Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is part of the upcoming Trek shows lineup for 2025, and we recently learned it snagged a big guest star for its return. Rhys Darby will appear in the upcoming season, and if that wasn't thrilling enough to hear, he'll be playing a known character to fans familiar with the previous shows.
The news came during the show's panel at New York Comic-Con, which our good friends at TrekCulture clocked. As they and the rest of the fandom talk about who Rhys Darby might play in the upcoming season, here are some of my best guesses ranked from most likely to least.
Sybok
Of every role that Rhys Darby could be coming in to play, Sybok is at the top of my list. The character was first seen in Star Trek V: The Final Frontier and introduced as the half-brother to Spock. The renegade Vulcan bucks the conventional ways of his people and uses his telepathy to make people re-live their most traumatic moments.
Sybok made a brief cameo at the end of Strange New Worlds "The Serene Squall," in Season 1, as did his lover Angel. Season 2 featured no mention of Angel or Sybok. In a series with only ten episodes a season, everything is done for a reason. This is to say, I don't believe Strange New Worlds introduced fans to Angel and the back of Sybok's head simply to never feature them in the series ever again.
The elephant in the room here is that original Sybok actor Laurence Luckinbill is American, and Rhys Darby, in a vast majority of his roles in Hollywood, has shined through with a loud and proud New Zealander accent. He even noted to the Sydney Morning Herald in 2014 that he wouldn't do an American accent for roles unless he's "sold out," and while that could be a joke, his acting history shows he hasn't strayed from his usual voice. Going back through TOS' history, finding an actor of New Zealand heritage is a challenge, and Google didn't yield any helpful results. So, for the sake of argument, let's assume he sold out and did his damndest to alter his voice for the role of a known character.
Kang
Klingon diplomat and rival to James T. Kirk, Kang could make an appearance in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, and it's possible Rhys Darby is gearing up to play him. While the Federation's issues with the Klingons have seemingly calmed down after the events of Star Trek: Discovery Season 1, we already know from TOS that it's not entirely smooth sailing between the Federation and their people.
Look at a picture of Kang in TOS, and then look at Darby. Maybe it's just the fact that both rock stylish goatees, but I see it being a fairly easy task to make the actor look like the Klingon diplomat. Some hair dye and wigs would need to be incorporated, but beyond that, I think he'd fit the role pretty well.
The only major hang-up would be the makeup. While not intended to be offensive at the time, the Klingon actors at the time were prepared in a manner similar to "blackface," and I can't imagine any actor would want to engage in that now, even with the context of playing a Klingon actor.
It's a good thing, then, that Star Trek has no qualms about altering the look of its Klingons across shows. I could also be overthinking it, and Rhys Darby could appear as Kang as he looked in TOS. Either way, I think with a follow-up episode to the dramatic "Under The Cloak Of War" episode, it is possible that the Klingons would send someone like Kang along to advocate on their behalf.
Trelane
Before there was Q and the Q Continuum in Star Trek, Trelane was the mystical supernatural alien taunting Starfleet officers with wild scenarios he concocted that they were forced to engage in. It's important to note that it's still not officially canon whether or not Trelane was part of the Q Continuum or not, though Strange New Worlds did acknowledge the similarities between the two in its crossover episode with Lower Decks. Yes, I know there's a book that said Trelane is a Q, but no, that is not canon.
That aside, the Q vibes are strong with Trelane and with someone like Rhys Darby. It takes a special kind of actor who can navigate a role like that and walk the tightrope of being fun and fancy-free while still seeming mildly terrifying and omnipotent. It's a balance I think Darby could do a solid job at navigating given the comedic roles he's played over the years. I can't say I've ever seen him come off as overly intimidating in roles, but I think he has it in him.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds hasn't done a "Q" episode yet, and those are a standard in most episodic adventures that came after TNG. Trelane would be the gateway to doing that, and probably the least "strange" thing this series could do with Rhys Darby.
George Kirk Sr.
This one feels like a long shot, but considering we know that Paul Wesley's James T. Kirk will return in at least Season 4, I can assume we'll see more about the character in Season 3. Also, let's not forget that Sam Kirk is also on the Enterprise, so wouldn't it make sense that his dad might drop by for a visit?
While I'm unsure about Rhys Darby's ability to play a salt of the earth man from Iowa, I definitely think he can bring the dad vibes required for this role. We don't know a ton about the Prime Timeline George Kirk Sr., or at least as much as we know about the Kelvin timeline version played by Chris Hemsworth. I'd have to see Darby in the role to be sold on him playing the character, but I can say with certainty I'd love to see George Sr. at some point, especially now that we never had a chance to see the Star Trek 4 movie that involved the character.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 3 is coming in 2025, but you'll need a Paramount+ subscription to watch it. Keep an eye out for more news about this season we've been waiting so long to see as we get closer to the new year.
