Ethan Peck Breaks Down The New Spock In Strange New Worlds
Spock is on a fascinating journey, and Peck is just along for the ride.
With only two years of their five-year mission remaining, the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise as seen in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds may soon be on their way out. It’s obviously not the end for characters like James Kirk and his soon-to-be First Officer, Spock — their adventures continue beyond the prequel and into The Original Series — but fans are loath to say goodbye to actors like Paul Wesley and Ethan Peck, each of whom have put their own spin on Trek’s most beloved duo. So reluctant are they for the end of Strange New Worlds, that some diehards have started a quiet campaign for an Original Series reboot. There’s no telling if something so bold would actually come to fruition, but Peck, for his part, is hoping.
Though Peck is well into his tenure as the enigmatic half-Vulcan, he’s careful about stepping on Leonard Nimoy’s 50-year legacy. Even now, with seven years as Spock under his belt, he’s keen to stay in his lane, especially when it comes to overlapping with his predecessor’s work in TOS.
“I’m not sure I’d be comfortable with that,” Peck told Inverse of a potential reboot. “It does feel like Leonard Nimoy’s turf.”
Strange New Worlds gives us a major TOS tease in Episode 6.
It also might be too soon to look that far into the future: Peck is quick to point out that “there’s still some time” between the projected end of Strange New Worlds (which will culminate with Season 5) and the beginning of TOS. And in that time, he’ll still have plenty of growing to do as Spock — the bulk of which we’re witnessing now in Season 3.
After a season of romantic and existential melodrama, Spock finally feels one step closer to the “computer-like” hero of TOS. The latest episode of Strange New Worlds even sees him teaming up with Kirk, in a dynamic that foreshadows their partnership in earnest. Still, with a surprising new romance and a few more harrowing adventures to occupy his time, Peck’s focus is rightfully on the here and now. With Season 3 hitting its stride, the actor sits down with Inverse to unpack Spock’s newfound confidence, and how that compares to his feelings behind-the-scenes.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
Peck still finds Spock “very challenging to play.”
You’ve been playing this character for almost seven years. I’m sure there was so much pressure to step into this role in the beginning. How does it feel now that you’ve made the character your own — do you even feel like you have made the character your own?
Yeah, I hesitate to say that I’ve made it my own. That feels like there’s a little too much ownership there. I’ve certainly done my best and poured my heart into making the character as real and authentically Spock as I can. I think the terror has been diminished by experience and time and maturity, but I still get nervous when I get big scenes and have complex emoting to do. During a very tense moment on the bridge, perhaps, when Spock’s having a realization, there’s something that’s very... It’s still very challenging to play.
“Discomfort is essential to evolution.”
That might be a good thing, in a way, feeling that pressure still. If you’re waltzing in like, “I got this,” it couldn’t be easy to connect to the character.
There’s a Spockian saying: “Discomfort is essential to evolution.”
Right. And your Spock has evolved a lot, especially after the emotional tumult of Season 2. Would you say he’s found some equilibrium in this season?
Yeah, I guess so. I think there’s still a lot more to be explored and lived in in terms of his humanity, and he will do as much — but I know that the goal is to make him more computer-like by the time they reach the time of The Original Series. The idea is that some events will maybe draw him back towards his logic, towards his Vulcan-ness.
Spock’s romance with La’an was just as surprising to Peck, but “they’re very well suited to each other on paper.”
With Spock’s latest romance with La’an, it does feel like he’s kind of straddling the line between computer-brain logic and genuine emotion. It’s very calculated; they each say they’re not putting any labels on the relationship. But there’s something organic about it, too: I was surprised by how much it charmed me.
I was really surprised, too. I never expected that these characters would be brought together romantically, but it makes sense because she’s struggling with a lot of internal conflict, he’s struggling with a lot of internal conflict, and I think they’re very well suited to each other on paper. After the fact, it makes great sense that they end up together and can be there for one another and probably find a lot of understanding in each other.
In Episode 6, we also finally get to see the glimmers of Spock’s bond with Kirk coming to fruition. Kirk’s captaining the Farragut, and Spock is encouraging him to follow his instincts. How did it feel to finally jump into that dynamic and foreshadow what’s to come between these characters?
I was surprised that Spock is the one that gives [Kirk] that encouragement that, you could argue, plants a seed to help him become who he becomes in The Original Series: this incredible leader, much like Pike. I think it just happens to be the logical thing to do in that moment. I don’t think Spock views it as this moment of inception of this man who will be. It’s not like that at all. I think Spock just has an instinct of his own. I think throughout the course of Strange New Worlds, Spock has developed his instinct and his impulse, and the impulse is to give Kirk this moment of encouragement.
I don’t know if it’s like older brother, uncle, or fatherly. It’s kind of a combination of all those things, which I guess is what a friend can be. He sees that Kirk needs that, and it’s the logical path forward to give this advice — that he’s the one that can make these decisions, and then he does make these decisions in the right way.
Spock is coming into his own in Season 3, enough to give Kirk support in Episode 6.
There’s been a lot chatter about the end of Strange New Worlds and where your characters could go next, whether there would be a reboot of The Original Series. Would you be down for that, or does that feel more like Leonard Nimoy’s turf?
Gosh, it does feel like Leonard Nimoy’s turf, and I hope that we don’t overlap with The Original Series. I think there’s still some time in our chronology, before we reach the time of The Original Series. I think it might be five more years, as I understand it. I love the idea of it: I think this is such an incredible world to be a part of, and such a special franchise to be an actor in. So I’ll stay for as long as I’m invited, as long as it doesn’t encroach too much on what the cast of the original series did, because that was so special.
