Star Trek: Strange New Worlds To Feature New Non-Binary Character
Star Trek has always been known for its inclusion in terms of its expansive cast, and now Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is set to bring in its first non-binary character.
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Star Trek is known for bringing in some of the most diverse casts of any entertainment medium. From same-sex couples, transgender actors and characters, and non-binary characters, the franchise revolves around extraterrestrial beings from all walks of life, which would mean that representation is at the core of any character backstory. It has now been announced that Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is set to reveal its first non-binary character. This character is called Dr. Aspen and will be portrayed by Queer as Folk alumni, Jesse James Keitel, who is a trans woman.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is currently in its first season and Dr. Aspen will be debuting on the seventh episode, which has a June 16th airdate. Dr. Aspen is described as a former Starfleet counselor whose experiences on the Federation border led to them seeking a career change in the humanitarian and aid field. Even more interesting is that this character will develop a “surprising” connection to Mr. Spock, who is portrayed by Ethan Peck. Sydney Freeland directed the episode. Freeland is a trans woman who also worked on Reservation Dogs.
Based on the past instances of inclusion for Star Trek: Discovery, the franchise has been nominated for Outstanding Drama by GLAAD, and it pulled in the win one time. It appears as if Star Trek: Strange New Worlds will be following in its predecessor’s footsteps. Those instances of inclusion include a same-sex couple of Paul Stamets and Dr. Hugh Cuber, and a non-binary character called Adira, who was portrayed by non-binary actor, Blu del Barrio. Adira was also in a relationship with Gray Tal, a transgender man who was also played by transgender actor, Ian Alexander. Star Trek: Picard also featured a relationship between Seven of Nine and Raffi Musiker. Also, Christine Chapel was revealed as a bisexual character in Strange New Worlds. Now Jesse James Keitel gets her name stamped in the ever-growing legend of this franchise.
Simply put, Star Trek should be lauded for its efforts to continuously involve people from all walks of life. That would be the case for intergalactic society, at least to us. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds bringing in a new non-binary character just continues the trend that Star Trek is for literally everyone. That could be why the fanbase has grown so large through the franchise’s nearly 60-year lifespan.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds follows Captain Christopher Pike who pilots the USS Enterprise, years before the events of Star Trek: The Original Series took place. Coming over from Star Trek: Discovery is Anson Mount as Captain Pike, Rebecca Romijn as Number One, and Ethan Peck as Science Officer Spock. The USS Enterprise explores the galaxy in search of new worlds, far before Captain Kirk has come into the picture.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is currently streaming on Paramount+, with a Thursday weekly release. The series will contain 10 episodes and the second season is already being produced. Check out the series now and on June 16th to see the debut of the show’s first non-binary character.
