Warning: SPOILERS for Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Episode 9 - "All Those Who Wander"
The tension in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds episode 9 as the crew of the USS Enterprise are stalked by baby Gorn also previewed the classic interplay between Spock (Leonard Nimoy) and Dr. Leonard McCoy (DeForest Kelley) in Star Trek: The Original Series. In Strange New Worlds episode 9, "All Those Who Wander," Captain Christopher Pike's landing party on Valeo Beta V, which includes Lt. Spock (Ethan Peck), Lt. Sam Kirk (Dan Jeannotte), and Dr. Joseph M'Benga (Babs Olusanmokun), actually exhibit the familiar dialogue and behavior that will later define Spock and Bones McCoy's banter in TOS.
Spock and Dr. McCoy's bickering is one of the most beloved aspects of Star Trek: The Original Series. Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) relies on his two best friends to offer their opposing perspectives on each important command decision. As a Vulcan and USS Enterprise's First Officer and Science Officer, Spock always argues for the logical course of action, and this invariably infuriates Dr. McCoy, who represents the humanistic and emotional side of each argument. Naturally, Spock's Vulcan logic irritates Bones to no end, and he often resorts to calling Spock names, referring to him as "green-blooded..." in a derogatory way and so forth. Spock hides his own annoyance better than McCoy, but he does enjoy needling the Doctor over how irrational and overly emotional Bones can be while Kirk looks on with bemusement.
On Captain Pike's Starship Enterprise, Spock's relationships with his crewmates are different, but Sam Kirk showed flashes of what the Vulcan will one day deal with from Dr. McCoy in Strange New Worlds episode 9. When the landing party learns that they're trapped aboard the abandoned USS Peregrine with murderous, newborn Gorn, the tension naturally increases. After Lt. Duke (Ted Kellogg) and Cadet Chia (Jessica Danecker) are killed by the Gorn, fear grips the rest of the landing party. Lt. Kirk is understandably terrified but he takes it out on Spock, whose logical approach unnerves him even more. Sam lambasts Spock similarly to how Bones will in TOS, which sets up how the Vulcan will one day tolerate McCoy's emotional outbursts. Amusingly, Spock's verbal abuse in Strange New Worlds is coming from a Kirk, which is a novel spin on TOS's classic banter.
Strange New Worlds episode 9 also gave Dr. M'Benga one of Dr. McCoy's most famous lines. After the landing party works together to kill the remaining baby Gorn, M'Benga assures Captain Pike it's over by saying, "It's dead, Chris." This is a hilarious nod to how often in Star Trek: The Original Series Bones would examine a dead body and offer Captain Kirk his diagnosis, "He's dead, Jim." Of course, in just a few years from Strange New Worlds' 2259 timeframe, Dr. M'Benga (Booker Bradshaw) and Nurse Christine Chapel (Majel Barrett) will work alongside Dr. McCoy in TOS. Meanwhile, the younger Nurse Chapel's (Jess Bush) relationship with Spock is more personal and intimate in Strange New Worlds than it seems when they're together on Kirk's Enterprise.
Sam Kirk essentially standing in for Dr. McCoy in Strange New Worlds is a clever inversion that differentiates Sam from his dynamic and authoritative younger brother, Jim. Sam joining Pike's Enterprise as a xenoanthropologist was a surprise to Trekkers, who are well aware that Jim's older brother dies in season 1 of Star Trek: The Original Series. It's also fascinating that Star Trek: Strange New Worlds set Sam Kirk up as a foil to Spock, and it seems the Vulcan's experiences dealing with Lt. Kirk will prepare him for his friendly banter and furious debates with Dr. Leonard McCoy when they both serve under Captain Kirk.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 1 finale streams Thursday, July 7, on Paramount+.