The return of Gene Roddenberry’s Star Trek franchise to the small screen 11 months ago with prequel series Discovery breathed fresh life into the sci-fi show following recent box office successes. The announcement comes a week after it was revealed that Sir Patrick Stewart will reprise his role as Captain Picard in a new CBS All Access series that will chronicle his life after Star Trek: The Next Generation.
Peck, known for his roles as Patrick Verona in the 10 Things I Hate About You TV series and Saxon in I Ship It, follows in the footsteps of Leonard Nimoy and Zachary Quinto as the half-human, half-Vulcan science officer. Spock is also the half brother of Star Trek: Discovery‘s central character Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green).
Executive producer Alex Kurtzman said Peck was chosen after months of searching for the right actor.
“Through 52 years of television and film, a parallel universe and a mirror universe, Mr. Spock remains the only member of the original bridge crew to span every era of Star Trek,” added Mr Kurtzman.
“The great Leonard Nimoy, then the brilliant Zachary Quinto, brought incomparable humanity to a character forever torn between logic and emotion.
“We searched for months for an actor who would, like them, bring his own interpretation to the role. An actor who would, like them, effortlessly embody Spock’s greatest qualities, beyond obvious logic: empathy, intuition, compassion, confusion, and yearning.
“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. In that spirit, we’re thrilled to welcome him to the family.”