Warning: The article contains spoilers for Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.
In last week’s episode of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, the character of Amanda Grayson returned, and made quite an impact on fans.
Amanda Grayson first appeared in the 1967 original Star Trek episode “Journey to Babel,” where she was played by the Emmy award-winning actor Jane Wyatt, who would go on to portray the character again in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home.
Amanda is a human living on Vulcan, and mother of the legendary Starfleet officer Spock. She faces countless challenges as a human member of Vulcan society, which shuns displays of outward emotion or affection.
As with many elements of the original series – including Spock himself – the character of Amanda Grayson returned in the prequel series Star Trek: Discovery. Since then, Amanda has been played by Canadian actor Mia Kirshner, best known for her roles as Jenny in The L Word, Mandy in 24, and Isobel in The Vampire Diaries. Kirshner first appeared as the character in Discovery‘s “Lethe,” and then went on to feature prominently in the show’s second season.
Her latest appearance in Strange New Worlds had her attempting to guide Spock through a complicated Vulcan pre-marriage ritual, exacerbated by Spock suddenly losing his Vulcan half due to the intervention of strange aliens. This left him without his usual self-control, and forced him to rely on his mother’s experience with navigating Vulcan social norms as a human. The deep bond between her and Spock was the highlight of the episode.
Outside of acting, Kirshner has published the book I Live Here, which compiles the life stories of four groups of refugees from Chechnya, Juárez, Burma, and Malawi. Kirshner was also invited by MIT to run a four-week course based around the book’s content.
With the character’s return in Strange New Worlds so warmly received, it’s likely she may appear again in future.