Crossovers are nothing new for the Star Trek franchise. That tradition began in 1987 when original series star DeForest Kelley reprised his role as Dr. Leonard “Bones” McCoy in the first episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation. But in the upcoming second season of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, there’s a unique crossover coming between this series and the animated program Star Trek: Lower Decks. For the first time in Star Trek history, two characters from an animated series will appear in live-action, and they will be portrayed by the same performers who provide their voices. As seen in the new Strange New Worlds trailer below, Tawny Newsome and Jack Quaid are reprising their respective roles as Beckett Mariner and Brad Boimler.
The trailer doesn’t explain how or why Mariner and Boimler are on the Enterprise several decades before they were born. Lower Decks takes place after TNG, while Strange New Worlds is set about 10 years before the original Star Trek. So time travel shenanigans are almost certainly going to be a part of this story. However, it’s also clear that this crossover holds some personal significance for Boimler based on that he reacts to Spock (Ethan Peck) as if the iconic Vulcan is his personal hero.
Season 2’s story details are sparse in this trailer, but there definitely appears to be romance in the air between Spock and Christine Chapel (Jess Bush), as well as Dr. Joseph M’Benga (Babs Olusanmokun) and Nyota Uhura (Celia Rose Gooding). The previous trailer hinted that young James T. Kirk (Paul Wesley) is attracted to La’an Noonien-Singh (Christina Chong). But even Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount) and his first officer, Una Chin-Riley (Rebecca Romijn), are sharing a kiss in this preview, and that’s got to be against Starfleet regulations!
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 2 will premiere on Thursday, June 15, on Paramount+.
