Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’ biggest stars hype up Carol Kane’s arrival on the show.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’ second season is streaming now on Paramount+ and while reactions have been mixed for the franchise’s latest offering, it’s largely been met positively. The show sees Anson Mount, Rebecca Romijn, and Ethan Peck return as Christopher Pike, Una Chin-Riley, and Spock respectively, while also bringing back most of the cast from season one. One new name joining the crew however is Carol Kane as Pelia, a Lanthanite commander who takes over as Chief Engineer on the Enterprise.
Her arrival was seen as a surprise, as Kane is known for her comedic appearances in everything from The Princess Bride to F is for Family, to the Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, and even the Addams Family. She’s a legend in the world of comedy, so Star Trek being her next stop was a bit surprising.
For Mount and Romijn however, they couldn’t get enough of her. The duo spoke to CBR about Kane’s arrival on the Enterprise, saying;
"Romjin: I was starstruck! She’s incredible. She’s such a seasoned, talented, hilarious and gorgeous human being. She does this thing on set where she acts like she has no idea what’s going on, and it adds this beautiful innocence to her performance. She’s like no Trek character that you’ve ever seen, but she’s [the] perfect Trek character.Mount: Absolutely! Maybe she does forget what she’s doing every scene, I don’t know. [Laughs] There’s a gorgeous innocence about her that keeps it fresh for her, keeps it fresh for us and keeps it fresh for the character."
Pelia is a very interesting character for Star Trek: Strange New Worlds
Kane’s Pelia is someone that really clicked with me and while I thought the premier wasn’t the best offering possible, I liked Pelia a lot. I thought she added a bit of whimsy that sometimes gets lost in the shuffle. Kane’s acting was spot-on, and it really made Pelia stand out even more. That said, personality aside, Pelia being a Lanthanite is what has me hooked on her character.
Lanthanites are an alien race that looks just like humans but don’t age nearly as fast. In fact, this is the first time they’ve ever been introduced into the show. I’m not sure if they’ve ever been used in non-canon media before but I’m very excited to explore a whole new alien race.