Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Just Rewrote Canon

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In the second episode of Season 3 in “Strange New Worlds,” titled “Wedding Bell Blues,” the writers cleverly honor multiple aspects of the Star Trek universe. This entertaining episode appears to draw inspiration from a renowned episode of the original series, while also referencing “Star Trek: The Next Generation” and “Star Trek: Voyager.” Remarkably, it even acknowledges a non-canonical Star Trek novel penned by the late, illustrious author Peter David. Furthermore, it includes a voice appearance from a genuine Star Trek legend, John de Lancie as Q. Thus, this seemingly lighthearted comedic episode connects various elements of the Star Trek canon that span over the years.

In “Wedding Bell Blues,” the starship Enterprise arrives at Starbase 1 of the Federation for a three-month repair break, following their clash with the Gorn in the previous installment. Simultaneously, Nurse Christine Chapel (Jess Bush) is back from a three-month educational leave where she delved into medical archaeology under Dr. Roger Korby (Cillian O’ Sullivan). Upon her return, it’s disclosed that she and Korby are now romantically involved, which leaves Spock’s Vulcan heart in pieces.

In a melancholic state, the resembling Ethan Peck’s Spock heads to Starbase 1’s bar. There, he mourns over Christine starting a new relationship. Fans of the classic Star Trek might recall that Nurse Chapel had a long-lost fiancé named Dr. Korby, whose fate was unknown for years. The TOS episode “What Are Little Girls Made Of?” from 1967 delved into most of this backstory about Nurse Chapel. Spock encounters an unusual bartender sporting muttonchops who remains unnamed; this character is portrayed by Rhys Darby, known for his role in Our Flag Means Death. Despite his human appearance, Spock perceives him as Vulcan. This peculiar individual assures Spock he can resolve his current romantic dilemma somehow.

The following day, Spock finds himself in bed alongside Christine, unaware that today isn’t the Federation centennial as initially thought. Instead, it turns out to be their wedding day. It appears only Dr. Korby is aware of the truth among the crew on the Enterprise. He recalls that he and Christine are a couple, something Spock (unusually) reacts to by punching him. As events unfold, they both come to understand that an omnipotent being masquerading as an Andorian wedding planner and bartender is manipulating reality. This entity explains that he disliked Korby’s archaeological digs on his home planet and decided to take revenge.

The appearance and behavior of the character strongly resembles that of Trelane, a character portrayed by William Campbell who featured in the Star Trek: Original Series (TOS) episode “The Squire of Gothos.” In this episode, Captain Kirk’s crew from the USS Enterprise arrives at an unknown planet. On this planet, they encounter Trelane, a powerful entity disguised as an 18th-century nobleman who takes members of the crew hostage for his own entertainment. He treats them like playthings, much like a child playing with bugs. However, his antics come to an end when two energy beings, presumably his parents, arrive and take him away. The attitudes displayed in this scene suggest that Trelane is actually a child, even though he appears as an adult human.

In the series Strange New Worlds, there’s an enigmatic character who bears a striking resemblance to Trelane in appearance and behavior. It’s quite possible this unnamed entity is actually Trelane himself. This being seems to manipulate reality for entertainment purposes, acting like a mischievous child. The arrival of his parent, a whirling energy form, alludes directly to the finale of “The Squire of Gothos.” This connection ties back to Star Trek: The Next Generation.

This parental figure in question is none other than John de Lancie, famously known for portraying the character Q across various versions of Star Trek, most notably on The Next Generation. Interestingly, this episode shares a resemblance with the fourth season’s TNG episode “Qpid,” where Q constructs a whimsical fantasy to teach Captain Jean-Luc Picard about love. The lighthearted and playful atmosphere of “Wedding Bell Blues” mirrors that of the “Qpid” episode quite closely. Implicitly, it seems this troublesome entity could be Q’s offspring, who, at an age of 8,000 years, is still quite young.

Speaking of Q from Star Trek: Voyager, it’s worth noting that in the series, Q and a fellow member of the Q Continuum have a child who appears as male, although they are essentially genderless. This child, known as Junior Q, was first introduced in the third season episode “The Q and the Gray” in 1996. In this episode, John de Lancie’s character, Q, enters into a union with a female counterpart from his race to prevent a conflict within the Q Continuum. As part of this arrangement, Captain Kathryn Janeway is chosen as the child’s godmother before Q departs once more into the cosmos.

In the following episodes, a character reappears, known as “Q2.” This time, he’s portrayed by Keegan de Lancie, who is John de Lancie’s real-life son and now a teenage boy. As it turns out, he’s inherited all of his father’s challenging personality traits. By the end of the episode, Q2 and his father journey into space together. This episode also marks a significant break for John de Lancie, as he doesn’t reprise his role as Q again until the second season of Star Trek: Picard, more than twenty years later.

In the final episode of Picard, it’s revealed that the character Q exists beyond the constraints of conventional time. Despite seemingly perishing at the end of Picard season two, Q reappears in the series finale. During this encounter, Q informs Picard’s son, Jack Crusher, that the Q exist outside the usual flow of time. This implies that the Q whom Jack encounters is from a different point in his own timeline. It’s also possible that the Q character we meet in Strange New Worlds could be both Trelane from the ’60s series and Q’s son from Voyager, given John de Lancie’s voice acting as the “father” figure. Interestingly, neither of these characters directly refer to themselves as part of the Q Continuum, consistent with TNG’s portrayal where first contact with the Q is made a century later.

In a fascinating connection proposed by writer Peter David, the character Trelane from “TOS” and Q, who debuted much later, may share a familial bond. This theory was first introduced in the 1994 novel “Q Squared,” part of the “TNG” series, where it was revealed that Trelane is Q’s godson. However, Peter David subtly hints at a deeper relationship, suggesting that Q could be Trelane’s biological father. Q denies this claim, but Jean-Luc seems to understand the truth, even though he doesn’t openly confirm it to Picard. If the character in “Strange New Worlds” portrayed by Rhys Darby is indeed Trelane and Q is his father as suspected, then this aligns with at least part of Peter David’s novel and makes it a part of official “Star Trek” canon. Interestingly, this theory was proposed before the author’s passing, making it a delightful piece of his enduring legacy in the “Star Trek” universe.

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2025-07-18 02:33