As the chief engineer aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise under Captain Pike, Lt. Hemmer was the first Aenar Starfleet officer. He brought sarcasm and wit to the crew and became a mentor to then Cadet Uhura. When she was uncertain about what she wanted to do in life, he was there to provide her with words of wisdom, not necessarily telling her what to do, but showing her the choices available.
Bruce Horak, who portrayed Hemmer, knew from the beginning of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds that his character would be killed before the end of the series’ first season. And we know that, eventually, Scotty will become the chief engineer of the Enterprise under Captain Kirk’s command, but there was plenty of time for Hemmer to remain in his position.
Though Strange New Worlds has brought Horak back as Hemmer in flashback scenes and even had him playing a singing Klingon, having him return as Hemmer permanently, no matter how absurd his revival might seem, would be just what the ship and the crew need. He was a fantastic character and was much like a blue version of Dr. Leonard “Bones’ McCoy from Star Trek: The Original Series, although maybe even a little grumpier.