Unless you’ve been hiding underneath a space rock since 2019, there’s a new Mr. Spock in town. As played by Ethan Peck — the grandson of legendary actor Gregory Peck — the incumbent Spock in the hit Paramount+ series Star Trek: Strange New Worldsis perhaps a little funnier, and a little more romantic than the original, more stoic, Leonard Nimoy version. After being cast in the role of a younger Spock in Star Trek: Discovery, Peck has, since 2022, starred as the famous pointed-eared hero in Strange New Worlds, which just aired its Season 3 finale. Throughout this season, Spock has gotten himself in a love triangle (or maybe love rectangle) with Nurse Chapel (Jess Bush) as well as La’an Noonien-Singh (Christina Chong). He’s battled ancient aliens, taken dance lessons, and mind-melded with James T. Kirk (Paul Wesley).
In other words, it’s been a long run for Peck as Spock. But the trek isn’t over yet. As of this writing, there are at least two more seasons of Strange New Worlds coming and rumblings of another series after that. To sort it all out, as logically as possible, Men’s Journal caught up with Ethan Peck just before the Season 3 finale to get his thoughts on his journey as Spock so far, his bromance with Paul Wesley’s Kirk, and why men everywhere could take some lessons from Spock.
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Men’s Journal: Your version of Spock has been through the ringer. Are you pushing closer to replicating Leonard Nimoy’s take on Spock?
If I’m being honest, from the very beginning, I’ve been doing my best Nimoy; it’s just taken time for me to mature and grow into that. I’m now older than he was by the time he finished The Original Series.
But you’re only 39.Nimoy was 38 in 1969!You certainly look younger than he did at the time.
Right, I think people back then just lived at a different pace. I know that he’d already had children, had a family. And, very unfortunately, he was smoking quite a lot at that time. So, I think he just had this otherworldly gravitas and presence at a much more youthful age. But, in terms of my performance moving closer to his, I have to credit the writing. The writers have taken me and this particular Spock throughout these strange, new worlds.
The Kirk-Spock bromance is a big deal in Star Trek. You and Pau Wesley got to play that a lot more this season. Can you unpack that a bit?
Paul and I get along famously. The phrase I like to use when talking about Kirk and Spock’s onscreen chemistry is: They fall in love at first sight; platonic love at first sight. It was nice in Episode 6 of this season, you see Spock plant a kind of seed of leadership in Kirk. Captain Pike is like Spock’s uncle. Kirk is much more like an equal, much more brotherly. And that also exists with Paul and me off-camera.
Your Spock has been called “Hot Spock” by Trek veteran Jonathan Frakes. How do you feel about that?
Hot Spock! Yeah, it’s surprising because it’s not something that you’d expect from the character. And for that to be part of my legacy as Spock, it’s really funny. I very infrequently think of how my performance will be experienced by the audience. I’m just doing my best job to have an experience as the character as truthfully as I can. To me, he’s just a logical, curious person. Does that make him hot?
To me, I’d argue my version is more Funny Spock. I think there’s always an opportunity for comedy with the character because he’s so peculiar and idiosyncratic. You put him in any situation, it’s very easy to have fun with him, as a writer or as a performer.
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Spock is also a great example of male integrity. And your Spock is more in touch with his feelings than previous versions. Is that balance something you think men could aspire to in their day-to-day lives?
I really hope that I’ve furthered him as this curious person who has these incredibly high standards for himself. And yes, I think in the Western world, men are taught to withhold their feelings and not be emotional. And I think that occurs to the detriment of the experience of life. We did see Spock grow a lot with these romantic relationships, and I think it’s a major mistake not to develop your emotions and live in your feelings.
There’s a film, one of my favorites, called The Best Years of Our Lives, and it’s about these young men who returned from WWII and the trauma state they brought back with them. There are some really beautiful scenes of men just having their feelings and being held. There’s so much intelligence in the way that we feel, and I think in Western society we could embrace that more. I think that Spock does a really incredible job of making an example for that and an argument for that way of thinking and feeling.
What’s on your nightstand right now?
I’m reading Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World. It’s incredible. It’s amazing how well it holds up.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds streams on Paramount+
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