10 Crazy Ideas For Seasons 4 & 5 of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds
7. McCoy Vs M'Benga
With the news that Thomas Jane has been cast as Dr Leonard McCoy for Strange New Worlds' final episode, this offers both a problem and an opportunity to fix said problem. What of M'Benga? Babs Olusanmokun has played the gifted physician for three seasons already, while Booker Bradshaw appeared as the man twice in The Original Series.
The audience knows very little about the day McCoy arrived aboard the Enterprise. Was he replacing M'Benga? Was M'Benga simply reassigned, with periodic returns to the flagship when the need arose? As skilled as McCoy was in The Original Series, was he always the chief of medicine? Surely this man trained under someone - why not under M'Benga himself?
Seeing these two men butt heads offers not just a comedy goldmine but also a cautionary tale. McCoy may be irascible, but he is also soft-hearted. He may not have a great history in dealing with Spock in The Original Series, with many unfortunate remarks about the latter's blood and ears, but where did this softening begin?
M'Benga himself has been both a kind-hearted, caring man and father, but also a hot-blooded killer. McCoy's stubbornness could find its match in M'Benga's, while the latter's trauma could diffuse through his interactions with the southern gentleman.
We have yet to see these two men interact on screen, so the excitement at the possibility is already growing.