I hopeStar Trek: Strange New Worlds’Celia Rose Gooding gets her wish for Ensign Nyota Uhura to meetStar Trek: Discovery’s Captain Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green).Star Trek: Discoveryhas concluded its fifth and final season, wrapping up the stories of Captain Burnham and the USS Discovery. Meanwhile,Star Trek: Strange New Worldsseason 3 is in post-production for an expected 2025 premiere on Paramount+. Unless there’s a big surprise,Strange New Worldsseason 3 has no crossover with Burnham orStar Trek: Discovery, but could Burnham meet Uhura inStrange New Worldsseason 4 or beyond?
Celia Rose Gooding inherited the role of a younger Uhura originated by Nichelle Nichols inStar Trek: The Original Series.Star Trek: Strange New Worldshas given Uhura more agency and character depth thanTOSor J.J. Abrams’Star Trekmovies, where Zoe Saldana played Uhura.Strange New Worldshas delved into Uhura’s tragic backstory, her relationships with the crew of the USS Enterprise, and proved howessential Uhura is toStrange New Worldsas the Communications Officer who keeps the crew"connected.“However, Gooding hopes thatUhura can be further inspired by meeting another ofStar Trek’s most iconic African-American heroines.
Celia Rose Gooding Wants Uhura To Meet Burnham & I Hope It Happens
Meeting Burnham would be epic for Uhura
Appearing at Terrificon with herStar Trek: Strange New Worldsco-star, Ethan Peck, Celia Rose Gooding said she has two bigcrossover hopes for Uhura: meeting her older self played by the late Nichelle Nichols, which Celia knows can’t happen, and Uhura meeting Captain Michael Burnham fromStar Trek: Discovery. Gooding explained,“I think she would benefit from meeting Michael Burnham and seeing another black woman captain. I think that would be really good for her understanding of her place on the Enterprise.“Check out Gooding and Peck at Terrificon in the video below:
I think Burnham meeting Uhura, as two of the most prominent African-American female characters in Star Trek on Paramount+, would be a historic and spectacular crossover. Of course, Uhura is the first prominent Black woman and character as a member ofStar Trek: The Original Series' cast. Burnham follows in the footsteps of Nichelle Nichols as Uhura. Butthe shoe would be on the other foot in a crossover betweenStrange New WorldsandStar Trek: Discovery. Burnham is the successful starship Captain who has saved the galaxy, and Uhura is gaining experience and wisdom day-by-day. Theinspiration Uhura could gain from Captain Burnhamcan’t be quantified, and would recontextualize Nichelle Nichols' Uhura going forward.
Can Captain Burnham Appear In Star Trek: Strange New Worlds?
It would be Star Trek’s trickiest crossover
As much as I’d like to see Uhura meet Captain Burnham onStar Trek: Strange New Worlds,a crossover would be very hard to pull off. While Sonequa Martin-Green is reportedly open to reprising Burnham, the logistics of how to bring Michael back to the 23rd century, or Uhura to the 32nd century, are daunting - but not impossible.A greater issue is how to preserveStar Trekcanon.Burnham vanished 930 years into the future with the USS Discovery, never to return.Lieutenant Spock (Ethan Peck)is never meant to see his foster sister again, making bringing Burnham aboard the USS Enterprise a dicey proposition.
Uhura meeting Burnham - and Celia Rose Gooding sharing the screen with Sonequa Martin-Green - would undoubtedly be cool.
Also, Uhura shouldn’t know Captain Burnham exists at all, or that she is Spock’s adopted sister. And yet, there are stilla number of sci-fi ways for Uhura to meet Michael Burnham, like time travel, or a time crystal for Uhura to glimpse Burnham in the future (or vice versa). Uhura meeting Burnham - and Celia Rose Gooding sharing the screen with Sonequa Martin-Green - would undoubtedly be cool and a majorStar Trekevent. Whether it can happen inStar Trek: Strange New Worldsseason 4 or beyond is up in the air, but I co-sign Celia Rose Gooding’s wish that Uhura meets Burnham and all the good things that could come from thatStar Trek: Discoverycrossover.
