Last the weekend, MCM Comic-Con returned to London (full review of that coming soon), and hosted a first for the event – A live “holographic panel”, featuring the cast of ‘Star Trek: Strange New Worlds‘, which returns for Season 2 on Paramount+ in June!
Fans of ‘Star Trek’ are, of course, accustomed to seeing their favourite stars beamed from place to place using the transporter on the U.S.S Enterprise over the last 56 years… But seeing it happen on stage in front of your own eyes was really rather special! Paramount+ worked with the global leader in live hologram technology, ARHT, to create a fitting, unique and iconic experience for fans attending MCM Comic Con in London. The futuristic technology provided the opportunity for the stars to get as close to an authentic ‘beaming in’ experience as possible in real-life.
The panel featured Rebecca Romijn (Una Chin-Riley) and Ethan Peck (Spock) “beamed in” from New York, whilst Celia Rose Gooding (Nyota Uhura) and Melissa Navia (Erica Ortegas) got “beamed in” from Los Angeles. A non-holographic Alex Zane was there in person on stage to as the cast questions in real-time. They even held a live Q&A session with the audience, just like any normal Comic-Con panel.
Whilst this technology has been around for a while and has been used in music performances, such as ABBA, and the Japanese “Vocaloid” popstar Hatsune Miku, this was the first time I’d ever seen it used and used for a live event like this. It was really impressive and worked incredibly well, with no glitches or delays. The guests would even look at each other and at Alex as they were speaking, despite being in (presumably) a greenscreen studio halfway around the world. It all felt incredibly normal and natural.
If you want to see for yourself, we have a number of videos below from the event. I should point out, any slight distortions with the sound quality on these is due to me having to get the audio recording from speakers in the rather echoey room, not the technology, which was completely clear at the event. You can see the guests “beaming in” on the video at the top of the article, but here are the rest of the videos!
Celia Rose Gooding & Ethan Peck Interview Playing Legacy Characters
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’ Uhura (Celia Rose Gooding) and Spock (Ethan Peck) are interviewed about the challenge of playing “Legacy Characters” on the series.
Ethan Peck Discusses Spock & T’Pring’s Relationship
Ethan Peck discusses the relationship between Spock & T’Pring (Gia Sandhu) in season one.
Celia Rose Gooding Talks About The Relationship Between Uhura & Hemmer
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’ Melissa Navia discusses the relationship between Uhura & Hemmer, played by the wonderful Canadian actor Bruce Horak, in season one.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Cast Discuss Filming Season 1 Finale
The Star Trek: Strange New Worlds cast are interviewed about filming the season one finale! The episode, titled “A Quality of Mercy” depicts events from the Original Series episode “Balance of Terror”.
Melissa Navia On Working With Jonathan Frakes In Season 2
Melissa Navia (Ortegas) discusses working with the legendary Jonathan Frakes in season two, and also how her character is compared to Riker. Frakes directs the season two crossover episode which features ‘Star Trek: Lower Decks’ Tawny Newsome as Beckett Mariner and Jack Quaid as Brad Boimler in live-action form aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise.
Melissa Navia Talks About What Is To Come For Ortegas In Season 2
The Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Cast Talk About What They Are Excited For In Season 2!
Melissa Navia, Celia Rose Gooding, Ethan Peck and Rebecca Romijn discuss what things they are excited for the fans to see in Season 2!
In season two of ‘Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’, the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise, under the command of Captain Christopher Pike, confronts increasingly dangerous stakes, explores uncharted territories and encounters new life and civilizations. The crew will also embark on personal journeys that will continue to test their resolve and redefine their destinies. Facing friends and enemies both new and familiar, their adventures will unfold in surprising ways never seen before on any “Star Trek” series.
The series stars Anson Mount as Christopher Pike, Rebecca Romijn as Una Chin-Riley, Ethan Peck as Spock, Jess Bush as Christine Chapel, Christina Chong as La’An Noonien-Singh, Celia Rose Gooding as Nyota Uhura, Melissa Navia as Erica Ortegas and Babs Olusanmokun as Joseph M’Benga. Season two also features new addition Carol Kane in a recurring role as Pelia.
‘Star Trek: Strange New Worlds‘ Season 2 premieres Thursday, 15th June 2023 on Paramount+ in the UK, US., Australia, Latin America, Brazil, France, Italy, Germany, Switzerland and Austria.
