Star Trek’s Ethan Peck Explains What Separates His Spock From Leonard Nimoy [Exclusive]

Call that the pressures and the privilege of playing one of the most famous roles of all science fiction. “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds” had a lot to live after its release in 2022, but the chief of them was Residing in the shadow (almost literally) of “The original series”. The prequel show takes place on the same Starship company, presents several of the same characters and embraces its tone back to an era of “Star Trek” which has long disappeared. Thus, when actor Ethan Peck was initially interpreted as the world renowned scientific officer Spock, responsible for entering the same shoes and the impeccably suitable uniform as the original representation of Leonard Nimoy, it would have been terribly easy to collapse under the weight of these expectations … or, at the very least, constantly comparing the most loved of “trek”. Instead, “Strange New Worlds” allowed Peck the freedom and the latitude to reinvent the character in his own way.

/ Film has just participated in the world premiere of “Strange New Worlds” season 3 At the Tribeca Film Festival in New York, where we wanted to go to the bottom of this exact subject. Currently, Peck has been asked endless questions about the measurement of the performance of Nimoy and the way in which he faces the challenges of life already so well defined in pop culture. Instead, we decided to ask him what he and the writing team specifically brought to Spock on “Strange New Worlds” – in substance, which makes this version so different from the one we know and all love. Missively as thoughtful, Peck replied:

“I would say that they really brought a comic quality to the spock that I play in” Strange New Worlds “. I think they found that I could have an ability in uncomfortable situations. [in these situations]. So, perhaps its comic nature … and that it is not [self-aware] on this subject. “

The familiar trekks with “The Original Series” and the films that followed know that Leonard Nimoy’s Spock could also be the source of a few incredible moments of comedy – it is enough to literally watch any interaction that he has with the Deforest Kelley bones, after all – but in a very different way from that in “Strange New Worlds”. In accordance with a younger and less refined version of the character, Ethan Peck’s representation highlights his struggle to reconcile with his half-human side as much as his half vulcan heritage. Whether this vulnerability leads to humor or pathos, well, all of this is part of the pleasure of this new series.

During a special question and answer session after a screening of the first in season 3, the Akiva Goldsman and Henry Alonse co-showrunners were joined by a large part of the distribution to speak in more detail about the future episodes. Many subjects they have dealt with (which included Star Anson Mount being grilled to find out if he knows he is the “Zaddy” of “Trek”), The Arc de Spock and its trip to become the much more logical character of the Nimoy version has turned off. As Goldsman explained:

“I think those of us who started with” TOS “have an association with the most logical moment in Spock’s life. But if you think of Spock, not only in” TOS “and before [‘Strange New Worlds’]If you think of Spock because it transports the movies because it is the end of [‘The Next Generation’]We are starting to see that in reality his whole life has been a fight against identity. And how he sees himself and the sweet betrayal of emotion. And so Ethan can do much more. Thus, we fill the personality of Spock and the journey of his life. “”

Without giving anything, let’s just say that many episodes of this next season have put this progress just in the foreground with Peck’s Spock … and the results are incredible. Although we know that The show touches season 5We still have dozens and dozens of overtime with Spock, Captain Pike de Mount and our entire favorite team from the USS Enterprise. Season 3 of “Strange New Worlds” arrives at Warp Speed ​​on Paramount + July 17, 2025.