The biggest tragedy in Captain Kirk’s past might finally have an origin story. Although the character of Gary Mitchell (Gary Lockwood) has only appeared on screen in one canonical Star Trek story, the show’s second pilot, “Where No Man Has Gone Before,” his status nonetheless looms large in Trek lore. Mitchell was Kirk’s buddy from way back, and only became an evil, power-hungry demigod after accidentally getting zapped with superpowers after the Enterprise passed through the great barrier at the edge of the Milky Way galaxy. Because Strange New Worlds takes place prior to “Where No Man Has Gone Before,” serious fans have often wondered if Mitchell would appear on the series at all. Indeed, another character with the last name Mitchell, Jenna Mitchell (Rong Fu), has been around since Season 1 in 2022. So, is there a connection?
Yes! In the Strange New Worlds Season 4 finale, “Tomorrow’s Enterprise,” one line from Captain Kirk (Paul Wesley) retroactively establishes that the two Mitchells, Gary and Jenna, are related, which could suggest that this is more than just an Easter egg. Instead, it seems very likely that Gary Mitchell himself might appear in Strange New Worlds Season 5.
Spoilers ahead for SNW Season 4, “Tomorrow’s Enterprise.”
Kirk confirms that Gary Mitchell is Jenna Mitchell’s stepbrother
Rong Fu as Jenna Mitchell.
In one scene in “Tomorrow’s Enterprise,” in which future-Kirk talks to Uhura (Celia Rose Gooding), he mentions a poker game between himself, Uhura, and Gary Mitchell. To remind Uhura who Gary is, he makes it clear that he’s “Jenna’s stepbrother.” This quickly tap-dances around two canon problems at once: First, the coincidence that Jenna’s last name and Gary’s last name are the same, and both served similar roles on the Enterprise bridge, albeit at different times; Jenna has been in the navigator’s or operations chair at the front of the bridge, while Mitchell was the helmsman of the Enterprise before Sulu.
Funnily enough, neither Mitchell sibling appears in this episode at all, neither in the present nor the future contexts. But this sly confirmation seems to fully set up the notion that Gary is coming onto the bridge in Season 5, which will mean yet another TOS recasting, and the first time Gary has been played by a new actor since 1965.
Gary Mitchell in Strange New Worlds Season 5?
Yeoman Smith (Andrea Dromm) and Gary Mitchell (Gary Lockwood) in “Where No Man Has Gone Before.”
Because the events of 2264 and 2265 are somewhat murky in the TOS timeline, it’s unclear if Gary Mitchell is a key member of Kirk’s crew in the time frame of “Tomorrow’s Enterprise.” But because the characters of Bones and Sulu are coming to Strange New Worlds Season 5 — and will be played by Thomas Jane and Kai Murakami, respectively — from a continuity and housekeeping perspective, it seems like Gary Mitchell should appear, too, right?
Other than various appearances in novels and comics, and even a retelling of “Where No Man Has Gone Before” in the Kelvin timeline in the IDW comics series in 2011, depictions of Gary Mitchell prior to his tragic downfall in “Where No Man Has Gone Before” are scarce.
If Kirk’s best friend does appear in Strange New Worlds Season 5, one of the most formative sci-fi characters of all time will be given new blood. Plus, because Gary Lockwood went on to co-star in 2001: A Space Odyssey, whoever plays Gary Mitchell next might be blessed with a huge sci-fi career in the future.
