warning! The following contains spoilers for Star Trek: Strange New Worlds “The Serene Squall” episode, so read at your own risk!
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds He hit the crowd with a big surprise in “The Serene Squall” when he appeared projectHer new passenger, Dr. Aspen, wasn’t what he seemed to be. Aspen was actually Captain Angel of the Serene Squall a pirate and was later revealed to be a lover of Spock’s half-brother, Sebok. Angel made a great addition to the season, and according to actress Jesse James Keitel, she was incredibly “refreshing” to play as well.
I had a chance to speak with Jesse James Keitel shortly after Paramount + subscribers I watched her powerful work Star Trek: Strange New Worldsand we She discussed her non-binary personality. Keitel, who identifies as a trans woman, thought about the discussions that took place before playing the character and opened up about her belief that it was time for queer characters to spread their wings:
I know there are concerns that a villain played by a trans woman who is clearly an eccentric would send the wrong message. I understand that gay people have a really long and complicated history with TV and movies, and they’ve been abused in the media. Now see [that] In legislation and in real life. Having said that, I think it’s time we let gay people be the bad guys, you know?
In The Serene Squall, Pike and the crew capture Dr. Aspen after receiving a distress call about the loss of strength and resources. With this setup, it’s certainly surprising when they are revealed to be angels and their pirates set out to take several of the Enterprise’s crew hostage. The captain commands the ship and personally holds Spock hostage, hoping that his fiancée, T’Pring, will trade Sybok in exchange.
It’s a dirty trick, exacerbated by the fact that Angel manipulated the feelings of Spock when he knew them as Dr. Aspen. Jesse James Keitel loved playing the villain and noted that what she found very refreshing about the role was that the character’s gender identity was unrelated to her antagonistic nature:
It’s not this character’s weirdness that makes her a villain. They are not evil because they are gay. They just happen to be, which I think is very refreshing versus in real life where we feel evil because of our crows.
Star Trek For a long time she worked on improving inclusivity, working on the philosophy of IDIC (Infinite Diversity in Infinite Sets). Jesse’s Angel James Keitel is another example of non-binary character representation in this sci-fi universe, a trend that is growing exponentially. The franchise introduced its first non-dual character, Adira (played by Blu del Barrio), in Star Trek: Discovery season 3.
Jesse James Keitel (who some might know by her gig as a cast member of ABC’s the sky is bigShe talked more about her character and the episode in general. She would go on to explain how her character’s status as half-human, half-Vulcan really resonated with her as she worked on the show:
It is very refreshing. That’s what got me so excited for the role. The metaphor between being half human and half Vulcan and how that has always been a wrong choice. There are so many possibilities that we have for ourselves as people, whether you’re gay or not. The possibilities are really limitless.
In the end, Spock manages to outwit Angel and thwart their attempt to get Sybok out of his cell for rehab. After a brief period, Captain Pike and her crew managed to regain control of projectForcing the villain to retreat to another ship.
The escape, and the main connection to Sebok, makes it plausible for the owners to return to it Star Trek: Strange New Worlds at some point. The actress asked when fans should expect to see the character again and got a vague response:
When you least expect it.
Strange new worlds There are only a few episodes left in season one, so it’s hard to say if Angel will reappear before season two. We just have to wait and see Jesse James Keitel’s subtle response and take that subtle reaction as a glimmer of hope that eventually will happen. And if they do, I hope Keitel & Co. will. It can add new layers to the exciting character.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds drops new episodes on Paramount + (Opens in a new tab) Thursday. While it can be a problem for Season 1 to come to an end, there’s still a lot more to it the new a trip Offers On the way for the public to enjoy.
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