“Like a childhood dream come true.”
Yes, puppets have taken their rightful place in the pantheon of Star Trek characters thanks to the hilarious and heartwarming season 4 episode of Strange New Worlds, “Level-Five Transporter Accident.” And now, the fans can check out a brand-new video (below) of the SNW cast reacting to their pint-sized puppets, courtesy of Paramount+'s YouTube channel.
During the footage, Rebecca Romijn, who portrays the USS Enterprise’s first officer, Una-Chin Riley, likened the experience of having a puppet created in her image to “a childhood dream come true.” Nurse Chapel actress Jess Bush said something along a similar line as she described first seeing her own puppet as a “pinch-me moment.” Bush went on to say that her “Muppet” will be “a huge part of my life story."
My biggest takeaway from the Strange New Worlds puppet episode’s BTS video is how thrilled Lt. Spock actor Ethan Peck was to be able to work with all the “Muppet”-esque characters created by Jim Henson’s Creature Shop. For those who haven’t seen “Level-Five Transporter Accident” yet, the Enterprise’s science officer is the only one not transformed into a puppet.
So, while Peck was busy on set filming alongside the puppet version’s of his real-life cast, the rest of the actors enjoyed a bit of a hiatus, as they only provided the voices for the counterparts in the post-production automated dialogue replacement (ADR) process.
One of my favorite moments, which requires Peck’s total commitment to his acting craft, comes when Spock shares a tender moment with his former flame, T’Pring (Gia Sandhu), who has also been transformed by the massive transporter malfunction. In that final scene with T’Pring’s puppet, our favorite Vulcan tenderly touches her face and then leans in for an unforgettable kiss.
What did you think about the BTS footage from the must-see puppet episode? Personally, I got a kick out of watching Captain Christopher Pike actor Anson Mount visiting the Strange New Worlds set and posing with his Pike puppet.
Share your thoughts and comments with us on the Redshirts Always Die Facebook and X pages. And Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 4’s fifth episode, “Level-Five Transporter Accident” is now streaming on Paramount+.
Live long and prosper, Trekkies!
Add us as a preferred source on Google