Warning: SPOILERS for Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Episode 9 - "All Those Who Wander"
The shocking death of a major Chief Engineer, Lt. Hemmer (Bruce Horak), who sacrificed himself to keep his friends safe from the Gorn growing inside him.
Hemmer beamed about Pike's Starship Enterprise at the end of Strange New Worlds episode 1 but it wasn't until the second episode that he met Cadet Nyota Uhura (Celia Rose Gooding). Uhura became the blind but extremely capable and exacting Aenar's most crucial relationship aboard the Enterprise. Hemmer took a special interest in the young Cadet and schooled her in both Engineering and in life lessons. In turn, when Hemmer was injured in the cargo bay during an attack by the Gorn in Strange New Worlds episode 4, "Memento Mori," Uhura applied everything Hemmer taught her to help save the day and her mentor's life, to boot. In Strange New Worlds episode 9, Hemmer continued to counsel Uhura about her intention to leave Starfleet before the landing party fell under siege by murderous baby Gorn. Tragically, Hemmer was infected by Gorn bile, which is how the reptiles plant their eggs to gestate in their host. Knowing he was doomed, the noble Aenar committed suicide, secure that he fulled his purpose: "To fix that which is broken."
Hemmer's tragic death leaves behind a void that must be filled because the USS Enterprise now needs a new Chief Engineer. Could this mean that Scotty will the Enterprise as Chief Engineer in Star Trek Strange New Worlds season 2">Scotty becomes the Enterprise's Chief Engineer when James T. Kirk (William Shatner) takes over as Captain of the Enterprise in 2265. However, there's nothing in canon that would technically prevent Scotty from coming aboard the Enterprise years earlier in order to replace Lt. Hemmer. Indeed, Scotty's future crew mates like Uhura, Spock (Ethan Peck), Nurse Christine Chapel (Jess Bush), and Transporter Chief Kyle (Andre Dae Kim) already serve on the Enterprise in Strange New Worlds.
It's also possible that Strange New Worlds season 2 won't cast Scotty (yet) and will, instead, create a new character to become the Enterprise's Chief Engineer. The position could even become Strange New Worlds' version of how Hogwarts hired a different Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher in every Captain of the USS Discovery rotated throughout Star Trek: Discovery seasons 1-3, cycling between Captain Gabriel Lorca (Jason Isaacs), Captain Pike, Captain Saru (Doug Jones), before Captain Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) finally took permanent command of the 32nd-century starship.
Hemmer was a fascinating character who, unfortunately, didn't receive a spotlight episode detailing his history. The grumpy Aenar's death is certainly a loss for Strange New Worlds, which did a better job of giving a main character a heroic demise than Star Trek: The Next Generation season 1 did when Lt. Tasha Yar (Denise Crosby) was killed off. Time will tell whether Strange New Worlds will replace Hemmer with Lt. Commander Montgomery Scott, and who will play the Scottish engineer. But whether it's Scotty or not, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds may introduce its new Chief Engineer as soon as its season 1 finale.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' Season 1 finale streams Thursday, July 7, on Paramount+.