
By Gen Terblanche18 December 2024
Meet the Star Trek: Strange New Worlds crew
Set in the 23rd Century, just 10 years before the events of Star Trek: The Original Series, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds follows a five-year mission of exploration led Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount) and the crew of the starship USS Enterprise (NCC-1701) including two other crew members fans met in the series Star Trek: Discovery – Spock (Ethan Peck), and First Officer Una Chin-Riley (Rebecca Romijn.
The series revives all the fun and optimism of The Original Series, emphasising the Enterprise’s peaceful mission. The strange civilisations are, indeed, strange. The aliens range from ravenous lizard-like Gorn to sentient space clouds. All the classic species like humans, Klingons, Romulans, Vulcans, Andorians, and Illyrians are here, too. We witness historic Star Trek moments, including the creation of the Prime Directive, which bars crews from meddling in the natural development of civilisations through the use of advanced technology. And the crew’s lives come into focus, as we find out that the junior officers play a game called Enterprise Bingo, which dares them to try to visit locations, or get away with doing things in certain places.
We couldn’t be in better company than with the kind and curious crew of the Enterprise. So let’s re-state our mission: “Space, the final frontier. These are the voyages of the starship Enterprise. Its five-year mission: to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilisations, to boldly go where no one has gone before.”
Binge Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 1-2.
Who’s who in the Enterprise crew
Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount)

The confident, empathetic captain of the USS Enterprise who embarks on the new five-year mission despite having had a vision of his near death, disfigurement and paralysis during an experience with Time Crystals (in Star Trek: Discovery Season 2, episode 12).
First Officer/Number One Una Chin-Riley (Rebecca Romijn)

Pike’s second-in-command is an Illyrian, but looks human as her people generally practise selective breeding and genetic modification, which puts her existence at odds with Starfleet’s anti-genetic alteration laws. We learn more about the Illyrians in Season 1, episode 3.
Science Officer Spock (Ethan Peck)

The Enterprise’s half-Vulcan, half-human science officer is still wrestling with reconciling his inheritance from both species. Spock is engaged to fiancée T’Pring (Gia Sandhu) but as he’s on a new five-year mission, he will only be able to see her during shore leave (more coming from Season 1, episode 5).
Ship’s pilot Erica Ortegas (Melissa Navia)

This highly skilled pilot and military veteran controls the Enterprise’s complex flight deck. Ortegas, a human female, has invented some of her own evasive manoeuvres in battle during the Klingon War. Her closest friend on the Enterprise is Nurse Christine Chapel.
Chief Engineer Hemmer (Bruce Horak)

Hemmer is an Aenar, an albino subspecies of the normally blue Andorians. He is blind in one eye with limited sight in the other. But he can access additional senses including telepathy. He takes cadet Uhura and Spock under his wing. Hemmer believes that Starfleet should have a peaceful mission.
Cadet Nyota Uhura (Celia Rose Gooding)

This Starfleet cadet specialises in linguistics and while she is still finding her feet on the ship, she comes up with ways of interpreting unknown languages and making connections that a translator programme could never even fathom.
Chief of Security La’an Noonien-Singh (Christina Chong)

The Enterprise’s new security chief (a descendant of Star Trek villain Khan Noonien Singh) comes from a difficult background, having been orphaned during a Gorn attack and reviled by some people for her family’s legacy. The Enterprise crew will become her new family.
Chief Medical Officer Joseph M’Benga (Babs Olusanmokun)

As well as having the depth of knowledge and flexibility to handle any medical condition space throws at the crew, Dr Mbenga is on a personal mission to cure his daughter Rukiya’s (Sage Arrindell) rare disease.
Nurse Christine Chapel (Jess Bush)

The Enterprise’s civilian nurse has a dry, somewhat sarcastic sense of humour, and develops a playful and teasing friendship with Spock. And she is keen to extend her studies toward a Fellowship of Archaeological Medicine. Despite being a civilian, she holds the rank of lieutenant commander.
Montgomery Scott (Martin Quinn)

Surprise! This Original Series character who continues Scotland’s proud engineering tradition in space will arrive on the Enterprise in the Season 2 finale.
Binge Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 1-2.Also watch: Star Trek: Into Darkness and its sequel Star Trek: Beyond (which are set in an alternate timeline), and animated kids’ series Star Trek: Prodigy.
HBO and HBO Max hits to stream

10 things to know before watching The Last of Us Season 2
As the new season takes a five-year leap into the future, we recap what you need to know from The Last of Us Season 1, from a guide to the Infected, cults, militias and communities, to who still know about Ellie’s immunity.

The Last of Us S1-2
Joel and Ellie, a pair connected through the harshness of the world they live in, are forced to endure brutal circumstances and ruthless killers on a trek across post-pandemic America.

The Last of Us co-creator on why we all feel so protective of Ellie
Emmy winner Craig Mazin, co-creator and executive producer of The Last of Us, discusses why audiences feel so protective of Ellie. The new season premieres on M-Net and Showmax from 14 April 2025.

SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night S1
SNL creator Lorne Michaels commemorates the show’s 50th anniversary. Featuring a look into the audition and writing processes, a deep dive into the ‘More Cowbell’ sketch, and an exploration of SNL’s 11th season.