Star Trek: Strange New Worlds star Anson Mount compares joining the beloved sci-fi universe to being in the MCU. Premiering on Paramount+ in May, Strange New Worlds is the latest live-action Star Trek show to emerge from the growing streaming service. It's a spin-off of Star Trek: Discovery season 2, which introduced new iterations of legacy Trek characters Christopher Pike (Mount), Number One (Rebecca Romijn), and Spock (Ethan Peck). Strange New Worlds will take its cues from classic Star Trek in a major way by following the exploratory missions of the Enterprise as it travels the galaxy.
For Mount, Strange New Worlds and Discovery were far from his first forays into genre entertainment. In 2017, Mount boarded the MCU by appearing in the ABC miniseries Inhumans. He played Black Bolt, the leader of the Inhumans with an incredibly powerful voice. Though fan reception to Inhumans was less than favorable, Mount's performance was seen as a highlight. Nevertheless, the show was his only MCU project, and two years later, he switched to Star Trek by making his debut on Discovery.
Mount recently reflected on his experiences with two of the biggest entertainment properties during Paramount+'s TCA panel on Strange New Worlds. He described the slight similarities between the two, which mostly stems from Star Trek and Marvel being established fictional worlds with their own rhythms. From there, Mount delved into what it meant for him to step into the role of Captain Pike for the Star Trek universe. Mount said:
Yeah, they are two sort of big pre-made fandoms and universes that you kind of have to find your footing in. I tend not to think about genre too much. Now there are definitely tricks of the trade in all of them but the rules for acting and scene work engagement, they always have to remain grounded in the same, the same truth. But I would say that the thing about coming into Star Trek… Well, they were both personal for me because, you know, I grew up a Marvel fan, I grew up a Star Trek fan. But there is something about Star Trek that it was so off the radar for me, It wasn't even on my bucket list because I didn't think I just never thought I would end up captaining the Enterprise, I mean, it's insane. I count my… every single day I'm on set, I'm not exaggerating, is both disbelief and a feeling of tremendous gratitude which is one of my little secret parallels to the character of Captain Pike. Who let's face it, if you're going to stare into the face of God, the universe, whatever you want to call it every single day, you have to have a healthy dose of humility and appreciation, and gratitude. And I think that those are the greatest qualities impacting Pike. So if I, if I can live up to him at all, it's through my appreciation of being a part of this universe.
Mount isn't the first person to appear in both Marvel and Star Trek, but having his experiences with both franchises remain exclusively within television makes him a bit more unique. Though Mount's time with Star Trek is turning out to be much longer and more creatively fulfilling than his Marvel stint, it's clear he entered both universes with an appreciation for what they were doing, and an awareness of what it means to be a part of both. Hearing Mount's full thoughts on playing Pike further shows that he's the right choice to lead Strange New Worlds; he understands the significance of his role, and he hopes to honor the character's legacy.
That Strange New Worlds is happening at all is proof that Mount's arrival in the Star Trek universe has been warmly received. Fans were interested in a Pike-led spin-off even before Discovery season 2 ended, and the announcement that Strange New Worlds had entered development was met with much excitement. Now that he has his own show, Mount can really settle into the Pike role and make it his own. It's a shame he couldn't do the same with Black Bolt, but at least he's received a second chance at playing in a sci-fi world.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds premieres Thursday, May 5 on Paramount+.
Source: Paramount+ TCA Panel