Ethan Peck has been cast as Spock in Star Trek: Discovery season 2, with the half human/half Vulcan science officer set to play a key role in the show’s upcoming sophomore run.
Since Discovery is set before Star Trek: The Original Series, Peck will be playing Spock at a younger age than either Leonard Nimoy or Zachary Quinto.
The plot for Discovery season 2 will include Spock’s adopted sister (Sonequa Martin-Green’s Michael Burnham) working with Spock’s father (James Frain’s Sarek) and Spock’s current boss (Anson Mount’s Captain Christopher Pike) to track down Spock himself. His whereabouts seem to be linked to a series of mysterious red dots that have been popping up on the Enterprise’s navigation systems.
Peck has previously been seen in the 10 Things I Hate About You TV series, Gossip Girl, In Time, Madam Secretary and The Sorcerer’s Apprentice. He is the grandson of Hollywood legend Gregory Peck, and there is no denying that he looks the part for Spock.
Discovery‘s incumbent showrunner, Alex Kurtzman, said this about Ethan Peck’s casting:
“Through 52 years of television and film, a parallel universe and a mirror universe, Mr. Spock remains the only member of the original bridge crew to span every era of Star Trek. The great Leonard Nimoy, then the brilliant Zachary Quinto, brought incomparable humanity to a character forever torn between logic and emotion. We searched for months for an actor who would, like them, bring his own interpretation to the role. An actor who would, like them, effortlessly embody Spock’s greatest qualities, beyond obvious logic: empathy, intuition, compassion, confusion, and yearning.”
“Ethan Peck walked into the room inhabiting all of these qualities, aware of his daunting responsibility to Leonard, Zack, and the fans, and ready to confront the challenge in the service of protecting and expanding on Spock’s legacy. In that spirit, we’re thrilled to welcome him to the family.”
We’re very much looking forward to seeing what Peck brings to this iconic role, when Discovery season 2 beams onto our screens. We don’t have the exact release date yet, but we’ll be sure to let you know when it’s announced.