Star Trek: Strange New Worlds was just announced last Friday, to much celebration from fans. After their widely acclaimed roles on Discovery season 2, Anson Mount, Ethan Peck and Rebecca Romijn are back as Captain Pike, Spock and Number One, to lead a spinoff series about the adventures of the Enterprise in the years before James T. Kirk took command. The show has an opportunity, then, to introduce other TOS characters prior to the beginning of the original series. Characters like Sulu.
According to sources close to WGTC – the same ones who told us that a Pike TV series was on the way back in March, well before it was announced – Strange New Worlds will feature Hikaru Sulu and Harry Shum. Jr. is one actor that’s now being eyed for the part. If that name sounds familiar, it’s because you might know Shum from his turn in Crazy Rich Asians or his major roles on Glee and Shadowhunters.
As far as we understand, it’s not a done deal that Shum will land the gig, but we do know that he’s being looked at for it. At 38 years old, he might be a little old to play a young Sulu – George Takei was only 29 when he was first cast – but his youthful appearance would certainly make up for that. We also don’t know what sort of presence he’d have on the series. As per Trek lore, Sulu doesn’t board the Enterprise until Kirk takes over in 2265, so he presumably won’t be a regular.
It’s also believed that Kirk himself will show up, with The Mandalorian‘s Jake Cannavale believed to be in the running to play him. Likewise, WGTC has heard that both Bones and Uhura will appear as well. Alongside documenting the lives of Pike’s crew, then, it sounds like SNWÂ will explore how Kirk’s own team came together in the first place.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds will be more optimistic and episodic than other contemporary Treks, from what we understand. And though no release schedule has been talked about as yet, presumably the plan is to start work on it as soon as the TV industry is back in business. Watch this space for more.
