Star Trek: Strange New Worlds teased the arrival of Carol Marcus, and the right actor to play Kirk’s girlfriend could already be on Discovery.

Carol Marcus could be part of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3, and the perfect actress to play Lt. James T. Kirk’s (Paul Wesley) girlfriend may already be in the cast of Star Trek: Discovery even though viewers have yet to see her. Introduced in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, Dr. Carol Marcus (Bibi Besch) was once in a relationship with Admiral James T. Kirk (William Shatner). Carol is the mother of Kirk’s son, David Marcus (Merritt Butrick), who was tragically killed by Klingons in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock.

Although she is a pivotal figure in Kirk’s life, Carol Marcus’ only canonical appearance in Star Trek‘s Prime timeline was in The Wrath of Khan. In Star Trek Into Darkness, set in the J.J. Abrams’ alternate Kelvin timeline, Carol Marcus was played by Alice Eve. In that reality, Carol came aboard the USS Enterprise to stop her evil father, Admiral Alexander Marcus (Peter Weller), and she did not have a relationship with Captain James T. Kirk (Chris Pine). However, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is a prequel set in the Prime timeline where Lt. James T. Kirk revealed to Lt. La’an Noonien-Singh (Christina Chong) that he has a pregnant “on again/off again” girlfriend named Carol. This teased that Carol Marcus could appear in Strange New Worlds season 3, although who would play Dr. Marcus is not yet known.

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Strange New Worlds’ Perfect Carol Marcus Actor May Be Star Trek: Discovery’s Annabelle Wallis

Annabelle Wallis is the voice of Zora on Discovery

Annabelle Wallis is a perfect actress to play Carol Marcus on Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, and she already has a Star Trek on Paramount+ connection. Wallis is the voice of Zora, the USS Discovery’s sentient and empathetic supercomputer, on Star Trek: Discovery. Wallis debuted as Zora in 2018’s Star Trek: Short Treks episode “Calypso”, and she resumed as the voice of Zora starting in Star Trek: Discovery season 3 after the series jumped to the 32nd century. However, Annabelle Wallis, who is an immensely talented and charismatic British actress, isn’t being utilized to her full potential merely voicing a computer on Star Trek: Discovery, and she would be ideal stepping into a live-action role as Carol Marcus on Strange New Worlds.

Annabelle Wallis starred in Peaky Blinders and the horror films Annabelle and Malignant. Continuing Wallis’ Star Trek pedigree, she has already worked directly with Star Trek executive producer Alex Kurtzman. Annabelle starred in 2017’s The Mummy, which Kurtzman directed, opposite Tom Cruise and Sofia Boutella in the title role. (Boutella also played Jaylah in Star Trek Beyond.) Kurtzman’s Secret Hideout production company wouldn’t need to look far to cast Annabelle Wallis as Carol Marcus in Strange New Worlds. Wallis, who is 39, could easily play a younger Carol, just as 40-year-old Paul Wesley plays Lt. James T. Kirk in his late 20s. Annabelle Wallis stepping into the Carol Marcus role previously played by Bibi Besch and Alice Eve is logical.

How Carol Marcus Fits Into Strange New Worlds Season 3

Carol can upend Lt. James T. Kirk’s world

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds introducing Carol Marcus would provide the pivotal backstory for herself and Lt. James T. Kirk that will resonate decades into the future in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. The new First Officer of the USS Farragut, Kirk is already focused on his rapidly rising Starfleet career while feeling pangs of guilt about Carol, who is pregnant with their son. Strange New Worlds is in a prime position to depict why Carol chooses to raise David by herself and asks James to stay away. Carol joining Strange New Worlds also creates an intriguing love triangle between herself, Kirk, and Lt. La’an Noonien-Singh.

Carol Marcus is also the genius behind Project Genesis and the Genesis Device, which was completed (if fatally flawed) in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. Strange New Worlds could detail why the galactic problems of hunger and overpopulation were so important to Carol that she spearheaded Genesis’ terraforming technology to solve them. Most importantly, the actor cast as Carol Marcus has to be self-assured, fiercely intelligent, and capable of not only holding her own with the talented cast of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds but also putting James T. Kirk in his place. Annabelle Wallis perfectly suits the bill.