Star Trek V: The Final Frontier is generally considered the worst of the films based on the Original Series crew. It also introduced a character that fans have come to hate: Sybok, Spock's half-brother.
That character died in the film. Since then, he’s only appeared at the tail-end of a Strange New Worlds episode, though he doesn’t speak and fans don’t see his face. Most audience members weren’t exactly happy to see even this tiny cameo because the character is so reviled.
However, now is the perfect time to bring him back for a meaty role in the beloved sci-fi series, because it will further flesh out Spock’s character while delivering a potentially unforgettable storyline.
3 Reasons Why Star Trek Needs To Bring Sybok Back
It’s Now Or Never
The most obvious reason that Strange New Worlds needs to bring Sybok back for an episode or two (maybe even a major story arc) is that the show has been canceled. Sure, it’s a slow cancellation: Strange New Worlds just began its third season, and it will end after Season 5. But that final season will be an abbreviated one that only has six episodes.
In other words, unless Sybok pops up this season, only one and a half seasons are left to bring him back. And Strange New Worlds leads directly to the era of The Original Series, with Captain Kirk commanding the Enterprise.
The famous character played by William Shatner (who might be coming back to Star Trek) knew nothing about Sybok until The Final Frontier, meaning he never even heard about Spock’s half-brother during that famous five-year mission.
Long story short? It’s now or never to bring back this controversial character. That’s especially true because Picard’s cast helped The Next Generation take a bow; future Trek prequel shows will likely focus on The Original Series, and it would be nearly impossible for Sybok to come back in the upcoming Discovery spinoff Starfleet Academy.
Better Character Development For Spock
The famously stoic Spock wasn’t always driven by pure logic. Earlier in his life, he was more affected by his emotions, and Strange New Worlds has had a field day exploring this. And it’s on full display whenever we get scenes (sometimes entire episodes) focusing on the sexual tension between Spock (who is engaged to another woman) and Nurse Chapel (who is destined to end up with someone else).
Clearly, the Strange New Worlds writers are interested in developing Spock’s character. What better way to challenge him and make him grow than to make Ethan Peck’s Spock (an actor who nearly became Captain America, by the way) confront his maniacal half-brother?
If nothing else, the Vulcan having to fight his super-emotional brother (perhaps to save the woman he loves) would explain why he has embraced logic over emotion so fully by the time of The Original Series.
Spock would likely be mortified by his own blood threatening those he cares about. As an added narrative bonus, that would neatly explain why he never said anything about Sybok to anyone, including his best friend, Captain Kirk. Honestly, his family tree is more confusing than the MCU, a universe where Star Trek canonically exists (read more about that here).
Sybok Would Have Priceless Interactions With the Crew
Generally speaking, Strange New Worlds has kept things much lighter than other NuTrek shows like the perfectly cast Discovery. That said, the show repeatedly puts our characters through the emotional wringer.
Captain Pike knows that he is destined to get horrifically mutilated, for example, and M’Benga is haunted by memories of the Klingon War. La'an Noonien-Singh, meanwhile, has the dual trauma of being a Gorn survivor and the descendant of Khan, one of Earth’s most hated villains.
What does this have to do with Sybok? Well, his gimmick in The Final Frontier (back before Star Trek tried to copy Marvel) was to use his Vulcan telepathic abilities to make people confront their worst traumas; in turn, the now-healed people willingly joined his wacky crusade, and he amassed a small army in this fashion.
How cool would it be to see Sybok trying to take over the Enterprise by converting traumatized characters to his cause, forcing Spock to lead non-brainwashed officers as they retook the ship?
This single plot would develop Spock’s character, heal our favorite heroes of their trauma, and redeem Trek’s most-hated villain by giving him one last, epic story.
Dr. Chris Snellgrove is a staff writer who joined The Direct in 2025. He is a veteran entertainment writer who has written for a number of national outlets and reputable sites, with his hot takes on movies and TV shows reaching millions of fellow nerds. When he's not busy reading comics and watching the latest in superhero smackdpwn cinema, he loves to cosplay his favorite fandoms at conventions throughout America.
