Star Trek Actor Confirms Franchise Return After 7-Year Absence

Many characters have come and gone in the Star Trek universe, but surprise returns have also long been a big part of the franchise. It turns out that another return has been confirmed after a seven-year absence, though it remains to be seen when and where this will occur.

Actor James Frain portrayed Sarek, the father of Ethan Peck’s Spock, in the first two seasons of Star Trek: Discovery. He has not made an on-screen appearance since the Season 2 finale, which debuted in 2019. Now, in a new post shared on Instagram on July 11, Frain shared an image of himself in character as Sarek. The actor confirmed that he’s been on set for multiple projects, one of which involves Sarek, but he didn’t state which series he was specifically involved with.

James Frain Will Return as Sarek 7 Years Later

Sarek
Sarek in Star Trek: Discovery.Image via CBS/Paramount

The caption of the post stated, “Haven’t posted for a minute, been doing a few different things that I’m been on set for, which means I can’t post any of the photos that I’ve been taking yet ’cause of secrecy and PR and all that stuff. But one of them involved this guy. Little hint. Just tiny hint here.”

Star Trek: Discovery ended in 2025, so it seems likely that this return is for an appearance in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, which still has two seasons left to go before concluding. It’s also possible that he could be appearing in the second and final season of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy, though it would likely be as a hologram, if that was the case. Either way, this announcement is surprising, as both shows have already wrapped filming with their final seasons.

Where Will Sarek Appear With His Star Trek Return?

If Sarek’s return is for one of these two shows, that would mean reshoots are taking place. That would be surprising, as it’s been reported that both Strange New Worlds and Starfleet Academy have already had their sets dismantled. It’s also possible that the image was taken a while back when filming was still underway for each of those shows’ final seasons. In any case, it would appear Sarek is going to be back in some capacity, but fans will have to wait to see how exactly that will happen.

The Sarek character originally debuted in the original Star Trek series in 1967, where he was played by Mark Lenard. He also appeared in Star Trek: The Animated Series, with Lenard providing his voice as well. Many years later, Lenard would return as Sarek in multiple episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation, as well as several installments of the Star Trek movies featuring the original series’ cast. Ben Cross played a new version of the character in the 2009 feature film reboot.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds will return for its fourth season premiere this month on July 23, 2026.