What HBO’s Our Flags Means Death Hints About Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 3’s Guest Star

Rhys Darby, the lead of HBO's Our Flag Means Death, will guest star in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, but does this mean for season 3? The New Zealand-born Darby worked with Our Flag Means Death's executive producer and co-star Taika Waititi on What We Do In The Shadows, and played Murray Hewitt in Flight of the Conchords. Rhys Darby's acting credits, which include dramatic roles and an impressive array of voice-over work for animation and video games, might point to what's in store for Darby's Star Trek future.

The NYCC announcement, which came with a new clip from Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3, indicated that Rhys Darby's Star Trek character would be someone that Trekkies would already be familiar with. There's already been some speculation about who Rhys Darby's Star Trek legacy character in Strange New Worlds, which has already given fans brand-new interpretations of classic Star Trek: The Original Series characters in Anson Mount's Captain Christopher Pike, Ethan Peck's Lieutenant Spock, and Celia Rose Gooding's Ensign Nyota Uhura, to name just a few.

Who Rhys Darby Played In HBO’s Our Flag Means Death

Darby's Stede Bonnet Makes Piracy More Civilized

Rhys Darby played "gentleman pirate" Stede Bonnet in HBO's Our Flag Means Death, opposite Taika Waititi's Blackbeard. Very loosely based on the life of a real historical figure, Rhys Darby's Stede Bonnet trades a life of luxury for adventure on the high seas. The catch is that Stede's knowledge of piracy is more academic than practical, so he relies on a ragtag crew to let him know how this whole pirate thing really works. In return, Stede brings a culture of manners and respect to the ship's band of outlaws and softens Blackbeard's fearsome edges as his romantic partner.

Looking at Our Flag Means Death as a prime example of Rhys Darby's talent, Taika Waititi's pirate comedy has moments of both humor and pathos for Stede Bonnet. Instead of being relegated to a foppish, fish-out-of-water stereotype, Darby's Stede Bonnet is also a sympathetic character with real desires and losses, and requires an actor capable of a wide range. As an unlikely pirate captain who unites an unusual and diverse crew into a found family, Bonnet's story is laced with the kind of optimism and heart that also runs through new Star Trek shows, especially Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.

Rhys Darby’s Strange New Worlds Episode Could Be Another Star Trek Comedy

Strange New Worlds Already Has A Great Comedic Track Record

With comedic hits under Rhys Darby's belt, there's a strong likelihood that Darby's Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3 episode is a comedy. Strange New Worlds has fully embraced Star Trek's ability to weave through different genres, capably handling action, drama, horror, and Star Trek's first musical episode. A showcasing of Darby's comedic talent would join earlier funny episodes like the body-swapping in Strange New Worlds season 1, episode 5, "Spock Amok"; human Spock in SNW season 2, episode 5, "Charades"; and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' crossover with Star Trek: Lower Decks, "Those Old Scientists".

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds could use Rhys Darby's comedic chops in the same way that legendary comedian Carol Kane as Commander Pelia guaranteed a quirky levity in Strange New Worlds season 2. As the USS Enterprise's new Lanthanite Chief Engineer, Carol Kane brought her unique brand of comedy to Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, so Rhys Darby could take similar liberties with interpreting his legacy Star Trek character. If Darby's Star Trek turn is anything like Kane's, Darby's Our Flag Means Death skill of balancing humor with heart will create another memorable Star Trek: Strange New Worlds comedy.