Ensign Beckett Mariner mimes the wheelchair Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount) will end up in during Star Trek: Strange New Worlds‘ crossover with Star Trek: Lower Decks, and that hilarious joke is explained by Tawny Newsome, director Jonathan Frakes, and co-writer Bill Wolkoff. The key moment in Strange New Worlds’ crossover comes when Mariner and Ensign Brad Boimler (Jack Quaid) have a private conversation with Captain Pike in his quarters, and the Lower Deckers are shocked when Pike reveals he knows all about his future when he’s horribly disfigured and ends up in a wheelchair in Star Trek: The Original Series.
During TrekTalks 3‘s “Those Old Scientists” panel to raise funds for the Hollywood Food Coalition, Tawny Newsome, Jonathan Frakes, Bill Wolkoff, and co-writer Kathryn Lyn were asked about Mariner miming Pike’s wheelchair, which is one of the best bits of physical comedy in Strange New Worlds‘ crossover. Newsome delves into her careful thought process behind Mariner’s mime, Frakes explains why he chose that take to go into that episode, and Wolkoff also praises Anson Mount’s part in the joke and scene. Read their quotes below:
Tawny Newsome: That’s an important moment because, to me, that kind of highlights the type of humor that’s permissable in Star Trek. Because there’s a lot of different takes of me doing different [miming] … But I was very conscious of that moment [of Mariner miming Pike’s wheelchair] seeming in any way abelist. You don’t want to make fun of someone who’s suffered an injury like that. But what I was trying to make fun of was the ridiculous, oldschool characterization of what they thought in the future you would be put into if you had an accident like that. That’s a high-minded… that’s a lot to communicate with a couple of hand moves, but I do think that’s an important distinction, and that’s where Star Trek works best. You’re not gonna make fun of someone who’s had an accident. You are gonna gently poke fun at old school future-minded thinking. So yeah, that was very fun. I was glad to see that it made it in, and it didn’t piss Anson off too much.
Jonathan Frakes: That was the take we chose because it was clear by the physicality. The exact tone that you just described was what you did for us.
Bill Wolkoff: I want to give props to Anson for that scene, too. I think that scene really does show how the show wound up working so well. You can have that next-level satirization moment Tawny brings to it, and then still stay grounded in the emotion that he brought to the scene. Because it is a very emotional scene for him, and he did that so well. I love that scene showing how the worlds of Lower Decks and Strange New Worlds were able to meet on common ground.
Jonathan Frakes Changed & Improved Strange New Worlds Crossover Scene, Says Tawny Newsome
Star Trek: Lower Decks’ Tawny Newsome dropped a behind-the-scenes tidbit about how Jonathan Frakes improved a Strange New Worlds crossover scene.
Strange New Worlds’ Crossover Behind The Scenes At TrekTalks 3
Cool details about Star Trek: Lower Decks’ Mariner and Boimler appearing on Strange New Worlds
Many cool behind-the-scenes tidbits about Strange New Worlds‘ crossover with Star Trek: Lower Decks were dropped at TrekTalks 3‘s “Those Old Scientists” panel. The crossover episode started filming before Strange New Worlds season 1’s world premiere in May 2022. Tawny Newsome and Jack Quaid stayed behind in Toronto while the Strange New Worlds cast went to the season 1 premiere, and the actors were noticeably relieved and more relaxed after Strange New Worlds received positive reviews and was Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes.
Tawny Newsome confessed she kept breaking props on the USS Enterprise set while filming the Strange New Worlds crossover, and Jack Quaid kept count of how many things she broke. Jonathan Frakes also praised Star Trek: Lower Decks‘ creator Mike McMahan for his work writing jokes for the crossover and noted how McMahan wishes there was another crossover episode because he wasn’t able to go to the set in Toronto. As for whether there will be another Star Trek: Lower Decks and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds crossover, Jonathan Frakes says they have talked about it “ever since we wrapped,” and Tawny Newsome would surely return as Mariner if it happens.
- Cast
- Melissa Navia , Babs Olusanmokun , Ethan Peck , Jess Bush , Celia Rose Gooding , Rebecca Romijn , Bruce Horak , Anson Mount , Christina Chong
- Seasons
- 2
- Streaming Service(s)
- Paramount+
- Franchise(s)
- Star Trek
