Put on your grooviest jacket and take a seat! We got a chance to chat with Rhys Darby about his return to Star Trek. In Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 4 Episode 7 “Like Chronitons Through the Hourglass,” the Enterprise crew finds themselves caught up in a soap opera, with none other than Trelane (Darby) in the control room. Rhys Darby is just as whimsical and delightful in person as he is as Trelane in Strange New Worlds and as Steve Bonnet in Our Flag Means Death. Let’s see what he had to say about Star Trek, playing Trelane, and more!
Rhys Darby’s History with Star Trek
Playing an iconic character from Star Trek: The Original Series involves research. I asked Darby about his experience with Star Trek prior to being in Strange New Worlds.
“So not a huge Trekkie, but I remember being a kid watching The Original Series growing up. And then various bits and pieces of the show, The Next Generation. My wife was probably more of a Trekkie than I am. But I actually enjoyed the adventure-of-the-week kind of episodes. So when Strange New Worlds came out, it instantly became my favorite. I actually did watch it before I got cast in it. This is what I like! They drop on these weird planets, and weird things happen!”
“Similar to when I watch The X-Files, I like those ‘Monster of the Week’ episodes. The standalones, that’s kind of what I like. I actually watched quite a bit of Enterprise. I think that one was many years ago, but I liked that aspect of that one as well. Had the guy from Quantum Leap in it. Apparently that one’s not one of the most loved ones.”
I told Darby that I haven’t met a Star Trek that I haven’t liked, and reminded him that Enterprise turns 25 years old this year.
“There are so many versions, aren’t there? And this one, for me, resonated. I like the actors playing these characters. So then when I got put in it, I got to meet them all, and news flash, they’re all lovely people. So it was really, really cool to know that and to step on board the Enterprise. I’m still pinching myself that I’m involved in this situation.”
I’m with Darby on this one. I’d be pinching myself too!
MORE: Go watch our interview with Ethan Peck, Christina Chong, and Paul Wesley!
The Pressure of Legacy
Star Trek fans are among some of the most meticulous when it comes to canon. That means anyone playing a legacy character has their work cut out for them. I asked Rhys Darby about his feelings on playing an established character within Star Trek canon.
“Yeah, no pressure, you know what I mean?! It’s like holy jingos, I could have been some weird monster of the week alien that they ran into, but no! Put me in as a legacy character. Okay, well, let’s go and have a look. Let’s watch the original. I definitely would’ve seen that when I was a young guy as well, because we had these reruns in New Zealand. In fact, I think in a lot of places, you’ll still see the original Star Trek being played on television because it’s just so cool.”
“So, I actually got to go to the Star Trek museum and touch the original coat, worn by William Campbell, who wore this thing. And it was very delicate, and I’m picking it up, and it’s like, ‘You can touch it, but you can’t put it on.’ It’s a treasure! So, it was really cool to get that vibe.”
Rhys Darby’s commitment to honoring the legacy of William Campbell’s original portrayal of Trelane through his research is commendable. The Star Trek franchise is fortunate to have him!
MORE: Check out our reviews of Strange New Worlds episode 1, episode 2, and episode 3!
Star Trek with Swagger
Rhys Darby is no stranger to playing characters with a certain flair or swagger. He discussed his experience as a character actor returning to a somewhat infamous role like Trelane with me.
“So, I played Steve Bonnet in Our Flag Means Death, so I was very used to wearing, you know, amazing garments, and I love it. It’s one of my favorite things as a character actor, getting to put costumes on. When Bernadette [Croft] made this new coat, and I got to put it on, I was just blown away by the design of it and the weight of it. This makes me feel like, ‘I am this guy!’ and I can swish around in this coat. So yeah! I did the research; I knew that this character was so powerful that, really, you know, humans are like ants to him.”
“And being a trickster, being an immature prankster, it was really cool coming in with “Wedding Bell Blues” because I got to meet everyone. The whole cast was in that big wedding episode. It was a good introduction or ‘re-introduction,’ because the other one happens later with Trelane. The linking of the Q Continuum situation, the fan theory becoming canon, that was cool. It all worked out really well. I didn’t think for one that the fans weren’t going to accept me. You can’t go in thinking that kind of thing. You’ve got to just go, ‘I’m going to embody this ridiculously powerful alien!’ and the coat helped. So when that episode came out, and I got to be Trelane and the fans liked it, I felt like I was in the door then. So the return was very much appreciated.”
Rhys Darby has a real talent for embodying characters with whimsy. It sounds like the exemplary work of Bernadette Croft and the costuming department on Star Trek: Strange New Worlds only enhances that ability.
MORE: Catch up with the Strange New Worlds news from SDCC!
An Unexpected Return
After “Wedding Bell Blues” in season 3, I did not anticipate we would meet Trelane again until “The Squire of Gothos” in Star Trek: The Original Series. I asked Rhyas about his experience being back on set, and if he was surprised by Trelane’s inclusion again.
“A little bit! Cause you know, you think, ‘Oh, really, you want me back?’ I think at that point we knew the show was going to be finite as well. They were going to end it at some point, but I think I did a good job. I think that the fans loved it, and I also think that with this particular one, Strange New Worlds, it’s got to be strange! Stuff’s going to happen to them! That’s what the show’s about! And so they do genres…so it kind of made sense to have me back.”
“And what I like about it is, he’s not coming back as a mischievous trickster this time. He’s a little bit older. He’s coming back now with a school project where he knows these people now, and he’s kind of like, still molding and still having fun with them, but he’s learning a bit from it. The project is a success, and he actually learns something from it himself because the humans pull out some of their emotions that he wasn’t expecting. I like the way it was written. I think it was really fantastic. It wasn’t just shoehorning Trelane in again. I think it worked in a bigger way.”
I laughed and said, “That’s the only way I could see a soap opera finding its way into Star Trek.”
Darby continues, “Yes! That’s it! Exactly! I like how Pike thought we were going to be in a musical again. Little lines like that…I like those little bits. And then check to see whether there’s an entity on board, and of course, Trelane manages to avoid that. So it must be me!”
It’s always nice to know your Star Trek actors are having fun and enjoying the work they do. Rhys Darby is no exception, and it’s clear in his performance.
MORE: Read our reviews of Strange New Worlds episode 4, episode 5, and episode 6!
An Age-Old Question
As our interview time waned, I took the opportunity to ask Rhys Darby one final question. Whenever I get the opportunity to interview Star Trek actors, I always ask this: who’s your Captain? Darby was quick to respond.
He said, “Oooooh… I have to say Pike!” and grinned his Cheshire grin. I laughed and told him, “I don’t think there’s a bad choice, but I think Pike is definitely a good one!”
Thank you so much to Rhys Darby for his time and thoughtful answers. Thanks also to the folks at Paramount for inviting Fangirlish to this interview. If you enjoyed this interview, set hailing frequencies to Fangirlish for our interview with the other special guest on “Like Chronitons Through the Hourglass,” Deidre Hall!
What do you think of our interview with Rhys Darby? Leave me a comment and let’s talk Trek.
MORE: Rebecca Romijn chats about singing in Klingon and more, along with Anson Mount and Carol Kane in this roundtable interview!
The next episode of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds will premiere on September 10, 2026, on Paramount+.
