The Star Trek: Discovery panel at San Diego-Comic con twelve days ago confirmed that the iconic character of Spock would appear in the second season of the series. Spock was not seen, but he was discussed in the first look trailer released at Comic-Con, and it was subsequently revealed the an actor has already been cast as Trek’s most famous Vulcan. In a series of additional interviews, cast and crew of Discovery are talking more about the return of Spock and what it means for the series, along with offering some more tidbits of what is coming.

A different Spock

Speaking to SyFy, Discovery co-creator Alex Kurtzman outlined how the Spock we see in season two is not the Spock we know from the original Star Trek and beyond, saying:

Alex Kurtzman: The Spock that we meet is ten years [before Star Trek: The Original Series]. So, he is not formed in the same way that he is formed by the time you get to TOS. What we will learn is a lot of what made him the Spock that he was and what will make him the Spock he is, has to do with his family and his sister.

The executive producer and showrunner expands on this with TV Guide, adding:

Alex Kurtzman: There’s a lot of story about who Spock was before he becomes the Spock that is the yin-yang to Kirk. What I’m so excited about is that we have an opportunity to present a version of Spock that’s both totally consistent with the Spock everyone knows but very, very different. And it’s all gonna tie to how we sync up with canon.

Ensign Tilly actress Mary Wiseman spoke enthusiastically about Discovery’s approach to the character as well, telling Syfy:

Mary Wiseman: I think it is going to be so exciting for the fanbase. Spock is such a beloved character. It really captures the imagination of all people, not just hardcore Trek fans. I think it is going to be really fun, and really root the show. How we approach that is going to be, as ever, unique and with our very particular point of view.

And Dr. Culber actor Wilson Cruz added:

Wilson Cruz: I think he comes in with some mystery. I think we are going to learn some things about Spock, that we didn’t necessarily know before.

As for Anson Mount, who plays Captain Pike in season two, a tweet he sent out yesterday hinted that the actor cast to play Spock out-handsomes Mount himself.

You ain’t seen the guy playing Spock yet. Invest in a novelty ear company NOW (and save a pair for yourself and the missus). https://t.co/AsgqAtTCiS — Anson Mount (@ansonmount) July 31, 2018

The Spock family dynamic will play a “huge” part of season two

Apparently a big aspect of Spock’s inclusion on Discovery will deal with his relationship with Michael Burnham, who was adopted by Spock’s parents, Sarek and Amanda, at a young age. Speaking to TV Guide, Discovery executive producer Heather Kadin spoke more about how the show will focus on the Burnham/Spock relationship:

Heather Kadin: We’re gonna be exploring those family dynamics. We’re gonna see a lot between them. I think that like any brother or sister, there’s love. There’s deep wells of stuff. That’s what’s so great about exploring that relationship, is there’s a lot of tricky stuff that we get to dig into.

And speaking to Syfy, Kadin added more about how this will play out, saying:

Heather Kadin: Dig into it before we meet him, after we meet him. It is a brother and sister in a unique way, that we can only do on Star Trek.

Also speaking to Syfy, Michael Burnham actress Sonequa Martin-Green said:

Sonequa Martin-Green: I can tell you that it is a huge deal. We are going to be really digging into that relationship, and digging into a lot of family dynamics in season two. And not just in that family between Burnham and Spock and Sarek and Amanda, but also with the entire crew.

Shazad Latif, who plays Burnham’s human lover Ash Tyler who turned out to also be the Klingon Voq, also spoke to Syfy about how the show is dealing with the Spock/Michael relationship:

Shazad Latif: It is going to add a whole extra layer, especially for Burnham, this whole family exploration she is going to have to go through. That is going to affect her other relationships, because it is going to be something on her mind.

More canon connections and characters in season 2?

In addition to Spock, the second season features two characters from Star Trek’s “The Cage,” Anson Mount playing Captain Christopher Pike and Rebecca Romijn playing Number One. But there could be more connections to canon. Speaking to TV Insider Kurtzman hinted we may see even more characters from Star Trek:

Alex Kurtzman: We are 10 years before [The Original Series]. But we are consistent with Pike and that journey. Obviously, characters that existed would probably still exist in our timeline. So, any number of people on that ship could show up this year.

He also talked more about how the second season into the canon timeline when speaking to SyFy Wire:

Alex Kurtzman: There are a lot of things that have been mentioned over time [in Star Trek], that are alluded to, but they are grey areas. There is a lot of detail missing. We are going to – like we did last season with the Klingon War – get to explore an area that hasn’t been explored.

Culber’s return thanks to the power of shrooms

While the return of Wilson Cruz as Dr. Culber has been made very clear, even as far back as when the character was killed off in season one, it hasn’t been revealed yet how he will come back from the dead. In his TrekMovie SDCC interview Cruz did say it was something unique for Star Trek and season one did show that some part of Culber still existed in the Mycelial Network, which is a new element the show has used. And Speaking to TV Insider actor Anthony Rapp offered a strong indication that Culber’s return will be thanks to this new element, saying:

Anthony Rapp: You know about the real Paul Stamets, the real mycologist that my character is inspired by. He works with mushrooms and fungus and mycelium. His actual science is part of what leads the possibility of Culber coming back into our world.

And just earlier today, Cruz shared a photo of the text “Dr. Culber” on Instagram from Toronto, where the show is currently in production.

L’Rell goes glam

One last tidbit from the new interviews comes from actress Mary Chieffo, speaking to TV Insider about her wardrobe for season two:

Mary Chieffo: This is definitely a little different from my L’Rell aesthetic. Although I can tease that now that L’Rell is the chancellor, she does have to spruce herself up a little bit. So, you should be expecting some fun, glamorous chancellor looks, that I enjoy very much.

Star Trek: Discovery is available exclusively in the USA on CBS All Access. It airs in Canada on Space and streams on CraveTV. It is available on Netflix everywhere else.

Keep up with all the Star Trek: Discovery news at TrekMovie.