One of the surprise guests at the Star Trek: Section 31 premiere last week in NYC was Carol Kane, who plays Chief Engineer Pelia on Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. The legendary actress unassumingly walked the red carpet and was startled by shout-outs from the cluster of Star Trek press at one end. She stopped for a very brief chat with TrekMovie and other Trek outlets, clearly appreciative of the attention and the hubbub.
How do you feel being part of Star Trek?
I’m bowled over. I’m so grateful, and it’s such an adventure for me. I love it.
And you weren’t familiar with it before, right?
Not at all. I’m just on an adventure.
What do you feel you’ve learned about Star Trek since you’ve been on it?
That it’s about more about the relationships between the people, the characters, than it is about the science fiction. And that’s something I love.
Jonathan Frakes said [on the Delta Flyers podcast] that before you do scenes, you do kind of a yell to get yourself ready?
I do, I guess I’ve just I gotta try and relax!
Do the other actors react when you do that?
I don’t know, ask Jonathan. (laughs)
The third season of Strange New Worlds is expected to arrive on Paramount+ in early 2025, but they have yet to set a premiere date. Pre-production on the fourth season has already started and shooting is expected to begin in a few weeks.

Strange New Worlds Season 3 preview image with Ethan Peck as Spock, Babs Olusanmokun as M’Benga and Carol Kane as Pelia (Marni Grossman/Paramount+)
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Looking forward to seasons 3 & 4!
Let’s GO!
Me too! Hope we get a teaser trailer here soon for the whole season. As for Pelia, I would like to see at least one episode with her as the main character. I would settle though for more visits to a strange new world. I am not counting on it though because they seem more interested in pursuing other creative directions. But one never knows.
I am a pretty big fan of M’Benga, great backstory.
M’benga is the best character in SNW!
It’s still shocking they haven’t released the premiere date for a show who last season happened in summer of 2023.
These shows just take way too long these days
I would think after Section 31 they release a trailer ASAP to change the conversation at least.
I have a suspicion that the lack of set date has to do with Paramount waiting to see if Sec 31 had wings… if it was a hit they could milk it a little while before SNW was released.
Looks like it’s not a hit, so maybe we will get season 3 sooner rather than later.
Good point. Even though I have enjoyed some of NuTrek like SNW, Prodigy and S2 of Discovery and some of S3 including the Georgiou backstory Terra Firma Pts 1 and 2, I haven’t even bothered to watch S31 yet, and am disappointed to say I’m not in a huge rush to do so.
It sounds like S31 was a terrible waste of an opportunity to make a great and distinctively different Star Trek show. Oh well, I will see for myself someday.
I hope they bring on S3 SNW sooner rather than later.
Actually, Section 31 has been #1 of the top 10 on Paramount+ for a week according to Flixpatrol. It doesn’t say any absolute numbers but apparently nothing else was more popular on the service (except for today).
lol that interview’s a hoot! short and sweet i guess
Carol is a lot of fun and brings a VERY ‘eclectic’ charm to her character — I loved the episode where Kirk and Singh traveled back to 2022 and met her in the past.
I’m looking very forward to SNW season 3.
I’m sorry but is her character even relevant anymore? It is obvious now they never committed to a permanent Chief Engineer from the beginning because they would always bring in Scotty.
They have already changed multiple things in this series they could easily make him the Chief Engineer, although that doesn’t align with the timeline with TOS.
Still love Carol Kane. Still can’t get my head around the accent she uses on the show.
I was never exactly a “fan” of hers, until I saw a wonderful interview she did with Drew Barrymore, not long ago. So kind and thoughtful with Drew, this was a Carol Kane I didn’t know existed! Now I just might actually have a reason to watch an episode of SNW! I think I’m in love! Maybe? ;)
The worst character in the history of Star Trek
With all due of repect to writers and Carol but I really dislike Pelia as a character. She is rude of sake of being rude crew member without any reason of being as such.
Writers should know that characters like McCoy or Pulaski were writen as such because for example Bone’s father died becuse of his choice to disconnect him from life support and Pulaski was placed on Enterpise not by her own choice and forced to work with Data.
Writing annoying, obnoxious character must have a point and as far for Pelia only reason is “I have lived long”.