There are fascinatingStar Trek: The Original SeriescharactersStar Trek: Strange New Worldsseason 3’s guest star, Rhys Darby, could play. Along with releasing a newStar Trek: Strange New Worldsseason 3 premiere clipat New York Comic Con,Rhys Darby was announced to join season 3 as a"familiar but different"Star Treklegacy character. GivenStrange New Worldstakes place only 6-7 years beforeStar Trek: The Original Series,there are some intriguing options for Rhys Darby to embody.
The New Zealand-born Rhys Darby is best known for playing Stede Bonnet in HBO’s pirate romantic comedy seriesOur Flag Means Death, which also stars and is executive produced by Taika Waititi. Darby and Waititi worked together on the feature filmWhat We Do In The Shadowswhich preceded Hulu’s half-hour vampire comedy. InFlight of the Conchords, Darby portrayed band manager Murray Hewitt. Rhys has numerous TV and movie credits to his name, and he is adept at comedy and drama.This makes Darby an ideal addition toStar Trek: Strange New Worlds, but as which Star Treklegacy character? Here are 5 possibilities.
5Dr. Leonard “Bones” McCoy
Played by DeForest Kelley in Star Trek: The Original Series
With Lt. Spock (Ethan Peck) and Lt. James T. Kirk (Paul Wesley) already aboardStar Trek: Strange New Worlds, Dr. Leonard “Bones” McCoy is the only missing member ofStar Trek: The Original Series' Big Three.DeForest Kelley played Bones inStar Trek: The Original Seriesand in 6Star Trekmovies, as well as in the premiere episode ofStar Trek: The Next Generation. SinceStrange New Worldsbegan, there has been constant speculation about if and when Dr. McCoy would appear, and the time may be right inStrange New Worldsseason 3.
Star Trek: The Original Series Cast & Character Guide
Star Trek: The Original Series features some of the most iconic characters in all of science fiction with the crew of the original USS Enterprise.
Not much is known about Leonard McCoy’s canonical whereabouts beforeStar Trek: Strange New Worlds' time frame, which begins in 2259. Bones began studying medicine in the 2240s, and met a young Emony Dax, a host of the Dax symbiont before Lt. Commander Jadzia Dax (Terry Farrell) onStar Trek: Deep Space Nine.McCoy is likely already a Starfleet doctor, and possibly serving on a starship.
Darby has the charm and gravitas to play “old country doctor” Bones McCoy.
Rhys Darby is 50 years old, but he could play younger, just like Paul Wesley and Ethan Peck are older in real life than Lt. James T. Kirk and Lt. Spock are inStar Trek: Strange New Worlds. Darby has the charm and gravitas to play “old country doctor” Bones McCoy, andhe would provide the necessary entertaining counterpoint to the younger Spock and Kirk. AfterStar Trek: Strange New Worldsseason 2 revealed the iconic first meeting betweenKirk and Spock, Bones is the natural next step, and Rhys Darby fits the part.
4Matt Decker
Played by William Windom in Star Trek: The Original Series
Star Trek: The Original Seriesseason 2, episode 6, “The Doomsday Machine,” introduced Commodore Matt Decker, who commanded the doomed USS Constellation. Decker’s Constitution Class starship encountered the massive, robot planet-killer, andMatt was psychologically damagedby the death and destruction he was unable to prevent from the doomsday machine. Commodore Decker attempted to pull rank tohijack the USS Enterpriseand use it against the planet-killer, but Matt ultimately committed suicide aboard a shuttlecraft to disable the doomsday machine.
Commodore Matt Decker is also the father of Commander Will Decker (Stephen Collins) inStar Trek: The Motion Picture.
Rhys Darby would be a compelling Matt Decker, who would likely still hold the rank of Captain inStar Trek: Strange New Worlds. Darby could hint at the future tragedy that would befall Matt Decker, but portray him as a more dynamic future Commodore, compared to the broken and desperate Decker seen inStar Trek: The Original Series.Star Trek: Strange New Worldscould potentially even introduce the planet-killer robot and reveal that Decker encountered it before and became obsessed with destroying it years before “The Doomsday Machine.
3Sybok
Played by Lawrence Luckinbill in Star Trek V: The Final Frontier
Rhys Darby could don pointed ears and play a Vulcan. And not just any Vulcan, but Lt. Spock’s criminal half-brother, Sybok. Introduced in theWilliam Shatner-directedStar Trek V: The Final Frontier, which takes place about 25 years afterStrange New Worlds, Sybok was portrayed by Lawrence Luckinbill asa Vulcan who embraces emotions, and uses his power to make others face their innermost painto bend them to his cause. InStar Trek V,Sybok’s driving obsession was finding God in Sha Ka Ree, the fabled planet at the center of the galaxy.
Star Trek: Strange New Worldsseason 1, episode 7, “The Serene Squall” ended with the surprise reveal that Sybok is being held in a Vulcan rehabilitation center overseen by T’Pring (Gia Sandhu), Spock’s estranged fiancée. Further, Sybok led another life under the name Xaverius, and he is married to a space pirate named Captain Angel (Jesse James Keitel).Star Trek: Strange New Worldsseason 3 could finally follow up on Sybok’s story, and Rhys Darby would be a fine fit asLt. Spock’s laughing and devious older brother.
2Anton Karidian AKA Kodos The Executioner
Played by Arnold Moss in Star Trek; The Original Series
Could Rhys Darby portray the great actor Anton Karidian, AKA Kodos the Executioner, years before he meets Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) inStar Trek: The Original Series? An episode containing acontroversial Kirk romance,Star Trek’s “The Conscience of the King” revealedAnton Karidian to be the alias of Governor Kodos of Tarsus IV.Kodos, a believer in eugenics, became known as ‘the Executioner’ after he put half of the planet’s population to death to save the other half from a food shortage. One of the survivors was a young James T. Kirk.
Rhys Darby could easily and delightfully play an actor carrying a dark secret.
It’s possibleStar Trek: Strange New Worldsseason 3 could reintroduce Anton Karidian to perhaps perform for Captain Christopher Pike’s (Anson Mount) USS Enterprise crew.Paul Wesley’s Lt. Kirk would need to be absent from anyStrange New Worldsappearance by Karidianso as not to conflict withStar Trek: The Original Seriescanon. But Rhys Darby could easily and delightfully play an actor carrying a dark secret. Karidian’s daughter, Lenore (Barbara Anderson) was 19 inStar Trek: The Original Serieswhen she murdered those who suspected Anton was Kodos, and she would be about 12 or 13 inStar Trek: Strange New Worlds.
1Cyrano Jones
Played by Stanley Adams
It’s possible Rhys Darby could portray Cyrano Jones inStar Trek: Strange New Worlds.Introduced in the classicStar Trek: The Original Seriesseason 2, episode 13, “The Trouble With Tribbles,” Jones is a licensed asteroid locator, prospector. and trader of rare and unique goods.Jones is infamous for selling Tribbles at deep space station K-7, which rapidly bred into thousands and infested not only the station but the Starship Enterprise. Cyrano Jones returned in theStar Trek: The Animated Seriesepisode, “More Tribbles, More Troubles.”
Another scoundrel, Harcourt Fenton “Harry” Mudd was played by Rainn Wilson inStar Trek: Discovery,but Harry Mudd hasn’t resurfaced inStar Trek: Strange New Worlds.
However,Strange New Worldswould likely introduce Cyrano Jones before he started making a living by trafficking Tribbles, which canonically began in 2261. Still, Jones is a devilish source of humor and chaos, andRhys Darby would be smashing playing the intergalactic entrepreneur.Strange New Worldsis certainly adept at comedic encounters, and Rhys Darby as Cyrano Jones would fit the bill.Star Trek: Strange New Worldsseason 3 could even plant the seeds for how Cyrano Jones discovers and tries to start profiting off Tribbles.
