Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is set to add a new character, as Jesse James Keitel will appear in the series’ seventh episode in a guest-starring role.
Keitel, a trans woman, is best known for her work on Queer as Folk and Big Sky will appear in the episode “The Serene Squall” that will debut on the Paramount+ streaming service on June 16th.
According to Variety, Keitel will play Dr. Aspen, a character “who once worked as a Starfleet counselor, but whose experiences on the Federation border prompted them to shift careers and work as a humanitarian aid worker.”
The actor expressed her excitement about the role in a tweet, saying “So shook to be part of the Star Trek family! An ACTUAL lifelong dream come true” and later tweeting “Thank you for welcoming me aboard! The enterprise just got a little bit hotter.”
The episode itself was directed by trans filmmaker Sydney Freeland.
Strange New Worlds stars Anson Mount as Captain Christopher Pike, Ethan Peck as Spock, Rebecca Romijn as Una Chin-Riley (a.k.a. Number One), Babs Olusanmokun as Dr. M’Benga, Christina Chong as La’an Noonien Singh, Celia Rose Gooding as Cadet Nyota Uhura, Jess Bush as Nurse Christine Chapel, Melissa Navia as Lt. Erica Ortegas, and Bruce Horak as Hemmer.
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