Star Trek: Discovery casts younger Spock for CBS All Access show
Ethan Peck is joining the show for its second season.
Leonard Nimoy as Spock (left) and William Shatner's James Kirk in the original Star Trek series.
Star Trek: Discovery has cast a new Spock.
Actor Ethan Peck will be taking on the landmark role originated by the late Leonard Nimoy for the CBS All Access show's second season, CBS announced Tuesday and first revealed by The Hollywood Reporter. (Disclosure: CBS is CNET's parent company.)
The search for Spock is over! @ethangpeck will step into the legendary role in season 2 of #StarTrekDiscovery. 🖖 #LLAP pic.twitter.com/zZpVaKZv1J
— Star Trek: Discovery (@startrekcbs) August 14, 2018
Star Trek: Discovery has held a close connection to Spock since its debut, with Sonequa Martin-Green's Michael Burnham being the adopted sister to Spock, with their father Sarek (James Frain) making frequent appearances during Discovery's first season.
Peck's previous acting credits include 2010's The Sorcerer's Apprentice and more recently the I Ship It series and a two-episode stint on Madam Secretary. He is also the grandson of actor Gregory Peck, the latter known for 1962's To Kill a Mockingbird. After the announcement, Peck posted a photo of himself with the Nimoy family -- the latter welcoming Peck into the Star Trek family.
Thanks to the Nimoy family for your open arms, warm welcome, smiling curiosity and support, for making me feel worthy, as I embrace and take into my heart the iconic half alien we know as Mr. Spock. It is an incomparable honor. 🖖🏼 #StarTrekDiscovery #LLAP pic.twitter.com/jEXG1T253Z
— Ethan Peck (@ethangpeck) August 14, 2018
"It is with great honor and a sense of immense responsibility that I take on the iconic role that Leonard [Nimoy] gave to us and that Zachary [Quinto] did brilliant justice to," Peck wrote on the Facebook version of his announcement, also praising Zachary Quinto who portrays Spock in the recent Star Trek films.
Discovery showrunner Alex Kurtzman said in a statement that the search for a new Spock took months, as his team sought a person with a mix of logic, intuition and empathy that the half-Vulcan, half-human displays.
"Ethan Peck walked into the room inhabiting all of these qualities, aware of his daunting responsibility to Leonard, Zack, and the fans, and ready to confront the challenge in the service of protecting and expanding on Spock's legacy," Kurtzman said.
Star Trek: Discovery is already set to explore space alongside the classic USS Enterprise for its second season, which will be helmed by Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount). Discovery takes place about 10 years before the original Star Trek series.
The Tuesday casting is the latest in a string of Star Trek announcements slated for CBS All Access, which include the recent reveal of Patrick Stewart reprising his Star Trek: The Next Generation role of Jean-Luc Picard in a new series. CBS is also planning more additions to the Star Trek universe for television, which could include miniseries or animated series. All of these expansions will be overseen by Kurtzman.
First published Aug. 14 at 9:54 a.m. PT.
Update at 11:16 a.m. PT: Adds comment from Peck.
11:34 a.m. PT: Adds statement from Alex Kurtzman.
