Star Trek fans, rejoice! San Diego Comic-Con announced earlier in the week that the franchise would be taking new shape with a pair of its most iconic cast members.
In honor of Star Trek Day on Saturday, July 26, fans at SDCC were treated to the reveal of the teaser and official key art for Star Trek: Khan, a new scripted audio series that will revisit one of the franchise's most iconic villains, Khan Noonien Singh.
What's more, with the new audio series comes the return of two veterans of the franchise: Tim Russ, who played Ensign Tuvok in Star Trek: Voyager, and George Takei, who played Hikaru Sulu in the original 1966 TV series.
George's casting in particular thrilled fans, with the actor making several enthusiastic appearances at the convention over the weekend, and long been associated as one of the stalwarts of the franchise beside William Shatner.
Naveen Andrews will play the titular Khan, while Wrenn Schmidt has been cast as Lieutenant Marla McGivers and Sonya Cassidy will play Dr. Rosalind Lear.
The star, now 88, has made several appearances as Sulu in the 21st century, although his last consistent run in the role was back in 2007 for the fan-created web series Star Trek New Voyages: Phase II.
Fans of the franchise reacted with excitement to the first official teaser for Star Trek: Khan. One commented on social media: "Having always been a big fan of George Takei as Captain Sulu, it's nice to see a legend return to Star Trek once again, participating in a fact-finding mission all about KHAN!!!!" Another wrote: "Closest we'll get to seeing George Takei (let alone Sulu as a character) helming his own show. But I'll take it," with a third saying: "Sulu's voice just gets better with age! So much gravitas. This is gonna be amazeballs!"
Also a fan of the choice is HELLO!'s resident TV expert Abby Allen, who touched on why these casting decisions can feel so significant. "Everyone has a [favorite] Star Trek cast member (mine's Chris Pine as James Kirk in the 2009 reboot), but there's something even more special about legacy stars returning to the franchise."
"Watching Tim Russ and George Takei step back into their iconic roles is a powerful reminder of Star Trek's lasting impact – and proof that its stories continue to resonate across generations."
George has been an active part of the Star Trek fandom, often attending fan conventions and events to celebrate with "Trekkies." Speaking with the Call Me Adam show in 2013, he explained what made them so special.
"The Star Trek fans are amazing people. They are so dedicated, so tenacious, and so very supportive," he shared. "We went on the air for the first time in 1966. We lasted only three seasons, despite the fact we announced at the beginning we were on a five-year mission, more destructive than the Klingons were the executives at NBC."
"The fans are the ones that created this phenomenon," the actor continued. "So I do as many Star Trek conventions as I can because I think it's important to say to them personally, 'Thank You for the incredible, amazing life you have given us.'"
"Gene Roddenberry created us, but this phenomenon has been created by the fans. We have lived much longer than we ever expected. That Vulcan greeting has come true…we have lived long and prospered."