Strange New Worlds Star Bruce Horak Hints At His Star Trek Future
The following article contains spoilers for "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds" Season 1, Episode 9, "All Those Who Wander."
The penultimate episode of "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds" certainly raised the stakes and proved that space is a treacherous void. The USS Enterprise goes to investigate the disappearance of the USS Peregrine, leading them to an ice planet. When they finally find the ship, they discover three refugees as well as a deadly infection of Gorn eggs. It's a terrifying development, made all the scarier when crew member Hemmer (Bruce Horak) soon finds himself infected with Gorn eggs, as well.
Knowing his time is fleeting, he encourages Uhura (Celia Rose Gooding) to stay in Starfleet. It's at this point he throws himself from the ship so that he'll perish in the cold vacuum of space, where the Gorn inside of him will also die. It's a noble sacrifice, one worthy of the legacy of "Star Trek." But no doubt fans are mourning the loss of such a beloved character, wondering if it's truly the end of the line for Hemmer.
Bruce Horak hopes to return to Star Trek in some capacity
As expected, Bruce Horak had many emotions with having to say goodbye to his character (at least for the time being). The actor told The Hollywood Reporter in an interview that he was just happy to get such a great death scene in the show, stating, "When I read the script, I was so happy — well, happy is not the right word. I was relieved. It's a pretty great death for a red shirt."
But as "Star Trek" has proven time and time again, death is not necessarily always the end for a character. After all, Spock died in "The Wrath of Khan" only to return in "The Search for Spock," so it's certainly within the realm of possibility for Hemmer to also return from the dead. Bruce Horak obviously didn't let any cats out of the bag in terms of Hemmer's prospective return, but he did hold out hope. He mentioned how (for the sake of his bank account) he hopes he comes back in some form, going on to say, "Well, I have been released to say that this is not the end of Bruce Horak's career in 'Star Trek.'"
Here's hoping Hemmer finds his way back to the Enterprise in one shape or another down the road.