Posted in: Star Trek, TV | Tagged: Melanie Scrofano, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds
Strange New Worlds: Melanie Scrofano on Marie Batel & Star Trek Legacy
Melanie Scrofano (Wynonna Earp: Vengeance) discussed playing Marie Batel on Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, joining the franchise, and more.
Melanie Scrofano has done it all – from action, comedy, drama, horror, and thrillers, and even participated in major franchises since her debut in the MTV TV series Undressed. She's appeared in The CW's Supernatural, The Kids in the Hall: Death Comes to Town, Saw VI (2009), SYFY's Warehouse 13 and Haven, Degrassi: The Next Generation, Sony's RoboCop (2014), A&E's Damien, ABC/Netflix's Designated Survivor, and Hulu's Letterkenny. While promoting her upcoming Tubi Original 90-minute TV special Wynonna Earp: Vengeance, which continues the SYFY supernatural action series that ran for four seasons from 2016-2021, Scrofano spoke to Bleeding Cool about her recurring role as Captain Marie Batel, who served on the USS Cayuga, on Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, her favorite moment, and helping to build on the franchise legacy.
The season two finale, "Hegemony," finds the Cayuga destroyed by a Gorn attack as remnants float in space over Parnassus Beta and Batel, one of the remaining survivors as part of the away team to help with vaccination of the Federation colony. Finding herself mortally wounded from a separate Gorn attack planetside, Batel faces an uncertain fate, telling her boyfriend, Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount) of the USS Enterprise, if she's too far gone to kill her before entering a status field, entering season three as part of the series' cliffhanger.
Melanie Scrofano on Her Favorite Captain Marie Batel Moment on Strange New Worlds and Her Star Trek Legacy
Bleeding Cool: I know you can't say anything about your character's fate in season three of 'Strange New Worlds.' I wanted to ask what your favorite Marie Batel moment is and how you feel as part of the Star Trek legacy.
My favorite Batel moment…that's a tough one. I like episode one ["Strange New Worlds"]. I like that we didn't know if she was sticking around, but there to be like, "Listen! [Hits table] Perk up! Get on your shit." She's the one who gave Pike the talking he needed to get back on the ship and I love that she's so supportive like that, then she was like, "Anyway [waves], I got my own ship. See ya! [laughs]." I also love that she came back. Being part of that, I grew up watching [Star Trek] at home. My dad and my stepdad were both like huge Trekkies, so it was real, and it was like, "Finally!" and "Oh, I get what you do. You're an actor. You should have said that," and like a validation, I felt not just from them, but from everyone. It felt good to be part of that universe.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds returns in 2025 on Paramount+. Created by Emily Andras, Wynonna Earp: Vengeance, which also stars Tim Rozon, Dominique Provost-Chalkley, Katherine Barrell, and Baye McPherson, premieres on Tubi on September 13th.