Unveiling the Unconventional Chemistry: A Revealing Dive into Jack Quaid and Tawny Newsome's Unexpected Stellar Roles in Strange New Worlds

Summary

In an exciting crossover event, Star Trek: Lower Decks introduces animated characters Boimler and Mariner into the live-action world of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 2, Episode 7.

Ensign Boimler, portrayed by Jack Quaid, displays his love for Star Trek by enthusiastically fangirling over renowned Trek characters and harboring aspirations of one day becoming a captain.

On the other hand, Ensign Mariner, played by Tawny Newsome, boldly disregards orders and disregards conventional protocols. However, beneath her rebellious nature, she consistently demonstrates her earnest desire to make morally upright choices and exhibits a genuine concern for the well-being of her comrades.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' crossover episode showcased guest stars Jack Quaid and Tawny Newsome from Star Trek: Lower Decks. The animated personas of Ensigns Brad Boimler and Beckett Mariner leapt into live-action in "Those Old Scientists," the seventh episode of Strange New Worlds' second season. While Strange New Worlds unfolds in the 23rd century, before the events of Star Trek: The Original Series in the Trek timeline, Lower Decks takes place in the late 24th century, following the occurrences of Star Trek Nemesis.

In the crossover, Ensigns Boimler and Mariner unintentionally traverse through a time portal and arrive aboard Captain Christopher Pike's (Anson Mount) USS Enterprise, approximately 120 years in the past. Despite their efforts to avoid tampering with the timeline, Boimler especially struggles to contain his excitement upon encountering his idols. Much like their misadventures on Lower Decks, Boimler and Mariner find themselves embroiled in amusing escapades, much to Captain Pike and his crew's dismay. On Strange New Worlds, Jack Quaid and Tawny Newsome, the same actors who provide the voices for their animated counterparts on Lower Decks, bring Boimler and Mariner to life.

Jack Quaid’s Brad Boimler In Star Trek: Lower Decks Explained

In Star Trek: Lower Decks, Ensign Brad Boimler serves onboard the USS Cerritos under Captain Carol Freeman's command (Dawnn Lewis). He admires classic Star Trek captains like Captain Pike and dreams of advancing in rank to become a captain himself. Boimler essentially represents Star Trek fans, enthusiastically geeking out over famous Trek characters and collecting memorabilia, such as a commemorative plate featuring Tom Paris (Robert Duncan McNeill). Despite his anxiety and overwhelming enthusiasm, Boimler showcases exceptional intelligence and possesses the potential to become an outstanding starship captain. He also had a brief stint serving on the USS Titan under the leadership of Captain William Riker (Jonathan Frakes).

Jack Quaid, who is the son of Meg Ryan and Dennis Quaid, made his acting debut in 2012 with a minor role as Marvel in The Hunger Games. He reprised the role for its sequel The Hunger Games: Catching Fire in 2013. While he was part of the main cast in the HBO miniseries Vinyl in 2016, he gained significant recognition for portraying Hughie Campbell in The Boys. This series, based on the Garth Ennis comic book series, follows Hughie and Billy Butcher (played by fellow Star Trek actor Karl Urban) as they lead their team in a fight against corrupt superheroes. Quaid also appeared in Scream (2022) and currently lends his voice to Clark Kent, also known as Superman, in My Adventures with Superman on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim.

Tawny Newsome’s Beckett Mariner In Star Trek: Lower Decks Explained

Ensign Beckett Mariner serves aboard the USS Cerritos under the leadership of her mother, Captain Freeman. Despite being at the top of her class at Starfleet Academy, Mariner's inclination to defy orders and disregard protocol has hindered her chances of promotion. Initially, she claimed to prefer remaining an Ensign to avoid the responsibilities and stress associated with a higher rank. However, she later decides to focus on advancing in the ranks. Prior to her assignment on the Cerritos, Mariner had served on various starships and space stations, including Deep Space Nine. Despite her rule-breaking tendencies, Mariner generally strives to do what is right and deeply values her friendships, particularly her close bond with Ensign Boimler.

Tawny Newsome, a talented musician and comedian, made appearances in minor roles in episodes of several popular television shows before gaining prominence as Nina in The Comedy Get Down in 2017. She also portrayed Chelsea Leight-Leigh on the comedy series Bajillion Dollar Propertie$ on Pluto TV and had a recurring role on IFC's Brockmire. In addition to voicing Beckett Mariner on Lower Decks, Newsome starred as Captain Angela Ali in Netflix's Space Force from 2020-2022. She is also the co-host of The Pod Directive, the official Star Trek Podcast, alongside comedian and voice actor Paul F. Tompkins. Furthermore, Newsome will be contributing as a writer for the upcoming series Star Trek: Starfleet Academy.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 2 streams Thursdays on Paramount+.