STAR TREK: STRANGE NEW WORLDS Brings Bones and Sulu into the Fold with Thomas Jane and Kai Murakami
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is officially bringing two of the most beloved legacy characters into the fold for its grand finale, and it’s a move that longtime fans are going to want to beam in for.
Hikaru Sulu and Leonard “Bones” McCoy will make their first-ever appearances on Star Trek: Strange New Worlds during the series finale of its fifth and final season. The episode has already wrapped production, even as fans await the arrival of Season 4, which is currently set for a 2026 release.
The iconic roles are being taken on by Thomas Jane as Bones and Kai Murakami as Sulu. It’s a cool passing of the torch moment for the franchise, bringing foundational characters from the original Star Trek era into the timeline that has defined Strange New Worlds since its 2022 debut.
Jane brings decades of experience to the role of the famously gruff Starfleet doctor. He’s going to be great in the role! His film credits include Boogie Nights, Deep Blue Sea, The Punisher, and The Mist.
Murakami, meanwhile, is making his television debut with Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, stepping into the role of Sulu. His background is in theater and performance work, having appeared on stage with the Royal Shakespeare Company and contributed performance-capture work to video games like Assassin’s Creed and Rise of the Ronin.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is produced by CBS Studios, Secret Hideout, and Roddenberry Entertainment. Season 4 stars Anson Mount, Rebecca Romijn, Ethan Peck, Jess Bush, Christina Chong, Celia Rose Gooding, Melissa Navia, Babs Olusanmokun, and Martin Quinn, with Carol Kane and Paul Wesley appearing as guest stars.
The series is led by co-showrunners Akiva Goldsman and Henry Alonso Myers, who also executive produce alongside Alex Kurtzman, Mount, Rod Roddenberry, and more.
Since premiering in 2022, Strange New Worlds has become a fan-favorite series. It stumbled a bit with Season 3, but I’m still looking forward to seeing what the next two seasons bring!
Bringing Sulu and Bones into the final chapter feels like a full-circle moment for the series. It ties the optimism and exploration of the original crew directly into the modern era of Star Trek, giving fans one last, exciting reason to set a course for the Enterprise before the journey comes to an end.
Source: Variety