Summary

• Ethan Peck carefully builds on Leonard Nimoy's iconic Spock without simply mimicking the late actor's performance.
• In Strange New Worlds, Peck plays a younger, emotionally vulnerable version of Spock compared to Nimoy's controlled character.
• Peck incorporates elements of Nimoy's Spock while preparing to channel the logical Spock of TOS.

As Lieutenant Spock in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, Ethan Peck builds on the performance of Leonard Nimoy in Star Trek: The Original Series without simply doing an impression of the late actor. Soon after his debut on TOS, Nimoy's Spock became a fan-favorite, and the Vulcan became Star Trek's signature iconic character. Spock is recognizable even to people who know little to nothing about Star Trek. With Nimoy's performance setting the standard for Spock, Ethan Peck was aware that he certainly had big shoes to fill.

In the Star Trek timeline, Strange New Worlds takes place before Star Trek: The Original Series, making Ethan Peck's Spock a younger version of Leonard Nimoy's character, who has not yet fully embraced the Vulcan way of life. In the first two seasons of Strange New Worlds, Spock struggles with his emotions, often appearing more human than the Spock of TOS. Nimoy's Spock had his fair share of emotional moments, too, but they were typically the result of outside forces. Nimoy brought a subtly to Spock, often implying a deep sense of feeling while still maintaining tight control of any outward expression of emotion.

Ethan Peck Always Has Leonard Nimoy's Spock In His Head

Peck thinks about how Nimoy might've delivered each of his lines.

At Toronto Comic Con, Ethan Peck joined his fellow Star Trek: Strange New Worlds cast members Anson Mount and Christina Chong to discuss the show and its connections to Star Trek: The Original Series. As reported by Flickering Myth, when asked about his initial reaction to being cast as Spock, Peck said the following:

“Not [to] screw it up. Really from the beginning, I was trying to do the best Spock that I can. That sounds really obvious, but it’s going to be impossible to separate the actor from the performance, especially with this sort of role, because I have to paint by numbers in many ways. When I prepare my scenes I always have Nimoy’s voice resounding in my head and check in with how he might say it.”

As a prequel, the events of Strange New Worlds lead into the events of Star Trek: TOS, meaning Ethan Peck's Spock will presumably move closer and closer to the Spock of that series. In his romance with Nurse Christine Chapel (Jess Bush), Spock explored his more human side, allowing himself to laugh openly and be more expressive. However, when Chapel broke things off in the Strange New Worlds musical episode, Spock resolved to embrace logic and reason to avoid feeling the pain of his intense emotions. This decision sets up the more logical Spock of TOS, and Peck will likely keep channeling Leonard Nimoy as Spock works to suppress his human emotions.

Before Spock and Chapel began their romance, Spock was engaged to T'Pring (Gia Sandhu), who represents the logic of Vulcan culture. The very human Nurse Chapel, on the other hand, represents everything that Vulcans are not.

How Ethan Peck's Spock Differs From Zachary Quinto's Star Trek Movie Spock

Peck's Spock incorporates elements of both Quinto and Nimoy's version of the character.

Ethan Peck's Spock, too, sometimes struggles to contain his emotions, but he is better able to reign them in and still has the support of his mother.

Leonard Nimoy and Ethan Peck are not the only two actors who have portrayed Spock, as Zachary Quinto took on the famous role for J.J. Abrams' Star Trek in 2009. The alternate Kelvin timeline brought incredible tragedy to Spock's life, as the villainous Romulan Nero (Eric Bana) destroyed the planet Vulcan, killing Spock's mother, Amanda Grayson (Winona Ryder). Experiencing this level of grief made Quinto's Spock more volatile and prone to emotional outbursts. Ethan Peck's Spock, too, sometimes struggles to contain his emotions, but he is better able to reign them in and still has the support of his mother (Mia Kirshner).

Star Trek (2009) revealed that the Spock of the Kelvin timeline was involved in a romantic relationship with Lt. Nyota Uhura (Zoe Saldaña), something that was not present in TOS. While the Spock and Ensign Uhura (Celia Rose Gooding) of Strange New Worlds are undoubtedly friends, there are no hints of any romantic feelings between the two. Ethan Peck incorporates elements of both Quinto's Spock and Nimoy's into his performance, but ultimately, the Spock of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds must become the Spock of Star Trek: The Original Series. Leonard Nimoy's voice in Ethan Peck's head should help the actor channel this more logical version of Spock.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, Star Trek: The Original Series, and J.J. Abrams' Star Trek are streaming on Paramount+.

Source: FlickeringMyth.com