I Interview Everyone. Then I Met Ethan Peck.

Ethan Peck Made Me Forget I'm a Journalist

The Heather Kelly Show

I finally met my kryptonite.

I have interviewed U.S. Ambassadors, world famous musicians and Emmy and Oscar winning actors, but until this weekend, I’ve never been star-struck.

Most of my friends and family know I am a Star Trek fan. But not just any Trek. It's Gene Roddenberry's original version of the future.

A Little History

Growing up, I watched re-runs of the Original Series so often, I knew every character’s lines by heart. Being an only child, I would play all the characters. Well, mostly the women with those gorgeous, and very skimpy, dresses and I would get rescued by Mr. Spock.

I LOVED MR. SPOCK! He was the best thing about Trek in my eyes and Leonard Nimoy was perfect as Mr. Spock. I even have a life-size cut out of Nimoy as Spock in my office.

Now, there have been a few actors who’ve taken up the role of Mr. Spock since the last film starring all the original cast in 1991. Some actors are from fan-produced movies but the most famous are Zachary Quinto and Ethan Peck. The latter, in my opinion, being the closest to Nimoy’s version in spirit.

Day One

So, this weekend at FanX Salt Lake Comic & Pop Culture Convention, I met Peck. I really don’t know what happened. I was speaking, but not only did I not ask if I could interview him, I blurted out “I have a life-size Mr. Spock in my office.” I then showed him my iPhone cover which is the science division uniform of Mr. Spock.

My brain was gone, strange words I don’t normally speak in front of famous people were coming out of my mouth. I tried to pull it back by saying he’s the best Spock since Nimoy and I loved his grandfather, Gregory Peck, and “you look very much like him.”

I finally had to walk away because I’m supposed to be asking if he has a couple minutes to chat on my podcast. But it wasn’t going to happen right then.

Day Two

The next day, I tried again. I had my recorder ready to go. All I had to do was ask if he could answer a couple quick questions. As I walked up he said, “You're back.”

HE REMEMBERED ME!!! OMG!!

I handed him my business card, say I’m really sorry, I am star-struck. He was so sweet and said it happens to him too. I walked away again, the recorder in my hand with the red light blinking. I have no idea what happened.

I wanted to cry. I have never been intimidated in an interview, but I couldn’t even function. Ethan Peck has my number and I’m not sure I will ever recover.

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^(Heather Kelly is a Murrow Award-winning journalist and podcast host with more than 13 years of experience in media. She is the creator and host of The Heather Kelly Show and currently serves as Public Information Officer for the Utah Office of Energy Development (OED).)

I was delighted with Strange New Worlds’ homage to the melodramatic world of daytime television, but Bush’s character has taken a back seat in the ole shuttlecraft this season. In SNW season 3, Chapel was an integral part of the storytelling throughout all 10 episodes, particularly where the “love” triangle between her, Mr. Spock (Ethan Peck), and Dr. Korby (Cillian O'Sullivan) was concerned.

However, in Strange New Worlds season 4, Chapel simply hasn’t been featured enough. In fact, at least through the first seven episodes, SNW showrunners Akiva Goldsman and Henry Alonso Myers are treating the character more like an afterthought akin to how she was often portrayed in The Original Series — and that’s not a good thing.

Strange New Worlds continues its playful course exploring various genres in its season 4 episode “Like Chronitons Through the Hourglass,” which is a fun tip of the cap to daytime soap operas. Even Days of Our Lives sensation Deidre Hall appears as a guest star, and SNW’s mainstay Jess Bush couldn’t stop raving about it in a new interview.

“Watching that back, it was hilarious,” Bush said (per TV Insider). “It’s a brilliant episode in my opinion. I know leading up to shooting it, I was nervous just because we hadn’t shot in a multi-cam format before, and it just moved so quickly. And so, leading up to it, that felt nerve-wracking because we’re used to a certain amount of space and time on set.”

Bush, who took up the mantle of Nurse Christine Chapel from Majel Barrett years after her brilliant performance as the character in The Original Series, continued by saying in the same sit-down:

“But when we got into it, it actually was so freeing and super, super fun. And it was wild to see how quickly we could shoot the day. Also, our director was brilliant and is such a perfect captain for that episode. And I think she’s made a very special episode of Star Trek that, in my opinion, is probably one of the funniest ones we’ve had in all five seasons.”

"Off-Hour" is Jess Bush's greatest performance as Nurse Chapel, and it's impossible to walk away from the episode without loving Christine, who may be the show's best character. Babs Olusanmokun, Martin Quinn, and the rest of the cast and crew set the gold standard for Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 4 with "Off-Hour," emerging as the shining example of Star Trek at its very best.

Scotty was also paired up with the Enterprise's new Vulcan Starfleet cadet, A'Sha (Bianca Nugara), who performed admirably during the crisis, even if she irritated Mr. Scott. A'Sha was a huge help in re-establishing comms, and in beaming Scotty in and out of the Jeffries Tube safely, despite not being fully trained. Along with Chapel, "Off-Hour" was Scotty's finest hour in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds so far.

The nail-biting and sensational Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 4, episode 6, is Star Trek at its very best. Directed by Dan Liu and written by Bill Wolkoff, "Off-Hour" is a riveting, life-or-death starship crisis that puts the ingenuity of the USS Enterprise's crew to the ultimate test while Nurse Christine Chapel (Jess Bush) lays everything on the line to save a mortally injured Dr. Joseph M'Benga (Babs Olusanmokun).

I sat down with Jess Bush, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, Nurse Chapel.

We talk her art, Bees, Conservation, The episode Off-Hour from Season 4, Australian Star Trek Actors and Australian Fans!

This is my first Interview, so please be kind!

Star Trek fans are going to have no shortage of ways to celebrate the iconic sci-fi franchise’s 60th anniversary.

Variety has learned exclusively that a whole suite of fan events, screenings, and partnerships are rolling out across the globe as part of the landmark anniversary, which is officially on Sept. 8, the date in 1966 when “Star Trek” first premiered on television.

Among the many events planned for the anniversary, there will be a free outdoor screening of the original series episode “The Man Trap” and the new “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds” episode “Orders of Magnitude” at the Autry Museum in Los Angeles on Sept. 8. That event will also feature talent appearances, food trucks and giveaways.

Speaking of screenings, 4K restorations of classic “Star Trek” films paired with original series episodes will air on more than 750 theaters across the U.S. from Sept. 4-8. But given the fact that “Star Trek” has always been a small screen franchise first and foremost, there will also be major TV components to the anniversary.

“Entertainment Tonight” will air a special “ET Vault Unlocked” episode on Sept. 7 featuring interviews with series creator Gene Roddenberry and cast members across the franchise, as well as archival footage. Both “The Price Is Right” and “Let’s Make a Deal” will air special “Star Trek” themed episodes on Sept. 8, while Nick at Nite will air a marathon of “The Big Bang Theory’s” best “Star Trek” focused episodes on Sept. 8 as well.

Fans can also get in on a world record attempt to be part of “Star Trek” history. On Sept. 8 at the Science Museum in London, fans can join the attempt to break the Guinness World Record for the most people performing the Vulcan Salute simultaneously.

Check out the full list of events, partnerships, and programming lineups below.

STAR TREK WORLDWIDE EVENTS

–Star Trek Under the Stars Screening in Los Angeles
On Sept. 8, fans can attend a free outdoor screening of STAR TREK: THE ORIGINAL SERIES episode “The Man Trap” and an advance screening of STAR TREK: STRANGE NEW WORLDS episode “Orders of Magnitude” at the Autry Museum, with talent appearances, food trucks and giveaways.

–Gene Roddenberry Star on Hollywood Boulevard Restoration
The Roddenberry family, the Hollywood Historic Trust and the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce will partner to celebrate a restored “Star” plaque for Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry, which was first introduced in 1985, right on Hollywood Boulevard.

–Star Trek x Samsung Flagship Store in London
On Sept. 8, Samsung’s King’s Cross store will host Star Trek-themed screenings and activations as part of a UK partnership celebrating the franchise’s 60th anniversary in partnership with Paramount+.

–Star Trek x London Underground Takeover
From Sept. 7-8, King’s Cross St Pancras and South Kensington stations will feature Star Trek-themed takeovers marking key stops on a four-destination fan trail across the capital.

–Star Trek Vulcan Salute and Guinness World Records Attempt Unite Fans at the Science Museum in London
On Sept. 8, fans around the world are invited to take part in the Star Trek Vulcan Salute, a global digital celebration of connection, community and optimism that will culminate in an official Guinness World Records™ attempt for the Most People Performing the Vulcan Salute simultaneously at the Science Museum in London. As part of the museum’s free, adults-only Star Trek Lates event celebrating the franchise’s 60th anniversary.

–Movie Park Germany Celebration
Movie Park Germany will host a Sept. 8 Star Trek Day event featuring live entertainment, fan activities, cosplay, special guests and participation in the global Vulcan Salute attempt and experience the park’s Star Trek-themed attraction, plus props and costumes exhibit.

STAR TREK RETURNS TO THEATERS NATIONWIDE

–More than 750 theaters across the U.S. will screen restored 4K presentations of classic Star Trek films paired with episodes of STAR TREK: THE ORIGINAL SERIES making their theatrical debut, from September 4-8. Fans attending will also have the first opportunity to purchase limited-edition Star Trek “Enterprise” popcorn vessels and commemorative drink cups at participating theaters, while supplies last.

STAR TREK PARTNERSHIPS

–European Space Agency Takes Star Trek Into Orbit
ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot will wear the Captain’s Delta badge from STAR TREK: STRANGE NEW WORLDS aboard the International Space Station, with special content from orbit premiering Sept. 8.

–DarkSky International Champion Exploration
Star Trek is partnering with DarkSky International to encourage fans to explore, protect and appreciate night skies and natural landscapes for future generations.

–National Park Foundation: Going Boldly, Exploring Other Worldly Parks
Through Sept. 8, Star Trek and the National Park Foundation are celebrating the franchise’s 60th anniversary with digital content encouraging fans to explore national parks, dark skies and places that inspire discovery.

STAR TREK TELEVISION PROGRAMMING

–Sept. 7 | ENTERTAINMENT TONIGHT: ET VAULT UNLOCKED Star Trek Special
ENTERTAINMENT TONIGHT airs a special ET VAULT UNLOCKED episode featuring interviews with Gene Roddenberry and cast members from across the franchise, along with archival behind-the-scenes footage from Star Trek television series and films.

–Sept. 8 | THE PRICE IS RIGHT & LET’S MAKE A DEAL Star Trek Specials
THE PRICE IS RIGHT and LET’S MAKE A DEAL celebrate Star Trek with themed surprises and special guests, including STAR TREK: STRANGE NEW WORLDS stars Rebecca Romijn and Ethan Peck. Episodes air on CBS and stream on Paramount+.

—Sept. 8 | STAR TREK: SCOUTS Season 2 Premiere
Season 2 of STAR TREK: SCOUTS launches on YouTube, continuing the adventures of JR, Sprocket and Roo as they train to become Starfleet Explorers.

–Sept. 8 | THE BIG BANG THEORY Star Trek Day Marathon
Nick at Nite presents a marathon of THE BIG BANG THEORY’s most memorable Star Trek-themed episodes from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. ET/PT, featuring convention adventures, character tributes and guest stars from the franchise.

–Sept. 24 | STAR TREK: STRANGE NEW WORLDS Season 4 Finale
STAR TREK: STRANGE NEW WORLDS concludes its fourth season on Paramount+, with the series set to return for its fifth and final season in 2027.

STAR TREK AWARDS & PANELS

–Broadcasting+Cable Hall of Fame Honor
In recognition of six decades of groundbreaking storytelling and cultural influence Star Trek will receive the Franchise of the Year Award at the 2026 Broadcasting+Cable Hall of Fame ceremony in New York City on Sept. 29.

–New York Comic Con Panel
On Oct. 10, the Star Trek Universe panel at New York Comic Con will feature a preview of STAR TREK: STARFLEET ACADEMY, discussion of its second season and appearances by surprise guests celebrating the franchise’s 60th anniversary.

STAR TREK PRODUCT LAUNCHES

–LEGO Icons Star Trek U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701 Bridge Set
The LEGO Group and Paramount Products & Experiences will release the LEGO Icons Star Trek: U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701™ Bridge (11385) on Tuesday, Sept. 1. The 1,701-piece collector’s set recreates the original series bridge and transporter room and includes eight Starfleet minifigures. Available for pre-order now via LEGO Stores/Star-Trek and LEGO.com.

–Magic: The Gathering x Star Trek
Launching Nov. 13, a dedicated Magic: The Gathering set will bring iconic Star Trek characters and elements from across the franchise to tabletop gaming audiences worldwide.

–Star Trek Timelines
DK Publishing’s Star Trek Timelines, releasing Nov. 17, explores key events, alternate realities and character journeys from across the franchise.

–Original Saurian Brandy
Star Trek Spirits has unveiled the first officially realized Original Saurian Brandy, inspired by the iconic bottle first seen in the 1966 Star Trek episode “The Man Trap.”

–The Royal Mint & Agoro – Star Trek 60th Anniversary Coins
The Royal Mint is launching two collectable 50p coins to celebrate the global phenomenon and its intergalactic legacy on Sept 3. Agoro will also be recognizing the iconic series with a 5g 999 pure silver/gold foil blind box on September 18th.

For full details of all Star Trek 60th events, activations and partnerships, please visit StarTrek.com for details

Still standing by for Year One

At that same event earlier this year , the co-showrunner confirmed with TrekMovie that at that time, the sets were still standing on the CBS Stages in Canada, leaving the door open to move into production on the proposed Star Trek: Year One follow-up series. Since then, however, we have seen a series of auctions in Canada from Strange New Worlds, but Myers was quick to point out “they still own the sets, they are in other locations at this point.” And while the sets are not standing, most of what has been sold at auction has been set pieces but not the main components of the bridge, nor have they made the hero costumes or props available.

Myers and co-showrunner Akiva Goldsman have previously revealed they went in to do an official Year One pitch with the new management at Paramount. Myers hasn’t gotten an update one way or the other yet:

“We haven’t been told anything [about Year One]. It’s not up to us. It’s up to Paramount. We stand by and are ready to work at their discretion. We love the show. We think it’s great. I think they have — in many ways — a bigger, challenging job — because trying to think about the larger direction of Star Trek for the world… We stand by. We love Star Trek. We’d be happy to do it again. It is out of our hands.”

Today we hit the halfway mark for the fourth season of Strange New Worlds but due to how Nielsen takes its time, we are just getting their first numbers from the start of the season, and it isn’t good news for the Star Trek series.

The Neislen numbers are now out for the week of July July 20 – 26, which covers the July 23 release of the SNW season 4 debut “Valles Marineris.” And Strange New Worlds isn’t on the top 10 for original streaming shows, as first revealed by the Hollywood Reporter.

The Strange New Worlds season 3 debut did make the same chart last year, in fact it made a record for Strange New Worlds on the Nielsen charts, ranking 7th with 471 million views. It was helped along by having two episodes released in that same week in July 2025.

Season 3 even ticked up a bit in the week of the release of episode 3 (ranking 9th with 472 million minutes viewed). The show returned for the fourth week, ranking 7th with 397 million minutes viewed. However, the series dropped off the chart for the rest of the third season.

Nielsen chart for the week of the season 3 debut.

These numbers can’t change the show’s fate as it is already set to end with the already-filmed fifth and final season, expected to arrive in 2027. However, the showrunners and stars have been holding on to a thread of hope the series could lead to the “Star Trek: Year One” spinoff, featuring the first year of USS Enterprise under the command of Captain James T. Kirk, played by Paul Wesley.

Paramount still has access the the best data when it comes to how their shows are performing, and the show has been popping into the Top 10 lists on both Paramount+ and Prime Video (where you can subscribe to Paramount+) throughout the fourth season, although usually quickly dropping off after episodes premiere. And earlier this year when explaining why Starfleet Academy didn’t get renewed for a third season, the streamer cited how the show failed to ever make it onto the Nielsen Top 10.

And word is, Paramount still see Star Trek’s future on TV as “imperative,” as they are already talking to writers about what’s next for the franchise on the small screen.

Strange New Worlds' highly publicized puppet episode finally drops this Thursday. However, fans can check out several sneak-peek images from “Level-Five Transporter Accident” below, courtesy of Trek Central's Instagram account, which includes the return of Mr. Spock’s (Ethan Peck) former flame, T’Pring (Gia Sandhu). And yes, she has also been transformed into a puppet by Jim Henson’s Creature Shop!