo".

External links [ ]

• Joseph M'Benga at StarTrek.com
• Joseph M'Benga at Memory Beta , the wiki for licensed Star Trek works
• 2 ISS Enterprise (NCC-1701)

Why Dr. M'Benga From Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Looks So Familiar

When "Star Trek: Discovery" premiered in 2017, it ended the franchise's 12-year television drought and opened the floodgates to a world of new "Star Trek" stories, with showrunner Alex Kurtzman establishing the Star Trek Universe and launching the series "Picard," "Short Treks," "Lower Decks," and "Prodigy" all in a few short years. "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds" is the latest entry in the long-running franchise. The series, which premiered on May 5 on Paramount+, ties together Trekkies old and new, bringing back franchise favorites like Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount), Spock (Ethan Peck), and Number One (Rebecca Romijn), while also introducing new characters in the spirit of boldly going where no one has gone before.

Dr. M'Benga was introduced in "Star Trek: The Original Series," where he appeared in the 1968 episode "A Private Little War" and the 1969 episode "That Which Survives." Originally played by Booker Bradshaw, M'Benga is a physician who serves as a medical officer on the Starship Enterprise. For "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds," M'Benga received the coveted update from guest character to series regular, with a fleshed-out backstory and a new actor to portray him: Babs Olusanmokun. Here's where you may have seen the actor before.

Babs Olusanmokun got his start on Law & Order: Criminal Intent

Like so many working actors, Babs Olusanmokun got his start on the "Law & Order" franchise, making his first television appearance in a 2006 episode of "Criminal Intent." Over the next four years, the actor would appear in four episodes of the spin-off as three different characters, including a two-parter in Season 9 in which he plays an assassin. Olusanmokun wouldn't limit his talents to "Criminal Intent." He can also be seen in a 2008 episode of "Special Victims Unit," in which he plays a Gambian cab driver named Mr. Marong.

Beyond the world of "Law & Order," Olusanmokun spent much of the next decade racking up single episode credits in various British and American crime procedurals and dramas, including "The Blacklist" and "Gotham." He appeared in a 2007 episode of "Veronica Mars" that highlighted the organization Invisible Children, Inc. He also got to put on his villain cap in a Season 2 episode of "Blue Bloods," in which he plays a menacing shooter named Phantom.

Olusanmokun played Kunta Kinte's father on Roots

In 2016, History debuted a remake of the acclaimed miniseries "Roots." Based on Alex Haley's novel "Roots: The Saga of an American Family," the 1977 miniseries adaptation quickly became a cultural touchstone. Its finale drew a groundbreaking 100 million viewers, a feat that wouldn't be topped until the "M*A*S*H" finale in 1983, and it remains one of the most-watched series finales of all time (via BBC ). Although the 2016 remake didn't attract the same kind of national attention, it did receive near-universal praise and culled together the talents of Malachi Kirby, Forest Whitaker, Regé-Jean Page, Anna Paquin, and Laurence Fishburne (via Metacritic ).

In the remake, Babs Olusanmokun plays Omoro Kinte, the father of Kunta Kinte (Malachi Kirby) and patrilineal specter to generations of his descendants. Indeed, an early speech of Omoro's to Kunta echoes throughout the entire miniseries: "You must always honor your ancestors. Your name is your spirit. Your name is your shield." In later episodes, Omoro appears in dreamlike visions, at one point appearing in front of his granddaughter, Kizzy (Anika Noni Rose), who he never met. Still, his words travel through her as she invokes a Gambian naming ritual: "Behold the only thing that is greater than you."

Olusanmokun electrified audiences on Black Mirror

In the aftermath of "Roots," Babs Olusanmokun would make a number of single-episode appearances that were notable despite their brevity. One role for which he is perhaps best known is a 2017 episode of "Black Mirror." The Season 4 finale, titled "Black Museum," includes Easter eggs from the series' previous 18 episodes in an effort to bring the anthology together. "Black Museum," however, is decidedly a horror episode, and explores unsettling medical technologies in the form of authentic criminological artifacts. Olusanmokun plays Clayton, a hologram condemned to repeatedly relive his execution by electric chair for museum spectators. This being an episode of "Black Mirror," twists and turns abound.

Olusanmokun also appeared in one episode of "The Night Of," the HBO crime drama starring Riz Ahmed, John Turturro, and Michael K. Williams. Like "Black Mirror," Olusanmokun's character Marvin is entrenched in the horrors of prison, albeit with a less sci-fi-inflected tone.

Olusanmokun made his MCU debut on The Defenders

Babs Olusanmokun got his beefiest bad guy role yet in Marvel's "The Defenders." Following the individual successes of "Daredevil," "Jessica Jones," "Luke Cage," and "Iron Fist," Netflix had the heroes join forces for "The Defenders." The eight-episode miniseries sees the motley crew of heroes join forces to defeat The Hand, an underground villain organization led by Alexandra (Sigourney Weaver). Upon making the jump from Netflix to Disney+, the entire slate of "Defenders" shows was rebranded as "The Defenders Saga," allowing fans new and old to revisit the sometimes vulgar, always bingeable characters.

For Olusanmokun, the series marked his first outing in the MCU, making him part of a rarified group of actors to appear in both DC ("Gotham") and Marvel titles. In "The Defenders," Olusanmokun plays Sowande, one of the Hand's five "fingers." When Sowande starts recruiting Harlem teens to do his bidding, it draws the attention of Luke Cage. Before long, the man known as White Hat loses his head and becomes the first finger to fall.

Olusanmokun showed off his jiu-jitsu skills in Dune

Over the course of Bas Olusanmokun's career, the actor has had various minor roles on the big screen, including Alex Ross Perry's "Listen Up Philip" and "Deceit" (also known as "Where Is Kyra?"), starring Michelle Pfeiffer and Kiefer Sutherland. In 2021, Olusanmokun had a small part in Guy Ritchie's heist thriller "Wrath of Man" as Moggy, one of Jason Statham's henchmen. That same year, Olusanmokun landed his biggest film role to date in "Dune."

As the pugnacious Fremen warrior Jamis, Olusanmokun plays an integral role in the climactic fight scene with Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet). While Paul may have received training from Gurney Halleck (Josh Brolin) and Duncan Idaho (Jason Momoa), Olusanmokun is a real-life black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu (via BJJ Tribes ). Olusanmokun's accelerating acting career is especially meaningful to those who follow his championship-winning fighting. "I used to train under Babs," writes u/Israfel on the r/bjj subreddit. "I remember him sharing how difficult it was to get breakout roles as an actor so it's been great hearing about his success!"

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‘star trek: strange new worlds’ actor babs olusanmokun talks classic throwback episode and those emotional father-daughter moments.

The film and TV actor was thrilled when he landed the role of Chief Medical Officer Dr. Joseph M'Benga, a character previously played (albeit briefly) by the late Booker Bradshaw on 'The Original Series.'

By Ryan Parker

Ryan Parker

Former Senior Reporter

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[This story contains spoilers for Star Trek: Strange New Worlds episode “The Elysian Kingdom.”]

There was a moment when Babs Olusanmokun found himself slightly perplexed about his involvement in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds after he read the first two scripts for the Paramount+ series. But the feeling immediately evaporated when he dug into the third.

The film and TV actor was thrilled when he landed the role of Chief Medical Officer Dr. Joseph M’Benga, a character previously played (albeit briefly) by the late Booker Bradshaw on The Original Series .

Olusanmokun’s wise, forthright and stoic Dr. M’Benga had a small introduction in the series premiere and then was absent in the next episode. But in the series’ third episode, “Ghosts of Illyria,” the character made his mark with a heartbreaking revelation. In “Ghosts,” it is learned Dr. M’Benga is using an outdated transporter to house his terminally ill daughter, Rukiya (Sage Arrindell), as he desperately tries to find a cure for her cygnokemia.

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In this week’s episode, “The Elysian Kingdom,” the arc is further explored when an alien presence (hilariously) takes over the Enterprise and befriends Rukiya in a classic Star Trek throwback of delightful absurdity. However, the end proves to be perhaps the most emotional moment of the series thus far.

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter , Olusanmokun discusses the beauty and complexity of M’Benga in those heart-wrenching scenes with his daughter. The actor also recalls how much fun the crew had making “Elysian Kingdom,” during which several takes were ruined by outbursts of laughter.

How did you become cast in the show?

My team told me they were getting in touch directly with casting because it was secretive. I put two sides on tape and a few weeks later, I was told the showrunners wanted to Zoom. We had a meeting, and I did the scenes again along with a lovely conversation. It was all very nice. And a few weeks after, I got a call saying I had the job. And of course, it was a wonderful piece of news.

How did you develop your reserved, but insightful and often profound, Dr. M’Benga? Did you look to Booker Bradshaw’s work on TOS as a point of reference? 

Knowing that he had been played before by Booker Bradshaw, I did look up the two episodes that he was in. Unfortunately, Booker was not given a lot back then. So, it was a matter of crafting something anew. It was setting this guy on a new journey and making sure I gave life to something Booker could smile down upon. The unearthing of the character is ongoing.

I always feel the weight of the responsibility of trying to convey a message through the vessel of the character. It is always a wonderful challenge for an actor. It is a show that carries messages of inclusion and optimism. It is a good thing to be playing a character who gets to speak to some of that. You do your best to make sure it is all coming from a truthful and honest place.

I absolutely loved this week’s episode, “The Elysian Kingdom.” It’s such a wonderful Star Trek throwback episode. Please tell me everything. What were those epic costumes like? How did you all ever get through a take with all the hilarious performances?

( Laughs .) Those costumes were amazing. We had been hearing about the costumes for months before we shot that particular episode. When I finally started doing fittings, it was just amazing, the robe and even the undergarments and beads. It was just magnificent. It’s why I do the job, to play. It was a real thrill and blessing. I am the type of actor who, when I read material that is strong and asks something of me, I am just flooded and very grateful. And I approached it with that sense.

There were two days when it was non-stop laughter on the bridge. It was crazy — which is kind of unusual for me. I can be quite a serious guy. ( Laughs .) But there were a few destroyed takes. It was just too much. I don’t think words can do it justice. I was squeezing my face to get the words out — and then I would burst out laughing. I was like, “Oh, my God. I am a professional. What is going on?” ( Laughs .) We had a lot of fun, and I am glad it came across.

As a dad, I get super emotional when I see M’Benga interact with his daughter, Rukiya, especially in “Ghosts of Illyria” and this week’s episode. Can you tell me about delivering two such powerful performances that run the emotional gamut, especially for us parents?

I remember doing episode one when we were in Toronto, which was an introduction, and then I wasn’t in episode two. And as an actor, insecurities start bothering you, like, “Am I really in this thing?” ( Laughs .) So, when I saw the script for “Ghosts of Illyria,” it touched me greatly. I felt the weight of it. I thought it was beautifully written. There are certain monologues that you read again and again and again because every time you do, it becomes truer and truer. When the writing is that strong, it never gets to a place where you’re like, “OK. I am tired of saying these words.” You can’t help but approach it with an open heart. It can’t become boring. It is so true and heartbreaking. And I really connected to that. So, it was beautiful to have that experience for “Ghosts of Illyria.”

What then takes place in “Elysian Kingdom” is a massive continuation of that arc.  I embrace the fragility of it all; there is the vulnerability that he has to have as he is staying as strong as he can through it all. He is brave as he goes throughout the universe to try and find something to heal her. Underneath, he is carrying that horrible sense of “What will be of my child, and how can this be?” So, that was the work, the emotional work of staying in touch with that vulnerability that is deep within him.

I am not assuming anything about what will occur in the future of the series, but did you feel that story arc arrived rather quickly? I ask because I assumed the search for the cure would be a major component of M’Benga’s story, so we got there kind of fast.

I don’t know if I would disagree with you, but the other thing you said is the reason I have not been strident about it in any kind of way. I know it’s a show where we can swing in different directions quite credibly. So, what we think is resolved, I wouldn’t say is resolved. It is an ongoing and living situation. He carries that. And in season two, he is carrying that. Even if it is not present on the surface, it is present within. So, I guess what I am trying to say is I can’t tell you that we wouldn’t come back to it in some fashion.

I think I copy. Well, on that same topic, I have to ask about Sage Arrindell. She is just wonderful and you two appear to have such a strong rapport. What has that relationship been like?

Sage has a wonderful presence and was great to work with. She is really on top of it. She is a beautiful little actor. She responds, she looks you in the eyes. She has her work down. It was fantastic interacting with her. We were doing this at the height of COVID, and we had masks. So, I tried to form a bond beyond the mask that would serve us within the scenes. It was beautiful to work with her.

Interview edited for length and clarity.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds streams new episodes Thursday on Paramount+.

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A Short History Of Dr. M'Benga In The Star Trek Universe

"Star Trek: Strange New Worlds" might be taking us to strange new worlds, but it's also relying on re-introductions to characters already known by "Star Trek" fandom. Spock and Uhura are mainstays from the original "Star Trek" series, while characters like Christopher Pike and Nurse Chapel made themselves known in their brief appearances on the classic '60s series. And alongside the new and returning crew members on the Enterprise, there is one face that may be less known than the rest.

That would be Doctor M'Benga, the chief medical officer on Captain Pike's Enterprise. Played by Babs Olusanmokun, M'Benga is a new face for many folks, stepping into a space normally occupied by Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy in the original series, sequel films, and subsequent reboots. As such, it's worth taking a look back at where the character came from in the first place.

That which survives

Doctor M'Benga was actually a character from the original "Star Trek" show. The Enterprise's second doctor was played by Booker Bradshaw, an actor, voice actor, and writer. Bradshaw had guest-starring roles on "Tarzan" and "The Mod Squad," was a series regular on the original "Alvin and the Chipmunks," and even wrote episodes for "Columbo," "The Rockford Files," and "The Richard Pryor Show."

His first appearance on "Star Trek" is in the second season episode "A Private Little War." In the episode, M'Benga is one of the doctors working on the medical team under Chief Medical Officer Leonard McCoy. When Commander Spock is wounded by small arms fire on the planet Neural, M.Benga is the one who treats Spock, having acquired extensive experience treating Vulcans during an earlier internship.

M'Benga appears again in only one more episode, a third season standalone entitled "That Which Survives." In this episode, he performs an autopsy on a dead away team member. The overall role is much smaller this time around, and it marks the last time that M'Benga is seen on the Enterprise.

A second chance for the nameless

You've probably noticed that I haven't referred to M'Benga's first name yet. That's because the character does not have one in his original incarnation. The character was created for an unproduced "Star Trek" script entitled "Shol," which was ultimately shelved for being too similar to the season two episode "The Apple." In that script, his first name was Joseph, but that information never made it into a produced episode.

M'Benga was likely not used because the ship already had a series regular in Doctor McCoy and recurring medical personnel in Nurse Chapel. The latter appeared earlier and remained tied to the series for the rest of its run.

This means that Babs Olusanmokun and the creative team behind "Strange New Worlds" have far more leeway in crafting Dr. M'Benga. In the first episode, he appears as a warm, wry person who already knows Spock and other crew members. Teaser trailers also highlight a doctor who's willing to use low-tech alternatives if it can help his patients. We're looking forward to seeing how Olusanmokun, a Nigerian-American actor, is able to add some depth to the Starfleet officer of African descent.

Strange New Worlds just fixed Star Trek canon — and set up a Season 2 villain

Dr. M'Benga’s character feels a little closer to The Original Series now . But did somebody say Klingons?

Dr. M’Benga’s story is suddenly wide open. Although Star Trek: Strange New Worlds gave M’Benga personal baggage in Episode 3, “Ghosts of Ilyria,” in Episode 8, “The Elysium Kingdom,” a big twist pushes him closer to the version of the character who first appeared in The Original Series . Here’s why the heartfelt reveal in Strange New Worlds Episode 8 was also a Star Trek canon game-changer, and why M’Benga’s next journey will reboot a classic Trek villain. Spoilers ahead for Strange New Worlds Episode 8, “The Elysium Kingdom.”

In Star Trek: The Original Series , Dr. M’Benga (Booker Bradshaw) only appears in two episodes, “A Private Little War,” and “That Which Survives.” In both cases, M’Benga is a physician equal to, if not better than, Dr. Leonard “Bones” McCoy. Canonically, this always made M’Benga’s position in The Original Series odd. Why was this excellent medical officer playing second-fiddle to Bones? In Strange New Worlds , Dr. M’Benga ( Babs Olusanmokun ) is the chief medical officer of the Enterprise , which implies some kind of demotion between the show’s 2259 setting and 2268, when M’Benga first appears in TOS.

But throughout Strange New Worlds Season 1, and in “The Elysium Kingdom” in specific, we see hints that M’Benga doesn’t want to be the chief medical officer. And now the ending of Episode 8 sets up a very different path.

Rukiya (Sage Arrindell) says goodbye to her father Dr. M’Benga.

The fate of M’Benga’s daughter, Rukiya

In “Ghosts of Ilyria,” we learned that M’Benga has been keeping his daughter Rukiya (Sage Arrindell) in stasis inside of a transporter beam to keep her alive, because she has an incurable illness called “cygnokemia.” But in “The Elysium Kingdom,” Rukiya is cured. Thanks to a sentient nebula she also becomes a timeless being of pure energy who appears to her father as an adult (Makambe Simamba) at the end of the episode. Hey, it’s Star Trek.

Essentially, this allows M’Benga to become the character we know from The Original Series . The adult Rukiya even says “You have to live your own life now. Create your own stories.”

This seems to establish who M’Benga will become in The Original Series , and it also corrects a canon hiccup Strange New Worlds created for itself. M’Benga’s daughter doesn’t exist in TOS because she became a space god.

But what’s next for M’Benga might be even more interesting.

Dr. M’Benga (Booker Bradshaw) and Nurse Chapel (Majel Barrett) in Star Trek: The Original Series , Season 2, “A Private Little War.”

M’Benga and the Klingons

Speaking to Wil Wheaton on the aftershow The Ready Room, Babs Olusanmokun teased that Dr. M’Benga’s path will now be completely different from what we’ve seen so far. In The Original Series , he’s a bit tougher and more direct than he is in Strange New Worlds , and some of Olusanmokun’s comments to Wheaton could indicate we’re headed in that direction for Strange New Worlds Season 2, where we’ll explore “a darker side of him.”

And then, Olusanmokun unexpectedly said that Strange New Worlds Season 2 will feature “an exploration of [M’Benga’s] contentious relationship with the Klingons.”

This is huge. Strange New Worlds takes place directly after Discovery Season 2, which puts it about a year after the Klingon War from Discovery Season 1. In Discovery, the depiction of the Klingons is quite different from any other iteration of the franchise, and very different from the smooth-headed Klingons of The Original Series .

Captain Pike with Klingon Chancellor L’Rell (Mary Chieffo) and human-looking Klingon Ash Tyler, formally known as Voq (Shazad Latif) in Discovery Season 2.

The idea that Klingons will return for Strange New Worlds Season 2 is a gamechanger. What will these Klingons look like? A hybrid between Discovery and TOS Klingons? Will they have an entirely new look?

In May, 2022, when Inverse spoke to designer Bernadette Croft about the costumes of Strange New Worlds, she hinted that a “redesign” for one big alien species was coming, and insinuated it might be the Klingons.

Dr. M’Benga isn’t the only Strange New Worlds character who has history with the Klingons. Throughout Discovery Season 2, while temporarily the captain of the Discovery , Pike had several encounter with the Klingons. Among other incidents, he learns that Ash Tyler (Shazad Latif), a Klingon surgically altered to look human, was serving on the ship, and he was shown his grim future by the Klingon time keeper Tenavik (Kenneth Mitchell).

So, when the Klingons return for Strange New Worlds Season 2, Dr. M’Benga won’t be the only person on the Enterprise who has a contentious relationship with the famous Trek baddies.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 1 has two episodes yet to air.

• Science Fiction

Interview: Babs Olusanmokun Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’s Dr. M’Benga talks about character & craft

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds welcomes a new doctor to the pantheon of Chief Medical Officers who have consistently been some of the strongest characters across every show in the Star Trek cinematic universe: McCoy, Crusher, Bashir, Phlox, Stamets and now M’Benga. Played with so much warmth, and even a little humor by Babs Olusanmokun , Dr. M’Benga is quickly becoming a fan favorite.

Awards Radar spoke with Babs about his career and what it’s like to be a part of the cultural juggernaut that is Star Trek.

Lucas Longacre : Babs, you play Jamis in Dune , Dr. M’benga in Strange New Worlds . So needless to say, you’re in two of my favorite science fiction franchises of all time. Were you a science fiction fan growing up as a kid?

Babs Olusanmokun : Yes, yes. You know, but I didn’t think of it as Sci-Fi. I just watched them because they were adventurous and exciting and showed new worlds and possibilities. So I always found them special. It was only of course, later in life that you then put, you know, a name to it. “Sci F”. It was just about adventure for me, always.

Lucas Longacre : And so how and when did you get introduced to Star Trek?

Babs Olusanmokun : As a child, I mean, syndication. I started watching them and Mr. Spock was always a very special character to me. Then, to go into the different planets and all of that. I would say I was like, 12 or so when I first started watching them. And yeah, I enjoyed it. I enjoyed it very much. But it was a big part of my consciousness.

Lucas Longacre : So how did you originally get into acting and performance? Is that something that was like, at a young age, you were like, this is for me? Or was it just something you kind of discovered on your journey?

Babs Olusanmokun : It was really high school. Some of my family have told me was actually earlier, I sort of performed even when I was in elementary school and I was watching a lot of film. I wasn’t until high school that I did a musical. I went away on theater performance competition in high school.

Lucas Longacre : Do you remember what you performed?

Babs Olusanmokun : Lenny. From Of Mice and Men . We ended up doing Oklahoma my last year of high school. And, I played all the hockey and, of course, between that and watching films from 9pm to 4am.

Lucas Longacre : Really doing homework, right?

Babs Olusanmokun : Yes, literally it hit me and I walked up to my dad one day, I’m like, Yeah, I got it. I’m going to be an actor.

Lucas Longacre : And where was this?

Babs Olusanmokun : I grew up all over. Sometimes it’s a difficult question. I was born in Nigeria but then we lived in France, Paris for few years and then Brazil. So I actually graduated high school in Brazil, out of an American School in Brazil. Then right after that I was in New York as a teenager, taking acting classes here and there and over the years. But really without any guidance or mentorship I probably needed. So I was always, start/stop. I started training Jiu-Jitsu and that sort of took quite a bit of my time. But I always knew where I was supposed to be, acting wise. It was always my North Star.

And I would always go back to class. So I ended up studying with various studio teachers in New York City, few years at a time. Stop, start again. And then eventually, I started doing theater and going off off Broadway. Performing on the Lower East Side, and then performing at all the little New York spots, and, you know, eventually somebody was actually paying me a bit of money to do it. And not just the metro card.

Lucas Longacre : As independent filmmaker in New York, I’m guilty of having paid my actors in Metro cards for sure. That’s incredible, though. Did you ever try your hand at the commercial circuit? Was it really just doing theater and performance?

Babs Olusanmokun : No, I did a commercial years ago. And I went out for a bit. But they were never my thing. And it was one of those first steps in cutting away things in terms of realizing, yes, commercials pay money and whatnot, but it’s just not me. And it took me a while to realize that.

Lucas Longacre : I mean, it’s a lot of hard work. I don’t think people who aren’t on that side of it realize the amount of auditioning and just getting rejected over and over. So I’m fascinated that you’re in Jiu-Jitsu. So tell me a little bit about that journey with martial arts. How did you get into Jiu-Jitsu?

Babs Olusanmokun : I started with karate as a child. I got head butted by a kid when I was like, 11 or so in Paris. The next day, my dad put me in karate.

Lucas Longacre : Do you remember what style?

Babs Olusanmokun : I would say Shotokan. And I did like one or two competitions, you know, flying kicks right into some other kids chest.  And was not good. But yeah, then I started doing Jiu-Jitsu. And that really took over and I spent quite a bit of time doing that training and competing. Teaching. For a long time in New York.

Lucas Longacre : Does that inform your your acting or your performance at all using that kind of physicality?

Babs Olusanmokun : Yeah, I would say.I think I’m a naturally physical person. I remember I was in a method acting class and  that teacher, he had a specific kind of warm up, that really seemed to get me more tense. Subsequently, after I found another teacher, a great guy called John Nucor, he was actually Tennessee Williams’ personal assistant, years back. I spent a long time with him, I was able to speak to him a bit more forthrightly, more directly. And I’m like, ‘You know, we used to do this warm up, and it really gets my shoulders tense. It just does not help me.’ And he’s like, ‘Babs, what did you say you do apart from this?’ I’m like, ‘I do Jiu-Jitsu’. Alright, how do you prepare for that? How do you limber up? And he was like, ‘okay, just use that. You can bring it together’. And that really helped me. It really sort of set me free, in a way. You can prescribe your own warmup, you know, as long as it gets you to the place where you need to be, then set forth within the scene, that emotional work.

Lucas Longacre : Any chance we’re gonna get to see Dr. M’Benga do some Jiu-Jitsu in Strange New Worlds .

Babs Olusanmokun : We will see. As I said, we’re finishing up a second season, right?

Lucas Longacre : Tell me about the audition process for Strange New Worlds . How did that unfold for you?

Babs Olusanmokun : I got the appointment, actually the information was sent to me directly. The agents weren’t even allowed to see the sides and whatnot. I had to prepare two scenes. It was strong, and I took to them immediately. I’m like, okay, ‘I could do this’. I was sort of like, just a guy on a mission, who actually still keeps his cool. And then the next one was a very short scene, but went from A to Z very quickly, emotionally. And so that was quite a challenge, a lovely challenge to embrace. Because, the scene is literally just a few lines.

I sent in tape. They wanted to meet with me, and I met with show runners Akiva and Henry, and the cast. And it was just so beautiful and comfortable. We spoke for, I don’t know, 20-25 minutes for a good while before they then asked me to do the scene again. And they gave me notes. And then I did it again. Or it was like, ‘do it in this accent’. And I played with it, because I’m quite sure I did it in American accent initially. But they were very, very generous with our time, very generous with our energy. For years, living in New York and auditioning, I sort of handicapped myself by not being just 100%? But the idea of going to meet these people and, like God, all of that was not present. My focus was just on the work. I already had gotten to the point I’d worked enough and gotten to the point like, ‘I’m just going to give the work. Trust the work’. And that’s it. If they are attracted to it then something will happen. So I was at peace for this project. I was already at that point. So I could just chat with them, you know, ask questions, and just enjoy it. And then when we were done, it was just like, All right, cool. That was lovely.

Lucas Longacre : It’s like falling in love, right? Like, if if you try to force it to happen, it’s never gonna happen. But if you’re relaxed and yourself, that’s where the magic happens. Well, how did it feel getting the call that you got the part? Was it a long time between when you audition and when you got it?

Babs Olusanmokun : You know, it feels like it was shorter than I think it was? Because again, I wasn’t hyper focused on it. But I felt good about it. It took a month and a half to two months in between the audition, And then it got to the point where I had to re tape the scenes, because now they were gonna give it to more people. Like, it’s gonna go through the gauntlet again.

Lucas Longacre : The studio exec circuit.

Babs Olusanmokun : Exactly. The unnamed ones. behind the curtain. So that was wonderful, to do that again, I just did not mind tackling the work over and over again. And that really, I think served me well. My agent called, and I was sitting in London, and I was like, ‘really?’ I was quite thrilled. I was quite thrilled. Because it’s Star Trek , you know. There’s nobody that I can say that too, that no matter how jaded you are, it meant something to all of us in some way. Or it meant something to your dad, or your uncle, or your aunt.

Lucas Longacre : I’m sure you’re still processing some of those thoughts.

Babs Olusanmokun : All of us. I am still processing. We could be on set. And another actor, one of my castmates would be like, ‘Oh, my God, I can’t believe we’re doing this’. Like really. We’ll be in the chairs waiting for the next scene and somebody will bump the other and be like, “right?”. I don’t think that feeling will ever go away. Because it just demands that of you, the community. The people that appreciate it, that truly, truly appreciate it. You know, you have to serve them. Also. It’s not that kind of job that you do and throw away in any kind of way.

Lucas Longacre : You have to give it your all. How has that been, the fan reaction? I imagine this is something you’ve never really had to deal with before. What’s it like being in the in the maelstrom?

Babs Olusanmokun : I’ve not gone out to meet people. I see the onrush of it.I think it’s a beautiful thing. I think Star Trek fans are mostly, they’re not looking to tear it down. They’re not looking to tear others down. They demand something of the show, of the producers, but they’re not coming from a place of trying to belittle or be above what the piece is. If the piece speaks to them, they will embrace it fully. I see that. I have a dear friend, older than I, calls me like, ‘Man, I’m enjoying this’. I mean, he’s one of the most cynical people I know. Like a super, super cynical New Yorker dude. He can’t stop calling me. ‘Man, I’m just watching this episode. Oh, my God! Oh, my God!’

Lucas Longacre : So I think a huge part of that is that Star Trek does speak to these higher ideals we’re supposed to possess. And so even as like, the fans, like me, when we approach the show itself, try to have those ideals in mind, which I think is really powerful for a piece of entertainment.

Babs Olusanmokun : Absolutely, absolutely. Because, without that, there’s not much more. Whether it’s Star Trek, whether it’s Dune , whether it’s another piece of work that touches us in a different genre.If it grips us, if it speaks to us, if it exposes something in us, that’s the work. That’s art, right? So ultimately, that’s why we want to be artists, doing it as beautifully as possible within these parameters that are forced upon us.

Lucas Longacre : Dr. M’Benga, one of the reasons he’s so relatable is not just your performance, but he’s on a mission not just explore the universe, he has a very specific reason which is to save his daughter. How did you approach playing that character?

Babs Olusanmokun : Wow, I mean, really, just tapping into tapping into love. And the love of a child, the love you have for a family member. We can’t be comparing grief, but that is one of those sacred things, like your child is gravely ill. Your child may leave this world before you. That is something none of us ever, ever want to go through. So really, this was already presented to me at the meeting we had with the producers before we started filming. And so just started building his emotional life, and that end, the battle, the journey of having this child, having this family loving this child and taking care of her raising her and all of a sudden, as she’s still a child, and you now have to start pondering and dealing with her possible loss or possible death. So it was it was more emotional work, creating that and laying down a soil for that. And, of course, also keeping him brave enough and desperate enough to bring her on the ship, and really go against his sworn duty. And so, yeah, the work was to sort of lay the ground for that for that emotional journey. For that journey of doing what I have to do, what he has to do to save this child. The places we’ll have to travel to, the the people he will have to negotiate with, to discover some new medicines. So really going back the sides. You know, the asides for the audition was him, sort of haggling with another individual in terms of getting this, what he thought could be the life saving medicine. And at first, it means not much to him. But really, we find that it’s actually very, very important. So for me, it’s that, keeping him brave, keeping him focused on the goal he needs to achieve. And making sure the vulnerability is there. But that’s the chunk of the journey that I was working to craft for him for the season.

Lucas Longacre : Well, I just watched the episode last night in anticipation for this interview, the fantastical one where it becomes a storybook.

Babs Olusanmokun : The Elysium Kingdom.

Lucas Longacre : Exactly, Elysium Kingdom . And I’ll tell you, it snuck up on me because it’s a very silly episode in many ways, such a throw back to original Star Trek series, where they would have these very plot driven reasons why they would suddenly be in another genre. So I didn’t realize there was this emotional sledgehammer coming. By the end I was tearing up over the interaction you had with the daughter, it was just a beautiful. A beautifully done scene. But that’s transitioning into my question, which is in Strange New Worlds , It’s like every episode can be a different genre completely. It can be an action movie, it can be a Western. It can be a drama. It can be a comedy. So are there any genres you haven’t explored that you actually really looking forward to being allowed to play in?

Babs Olusanmokun : Oh, man, I feel if I say that then I’m giving too much away.

Lucas Longacre : Yeah, let’s reverse it. Let’s say, what are the ones you’ve done so far, first season that you’re allowed to talk about that have been really just a pure joy to play in the series?

Babs Olusanmokun : I would of course say The Elysian Kingdom which you just watched because it is that fantasy. It’s the fantasy episode essentially. And as you know, as heavy as it became, at the end, it was really fun. It was really like, as an actor, it felt it felt like it was a chance to just spread the wings and explore and sit in moments and just enjoy playing this King Ridley, even though I would still M’Benga. And keeping my wits about me. But I had to sometimes become him to compel the other characters who were fully in the mode of the Elysian Kingdom. It was a beautiful thing to play with. And that’s one thing I love about the show that we can be really silly one moment, and then we can be adventurous and badass the next moment, I think it’s just, it’s a wonderful playground to be on.

Lucas Longacre : Definitely, and some of these Star Trek shows, they’ll go for four or five, six, even seven seasons, are you in it for the long haul? Are you excited to be on this potential journey?

Babs Olusanmokun : Absolutely, I will be around as long as they’d have me. I’m quite sure everybody’s invested in keeping it strong and interesting. And not just putting something out to put something out. Ultimately, we want to do things that we’re proud of, and that we care about and that others can connect to. So I think we’re all have that in mind, we all want to make it meaningful. So, yeah, as long as we can keep doing that, you know, why not?

Lucas Longacre : Well, I hope so. For me, Star Trek has been such an integral part of my life since I was a child and so Strange New Worlds , I think really taps into all of that like positivity, that wonder of adventure and exploration. So I’m really hoping that you at least get a few more seasons, maybe a feature film or two. Any chance you’re going to be at New York Comic Con this year?

Babs Olusanmokun : I don’t know. I’d like to be I’d like to be, but maybe so hopefully somebody gets a clue and makes that happen. And I will be there.

Lucas Longacre : People from Awards Radar are on a podcast are actually going to be there doing coverage of it. So I’ll make sure if you’re there we’ll cover whatever panel you’re on.

Babs Olusanmokun : Excellent. Thank you so much.

You can follow the Babs Olusanmokun’s adventures as Dr. M’Benga and the rest of the crew of the Enterprise on Star Trek: Strange New World ’s streaming on Paramount+. 

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Babs Olusanmokun on Playing Dr. M’Benga on ‘Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds takes us back to the original Star Trek era where Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount) led the Enterprise and her crew on daring missions to explore the vastness of Space and make new discoveries and advancements on behalf of the Federation. The crew of the Enterprise is has a vast range of experience and skill they bring to their mission, and one Dr. M’Benga, played brilliantly by Babs Olusanmokun, gets his own featured episode this week.

We had the opportunity to speak with Olusanmokun ahead of his featured episode this week, “The Elysium Kingdom,” asking him what Star Trek means to him, how Dr. M’Benga deals with his current struggles, what viewers can anticipate, and much more.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity

NOC: What’s it like filming on Strange New Worlds and what’s the dynamic like on set?

Olusanmokun: All of the dynamic is fun. It’s been a brilliant time. We’re towards the very end of shooting the second season. So we’re very excited and a bit tired but love it, and it’s just been really a beautiful experience all around. Everybody is really committed everybody’s there to do what they need to do to serve the piece. And it’s been fantastic. It’s been really, really fantastic. Everybody behind the scenes together, we get along and enjoy each other and we’re very supportive of each other and yeah, is literally just beautiful times.

And it really comes across that way while we watch the show and it’s just it’s such a beautiful show in so many different ways. I’m curious on a more broad level, what does Star Trek mean to you and what do you personally think its most important lessons are?

Star Trek means it means, to me, peace. It’s a project that demands more than just the work, so to speak. It’s your representative of something. And that assumption is hope, optimism, which sometimes in this world of ours, it can be quite difficult to hold on to. But it’s a show that demands that our view the message of the show historically has always been that that’s been its legacy. Also a legacy of inclusion. In a world where people want to punch down, like those that are better finding trying to find themselves in our world. I think Star Trek urges us to live. The fact that we are all one and without each other. So we have to take care of each and every one of us. And I think that is I believe that is the most powerful message of the show of the series in general, and I think that is enough. So to be on a show to be doing a piece of work that has that reach and and seeks to have that reach and is does it forthrightly, I think that’s a beautiful thing. There are many actors that will do lots of different projects and, they might end up doing not even one that would resonate the way this resonates and has resonated historically with people from all walks of life. So it’s quite a special thing to to be a part of that.

Dr. M’benga has this kind of really tragic situation with his daughter who has this terminal illness. He’s secretly keeping her aboard the Enterprise and he’s probably doing some things that are outside of Starfleet protocol. But I suppose in general what do you think think leads him to be so secretive about his personal life with others on the enterprise? Maybe even besides the like, breaking up protocol?

He’s a very responsible man. And he takes his duty as a Starfleet Deputy very seriously. And realize and knowing I think it’s it’s a there’s a massive conflict. Of course where he’s got is he has to invest in it has to save his child. As much as he adores or respect Starfleet, he has to say this time, so he knows it’s wrong, according to Starfleet, and he is ready to pay the price. for that. But there is no way he would involve anybody else. Because of what he knows it entails it really is going against the code of Starfleet. So therefore, I think it’s just a matter of responsibility and shield and others from having to carry that burden. That is why he kept it from from all the others.

Leading up to your centered episode, which will be airing this week. We get to see Dr. M’banga, we get to see you leading what is ironically despite this tragic situation, a more a classic Star Trek “silly premise” episode. We’ve seen these before and what was it like for you filming that and how is it different from what you usually shoot on set?

I mean, there’s a lot more of me. So it demands the demands. You’re essentially, anytime one of us has to be sort of like, a center of the episode, you’re shooting a film, and you’re sort of taking the lead and you have to sort of be the through line for this piece. And so, it was a lot of work in over this one in particular, I got the script like the day before we started shooting but it was a beautiful challenge. I loved it. I loved working on it. We had a lot of fun. It was, it was the set was just beautifully, beautifully designed. And the art department was just amazing. Every room I walked into is quite different. And I was just taken by the artistry of all of that. And then I just put this nice guy through this journey.

Dr. M'Benga will see you now. #StarTrek : #StrangeNewWorlds premieres May 5th. ✨ https://t.co/ypHgRphrr9 pic.twitter.com/FxaJlsfHYh — Star Trek (@StarTrek) March 31, 2022

And so it was really, really beautiful to play. All the rest of the cast was just fantastic. And we had a we had a great time. Definitely it’s my favorite episode so far. I’ve yet to see it. I probably won’t see it anytime soon. But yeah, it was definitely it was definitely to just live sort of in this other world was really special. And I think that’s, that’s the great thing about our, our show. Every episode we get to play in a different playground. And as an actor, that is just really really, really wonderful to experience and explore. And fantastic costumes. It was beautiful. It was really being being on a playground and enjoying himself. So yeah, it was really wonderful.

You can watch “The Elysian Kingdom” this Thursday, June 23 and you can watch Star Trek: Strange New Worlds every Thursday on Paramount+.

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Swara is a data analyst and a co-host of The Middle Geeks. He loves talking about politics, animals, nature, and all things Star Trek and DC. View all posts by Swara Salih

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M’Benga was an expert on Vulcan physiology and stepped in to serve as acting chief medical officer when Dr. McCoy was away from the Enterprise.  The character appeared in two Original Series episodes (“A Private Little War” and “That Which Survives”), and while he had no first name identified on screen, he did get one in the Star Trek: Vanguard novel series (there called “Jabilo M’Benga.”)

The  Strange New Worlds hype is just getting started, to keep your sensors locked here to TrekCore for all the latest news as it breaks!

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds  debuts on Thursday, May 5 on Paramount+ in the United States, Australia, Latin America, and the Nordics, as well as on CTV Sci Fi Channel in Canada. Additional international distribution has not yet been announced.

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Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Just Revealed A Heartbreaking Twist Involving Dr. M'Benga

Oof, where are the tissues?

Warning! The following contains spoilers for the Star Trek: Strange New Worlds episode “Ghosts Of Illyria.” Read at your own risk!

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds had another dynamite episode for Paramount+ subscribers with “Ghosts of Illyria,” and it came with the saddest revelation about one of the show’s most cryptic characters . Once the light virus was solved, Una later realized that the whole thing might’ve never happened had Dr. M’Benga allowed for upgrades to the medical transporter. She confronted the Chief Medical Officer about the situation and asked what he was holding in the pattern buffer that he had to prioritize over the lives of everyone else on board. The answer, as viewers found out, was his daughter. 

Dr. M’Benga has a daughter, and she suffers from a terminal illness with an average 12-week prognosis. As M’Benga mentioned, as the Enterprise’s Chief Medical Officer, he should have all the skills he needed to cure his daughter. When he exhausted all other options, he realized he could eventually find a cure via exploration in Starfleet if only he had more time for research and learning more about what might be out there. 

The Star Trek: Strange New Worlds character revealed that he could hold his daughter in the medical transporter’s pattern buffer indefinitely, which would buy him all the time he needed. While in the buffer, she will not age, nor will her disease progress. All he has to do is regularly materialize her, and he’ll have all the time he needs to try and search the cosmos for a cure. 

M’Benga was ready to be sent to the brig and removed from Starfleet for his actions, but instead, Una decided to get a dedicated power source for the medical transporter so that he’d never have to worry about someone shutting down the transporter again. Una then said she hoped to meet his daughter someday, and the episode ended with M’Benga reading his young daughter a story. I’ll admit I shed a tear for the first time watching this series during that scene, and I’m sure it won’t be the last time.

It hit me right in the feels and made me desperately hope that M’Benga finds that cure. Obviously, this feels like a character arc that Star Trek: Strange New Worlds will keep tabs on, and I’m hoping it has a happy ending. Thankfully, the series tends to skew more on the optimistic side of Trek (as Rebecca Romijn noted to us once before ), even if it doesn’t honor all the elements of the original series. In short, I think we’ll see M’Benga’s daughter cured one day, and maybe she’ll become the next iconic kid wandering around a Starfleet ship! We haven’t seen many of those in live-action Trek lately, so I certainly wouldn’t mind it. 

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds streams new episodes on Paramount+ on Thursdays. It’s one of many Trek shows airing in 2022 , so be sure to keep tabs on what all is going on. 

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Strange New Worlds May Have Explained M'Benga's Absence in Star Trek: TOS

Dr. Joseph M’Benga has shown a tendency to break Starfleet rules, which might explain why he went largely unseen in Star Trek: The Original Series.

The following article contains spoilers for Star Trek: Strange New Worlds , Season 2, now streaming on Paramount+.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds made a bold choice for the Enterprise's Chief Medical Officer. Instead of creating a brand-new character for the prequel series, the show's creators decided to pluck an obscure character from Star Trek: The Original Series . Introduced in The Original Series , Season 2, Episode 16,"A Private Little War" as an expert in Vulcan medicine, Dr. Joseph M'Benga would later appear as the CMO aboard the Enterprise in Strange New Worlds . So, where had he been in the intervening years between Pike and Kirk's command, and why wasn't he the ship's doctor during those later voyages?

Before he was introduced in the pilot episode of Strange New Worlds , Dr. M'Benga was known to Star Trek fans only as a member of Dr. McCoy's staff. Yet in the new series, M'Benga is the Chief Medical Officer and a compassionate physician with a multifaceted backstory. In fact, it's precisely his colorful history -- and many of the decisions he made since assuming his duties aboard the USS Enterprise -- that could explain why he no longer served as the ship's doctor in The Original Series .

RELATED: Strange New Worlds Reintroduces Another Legendary Star Trek Character

Strange New Worlds' Chief Medical Officer Has Made Questionable Decisions

On Strange New Worlds , CMO Dr. Joseph M'Benga is portrayed as a dedicated medical professional with some dark secrets. During his time in Starfleet -- which included serving in a field hospital during the Federation-Klingon War -- the doctor has shown a tendency to color outside the lines. While serving as Chief of Medicine on J'Gal during the war , M'Benga used Protocol 12 -- a performance enhancing drug that he'd formulated -- in order to assassinate Klingon General Dak'Rah and end the fighting. Though the general escaped, M'Benga successfully massacred his officers, leaving the Klingons without a command structure and ending the violence on that moon. Starfleet seemed all-too-happy to obfuscate both the incident and the existence of Protocol 12 after the war, but Dr. M'Benga would continue to make his own rules after the conflict was over.

In Season 1, Episode 3, 'Ghosts of Illyria,' Dr. M'Benga revealed to Cmdr. Una Chin-Riley that he'd been using an outdated transporter in sick bay so that he could keep his daughter Rukiya in stasis using the pattern buffer. Rukiya was sick with an uncurable disease and keeping her pattern in the transporter was the only way to keep her alive while her father searched for a cure. Even though this decision had put the ship in jeopardy, Cmdr. Chin-Riley elected to keep M'Benga's secret, partly because the first officer known as Number One had a secret of her own and partly because she recognized his desperation to save his child. The next year, the incident on J'Gal came back to haunt the doctor when Dak'Rah -- by then a Federation ambassador to the Klingons -- boarded the Enterprise. The former general built his diplomatic career on a lie, claiming that he was the one who'd murdered his own subordinates on J'Gal to save innocent lives.

M'Benga, however, knew the truth and eventually confronted Dak'Rah, revealing that the doctor was the one who had killed the general's senior officers while the Klingon fled in fear. A fight ensued, and M'Benga killed Dak'Rah with his own dagger . Both Starfleet and the doctor were content to declare the ambassador's death an accident, but Captain Pike -- though he officially accepted the explanation -- was less convinced. Unfortunately, Dak'Rah's death may have been part of the reason that the Federation and the Klingon Empire would maintain an antagonistic relationship for nearly 30 years. These incidents may help to explain why Dr. M'Benga went largely unseen in Star Trek: The Original Series .

RELATED: Why Spock's Strange New Worlds' Finale Confrontation Is a Continuity Error

Where Did M’Benga Go Between Strange New Worlds and The Original Series?

It seems strange that the Chief Medical Officer aboard the flagship of the Federation would serve the same ship under another physician years later. So, what happened between Strange New Worlds and The Original Series that could explain M'Benga's change of circumstance? One simple explanation is that his transgressions don't end with Dak'Rah, and after multiple incidents, Starfleet brass decided they couldn't cover up his violations of protocol anymore.

If someone higher up ordered an inquiry into the incident in sick bay, exposing the truth about J'Gal and Dak'Rah's death, M'Benga may have faced court-martial and been forced to resign only to have his career saved by Pike. He may also have been demoted. It's also highly probable that the multiple traumas that Dr. M'Benga suffered prompted him to resign. With a Vulcan first officer, the Enterprise would've needed a doctor who specialized in Vulcan medicine, and Spock would've been inclined to recommend Joseph M'Benga. Between Kirk, Spock and McCoy, there would have been enough pull to get M'Benga to rejoin Starfleet and have him assigned to the Enterprise again.

Despite his many flaws, Dr. M'Benga is a capable officer and a remarkable physician. Therefore, Starfleet is lucky to have him in any capacity. Strange New Worlds provides complex and intriguing characters to enrich the franchise and M'Benga is no exception. Pulled from the relative obscurity of his two appearances in TOS , the Vulcan-trained physician adds even more depth to the Star Trek universe. While the series has provided some insight into why his story moves him from prominence to near-anonymity, the full reason remains to be seen.

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Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Recap: A Klingon Visitor Triggers M’Benga and Chapel’s Worst Memories

Keisha hatchett, staff editor.

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This week’s Star Trek: Strange New Worlds asked another complex question: Does someone who committed horrific crimes in the past deserve a chance to start anew?

Dak’Rah was a Klingon general who defected to the Federation’s side during the Klingon War, negotiated a ceasefire, and now served as a Federation ambassador. As part of his ongoing peace mission, he paid a visit to the Enterprise , which did not go well.

M’Benga was especially affected, having dealt with Rah firsthand, and he experienced a panic attack the moment he spotted the allegedly reformed Klingon.

Things got tense during dinner when Ortegas, who didn’t buy Rah’s nice guy act, reminded him of the Klingons’ horrific wartime acts which still haunted her memory. Meanwhile, M’Benga showed heroic restraint by sitting calmly near the ex-warlord rather than decking him on the spot.

Flashbacks revealed that M’Benga and Chapel served on J’Gal and witnessed Rah’s brutality firsthand, the traumatic experience leaving a permanent stain on their souls.  Spock picked up on Chapel’s uneasiness and tried to comfort her, but Chapel instead asked for some space.

Meanwhile, M’Benga continued to unravel during Rah’s visit, enduring more panic attacks and fighting back painful memories of the soldier he tried to help, who was subsequently killed in action.

Rah’s visit was cut short, and he visited M’Benga in a last-ditch effort to make amends. But M’Benga refused to associate with a war criminal and asked the Klingon to just leave him alone. Rah continued to push, but his efforts to bury the past felt particularly shallow, given that he hasn’t been telling the truth about what he did.

Rah refused to leave M’Benga alone, and their disagreement escalated to a scuffle, ending with M’Benga stabbing him to death.  

Pike and M’Benga’s conversation at the end of the hour showed their stark difference of opinion. Pike stood ten toes deep in his optimistic belief that everyone deserves a second chance. In that respect, Rah should have gotten his due process — tried and punished accordingly — rather than killed during that altercation.

M’Benga, however, could not forgive Rah for his crimes and pointed out that the Federation knew who Rah was and still employed him to represent them. What about justice for Rah’s victims?

“You have the privilege of believing in what’s best in people. Me? I happen to know there are some things in this world that don’t deserve forgiveness,” M’Benga said.

Their conversation ended with Pike asking if M’Benga started the fight. M’benga, of course, maintained his innocence.

What did you think of this week’s episode?

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Fantastic episode. Dark, gritty and morally grey like some of the best episodes of classic Trek. What a tonal shift from the Lower Decks crossover episode last week! I was hoping for Jack Quaid and Tawny Newsome to be mentioned in TVLine’s Performers of the Week column, but after watching this episode I hope the title actually goes to Babs Olusanmokun.

Stellar episode. Babs & Jess 100% need to be on performers of the week for what they gave us here. The horror of war, PTSD and facing the past…incredible performances.

This was easily the best episode of the season. Season 1 was fantastic, but this season has been a dud until this episode dropped.

100% agree.

Babs + Jess for performers of the week! Especially Babs if we can only have one of them.

Somebody in this episode needs to be among the Performers of the Week.

Babs Olusanmokun and Jess Bush rocked it and Robert Wisdom was amazing as always.

Babs reminded me of Avery Brooks’ performance in “Far Among the Stars.

This episode provides some pretty nifty background for why M’Benga still serves as a staff doctor under Chief Medical Officer McCoy on Kirk’s Enterprise. I would bet that it’s something like the larger crew compliment of Kirk’s time (about twice the size of Pike’s current crew compliment on SNW) requires a CMO a step or two above M’Benga in rank and he refuses the promotion when Pike tries to give it to him just before the switch from Pike to Kirk — which would have implied Kirk informally approving of such a promotion because he already knows M’Benga. I suppose that there might be other reasons for M’Benga not being CMO under Kirk, such as, perhaps, being busted down substantially in rank and only having worked his way back up to whatever the rank of Staff Doctor is actually called. But it sure does feel like this episode is the starting point for that. . Okay, sure, M’Benga was in only two episodes of TOS, one each in seasons 2 and 3, so there could be a much more benign excuse — M’Benga comes in temporarily to serve in a fill-in capacity when permanent staff doctors rotate out (perhaps a Kirk-era doctor is promoted to CMO on another ship). But I like to think right now that M’Benga will still be a full-time member of the crew during Kirk’s era because Babs O. and his character are so awesome.

It was nice to see Clint Howard (Ron Howard’s brother) in this episode. Yes, he has aged (as we all have), but I knew who he was right away. BTW, Clint Howard was in the Original Star Trek series in one episode in 1966 (The Corbomite Maneuver)/ Season 1, episode 10. Yes, 1966, at the age of 7 years old.

That is trivia that would have been nice to include in the article about this episode.

ETA: That was 57 years ago.

SNW is not Star Trek. That’s ok and I was trying to enjoy the show for what it is. But this episode was the opposite of everything Star Trek used to stand for. M’benga decided that his vengeance was more important than his oath to Starfleet and duties as a doctor. And Chapel also lied to cover up M’bengas crime. So, the moral of this story is ignore your duties and uniform. Go ahead and kill whoever you want if you think they deserve it. To be this backwards, the writer of this episode must have gone to college and received a nonSTEM degree.

This episode was one of the worst I’ve seen from this series, if only because it completely ignores the insubordination and outright MURDER committed by ranking officers on the Enterprise, against a Starfleet peace ambassador.

The idea that the Chief Medical Officer of Starfleet’s premier vessel — known to hold suffer from PTSD and hold a specific grudge against the Klingons — could stab a Klingon ambassador to death on that vessel and not be IMMEDIATELY removed from duty, tossed in the brig and be up on murder charges is laughable. If M’Benga murdered one guy that he had a problem with, what’s to stop him from killing ANYONE who ticks him off? Apparently there are NO rules enforced on Pike’s good ship Enterprise.

Between that and Ortega’s repeated — and completely overlooked — habit of disobeying direct orders and disRESPECTING both her superiors and high-ranking officials in Starfleet, STRANGE NEW WORLDS comes across less like Star Trek and more like an out of control Star Frathouse, complete with lavious, 4-star hotel rooms and chef kitchens for its officers. 🙄

Do not come for M’Benga. I will defend him to the end. As to those who scream “murderer,” you missed a few details in the episode. First, it was obvious from the conversation with the Andorian that M’Benga was once a soldier/assassin for Starfleet. Also, Starfleet had tried to get M’Benga to take on the mission of that team which was to take out top Klingons on J’Gal. Even though M’Benga is now a doctor, Pike has been totally fine with using those skills as recently as the visit to Rigel 7. In the war, M’Benga rejected the assignment until he realized that the Klingons had ordered everyone who wasn’t Klingon killed, including civilian children. In the present, M’Benga was suffering from severe post-traumatic stress due to his experiences and actions on J’Gal. The panic attacks were triggered by Rah’s presence. And yet, even through panic attacks, M’Benga was treating himself, through tapping and fighting to stay on his path of healing himself. He maintained extraordinary control when faced with the man he’d been supposed to kill. Also, he’d asked the ambassador to leave him alone many times – that’s called setting a boundary – another way to heal from trauma. And Rah just rolled over them. And finally, some idiot at Starfleet command wanted to support Rah on his forgiveness tour so they asked for war veterans to hang out with him, I guess to look back on those days on J-gal, where the fighting was so bad it rained blood. Rah seemed to be wandering the ship with little or no supervision. And Pike, even though I love him, was very,very dumb this week. He failed to see the threat and act to make his crew feel safe. Heck, he invited Rah to one of his special dinners and expected people to what—hug it out after a hard conversation?! (Una was the one telling him that they needed to get Rah off the ship. That happened too late as well.) Pike is an optimist when it comes to second chances. As M’Benga said at the end, Pike’s privilege in not having been in the fighting made it possible for him to think that all can be forgiven. And as M’Benga said, some things cannot. M’Benga is a human being. The Rah visit was a step too far and allowed him no time to prepare. Starfleet shouldn’t have ANYTHING to say about it, because they were the ones who supported M’Benga’s first career. Putting him on trial would be a security risk for them. And there were probably a few admirals having a celebratory Saurian brandy over Rah’s death. The Klingons are probably breaking out the blood wine as well. There are a lot of folks who messed up here. I truly wish they hadn’t pushed M’Benga to a place where he was isolated with very few choices to get out of it.

I thought this episode was disturbing at the end. Enterprise Doctor murdered that Klingon guy…. He belongs in jail.

1.) Point of order–Rah didn’t hold M’Benga back and force him to kill his way out. M’Benga was there to kill all of the leaders, including Rah. The guy who was holding M’Benga back (the one who fought hardest) was covering Rah’s escape. 2.) They are all dealing with the PTSD of being at J’Gal. Rah, who is truly Klingon (we see this underlying the ratajinko incident), is suffering his trauma about his then (and continued) cowardice. He ran. Not a warrior’s move. 3.) The commenters seem to believe that M’Benga murdered Rah on the ship. He said he didn’t start the fight. Have we known him to lie? To Pike? He didn’t directly lie about his daughter… 4.) I truly don’t know how a war like that would be able to afford keeping the Enterprise on the sidelines…but Pike’s blindspots here were pretty big.

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‘Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’: Rebecca Romijn & Babs Olusanmokun on Una and M’Benga’s Secrets

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[Warning: The below contains MAJOR spoilers for  Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 1 Episode 3 “Ghosts of Illyria.”]

Both Number One, Una Chin-Riley ( Rebecca Romijn ), and Dr. M’Benga ( Babs Olusanmokun ) must confront secrets they’ve been keeping in the latest episode of  Star Trek: Strange New Worlds .

Following a mission at an abandoned Illyrian colony, the  Enterprise crew becomes infected with a mysterious contagion that draws the infected to light, eventually incapacitating everyone on board — Pike ( Anson Mount ) and Spock ( Ethan Peck ) are stuck on the planet, in their own trouble — except for Una, whose immune system does what it was bioengineered to do and cured her. She tells M’Benga and Nurse Chapel (Jess Bush) she’s an Illyrian, but unfortunately, they can’t use her blood to synthesize a cure because her immune system burnt out the infection immediately. Una later tells Pike the truth and is ready to resign her commission, but he won’t let her. She’s an example to all of them, and he’ll worry about Starfleet when they find out. (Genetically modification is forbidden by the Federation.)

So would Una have told anyone if she didn’t have to? “Maybe Pike eventually,” Romijn tells TV Insider. “But it’s obviously the thing that she’s most shameful of that she has been hiding and I think it’s why she’s so good at what she does. I think she hides behind work and being meticulous and being fastidious and it’s something that’s deeply shameful. So she keeps her distance from people a little bit to cover it up.”

Anson Mount on That 'Strange New Worlds' Bridge Surprise

The situation with the crew also alerts Una to the fact that M’Benga’s medical transporter hasn’t been updated because the doctor is keeping something in the pattern buffer. His daughter is in there, he confesses. A year ago, she was diagnosed with cygnokemia, a “brutal disease” and given a 12-week prognosis. In the pattern buffer, she doesn’t age and her disease can’t progress. He’s hoping to find the cure he needs somewhere, but he knows he can’t endanger the crew for one life. Though he’s willing to say goodbye to his daughter and turn himself in, instead, Una says they’ll just make sure it’s not a problem again.

But if it came down to it, could he say goodbye or choose Starfleet over his daughter? “I think if he has to,” Olusanmokun says. “I think his sense of duty would force him to let her go, not because he would choose work over her, but because in this way, he’s already broken the trust of work. He’s already broken the trust of Starfleet and Pike having him on the ship. So to have broken that trust, I think he’s the type of man that would pay unfortunately the ultimate price.”

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds , Thursdays, Paramount+

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds where to stream

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds

Babs olusanmokun, rebecca romijn.

Star Trek: DS9 Almost Did Strange New Worlds' Super Soldier Drugs 20 Years Ago

• Star Trek: DS9 planned super soldier drugs 20 years before SNW's Protocol 12
• Kira's drug backstory was considered in "The Wire" episode.
• DS9's Kira and SNW's M'Benga both have dark connections - combat experience and murder, but they are redeemed by heroic actions.
• DS9's dark storytelling success in SNW echoes through shared character struggles. Watch both series on Paramount+ for more.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine planned a storyline involving super soldier drugs nearly 20 years before Dr. Joseph M'Benga (Babs Olusanmokun) and Nurse Christine Chapel (Jess Bush) used them in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 2. It was revealed in SNW season 2 that Dr. M'Benga had developed a combat drug known as Protocol 12, which was used by Starfleet officers fighting in the Klingon War . The drug was a cocktail of adrenaline and pain inhibitors that made the user stronger, more aggressive, and more resistant to pain, all of which were valuable attributes when fighting in Star Trek: Discovery 's Klingon War .

The existence of Protocol 12 was disavowed by M'Benga and Starfleet, but Star Trek: Strange New Worlds revealed that the USS Enterprise's chief medical officer still had a supply of the drug. Both M'Benga and Chapel used Protocol 12 in Strange New Worlds ' season 2 opener , when they had to fight their way through a group of Klingon and Federation conspirators. Nearly 20 years earlier, while breaking the story of the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode that would become "The Wire", the writers' room considered introducing a similar story about combat drugs involving one of DS9 's regular characters .

Strange New Worlds Dark Klingon War Episode Makes It Star Treks True DS9 Successor

Star trek: ds9 nearly did strange new world's super soldier drugs first.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 2, episode 22, "The Wire" revealed that Elim Garak (Andrew Robinson) had burnt out a pain-inhibiting implant in his brain, leading to disastrous results for his health. However, writer Robert Hewitt Wolfe's original intention for the episode was to reveal that Major Kira Nerys (Nana Visitor) was suffering withdrawal from repeated use of combat drugs during the Cardassian Occupation of Bajor . As a story for a Star Trek episode, this pre-empted Dr. M'Benga's Protocol 12 by about 19 years.

Eventually, it was decided that the revelations about Kira's drug use and addiction were too major to not factor into future episodes of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine . It was also felt that Kira's character would be tarnished by her reliance on combat stimulants. Instead, the episode became a key moment in the friendship between Garak and Dr. Julian Bashir (Alexander Siddig). As Garak was a recurring character with an enigmatic and sinister past, the revelations about his implant and addiction to pain inhibitors were a better fit. However, Kira's own dark past would continue to influence future DS9 episodes.

"The Wire" is the first episode of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine to name the Obsidian Order, the shadowy intelligence agency that Garak once worked for.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' M'Benga And DS9's Kira Have 1 Dark Thing In Common

Although Kira's combat drugs storyline was dropped from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine , she still has a dark connection to Dr. Joseph M'Benga. Both Kira and M'Benga have seen brutal conflict from the Bajoran Resistance to the Klingon War. However, many Starfleet officers have seen combat throughout the Star Trek timeline , meaning that these two tragic characters aren't alone in their wartime experiences. What does connect Kira and M'Benga, however, is the fact that they have both committed murder .

In Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 2, episode 8, "Necessary Evil" it was revealed that Kira murdered a Bajoran collaborator aboard Terok Nor during the Occupation. Kira acted in self-defense, but her disdain for collaborators suggests that she may have done it regardless. Similarly, Dr. M'Benga murdered Ambassador Dak'Rah (Robert Wisdom) aboard the USS Enterprise in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 2, episode 8, "Under the Cloak of War", and claimed it was self-defense. However, despite Kira and M'Benga's crimes, they are both Star Trek characters whose heroic acts far outweigh their villainous ones, going some way toward redeeming these complicated characters .

All episodes of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds are available to stream now on Paramount+.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, also known as DS9, is the fourth series in the long-running Sci-Fi franchise, Star Trek. DS9 was created by Rick Berman and Michael Piller, and stars Avery Brooks, Ren Auberjonois, Terry Farrell, and Cirroc Lofton. This particular series follows a group of individuals in a space station near a planet called Bajor.

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Prep Begins For ‘Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’ Season 3 Finale; Cast And Directors Share BTS Images

| April 25, 2024 | By: Anthony Pascale 15 comments so far

Work on the third season of  Star Trek: Strange New Worlds  continues to move swiftly in Toronto and looks to be set to wrap up next month. We have some fun bits from the set shared by the cast and a couple of directors, as well as some details on the production.

2 more episodes to go

First up, a selfie from director Jordan Canning, who previously directed the season 2 episode “Charades.” The image posted earlier this week shows the director with Ethan Peck and Rebecca Romijn and has the message, “Always happy to be the redshirt between these two.”

  View this post on Instagram   A post shared by Jordan Canning (@jjhcanning)

TrekMovie has confirmed that Canning directed episode 8, which has wrapped. Filming for episode 9 has already begun, with Andrew Coutts directing. This will be the directorial debut for Coutts, a co-producer and editor on the show. The 10th and final episode of the season will be directed by Maja Vrvilo, a Paramount+ Trek veteran who has directed episodes of Discovery , Picard , and Strange New Worlds . Earlier this week, she posted an image of her office door, indicated prep work for her episode had already begun.

  View this post on Instagram   A post shared by Maja Vrvilo (@majavrvilo)

Anson has a challenge for cosplayers

There have also been a couple of fun recent social media updates from the cast. First up, Anson Mount posted on Twitter/X that season 3 will require cosplayers to bring their “A-game” as he shared some creative fan costumes.

I will say this about season 3 of #StarTrek #StrangeNewWorlds : Cos-players, you better be ready to bring your A-game. #Cosplay @StarTrek @StarTrekOnPPlus pic.twitter.com/mZ9gMmIhsL — Anson Mount 🖖 (@ansonmount) April 16, 2024

One new look for cosplayers to try is an armed Nurse Chapel, as seen in this short video from Jess Bush showing off her phaser holster.

  View this post on Instagram   A post shared by Jess Bush (@onejessa)

Finally, on the day of the big eclipse, some of the Strange New Worlds team took a moment to check it out. Bush shared an Instagram story with herself and co-star Melissa Navia rocking their eclipse glasses. (They had 90% totality in Toronto.)

Last week brought big news for Strange New Worlds: It’s been renewed for a fourth season. Paramount+ recently confirmed season 3 will debut in 2025.

Keep up with news about the  Star Trek Universe at TrekMovie.com .

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I LOVE holodeck dude in cosplay!

I’m curious how long their entire season shooting period actually is.

Usually 5 to 6 months. This one started just before Christmas.

I know I’ll end up watching it, but I’m just not excited for the next season. Season 2 was all over the place, in my opinion. For every episode like Those Old Scientists or Ad Astra Per Aspera, there was rubbish like The Broken Circle and Under the Cloak of War and Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow. I like the cast, but the quality isn’t there- and for all the talk of “big swings” and pushing the envelope- Season 2 was almost painfully generic.

Same here. I’ll be tuning in, but it’s not up there on my ‘must-see right away’ list. I feel like overall, the storytelling floundered during S2, legacy characters written badly, and a distinct corny popcorn feel to it. Both Spock and Pike were reduced to bumbling sidekicks. Hoping S3 has a bit more gravitas to it. Like you said, not the fault of the cast. All blame goes back to the writer’s room. I’m more than happy to consider this show as existing in its own separate timeline, as has been confirmed.

I still can’t get over how *boring* the finale was. It felt like it went on for hours and yet nothing actually happened besides a super-quick and appallingly shot fight in zero-g. Season Two really dropped the ball.

I agree. I don’t even remember what happened in the finale, except Pike at the end hesitating like a scared junior officer when the situation called for fast decisive action. As for the season in general, it feels empty, like nothing really happens in the episodes. I hate the way they turned Spock into a moron. There are better ways if the writers wanted to put some humor in… I’m sure the 12 year olds found it funny but adults are watching too…

They seem to be testing the water for the Academy show with teen romances also. Spock, Chapel / La’an, Kirk and Pike, Batel were all shallow romances and just really boring that took up way too much time in the season. They seriously need to get back to writing some good sci fi stories or this show will go down as one of the worse Star Trek series for me. It seems more of a comedy starship show than the Orville at times. And season 1 had so much promise as well.

The SNW writers room has a chalk board titled Gimmick Board only they misspelt it Big Swing Board. Hopefully they can’t destroy Spock’s character anymore as they have already scraped the bottom of the barrel with their writing of his character.

So relieved I’m not the only one who felt this way. I hear “game changer” and “big swing” and I think “great, they’re effing with my show again to bring in the non-Trek fans”!

Yes, to them “big swing” means having the characters do things completely out of character and turning Star Trek into a Broadway play. Sure the musical was original and unexpected, but really out of place, and I will never be able to get the K-Pop Klingons out of my head.

I didn’t mind the musical episode (probably because I love musicals!) but on the whole, the season felt soulless and devoid of anything interesting to say (outside of Ad Astra Per Aspera). It’s as though the entire season was written by committee and was deathly afraid of offending the fandom by doing anything even slightly controversial.

I’ve had this feeling since the first season. Anson Mount is a wonderful lead, but they’ve completed destroyed the character that we got to know in Season 2 of Discovery. And they need to do something with Spock besides him being a complete and utter pig to women.

I’m absolutely giddy for this next season. Season two was fantastic and I cannot wait for this next season.

I really wish studios would get it together. They used to be able to turn out twice the number of eps or sometimes more every year without year-long pauses between seasons.

Screen Rant

Star trek: discovery just did a secret strange new worlds crossover.

Star Trek: Discovery season 5 brought Captain Burnham to the Mirror Universe's Starship Enterprise. If the sets look familiar, it's because they are.

Warning: SPOILERS for Star Trek: Discovery Season 5, Episode 5 - "Mirrors"

• Star Trek: Discovery Season 5, Episode 5 was a crossover with Strange New Worlds' Enterprise sets.
• Captain Burnham found the Mirror Universe's ISS Enterprise in interdimensional space.
• The two Star Trek series share sets in Toronto and they have filmed on each other's sets before.

Star Trek: Discovery season 5, episode 5, "Mirrors," was a secret crossover with Star Trek: Strange New Worlds . Written by Johanna Lee & Carlos Cisco and directed by Jen McGowan, Star Trek: Discovery season 5, episode 5 sent Captain Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) and Cleveland Booker (David Ajala) into interdimensional space in pursuit of Moll (Eve Harlow), L'ak (Elias Toufexis), and the next clue to the ancient treasure of the Progenitors. Burnham never expected to find the derelict ISS Enterprise from the Mirror Universe within the dangerous wormhole.

Star Trek: The Original Series season 2, episode 4, "Mirror, Mirror", introduced the Mirror Universe and the ISS Enterprise , the alternate reality counterpart of the USS Enterprise. The ISS Enterprise hadn't been seen since, but Star Trek: Discovery revealed refugees attempted to flee the Mirror Universe aboard the Constitution Class ship. The passengers, including Science Officer Dr. Cho, abandoned the Enterprise in interdimensional space and made it to Star Trek 's Prime Universe. Later, Dr. Cho returned to hide her clue to the Progenitors' treasure aboard the ISS Enterprise.

Star Trek: Discovery Season 5 Returning Cast & New Character Guide

Star trek: discovery season 5 filmed on strange new worlds’ enterprise set, discovery and strange new worlds film on adjacent sets in toronto.

Although no characters from Star Trek: Strange New Worlds appeared in Star Trek: Discovery season 5, episode 5 - which makes sense since the two series are set over 930 years apart in Star Trek 's timeline - "Mirrors" was filmed on Strange New Worlds ' USS Enterprise sets which doubled for the ISS Enterprise. Star Trek: Discovery and Strange New Worlds shoot in Toronto on adjacent soundstages and both shows have access to each other's sets. In an interview with Screen Rant , David Ajala confirmed that Discovery filmed its scenes in late 2022 after Strange New Worlds season 2 wrapped production.

Sharing sets is a Star Trek tradition going back to the 1990s Star Trek series.

This type of 'crossover' between Star Trek: Discovery and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds has happened before . Strange New Worlds season 2, episode 2 , "Ad Astra Per Aspera" shot its courtroom scenes for Lt. Commander Una Chin-Riley's (Rebecca Romijn) trial in Discovery 's Federation headquarters set. Sharing sets is a Star Trek tradition going back to the 1990s Star Trek series when Star Trek: The Next Generation , Star Trek: Voyager, and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine would film on each others' sets as a cost-saving measure.

Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country redressed Star Trek: The Next Generation 's 10 Forward set to become the office of the Federation President (Kurtwood Smith).

Can Discovery & Strange New Worlds Have A Real Star Trek Crossover?

It's unlikely, but not completely impossible..

Star Trek: Discovery season 1's finale and season 2 can be credited as the first Star Trek 'crossover' of the Paramount+ era when the USS Enterprise, Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount), Lt. Spock (Ethan Peck), and Number One joined the show. The trio proved so popular, fans clamored for them to receive their own spinoff set aboard the Starship Enterprise, which became Star Trek: Strange New Worlds . Star Trek: Discovery then jumped forward to the 32nd century, and it was a one-way trip that left the Enterprise and the 23rd century permanently behind. But can a Discovery and Strange New Worlds crossover still happen?

Yet there are possibilities for a Discovery and Strange New Worlds crossover.

There won't be a crossover with Star Trek: Discovery season 5 outside of Burnham, Book, Moll, and L'ak occupying the ISS Enterprise in "Mirrors" . Discovery season 5 has long since wrapped production and the hunt for the Progenitors' technology doesn't leave room for any time travel to see Strange New Worlds' characters . Yet there are possibilities for a Discovery and Strange New Worlds crossover. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3 is in production and the series is renewed for season 4. Perhaps a way could be found to have Captain Burnham see Captain Pike and Spock one more time. Or both show's characters may meet on neutral ground through various sci-fi means on Star Trek: Starfleet Academy . Where there's a will, there's a way to still crossover Star Trek: Discovery and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds .

New episodes of Star Trek: Discovery season 5 stream Thursdays on Paramount+

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Published Dec 16, 2023

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Begins Production on Season 3

Hailing frequencies are now open.

StarTrek.com

Production is officially under way now on Season 3 of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds , with the first image shared from set below.

The third season of the hit original series was announced earlier this year for 10 episodes ahead of the release of its second season, which featured a crossover with Star Trek: Lower Decks and a franchise-first musical episode .

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds  is based on the years Captain Christopher Pike manned the helm of the  U.S.S. Enterprise . The series features fan favorites from Season 2 of  Star Trek: Discovery — Anson Mount as Captain Christopher Pike, Rebecca Romijn as Number One and Ethan Peck as Science Officer Spock. The series follows Captain Pike, Science Officer Spock and Una Chin-Riley (Number One) in the years before Captain Kirk boarded the  U.S.S. Enterprise , as they explore new worlds around the galaxy.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds  also stars Jess Bush as Nurse Christine Chapel, Christina Chong as La’An Noonien-Singh, Celia Rose Gooding as Nyota Uhura, Melissa Navia as Erica Ortegas and Babs Olusanmokun as Dr. M’Benga.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds  is produced by CBS Studios, Secret Hideout and Roddenberry Entertainment. Akiva Goldsman and Henry Alonso Myers serve as co-showrunners. Goldsman, Alex Kurtzman and Jenny Lumet serve as executive producers in addition to Alonso Myers, Heather Kadin, Frank Siracusa, John Weber, Rod Roddenberry, Trevor Roth and Aaron Baiers.

Watch the first two seasons of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds now!

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Star Trek: Strange New Worlds streams exclusively on Paramount+ in the U.S., U.K., Australia, Latin America, Brazil, South Korea, France, Italy, Germany, Switzerland and Austria. In addition, the series airs on Bell Media’s CTV Sci-Fi Channel and streams on Crave in Canada and on SkyShowtime in the Nordics, the Netherlands, Spain, Portugal and Central and Eastern Europe. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is distributed by Paramount Global Content Distribution.