Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’ Ethan Peck on Spock’s Love Triangle: ‘I Wouldn’t Consider Him a Player’
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
The following contains spoilers from Thursday’s episode of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. Proceed accordingly.
In this week’s episode of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, Spock found himself in a fascinating predicament: made fully human by an unknown being that healed him following a shuttle accident.
More from TVLine
VC Andrews' Dawn Star Joey McIntyre Explains That Michael Sutton Reveal: 'It Was a Different World'
Who Will Win Drag Race All Stars' First-Ever Fame Games? LaLa Ri Gets Our Official Endorsement
The timing was not ideal, given that he was supposed to dine with his fiancé T’Pring and her intimidating parents, who were already wary of his half-human, half-Vulcan ancestry. Hijinks ensued as Spock, pretending to be his normal self, endured a supremely awkward dinner while fighting to keep his temper under control and embarrassing secret hidden.
“It was really nerve-wracking,” Ethan Peck, who plays the Vulcan science officer, tells TVLine of Thursday’s episode. “Any moment that Spock leans into his humanness is such a challenge for me as an actor. I felt really scared. It felt like a big risk as the actor playing Spock, and it was beautifully handled by [director] Jordan Canning.”
During the hour, we learned that Spock directed all shields to protect Chapel, who was in the shuttle with him, while he bore the brunt of the strange occurrence. After fully recovering with his Vulcan side intact, Spock later confessed his feelings for Chapel, which was sealed with a kiss. Where they go from there, though, remains to be seen.
“I think they have a lot to figure out if they want to make it work,” Peck notes. “It’s going to be very complicated.”
Part of that complication has to do with the fact that Spock is engaged to T’Pring. But after T’Pring realized Spock didn’t trust her enough to tell her what happened to him, she called for them to take a break, and he agreed.
“I think he cares for her deeply and wants to belong with her but knows on some level that he can’t and doesn’t because her family would never accept that part of him, or Vulcan would not accept that part of him that’s human,” Peck explains. “So there’s this desire to be accepted and heartbreak that he can never be, and also probably a celebration at this point.”
Although surprised that Spock is caught between two women this season, Peck says that the Starfleet officer is definitely not an f-boy. “I wouldn’t consider him a player. I think he’s trying to figure himself out and trying to do his best and be his best to everyone and is on this journey,” Peck shares. “It’s very innocent, and these things are happening, and he’s trying to make sense of them. It just happens to be that he’s romantically intertwined with these two women at this point in time.”
Spock may be conflicted about his romantic interests, but Peck notes that the half-Vulcan officer would not be as torn about the Barbie versus Oppenheimer debate. In fact, he believes Spock would see both movies in a double feature.
“Absolutely, because I think Oppenheimer would fulfill the Vulcan side of him, and I think Barbie would fulfill the human side of him,” Peck says.
Note: This interview took place before SAG-AFTRA officially announced a strike on Thursday afternoon.
Best of TVLine
Get more from TVLine.com: Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Newsletter
