Posted in: Paramount+, Preview, TV | Tagged: Carol Kane, paramount plus, preview, season 2, star trek, strange new worlds

Strange New Worlds: Carol Kane on Pelia's Accent, Star Trek Universe

Strange New Worlds star Carol Kane discusses joining the franchise's universe, Pelia's accent, Star Trek fans, her first table read and more.

Published Fri, 16 Jun 2023 13:19:12 -0500

by Ray Flook

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With the second season of Paramount+'s Anson Mount (Pike), Rebecca Romijn (Una Chin-Riley) & Ethan Peck (Spock)-starring Star Trek: Strange New Worlds now officially underway, viewers are getting a chance to get to know one of the newest members of the crew. Carol Kane (Taxi, Scrooged, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt) has joined the "Star Trek" universe as Pelia, the Enterprise's new chief engineer & a Lanthanite, an alien species defined by their direct resemblance to humans and their long life spans – and a fascinating accent that has social media talking. Now, Kane is sharing what it's like joining the franchise, how she developed Pelia's accent, what it was like joining a Zoom table read for the first time, and more.

Kane Is Arriving Late to the Sci-Fi Game: "The science fiction world has not really been attractive to me for some reason. Now that I'm in it [laughing], I'm very excited about it. It just wasn't on my path until now."

Kane on Creating Pelia's Lanthanite Accent: "I wanted her to sound like you don't know where exactly she comes from. There is an elegance and a power to it. It's unique on the ship — nobody else has that accent or whatever it is."

Kane on Feeling Like "The New Kid in School" During a Season Premiere Zoom Script-Read: "You know, I'm not a very confident person, unlike Pelia. I was terrified that at the end of it, they would say, 'No, we want you to regular voice,' but they didn't. They said, 'Go for it!' I think that was brave of them."

Kane on Gaining a Better Understanding of the "Star Trek" Franchise: "People I knew who I had no idea were big 'Star Trek' fans started to come out of the woodwork. My oldest friend was telling me about the depths of it, how it really has a meaningful story to tell. I really didn't anticipate that there were so many emotional connections within the characters. I liked that a lot."

Kane on Learning & Reciting "The Hardest Part" – All of the Tech Speak: "That's the hardest part," Kane shared – adding that the cast & crew helped get used to presenting it in a natural way. "I like to know as much as I can about the made-up science. But to be very honest with you, I am not a science- or math-oriented person. So I don't understand all of it, even though they explain it to me. But I do the best I can. Everybody's quite patient."

Kane on Prepping for "Star Trek" Fans' Reactions: "I've been told that when you become part of the world, you will experience a reaction from the fans, which I guess are called 'Trekkies.' I don't know exactly what it will be like, but I'm kind of bracing myself for it, and also excited about it."

Just Don't Ask Kane About a Favorite "Star Trek" Episode – Not Yet, At Least: "Well, the writers said that they liked the fact that I didn't know it — they felt that that would be useful for my character. I think I will now."

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