Rhys Darby’s Mysterious Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Character Is Exactly Who You Think

This article contains spoilers for Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3 episodes 1 and 2.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is back, and with it, no small amount of franchise nostalgia in the form of franchise callbacks, references, and cameos. After all, several members of the Enterprise’s crew are characters who will go on to play major roles in Star Trek: The Original Series (a young Montgomery Scott has just joined the ship’s engineering team), and pretty much every episode contains some sort of reference to some kind of deep-cut canon lore, whether it’s a throwaway planet name or a character reference to someone whose name (or lack thereof) fans will undoubtedly recognize. And in season three, it looks like we’re getting a bit of all of those things.

The season’s second episode, “Wedding Bell Blues,” is a space adventure by way of a frothy rom-com, complete with a mysterious stranger, a false, wish-gone-wrong reality, unexpected wedding-related shenanigans, and a surprisingly heartfelt exploration of what it means to move on from a relationship that’s not working. The hour even introduces guest star Cillian O’Sullivan as Christine Chapel’s future fiancé, Dr. Roger Korby! Yet, it’s guest star Rhys Darby (of Our Flag Means Death fame) whose presence will prove the most exciting for long-time Trek fans.

Darby’s character is a mysterious being who may feel familiar to those who have seen The Original Series. Introduced as a mysterious new Enterprise bartender who listens to Spock’s troubles after Chapel returns from her three-month archaeological medicine fellowship with a new boyfriend in tow, he somehow grants his alcohol-fueled wish that things could be different with his ex. Remaking the world into one in which the pair haven’t broken up but are about to marry, he launches the ship into full wedding planning mode. There’s everything from cake tasting to outfit prep—there’s even an impromptu bachelor party in Pike’s quarters. But it becomes apparent very quickly—with a quick assist from Korby—that all is not as it should be.

But who is this strange being with a penchant for manipulating the lives of humans and a petulant attitude toward not getting his own way? Well, he’s never given a proper name in the episode, but it seems pretty clear who he’s intended to represent. 

“Is that Trelane? Yes, it is,” Strange New Worlds showrunner Akiva Goldsman confirms with a laugh. “We couldn’t have our characters hear his name for continuity reasons. But that’s him.” 

For those whose memory needs jogging, Trelane is a puckish, child-like alien (or godlike being, your choice) from the Original Series episode “The Squire of Gothos.” In it, Kirk and the Enterprise crew discover a rogue planet whose sole inhabitant appears to be a strange alien named Trelane, who delights in playing god with the lesser beings he sees as his “pets”, namely human beings. 

Sporting period garb—including a highly decorated and very singular coat that looks an awful lot like the one our mysterious Strange New Worlds wedding planner favors—and a fascination with Earth history, he users his reality bending powers to force the trapped crew members to play dress up, attend a lavish banquet, face off with him in a duel, and more. In the end, he’s reprimanded and essentially sent to his room by his seemingly even more powerful parents, who appear as glowing balls of light who are very put out by Trelane’s behavior.

Clearly, the “Wedding Bell Blues” version of Trelane is younger (only 8,000 years old according to the show) but certainly no more respectful of things like boundaries and free will. He’s specifically not given a name here, largely because Spock plays such a key role in “The Squire of Gothos” that the Strange New Worlds showrunners wanted to make it at least a little believable that he wouldn’t remember having encountered such a being before by the time that adventure rolls around. 

And, for the most part, the Original Series connection works; the hour is fun for fans who recognize that the wedding planner’s overly stylized coat, exagerratedly bouncy demeanor, and use of words like “felicitations” are a nod to series canon, as well as for viewers who have no idea what “The Squire of Gothos” is. But the character’s appearance is more than a simple Easter egg or narrative thread that helps further connect Strange New Worlds to its predecessor. It also confirms a long-held fan theory.

Peter David’s 1994 Star Trek novel Q-Squared supposes that Trelane is actually a part of the Q Continuum, and that the infamous Q of Star Trek: The Next Generation fame is his godfather. (The name “Trelane” according to David’s story, originates from the young Q-entity operating among “three lanes” of alternate timelines simultaneously.) There’s even a hint that Q himself might be Trelane’s father, though the infamous trickster denies it when Picard asks. Well, for what it’s worth, “Wedding Bell Blues” certainly has an opinion about whether or not that assumption is true. 

The hour closes with two disembodied glowballs once again appearing to wrangle their wayward child away from the humanity he seems to be dedicated to emotionally torturing for his own amusement. But this time, one of these chastising parent figures speaks with John de Lancie’s voice, sounding for all the world like a disappointed dad. (De Lancie, of course, famously played Q on The Next Generation.) 

“We’re nerds. And we put it in there because another nerd who wasn’t us thought it was a great idea and put it in a book, talked about it as a headcanon,” producer and co-showrunner Henry Alonso Myers says. “We were like, that’s a really good idea. Let’s sanctify it. Let’s make it real.” 

New episodes of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds premiere Thursdays on Paramount+, culminating with a finale on Sept. 11.