Celia Rose Gooding turned heads during Season 1 of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds with their performance as the legacy character Nyota Uhura, who was first portrayed by the late Nichelle Nichols. The character's storyline on the freshman series involved her possibly leaving the fold, though there were ultimately no big surprises there. After all, the chances of Uhura actually leaving Starfleet were slim, considering that she's still around and part of Captain Kirk's crew by the events of the original series. With that storyline now in the rearview mirror, Gooding spoke with CinemaBlend about what fans can expect from her character's arc in Season 2 as well as Hemmer's influence on the Starfleet cadet's journey going forward.
I had the pleasure of speaking to Celia Rose Gooding in celebration of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 1's upcoming home media release. I asked the rising star about how audiences see Uhura's story evolve now that she's set on remaining in Starfleet and got a wonderfully insightful answer about how they're progressing the character's arc while also reverencing the past:
It’s like that moment when you finally put your bags down and you can unpack your luggage. I think Uhura has a lot of baggage. Once she decides that this is the place where she’s going to put her bags down, we get to see her unpack her journey in Season 1. The experiences that she went through and sort of the trauma she still has to unbraid. That’s what we see a lot of in the future.
Star Trek: Strange New World took a major risk when it came to Hemmer's death, and some viewers are probably still reeling from it. In all honesty, it was a rough exit for the fan-favorite Aenar. Hemmer died after being implanted with Gorn eggs, and it's fair to say Uhura was affected by his passing the most, since he mentored her and imparted helpful advice in early episodes.
Hemmer may be gone, but his impact will be felt on Strange New Worlds, thanks to his mentee. Celia Rose Gooding explained that Hemmer's wisdom is going to remain with their character in Season 2, and they also dropped some insight into how it impacts her relationships with her crewmates:
We see a lot of her continuing to make active decisions to free herself from the self-inflicted feelings of, ‘I have to keep everything to myself. I don’t know if I can trust these people just yet.’ She really takes Hemmer’s advice and starts to make a home of the ship around her. In order to do that, she has to dust through some cobwebs and organize a lot of her big feelings. We see a lot of that in Season 2.
We may not see Uhura become her fully realized self on Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 2, but it sounds she's going to experience some significant growth in the upcoming episodes. She still has a few promotions to get through before she's anywhere close to being the skilled translator and communications officer see on Kirk's Enterprise. I'm ready for the writers to really peel back some layers on the iconic character.
The Strange New Worlds cast impressed a lot of skeptics during Season 1's run and, based on what stars like Melissa Navia have teased, the highly anticipate second season of the Trek show is going to be even better. It's hard to imagine the series getting better reviews than it received during its first season, but I'm fully hoping it can do so and avoid a sophomore slump. The sentiments that have been shared thus far are truly exciting, and I'm pumped to see what lies ahead for Celia Rose Gooding's Uhura and the rest of our heroes.
Folks can pick up a physical copy Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 1 on Blu-ray and DVD on March 21st and be treated to over 90 minutes of special features. Paramount+ is also hosting a trivia night on March 24th at Hollywood's Scum and Villainy Cantina in support of the release. Those interested in more information can head to the official Star Trek website.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 2 is expected to arrive sometime in 2023 for those with a Paramount+ subscription. Here's hoping for some solid news on a premiere date soon, as it'll serve as a real pick-me-up after the confirmation that Discovery ending with Season 5.
