Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’ throwback cameo finally confirms a decades-old Star Trek fan theory, and I can’t quite believe it

For a franchise so preoccupied with science, Star Trek loves bringing in the occasional god-like being to shake things up.

The first to do so, named Trelane, plagued Captain Kirk's crew in an episode from 1967 titled "The Squire of Gothos". Upon meeting our faves, the cosmic trickster treated them like his playthings, using his omnipotent power to do as he pleased. That is, until his equally powerful parents showed up to chastise Trelane and ask him to stop bothering the nice space explorers.

Since then, plenty more beings of unlimited power have toyed with the Federation. Just recently, the Kerkhovians and a space god named Debra popped up in the first two seasons of Strange New Worlds. The most famous, however, is John de Lancie's Q, a reality-warping demi-god who grew obsessed with Jean-Luc Picard in The Next Generation and beyond.

With his impish demeanour and familiar gifts of omnipotence, fans were quick to compare Q to Trelane, especially after it was established that Lancie's character is just one of many cosmic beings who belong to a race known as the Q Continuum. In fact, this idea that Trelane's "parents" could be members of the same species is one of Star Trek's most enduring fan theories, suggesting that Q and Trelane are connected far beyond just their fascination with humans.

The problem is that Trelane hasn't appeared again on screen since his 60s debut, long leaving Trekkies to wonder if their theory is actually true or whether they're just being misled in typical trickster fashion.

Gods and monsters

So when Rhys Darby (Our Flag Means Death) suddenly showed up sporting a familiar-looking jacket and hairstyle in the season three trailer for Strange New Worlds, the theory immediately resurfaced as fans began to connect the dots. However, it wasn't until the episode in question actually aired that the truth was revealed, not just regarding Darby's potential identity as Trelane, but also his character's place in the wider Star Trek universe.

"Wedding Bell Blues" opens with Spock eagerly awaiting the return of Christine Chapel after three long months away. Except, she doesn't come back alone. Dr. Roger Korby accompanies her, and it turns out that the pair have become an official item in that time.

Fans of the original show will remember that a future version of this Chapel will actually end up marrying Korby for a time before they break up. Spock doesn't know that yet, of course, but he does know that his chances of being together with Christine have just been drastically reduced.

Or have they? Right after Rhys Darby shows up as a seemingly innocuous bartender, reality suddenly shifts and transforms to the day of Spock's wedding to Christine. No one except Korby remembers the truth, that he's the one who's supposed to be with Chapel instead of Spock.

It's not until Korby tries to sabotage the wedding and comes to blows with Christine's so-called fiancé that Spock suddenly remembers too. But when the pair reluctantly team up to investigate the wedding crasher responsible, Darby's character resets reality again.

This time, Spock still remembers the truth, but that doesn't help when Darby's trickster threatens him by shrinking Spock down into a tiny glass. "Do you know what would happen to everyone if you made me mad?"

Forced to play along for the safety of the crew, Spock concedes to marrying Christine. When Korby objects, Darby's character turns him into a dog, and no one at the reception bats an eyelid. Stranger things have happened on the Enterprise, to be fair. Still, it's not looking good for our intrepid explorers, not until Spock suddenly has an idea.

Inspired by the wedding crasher's claim that "love can conquer all things," Spock gives a speech that touches on Christine's memory of her mother who's since passed. His words break through whatever "spell" has been cast, waking Chapel up to the truth.

At this moment, a shimmering light suddenly appears above the ceremony. "Not now, Dad," says Darby's character, who's more exasperated than surprised by this strange arrival. "They're not playing along," he continues, angered that Spock, Korby and now Chapel are resisting his games.

"Let's not make a scene," says 'Dad', pointing out that there will be "consequences for disobedience," much like any other parent scolding their child. Cosmic beings. They're just like us!

When Spock asks why this all happened in the first place, Darby's character simply says that he finds Korby "annoying" (much to Spock's delight). At his father's behest, the trickster then frees everyone from his control and transforms into another flickering light before zooming off home with his dad, wherever home might be.

Q-tip

The episode ends in pretty much the exact same way that Trelane's debut did, complete with parental glimmers of light stepping in to stop their omnipotent child from wreaking more damage. The main difference here is that the voice of the father is none other than John de Lancie who appears in a surprise cameo, which means that the light in question is actually Q who pops up here roughly a century before his first onscreen appearance in Next Generation.

If the father is Q, that means Darby's character is also a member of the same species, and it's no coincidence this revelation plays out in the same way that Trelane's one and only appearance did before. Despite not being named as such in the credits, it's safe to assume that Darby's 'new' character is indeed Trelane then, as many fans predicted after spotting him in the trailer where he snapped his fingers, just like Q always does.

Further confirmation can be found in the previous season of Strange New Worlds during the Lower Decks crossover, of all places. After Ensign Boimler and Ensign Mariner were thrown back in time 120 years, a throwaway line between them foreshadowed the latest episode in spectacular fashion.

When he's suddenly surprised during the mission at hand, Boimler says, "Holy Q!", prompting Mariner to immediately shush him because the people in this timeline don't know Q yet. "They sort of had a Trelane thing going on," she explains.

That "Trelane thing" was also reinforced decades earlier in Peter David's novel from 1994 titled "Q-Squared" where Q babysat Trelane aboard the Enterprise. Despite this confirming they're both of the same species, just as the fan theory predicted, it's important to remember that the novels are expanded universe lore, and as such aren't officially considered to be canon in regard to the main show. That's not to say David's idea didn't inspire the latest episode of Strange New Worlds, however.

Power trip

Naysayers might suggest that Darby looks different from William Campbell, who portrayed Trelane first. And they're right. He does, of course, look different. Every character in Strange New Worlds looks different from their Original Series counterparts, from Kirk and Uhura to everyone in between. But Darby's hairstyle and ornate jacket are very similar to what Campbell wore back in the day, deliberately so. Never mind that the Q species can alter their appearance, as Trelane himself does here, looking different multiple times throughout just one episode.

That's probably what co-showrunner Henry Alonso Myers was referring to at an earlier NYCC panel when he teased that Darby would be playing "a character that will be familiar yet completely new to folks that know Star Trek" (via TrekMovie.com).

The only issue with all of this is that Kirk and the crew met Trelane for the first time in "The Squire of Gothos," including Spock, who seems to have no recollection of their meeting now in Strange New Worlds. Real-world reasons aside, this could simply be explained away by Trelane erasing everyone's memories or using his powers to rewrite history in some way. Playing with the crew in that Original Series episode might be less fun if they remember their first encounter in Strange New Worlds.

The alternative is that this might simply be a plot hole that never gets resolved, much like how the Gorn depicted in Strange New Worlds are far more dangerous than they were in The Original series. Unless, there are two types of Gorn, just as there could be two versions of Trelane. Anything is possible, especially when god-like beings are concerned.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3 is streaming now on Paramount+. For more, read our guide to all the best new TV shows.