two Star Trek: Strange New World Season 1 breakout stars Melissa Navia and Celia Rose Gooding recount their first year aboard the Starship Enterprise. Navia plays Lieutenant Erica Ortegas, the famous ship driver of the Enterprise, while Gooding plays the iconic Cadet Nyota Uhura.
99% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, Star Trek: Strange New World Season 1 will be released on March 21 from CBS Home Entertainment on limited edition DVD, Blu-ray, and Steelbook. This bundle includes all ten episodes of Season 1 and over 90 minutes of specials, including behind-the-scenes footage, commentators Anson Mount and Akiva Goldsman, deleted scenes, and true jokes.support new world Home Video Part 1 Release, CBS and Paramount Home Entertainment will host a Star Trek Q&A Night on Friday, March 24 at 6:30 p.m. PST, led by Star Trek Science Advisor Dr. Erin MacDonald , the moderator presents. You can learn more about Star Trek Trivia Night here.
Melissa Navia and Celia Rose Gooding Reflect on Season 1 of Strange New World
rant screen Nice to chat with Melissa Navia and Celia Rose Gooding about new world Memories from season 1, and what’s to come Star Trek: Downstairs Come in new world Season 2.
Screen Rant: Looking back on season 1 now, you two are completely new to Enterprise and Star Trek. When you started shooting, were you confident enough to shoot something special? Or do you say, “I don’t know about this”?
Melissa Navia: I did that because I read the script and I thought, “That sounds great.” I just remember reading the script as if it were a book and I was turning the pages. There’s a part of me that’s like, “Am I a little biased?” Because that’s my job right now. But then we talked, I talked to my partner and he said, “No, it’s going to be huge. The fans will definitely love you all.”
We read the board but we did it via Zoom because of all the great COVID restrictions and he will [listen in and] Like, “This looks like a great Star Trek show.” So I just thought, yeah, this is going to be a big deal. Yes! I am right.
Celia Rose Gooding: Behind Melissa’s back, when we read the script, I said, “Oh, this is great.” And then realized, “Oh, no, I’m going to have to exist in this space.” That’s what I said, “This show is going to be great whether I exist or not.” But, those were the early days of “We’re doing a Star Trek show!”
Yes, we’re actors, we do it for a living, but when it comes to falling in love with such a globally beloved franchise, a new animal comes along and says, “I’m not just going to be part of it, I’m going to be a big part of it, what I do affects what audiences see, take in, and take away from our shows.”
really hard [for] few days ago. And, I think, in the first season, we were always very confident in ourselves. We looked at each other and said, “Everybody’s gonna love this, right?” Right. Correct. And then, when we get a response, it’s like, “We’ve always been right.” But it’s nice to know that the people you’re doing a show for them like it.
When filming season 2, you get these compliments almost every week. How did that affect the filming of season 2?
Celia Rose Gooding: I think, for me, it gives me a lot of relief. I was a bit worried [away] It relaxes the shoulders a bit. We knew that would be nice, but right now, it’s like a sense of security that we can exhale and really put our heads down and really get into it. Because I have Tinkerbell syndrome, “If they didn’t clap, it wouldn’t happen.” [laughs] So when you know they like it, you’ll say, “Oh, we can live on. That’s great.”
The first real introduction of your two characters is actually at the beginning of episode 2, when Ortegas pranks Uhura in her evening uniform for Captain Pike’s dinner party. Who is the biggest prankster in real life?
Celia Rose Gooding: I guess I mean [Jonathan] Frakes, but it’s season 2 and only one episode. But he is a prankster. But the first season, I think maybe Anson [Mount] or ethane [Peck]? I think the way my brain chooses to remember it right now, I think maybe in my head these two are the most comfortable people joking around because they’ve known each other the longest. But I don’t think it was a bad season 1 just because we’re still getting to know each other. Things calmed down in season 2 when we got comfortable, but honestly, I don’t know who was the big prankster in season 1. Melissa?
Melissa Navia: Yeah, I really don’t remember. We are always happy. It’s like laughing and having a good time. But I can’t think of the biggest prank. I can only think, going back to the fantasy series, because you raised Anson, and seeing Anson improvise in his scenes gave me so much joy. fun. I mean, we all really bring different sides to our characters on different levels. But Anson’s improvisation is absolutely at its peak, it amazes me and I have to let it be. It was amazing and I’m so glad he did. That’s one of the many reasons the episode is so popular.
I wish this was on the Blu-ray reel, because I wanted the Anson excerpt.
Celia Rose Gooding: My God! Exactly? I can’t believe the Blu-ray has a reel slot, we haven’t seen it yet. I want to see!
Melissa Navia: God. Absolute. There are so many things I want to see in my head. But there is!
Melissa, we all want the Ortegas episode. The only time we see season 2 is in a clip from Comic-Con where she’s denied going out. So if you’re on that outing, who’s in your dream landing party?
Melissa Navia: Oh my gosh. My crew. If I’m hanging out, the only people I can think of right now are my group. and my family. That’s someone I’ll go with in case I get stuck there and I need to be there for a long time. But yes, I would consider people who are intelligent, sociable and talented in many fields. Well, how could I not say Enterprise crew?
Uhura waited 56 years for a backstory. Celia, how was it when you put it in the canon?
Celia Rose Gooding: It’s hard for me to put into words because words are very limited when it comes to expressing feelings. But it’s like putting on scuba gear and facing a tsunami head-on. This is a bountiful opportunity. ‘Cause we’re bridging the gap between my Uhura and Nichelle [Nichols], so the opportunity to build a bridge to explain how she came to be herself is a rare one. And there’s a really interesting storyline of the Lieutenant with a lot of the same, dark stuff… that makes sense.
Because as someone who has some similarities to the character’s base story in my personal life, that makes a lot of sense. Like, of course the brightest stars have the darkest beginnings. So it makes perfect sense to me. And then to be able to get in and really have that great experience as an actor is an asset. This is an abundance of delicious, kind-hearted actresses, and I can’t wait to continue showing everyone why she’s so amazing.
The whole show was delicious, with the kindness of the actors. We can’t spoil season 2, but how does it feel to have Tawny Newsome and Jack Quaid join and hang out with you guys? Celia, I know you and Tony are very close. You probably have some stories about Las Vegas staying in Las Vegas.
Celia Rose Gooding: Oh, sure. I love Tawny Newsome. I think out of all the people on this planet, I probably like Tawny Newsome the most. I could talk forever about what her presence on Enterprise and our program meant to me, but our time was limited. So I just wanted to say that having her out there and getting to know her means a lot to me.
Because like so many black women in the Star Trek series, she’s someone I have a lot of respect for, so it’s been great to hang out with her and get to know her on a personal level. I love Tawny and I love Jack too! It’s great that they’re both on our show because I think they’ve given us a lot of comic freedom that I don’t think we’ve had before.
Melissa Navia: Well, I just wanted to add that they brought this amazing organic energy to the scene. It really feels like they just stepped out of the lower Deck and onto our set. I feel like they also have the ability to improvise, which really liberates us. It completely liberated me. Just seeing them on set in a different way and bringing their personality, their professionalism, their experience to our world, it works really well.
I’m very happy [the crossover] It’s one of those things we could talk about very early on. We’re allowed to tell everyone that we’re going to do this crossover. We all said, “Oh, well, at least we have less things to keep secret.” So I’m really glad you guys watched that episode and all the episodes. But that episode in particular, was very special.
About Star Trek: Strange New Worlds
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds follows Captain Pike, Science Officer Spock, and One as they explore new worlds in the galaxy in the years before Captain Kirk boarded the Enterprise.
look at our past Star Trek: Strange New World Interview here:
Star Trek: Strange New World Season 1 will be available on limited edition DVD, Blu-ray and Steelbook on March 21, 2023. Star Trek: Strange New World Season 2 will premiere on Paramount+ in 2023.