Where You've Seen The Cast Of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds

Captain Christopher Pike is first officially seen in the 1966 "Star Trek" episode "The Menagerie." That episode used recycled footage from an unaired pilot and starred actor Jeffrey Hunter as the hitherto unseen captain of the Enterprise. Replacing him in the role in the 21st century is "Strange New Worlds" star Anson Mount, who made his first appearance as Pike in the second season of "Star Trek: Discovery." 

A longtime leading man on television, Mount is best known as the former outlaw Cullen Bohannon on the hit AMC Western, "Hell on Wheels." There he starred for five seasons opposite "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" star Colm Meaney, who played corrupt railroad owner Thomas Durant. But that's certainly not the only role you'll recognize Mount from. In 2017, he was the star of the much-maligned ABC series "Inhumans." In that series, he played a superhero known as Black Bolt, whose voice can topple buildings. Though "Inhumans" bombed, Mount's voiceless performance drew praise and Marvel stunned fans when they brought Mount back for a cameo as Black Bolt in "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" in 2022.

Prior to all of that, Mount was a series regular on "Conviction," a short-lived spinoff of "Law and Order," and had memorable guest appearances everywhere from "Ally McBeal" and "Sex and the City" to "Smallville" and "Lost."

Along with Anson Mount and Rebecca Romijn, Ethan Peck debuted as the new Mr. Spock in Season 2 of "Star Trek: Discovery" before making the jump over to "Strange New Worlds." Though it certainly wasn't his first acting role, it was definitely his biggest, as Peck was largely unknown to most fans at the time of his casting as the Enterprise's resident Vulcan. But taking over a role associated with someone as famous as Leonord Nimoy was nothing new for Peck, as his biggest role prior to putting on the pointed ears was high school bad boy Patrick Verona — originally played by the late Heath Ledger – in the television adaptation of "10 Things I Hate About You," which ran for a single season following its 2009 premiere.

Outside of that one role, Peck was mostly a journeyman actor who appeared across a number of other series, with small roles in "Madam Secretary," "Gossip Girl," "That '70s Show" (where he played a younger version of Ashton Kutcher's Kelso), and "The Drew Carey Show" all the way back in 1999 when he was barely a teenager. But Peck's projects included more than just TV, as he also had bit parts in some major feature films including the Justin Timberlake thriller "In Time," and the teen fantasy drama "The Sorcerer's Apprentice." Suffice to say that now that he's this generation's Mr. Spock, he may not have to settle for bit parts any longer.

The chief medical officer of the USS Enterprise is Joseph M'Benga, a role that originated in a pair of episodes of the original "Star Trek" where he was played by Booker Bradshaw. In "Strange New Worlds," M'Benga is played by Nigerian American actor Babs Olusanmokun, who genre fans might recognize from his small role in Netflix's "Defenders" miniseries. In the Marvel team-up show, Olusanmokun played Sowande, an African warlord and member of The Hand who is ultimately beheaded in a gruesome scene by Daredevil mentor Stick. Like Christina Chong, the actor also had a role in an episode of sci-fi anthology series "Black Mirror" where he played Clayton Leigh, the holographic man at the center of the acclaimed episode "Black Museum," which also features "Short Treks" actor Aldis Hodge and "Black Panther" star Letitia Wright.

Outside of the sci-fi realm, Olusanmokun has appeared in the DC Comics crime drama "Gotham," the NBC James Spader hit "The Blacklist," Tom Sellek's "Blue Bloods," and the cult favorite "Veronica Mars."  He also had a multi-episode role as Kunta Kinte's father in the remake of "Roots," which was produced by original star and "Trek" veteran LeVar Burton. But Olusanmokun has shined outside of television, as he has also made memorable appearances in big screen outings like Paul Bettany's "Shelter," Guy Ritchie's "Wrath of Man," and the 2021 Denis Villeneuve science fiction epic, "Dune."

A surprise addition to the cast of "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds" was a younger version of the iconic Uhura, once played by Nichelle Nichols. Though we've previously seen her future-self serve as the Enterprise's communications officer, in "Strange New Worlds" Uhura is still a Starfleet cadet played by 22-year-old actress Celia Rose Gooding in her first ever onscreen acting role. 

During the years prior to Gooding joining the "Star Trek" family, she focused her career on live theater. In 2017, when she was just 17 years old, she appeared as one of the leads, Frankie Healy, in the Broadway production of "Jagged Little Pill," an original musical inspired by the songs of Alanis Morissette. The cast performed parts of "Jagged Little Pill" live on a few TV shows — "Late Night with Seth Meyers," "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve," and "Good Morning America." After being nominated for a Tony Award in 2020 for her part as Frankie, Gooding received a Grammy Award for best musical theater album for her part in the "Jagged Little Pill" stage production's soundtrack.  

Another character that originated on the classic 1960s "Star Trek" series, Nurse Christine Chapel was — like Number One — originally played by Gene Roddenberry's future wife, actress Majel Barrett. Now, more than five decades later, Chapel returns to "Trek" as a main cast member of "Strange New Worlds," this time as a civilian researcher on assignment aboard the USS Enterprise. Here, Chapel is played by Australian actress Jess Bush, who puts on an American accent so convincing that you'd never know she was from Down Under if you weren't familiar with her previous work.

But if you are familiar with Bush's pre-"Star Trek" career, you're probably not among the majority of American Trekkies. In 2011, her showbusiness career began when she almost won the "Australia's Next Top Model" contest. It wouldn't be until 2017 that she'd take her first official acting role — a recurring character on "Home and Away," a soap opera that's practically a rite of passage for every actor who originates from Australia, including the likes of Chris Hemsworth, Isla Fisher, and Naomi Watts.

While she made a handful of appearances in shows like "Playing for Keeps" and "Secret Daughter," the new "Star Trek" series marks Bush's first major role.

The fabled first captain of the USS Enterprise, Robert April finally makes his first live-action appearance in the premiere episode of "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds," played by actor Adrian Holmes. The character had been mentioned, but only ever seen on one occasion in the 1970s animated series. For longtime Trekkies, April's emergence on "Strange New Worlds" was both a stunning and familiar sight, at least for those who'd seen the actor's prolific body of previous work. Certainly, comic book adaptation fans might recognize him from his role in "The Boys" where he played Dr. Park in one 2020 episode, but it's even more likely they'd remember his recurring character Frank Pike, a police captain in Star City, on the DC television series "Arrow."

Before those appearances, Holmes was known mostly for the Steven Seagal action series "True Justice" and a recurring role in "Smallville." The actor also may be recognized from an important role in the "Battlestar Galactica" prequel web series "Blood & Chrome," as well as a variety of guest spots on any number of well-known TV shows like "Supernatural," "Letterkenny," and "Stargate SG-1." Suffice to say, Holmes has been around the block, and he's one of those faces you've probably seen whether you realize it or not. Here's hoping he gets his own spinoff series, and we get to see him in action as Robert April, former Enterprise captain.

"Star Trek" is a franchise well known for its guest stars, with famous names like Joan Collins, Kelsey Grammer, Iggy Pop, and even Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson making major appearances over the course of its various series. "Strange New Worlds" had its best guest thus far in the episode "The Serene Squall" in the form of visiting Dr. Aspen, who is revealed to be a deadly space pirate named Captain Angel there to lure the Enterprise into a trap. Angel was played by guest star Jesse James Keitel, who has made a name for herself on the TV series "Big Sky" and earning serious accolades along the way.

Beyond her role as Jerrie Kennedy on "Big Sky," audiences might know Keitel for her recurring part as Ruthie, a transwoman and high school English teacher on the 2022 reboot of iconic comedy drama "Queer as Folk." But despite all the dramas that Keitel has starred in, "Strange New Worlds" isn't her first foray into science fiction. In "Forever Alone," she played a time-traveler facing a new personal mission.

In "The Serene Squall," we learn that Captain Angel has a connection to Mr. Spock as the lover of his half-brother Sybok, so there's a very real chance she'll return in Season 2.

The youngest star of "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds," little Rukiya M'Benga is in many ways the heart and soul of the series' first season. The center of the most emotionally charged season-long subplot, Rukiya suffers from an incurable and terminal illness that drives her father Dr. M'Benga to search for answers among the stars. Rukiya was played by actress Sage Arrindell, and if you're thinking that someone so young wouldn't have many other acting credits on her resume, think again. 

Outside of "Star Trek," Arrindell has voiced a number of animated roles, most notably the recurring role of Julia on the Nickelodeon animal adventure "PAW Patrol." She also played two different characters in "Xavier Riddle and the Secret Museum," created by graphic novelists Brad Meltzer and Chris Eliopoulos. There she voiced child versions of two famous real-life figures — poet Maya Angelou and 19th century archaeologist Mary Anning.

In live action, Arrindell joined a different long-running franchise in 2021, appearing in an episode of the TV series "Chucky," based on the big-screen horror icon.