Ethan Peck hopes Leonard Nimoy is with him as Spock

Ethan Peck portrays Spock on Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.

The debut of the brand-new series, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is right around the corner on May 5th. We’ve already been introduced to the characters, though, some we already knew. Like Spock. Ethan Peck already took on the role on Star Trek: Discovery, but when Strange New Worlds takes off, he’ll be back as the chief science officer and the well-known Vulcan aboard the Enterprise.

Speaking at Star Trek: Mission Chicago [via Trekmovie], Peck said he focused on Leonard Nimoy’s version of Spock when he began playing the character even though he was a fan of the Kelvin movies and Zachary Quinto’s version of Spock. Peck will be playing the Spock that was originally portrayed by Nimoy and that’s who his character will eventually become.

Ethan Peck says he hears Leonard Nimoy’s voice when he’s preparing to work.

Things will be different for the Vulcan on this new version of the Enterprise as we’ve already seen by the brief trailers that have been released. Peck said that we would see deeper into Spock’s personal life, and we already know that he’ll be involved in a romance, which was unusual for Leonard Nimoy’s Spock, though there were a couple that stand out (All Our Yesterdays and This Side of Paradise).

Peck acknowledges that it is both a privilege and it’s terrifying to go deeper into who Spock is as they want to do it properly and correctly, which is understandable considering how iconic Nimoy’s Spock remains 55+ years later. But as he’s preparing to work, Peck says he hears Nimoy’s voice in his head, and he talks to that voice, asking if what he’s doing is right. And he hopes that Nimoy is with him as he portrays this beloved character.

But, like Zachary Quinto, Peck knows he has to find his own way with the character as this is a new part of Spock that we haven’t seen before. So there will be differences and maybe even some canon changes which won’t make fans all that happy. That said, everyone can agree that there will never be another Leonard Nimoy, that he owned that character, so with that understanding, maybe we can also give Peck a shot at embodying Mr. Spock in a way that will honor Nimoy’s character.