Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' Scary Season 3 Gorn Twist Gets Hilarious Response From Actor

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds star Melanie Scrofano offered a hilarious response when asked about her character's Gorn transformation in the show's third season. Scrofano has been portraying Marie Batel, Starfleet captain and romantic partner of Captain Christoper Pike (Anson Mount), since the premiere of Strange New Worlds. However, thanks to a Gorn attack, her life has been hanging in the balance since the season 2 finale.

At San Diego Comic-Con 2025, ScreenRant's Joe Deckelmeier sat down with Melanie Scrofano about her starring role in Syfy's Revival, in which she plays Deputy Dana Cypress. When asked about Captain Batel's Gorn storyline in Strange New Worlds season 3, Scrofano offered a cheeky response without giving anything away about what's next for her character. Read Scrofano's quote below:

ScreenRant: Captain Batel is amazing. What's going on with the Gorn and the DNA twist?

Melanie Scrofano: Nothing. It's no big deal.

ScreenRant: It seems like a big deal.

 

Melanie Scrofano: Everybody has a different way of getting pregnant, and that was hers, and it's only weird if you say it's weird. But otherwise, hey, Happy Mother's Day, Captain Batel.

What Melanie Scrofano's Comments Mean For Captain Batel

As Fun As A Gorn/Human Baby Might Be, The Star Trek Show Seems To Be Heading In A Different Direction

In the Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 2 finale, Captain Pike learned that Batel had been infected with Gorn eggs. Her future looked bleak, but Nurse Christine Chapel (Jess Bush) and Lt. Spock (Ethan Peck) found a way to treat Batel in the Strange New Worlds season 3 premiere. The treatment involved transfusions of Number One's (Rebecca Romijn) Illyrian blood, and at first, it seemed to be working.

However, in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3, episode 3, "Shuttle to Kenfori," just as Captain Batel was preparing to return to active duty, the Gorn DNA in her body returned with a vengeance. As Dr. Joseph M'Benga (Babs Olusanmokun) and Captain Pike set out to find a rare Chimera blossom that could save her, Batel experienced a strange vision of the Gorn while mind-melding with Spock.

Melanie Scrofano's comments, while hilarious, don't offer any real hints about her character's future. The treatment with the Chimera blossom will essentially turn Batel into a human-Gorn hybrid, but it remains to be seen what that will actually look like. Both Batel and Captain Pike are understandably worried as Batel's future remains up in the air.

Our Take On Captain Batel's Gorn Transformation

We Hope Batel Sticks Around For A While

Captain Batel has become a wonderful addition to Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, but Star Trek fans know that she doesn't seem to be a part of Pike's life by the time of his appearance in Star Trek: The Original Series' "The Menagerie." While this doesn't bode well for Batel, it doesn't necessarily mean that she loses her battle with the Gorn DNA ravaging her body.

Strange New Worlds has mostly put the Gorn to rest, but the lizard-like aliens continue to plague the show's characters in more ways than one. We'll have to wait and see if Captain Batel can hold on to her humanity as the Gorn DNA becomes more and more a part of her.

Still, at least Melanie Scrofano maintains a sense of humor about Batel, even as the character's future in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds remains uncertain.