Warning! The following contains spoilers for the Star Trek: Strange New Worlds episode, “All Those Who Wander.” Read at your own risk!
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds had perhaps its most devastating episode to date, as the Enterprise lost more crew in yet another horrifying exchange with the Gorn. It ultimately resulted in the loss of the chief engineer, and one of Season 1’s most beloved characters, Hemmer. Following Hemmer’s unexpected exit, actor Bruce Horak shared the one concern he had regarding the character’s death with CinemaBlend.
Hemmer’s end came not long after the reveal that the Gorn hatchlings (which looked much different than their grown counterparts) bred through projecting acidic goo at hosts. Hemmer took a hit from some goo earlier in the episode, and towards the end, it was clear he felt the effects.
After seeing an infected passenger on the ship ultimately have multiple Gorn explode from within his body, Hemmer decided to exit the ship and spare the crew another fight with more Gorn hatchlings. Hemmer said his goodbyes to Uhura and others, stepped outside, and fell from the ship into the cold valley below before the Gorn hatched. Hemmer actor Bruce Horak shared his thoughts on the big day of shooting, and the one concern he had ahead of the big exit:
I was both dreading and looking forward to shooting that scene. I was dreading the weight of it knowing that this is ultimately springboarding and building the story of Uhura’s journey and just hoping I’d get the tone right. I was excited to shoot it because every actor wants a good death scene and that was my one concern when [showrunner] Henry [Alonso Myers] mentioned the arc. [I said] ‘Please make it look cool. Just make the death look cool.’ I read it, it’s cool, I saw it, it’s even cooler than I imagined.
As Bruce Horak touched on above, Hemmer’s sacrifice and words to Uhura ultimately caused her to stay in Starfleet. In their final conversation, Hemmer encouraged Uhura to make connections in Starfleet and put down roots rather than move on to something else out of fear of losing more people she cares about.
One thing Paramount+ subscribers might take solace in right now is the knowledge that Bruce Horak knew from the very start that his Aenar character would die. There’s also something else that makes the death of Hemmer easier to bare for Horak: it’s not the end of his time in Star Trek. He shared:
I can officially say that the Star Trek career of Bruce Horak is not over. I can’t share much beyond that, but I can at least say that I’m absolutely thrilled and honestly I’m so happy with how this season turned out.
That’s right, much like Brent Spiner and the other Star Trek actors who reappear in the franchise, so will Bruce Horak. Unfortunately, I’m not sure there’s any coming back for Strange New Worlds’ chief engineer, which might be for the best. After all, Hemmer’s unlikely survival might make us feel better temporarily but would ultimately cheapen a phenomenal exit for a character who meant so much in Season 1. The good news is that Horak will return, and we’ll just have to wait and see how and when.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’ Season 1 finale streams on Paramount+ on Thursday, July 7. After that, the wait is on for the next show in the franchise, so it’s a good thing that there’s still plenty more to enjoy in 2022 in terms of Trek.
