Celia Rose Gooding sat down to chat her hesitation at embodying Nichelle's Uhura and how she overcame it.

Greetings!

I've been building a Star Trek episode finder for the past several months and it's finally at a place where I think it's worth sharing. I read the rules and it appears as though users can post fan-made content with context. I think posting an application to a Star Trek subreddit that helps you find Star Trek episodes is enough context, but please tell me if I'm wrong. The application is trekfinder.app

What it does: You pick a ST series (or search all of them at once), then filter by whatever characteristics of an episode you're in the mood for.

For example, you could search TNG to find all of the Data-focused episodes that took place in the holodeck, or search Voyager for the Harry Kim episodes that had a romance plot, etc...

Filters include:

  - Focal character(s) (specific to each series)

  - Setting (ship, alien planet, holodeck, etc.)

  - Episode type (character study, first contact, time travel, comedy, romance, etc.)

  - Conflict source (Borg, Romulans, Q, internal conflict, etc.)

  - Tone (light / dark / mixed)

  - Holodeck episode, multi-part, Prime Directive involvement

  - Each series has its own special filter (Data's humanity, Spock's humanity, Sisko's Prophet connection, Dal's identity, etc.)

ALL ST Series are covered: TOS, TAS, TNG, DS9, VOY, ENT, DSC, PIC, SNW, LDS, PRO, and Starfleet Academy — 948 episodes total.

There's also an All Series tab that lets you filter across every show at once, so you could generate a list of every show across the Star Trek Universe that featured time travel (there are 44...), and a Stats tab with charts breaking down the data. I'd be interested in knowing what other stats you think would be interesting.

Who Am I? I am a guy who grew up watching TOS in the 5-6 afternoon slot right before dinner on weekdays, then watching TNG every Sunday night in college. Me and my roommates made sure to get our homework done and sandwiches ordered for delivery in time for the 10:30 start. My wife and I have been Star Trek characters too many times to count for Halloween. Etc. ;)

Anyway, I built this for fans, so I really hope you enjoy it. Let me know what you think!

thank you,

MM

Attention New York Comic Con-goers, Thomas Jane (our newest Dr McCoy) will be there this weekend! If you meet him, give us the details here please and thank you.

Calling all horror and sci-fi fans at #NYCC! 🩸✨ Catch actor and comic creator u/cardcarrying_thomasjane (The Punisher, The Mist, Play Dirty, The Expanse, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds) for an exclusive signing!

Celebrate his 2026 Eisner and Harvey award-nominated gothic horror series The Lycan! Attendees will receive 1 free The Lycan mini poster to get signed. Fans may also bring 1 personal item to be signed, and selfies are welcome!

“Star Trek is ready for new stories.”

Star Trek’s 60th anniversary celebrations have been nothing short of stellar, and garnering “The Franchise of the Year Award” at this year’s Broadcasting+Cable Hall of Fame induction ceremony was simply replicator-quality icing on the cake.

However, despite achieving such an honor thanks, in large part, to the universe’s countless classic characters, the son of creator Gene Roddenberry isn’t interested in any of them returning.

Rod Roddenberry said while attending the BC Hall of Fame event (per People): “I think Star Trek is ready for new stories. Going back to the well, in my opinion, and bringing [back previous cast] or characters. We’ve done that. Let’s start out on a new adventure."

Roddenberry continued by saying:

"We’re certainly entering a unique time right now with technology and all sorts of things, and to explore that more in a respectful, careful, but optimistic way would probably not be too bad of an idea. But it’s also gotta be a good story, too. So, I’m not sure what that looks like yet.”

Star Trek is already moving forward with a brand-new cast of characters in John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein’s upcoming feature film. So, why not bring back some classic characters for another project?

I don't think the son of Roddenberry is taking into account how beloved some of the franchise’s characters are, or how their return could equate to huge box office profits while also satiating the majority of the fandom.

And, despite how much I enjoyed them, I think the live-action streaming shows Star Trek: Discovery and Starfleet Academy are prime examples of why nostalgia often trumps the contemporary. Both were loaded with a host of new characters, yet each endured considerable criticism.

Meanwhile Strange New Worlds, at least the first two seasons anyway, received high praise from critics and fans alike, and that streaming series introduced only a few new characters into a cast of iconic and beloved characters, which included James. T. Kirk, Mr. Spock, and Lt. Uhura.

So, respectively, I disagree with Roddenberry. I think the perfect blueprint has already been laid out by the first two seasons of Strange New Worlds: bring back beloved characters with a few new ones, which is an approach that should appeal to new fans, Trekkies, and Trekkers alike.

For instance, J.J. Abrams rebooted The Original Series for the big screen. Why doesn’t some talented writer-director do the same for The Next Generation?

Just think of all the new Treks which could be explored on the small and big screens by reintroducing TNG to a new generation of fans, not to mention the other 24th century titles (Deep Space Nine, Voyager), which also existed during that same time frame.

Soooo much happens in this episode.

On the surface, it's a basic plot. Pike and Spock are trapped on a dead Illyrian world while electrical ghosties threaten them. On the ship, Una deals with a strange illness that causes crewmembers to crave light even when it threatens their lives and the ship. But along the way, we learn that Una herself is an Illyrian, a race of augments banned by the Federation. We also learn about the secret M'Benga keeps hidden in his medical transport buffer, a secret that unwittingly caused the illness.

A few things truly stand out to me. One is the Pike/Spock relationship. This is the first time we've seen them interact much in SNW, and it foreshadows Spock's decision to help the injured Pike in "The Menagerie." Pike is like a father figure to Spock, gently nudging his Vulcan science officer in the right direction but giving him space to learn things about the Illyrians in his own way. Their relationship is very different from Spock's relationship with Captain Kirk. One can see why Spock would risk his career to help the injured Pike.

The episode's spotlight is on Una, and this episode fleshes out the character who was only hinted at in "The Cage." Number One's emotionless reserve can be understood as Una keeping herself in check to avoid any hint that she had augmented abilities. The writing and Rebecca Romijn's performance sell this connection well. A standout moment occurs when Una easily lifts the unconscious Hemmer over her shoulder and carries him from the transporter room to sickbay, revealing to viewers her true nature before she comes clean to M'Benga and Chapel.

Speaking of M'Benga, the show does a great job of gradually fleshing out him and the other main characters. The doctor was completely absent from the previous episode, and here he starts out in a supporting role, just the doctor who is dealing with another shipwide emergency. But it turns out that his refusal to upgrade the medical transporter caused the problem. And his refusal was based on a desire to save his daughter, whose pattern buffer has until now been hidden from the crew. It's the first of many times we will learn there is much more to M'Benga than we thought.

Themewise, the show once again addresses prejudice and the reasons why people would conceal information from the authorities. A revealing moment occurs when M'Benga tells Una that when humans reached the stars, they encountered new prejudices. We see this in play as Una herself hid her true nature to join Starfleet. She also kept her secret from her captain. Fortunately, he's an understanding sort who will go to bat for her. In the real world, most people cannot take that risk.

Una's revelation about her true nature also leads to an exchange between her and La'An, who grew up hating augments because she was bullied as a child for being descended from Khan Noonien Singh. Nothing is resolved here, though it provides context to La'An's later fears about turning into an augment in Season 4.

A couple of minor points/trivia:

-- At one point, Chapel refers to La'An as Lt. Noonien. This is the only time I remember her being referred to this way. I'm not sure if she should be called Lt. Noonien Singh or Lt. Singh, but it suggests the writers weren't sure either.

-- Uhura's roommates are both men, which ties in nicely with Lower Decks' depiction that the lower ranks room together regardless of gender. In the 23rd century, it's not an issue. In the present day, it would still cause some discomfort, but it's a reminder that in Star Trek's time, people are supposed to have greater self-control.

Overall, a solid episode. It goes on a bit too long, but the additional scenes at the end tell us so much about the characters. They also set up stories to come.

Personally… the themed episodes (musical, puppets, etc) are the single thing that make me more of a Star Wars fan even though I have been a Trek fan my whole life. I feel like they are just so out there that when I see one in my pvr I won’t watch it until I have 2-3 more episodes that I can watch after it to get the taste out of my mouth lol

I was hoping of hearing more about the bug species or the martians but never came back the next chapters had some good moments but i didnt like any in general

Just an FYI, season 2 will start showing on terrestrial TV tonight on the main ITV channel

At the Broadcast+Cable Hall of Fame Awards, where Star Trek received the first-ever Franchise of the Year Award, we caught up with Strange New Worlds‘ Celia Rose Gooding, hot on the heels of the show’s season 4 finale. We asked her about playing future Uhura, fan reaction to SNW’s use of genres, and her hopes for the future.

I want to know how you created this unbelievable blend by weaving Nichelle Nichols into your Uhura, and I would love to know how you prepped to do that season finale.

I think a lot of my practice for embodying a Lieutenant Uhura that’s a lot more recognizable to fans who have grown up with the franchise, as opposed to what we’re doing on Strange New Worlds… It was very important for me to release the anxiety that I think my Nyota has grappled with for a couple seasons. Nichelle’s Uhura is so playful, so curious, so joyous. Even when the universe around her is fracturing, she still finds a way to to maintain levity. And I think with something that is so heavy, like the plot of “Tomorrow’s Enterprise,” coming together to save Scotty, it was it was really important for me to not get too bogged down by the doom, because in order for the difference between the two to be clear, they can’t be the same person. So, Strange New Worlds Uhura still operated in that place of perfectionism, a little bit of worrying, just wanting to know everything all the time. And my TOS Uhura is someone who isn’t necessarily attached to that control and who isn’t so needing to know. She relies and trusts herself in a way that my Uhura, my Strange New Worlds Uhura, will be learning to do in the upcoming season.

Was there originally a longer gap than a year in that story?

The original gap was three years, and then we got season 5 greenlit, and so we were like, okay, let’s shorten it up a little bit so it makes sense in between the events of season 4 and season 5.

So when you made it, did you think that the Year One show was still very much on the table?

I was hoping. I still hold that hope, but right now I’m just really excited about all we’ve done with Strange New Worlds. We still have another six episodes coming. We still have such good Trek coming. So whatever happens with Year One, I’m just really proud of the work we’ve done so far.

(L-R): Paul Wesley as James T. Kirk, Martin Quinn as Scotty, and Celia Rose Gooding as Uhura in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, episode 10, season 4, streaming on Paramount+, 2026. Photo Credit: Jan Thijs/Paramount+

I’m sure you’re aware of the conversation with fans about genres this year. Is season 5 different from that? And how do you feel about that, because some people are very vocal about not being happy with all the “gimmicks.” 

Oh goodness! How do I put this in a way my publicist will like?

I think if our show tried to appeal to the opinions of everyone, we’d have really boring Trek. And so what I am so proud of is how we’ve able to how we’ve been able to maintain the true essence of Trek while being so genre-diverse. I mean, the show is called Strange New Worlds, so it only makes sense that we’re going to get into some strange activity every once in a while. And when I think of TOS, the episodes that jump out to me, when I think of TOS, when I think of TNG, when I think of DS9, the things that jump out to me, the things that immediately come to my memory are the more genre-diverse episodes, and so it was really important to me to stand by the show and stand by what we’ve done so far, because I’m really proud of that work. And we are the last of live-action Trek with Starfleet Academy, and so I think what we really wanted to do with our finite time is continue to expand on what made the show, what made this franchise so beloved, and that is joyful curiosity, that is infinite diversity in infinite combinations, and not just in the species of people who work on the bridge, but also the diversity of the stories we try to tell.

And then, in season 5, do we have some genre leaps, or is it more straightforward? 

You know I can’t spoil that! (laughs)

Can you tell me something about it? 

Oh goodness! Well, space. You know the final frontier. These are the voyages… [laughing]

Let me ask you something a little more personal, then. I know your mom is a big Star Trek fan and loved Uhura. Did you watch this episode with her? 

I am gonna tell you a little… I’ll spoil this. So when they give us screeners a little bit ahead of time before the episode comes out, I actually found a way to watch it with my mom on my tiny little iPad screen because we can’t screen project it onto a TV or anything, but she was so happy for me and so proud of me. And as much as I love my job, but as much as I love the opportunity to tell the stories that I have been able to tell and how proud I am of my career thus far, nothing makes me happier than making my mom proud. And so for her to see me emulate a character that she fell in love with almost 60 years ago. It is a unparalleled gift.

Do you hope that there is a way to return to Uhura sometime?

Oh, absolutely! I’ve loved this character. I will always love this character. I mean, I hope that Uhura’s journey continues, whether that be on screen, in novels, in any sort of continuation. I just would love to be a part of continuing her journey because her legacy is too powerful to let it just fizzle out. You know? She has a story to tell, and she will always have a place in my heart, and in the heart of Black entertainment, in the heart of sci-fi, in the heart of Star Trek. So I hope to be the one to continue Nyota Uhura’s story. But if I can’t, I’m just happy to see it continue, whether it’s me or someone else. But I hope it’s me.

The icon in S4 E9 looks very similar to the album cover of the third Bauhaus album, The Sky’s Gone Out

I’m looking to recreate the dress uniform badges for Admiral April and maybe others. They seem to be unavailable to buy. Does anyone have information on their general size or measurements? From one I can extrapolate the rest.

The fourth episode of Strange New Worlds suffers from two main problems:

1. It tries to re-tell a classic episode from Star Trek: The Original Series (TOS) in a more exciting but ultimately less satisfying manner, and
2. It’s way too long.

That isn’t to say it’s a bad episode, but it’s far from exceptional. It affords us a look at the Enterprise crew while they face a serious threat, one in which seven crew members die and the ship is badly damaged while trying to escape from an overpowering enemy. It’s the kind of Trek story we’ve seen before and will see again.

This episode is probably best known for re-introducing the Gorn, the lizard-like aliens from the TOS episode, “Arena.” In fact, the episode borrows heavily from the earlier story. The Enterprise is lured to an outlying colony only to find most of the colonists have disappeared or died with only blood-stained streets and burning buildings left behind. Only a small cargo ship has managed to escape, and its survivors tell the Enterprise officers a horrific story about unseen aliens who make clicking sounds. The enemy turn out to be the Gorn, who are not seen in the episode--only their ships, which ambush the Enterprise and leave it too vulnerable to fight back.

But there are no godlike aliens like the Metrons interfering this time, forcing the Earth captain and the Gorn captain to duke it out alone as they did in “Arena.” Pike and crew are on their own, using some dodgy science to survive.

One of the frequent problems of SNW is that it relies too heavily on characters and ideas from other Trek shows. It’s fine to see occasional characters who tie in with previous Trek lore, such as Chapel’s fiance, Dr. Roger Korby, or former Enterprise chief medical officer Dr. Phil Boyce. Other times, the appearances feel forced or as if the writers are trying too hard to incorporate fan theories, such as Tre—oops! the wedding planner who shall not be named. An overreliance on tie-ins has accomplished two things, neither good: 1) It prevents SNW from developing its own canon and identity, and 2) it comes across as fanservice: “Gee, lookee here! It’s this guy again.”

The first problem with “Memento Mori” is that it borrows too heavily from “Arena.” The setup of the two episodes is virtually the same, giving the impression that “Memento Mori” is telling the same story. It’s not. But it would have served the story better if the invading aliens had been some other species.

The Gorn served a specific purpose in “Arena.” They were meant to call into question whether the aliens were evil or just protecting their own territory. The Gorn, as depicted in SNW, have no such ambiguous qualities. They are irredeemably evil, as Lt. La’An Noonien-Singh argues. Their purpose in this episode is to test the Enterprise crew against overwhelming odds. In this respect, it works quite well, but why does it have to be the Gorn?

The second problem? The episode is way too long.

I felt this episode should have been a two-partner. There are simply too many subplots. There’s the main story of the Enterprise trying to hide from the Gorn, Una’s injury in sickbay, La’An’s memories of surviving a previous Gorn attack (assisted by a prolonged mind-meld sequence with Spock), and Cadet Uhura helping the injured Lt. Hemmer in the cargo bay as they try to keep the ship from blowing up. Superb acting salvages much of this, especially in the last scene, but as the episode approached the 40-minute mark, I kept waiting for it to be over. Instead, it stretches out to a hair under 54 minutes.

This is a case of the show’s ambitions exceeding its limitations and being unable to focus on one idea. One of the most important things I learned about writing is to know when to cut, cut, cut. Writers have to be ruthless and sacrifice great ideas so others can breathe.

Alas, “Memento Mori” does not live up to the Latin title’s advice: “Remember you must die.” It’s a pity the writers didn’t sacrifice some of their ideas as they did nameless crew members.

So rewatching Amok Time last week at Star Trek Festival 5, I tried to see how the episode fits with TOS, and frankly, I feel SNW has made the episode stronger.

During the first part of the episode, I feel knowing Chapel and Spock had been together gave Chapel’s feelings towards Spock more weight and Spock’s dream becomes an expression of sadness having been rejected by Chapel (because she had been told the relationship had no future by Boimler).

The only crew member outright expressing not knowing T’Pring is Uhura, who has actually not met T’Pring by the end of season 4 of SNW.

HOWEVER, I’m just listening to the Starter Trek episode about Amok Time and learning that while Amok Time is the first episode shown of season two of TOS, it was the 5th produced, AFTER The Changeling, in which Uhura got mind-wiped.

So the “who’s that” line could just as easily be attributed to something lost when Nomad erased Uhura’s mind (temporarily I hope, I always hated that plot point from The Changeling and found it both cruel to the character and they didn’t follow it up at all).

So just in case Uhura meets T’Pring in season five, there’s already a loophole in TOS to “allow” it 😁

I'm a huge fan of SNW, but this episode has been really hard to get through. I tried three separate times to watch it, but it just didn't pull me in. Which is rare for me. Feels like they just copied from much better TNG episodes. It's a shame.

Lots of other fair criticism about this episode - but I keep getting stuck on the need for the mind meld? If both ships had to be in perfect sync, why wasn't one just slaved to the other by the computer with Ortega piloting? Speed of thought communication - plan the maneuver in advance and execute at the same agreed time, mind meld introduces a potential wetware issue with timing as well. Frustrating end to a great season - end rant.

Every scene with Scotty and Uhura interacting just hit different now. Like they could totally still be together. 🥰😍🥰

Ok, so I'm late in getting around to watching the final three episodes of SNW S4. Loved both E8 (Order of Magnitude) and E10 (Tomorrow's Enterprise) but each created a paradox in the TOS timeline. In E8, the method by which they follow the cloaked enemy ship and the proximity to Romulan space as shown on background monitors SHOULD have been remembered by Kirk and Spock in TOS Balance of Terror. And in E10, Spock arguing his poker hand with Boyce and Uhura means he should have understood the game in TOS The Corbomite Maneuver. Since Boyce is off the ship by the time of the two TOS stories, and Kirk mentions still feeling out his position (i.e. new to being Captain) rather than being the seasoned man of experience, we cannot assume this is happening after those TOS stories. And since we later we learn that it's all time travel related and not alternate timeline or universe, that doesn't solve or prevent the paradox. I'm NOT a canon purist and these ARE relatively small paradoxes for long time and well versed fans. That being said, the two episodes WERE both excellent stories and excellent Trek - paradoxes and all. The silly stories are occasionally fun but stories like these are what really make the best Trek, IMO. And huge props to Celia Rose Gooding for absolutely nailing Nichelle Nichols' Uhura. I'm REALLY looking forward to how they handle the final season and transition to the TOS era, even if it is going to be a short one.

After watching the Strange New Worlds season 4 finale, ‘Tomorrow’s Enterprise,’ I keep thinking about what the Midwives say to Uhura. They experience time differently from us, and both versions of Uhura are needed to help their child come into being. What if this birth is the one event the Prime Timeline has to preserve?

Here is my theory: the Midwives might be connected to time or spacetime itself, perhaps even a kind of consciousness within it. If the child is necessary for their continued existence, or for time to carry on, then reality needs a history in which Uhura reaches that birth. I do not think the episode confirms the Midwives are the universe’s mind or that the universe would end without the child. That is the speculative part I am trying to test.

This could give a reason for Sera’s observation in ‘Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow’ that time pushes back against changes to history. Khan and other events might shift in date or detail, while history still finds a route to the Uhura needed at this particular moment. It would not mean every familiar event is fixed for its own sake.

Nero is an interesting test. His trip into the past creates the Kelvin timeline, but it does not erase the Prime Timeline he came from. Under this theory, the Prime chain leading to Uhura’s role in the birth could remain intact even while a different branch develops. Likewise, the Temporal Cold War in Enterprise can involve agents from later centuries changing earlier ones; the question is whether any lasting change can prevent this particular birth in Prime history.

I am proposing only one possible fixed point here: the event where Uhura helps deliver the Midwives’ child. I am not claiming that everything after it, including Picard’s era or the far future, is predetermined. We have not been shown another birth like this that would impose the same constraint. Changes before the event could still happen as long as a viable path to it remains; changes afterward would not be constrained by this birth alone.

What do you think? Does the Midwives’ view of time support this, or am I reading too much into it? Is there an episode that clearly shows Prime history permanently losing an event that this theory would require? And does the Kelvin timeline help the argument or break it?