Where Are Bones McCoy & Sulu In Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’ “Tomorrow’s Enterprise”?

Published Sep 25, 2026, 8:00 AM EDT

John Orquiola is a New & Classic TV Editor, Senior Writer, and Interviewer with a special focus on Star Trek. John has over 5,000 published articles at SR, and he has interviewed the biggest names in Star Trek on the red carpet and VIP events, among other beloved shows, movies, and franchises.

Warning: SPOILERS for Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 4 Finale - "Tomorrow's Enterprise"

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 4's finale showed Captain James T. Kirk's (Paul Wesley) USS Enterprise, but Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy and Lieutenant Hikaru Sulu were nowhere to be found. Directed by Chris Fisher and written by Henry Alonso Myers and Robbie Thompson, "Tomorrow's Enterprise" made Lieutenant Nyota Uhura (Celia Rose Gooding) the bridge between two Starship Enterprises one year apart.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 4's finale, "Tomorrow's Enterprise," saw the present and future Lieutenant Uhuras switch places between Captain Kirk and Captain Christopher Pike's (Anson Mount) USS Enterprises. Uhura had to solve the mystery of an anomaly inside a white and black hole to save Scotty (Martin Quinn), whose accidental death creates a divergent future timeline.

Captain Kirk is at ease commanding his starship in "Tomorrow's Enterprise," and key members of his crew are in their proper place, from his Science Officer and Number One, Commander Spock (Ethan Peck), to Nurse Christine Chapel (Jess Bush) in Sickbay. Uhura is also the Communications Officer, as she should be. However, Dr. McCoy and Lt. Sulu are missing, and there is a logical reason why.

Where Bones McCoy & Sulu Are In Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’ “Tomorrow’s Enterprise”

Before Scotty's disappearance in "Tomorrow's Enterprise's" future timeline, because the Chief Engineer died a year earlier, Montgomery and Uhura discussed the state of Sickbay en route to their shuttle. Scotty and Uhura say that Dr. Joseph M'Benga (Babs Olusanmokun) is staying on Vulcan, and they expect Dr. "Bones" McCoy to take over as Chief Medical Officer.

Dr. Phil Boyce (Brian Markinson) is CMO on Captain Kirk's Enterprise, working alongside Nurse Chapel. However, given what Scotty and Uhura said, Boyce is merely acting Chief Medical Officer, and McCoy will officially take over soon. Uhura and Scotty's dialogue implies that Bones is already serving aboard the Enterprise. Perhaps the doctor is on shore leave or merely off duty, which explains his absence from "Tomorrow's Enterprise."

Meanwhile, there was no mention of Mr. Sulu at all in "Tomorrow's Enterprise," and there was an unnamed helmsman on the bridge. "Tomorrow's Enterprise" did reveal that Captain Pike's former helmsman is now Captain Erica Ortegas (Melissa Navia) and took a teaching position at Starfleet Academy.

In reality, Bones and Sulu don't appear in "Tomorrow's Enterprise" because the roles weren't cast yet. McCoy and Sulu were officially cast when Star Trek: Strange New Worlds was greenlit for season 5. As Strange New Worlds' filming series wrapped before Christmas 2025, Paramount+ announced that Thomas Jane was cast as Dr. McCoy and Kai Murakami will play Mr. Sulu.

Captain Kirk’s USS Enterprise Crew Will Be Complete In Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’ Series Finale

Image via Paramount+

Captain Kirk's USS Enterprise crew will be complete when he officially takes over the starship in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' series finale. This will be Thomas Jane and Kai Murakami's first and only appearance as Bones McCoy and Sulu, as they formally join Kirk's crew when he launches the Enterprise's next five-year mission, which marks the beginning of Star Trek: The Original Series.

Ensign Pavel Chekov (Walter Koenig) doesn't join Star Trek: The Original Series until season 2. However, Lieutenant Gary Mitchell (Gary Lockwood) is named by Captain Kirk as already part of the Enterprise crew, and the Caitian officer named M'Ress from Star Trek: The Animated Series is also aboard.

It's important to distinguish that "Tomorrow's Enterprise" isn't the actual future of Captain Kirk's Enterprise. It's a possible future, and this borne out by the timeline, since it's only one year in the future. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 4 takes place in 2262, but Kirk isn't supposed to become Captain until 2265. Similarly, Pike becomes an Admiral in "Tomorrow's Enterprise's" future, but he's only a Fleet Captain in Star Trek: The Original Series' "The Menagerie."

However, "Tomorrow's Enterprise" can be considered as a backdoor pilot of sorts, and a proof of concept for Star Trek: Year One, executive producers Akiva Goldsman and Henry Alonso Myers' proposed spinoff about Captain Kirk's first year in command of the Enterprise. Although Paramount+ is unlikely to greenlight the spinoff, "Tomorrow's Enterprise" is a persuasive argument for how good Star Trek: Year One could be with Paul Wesley's Captain Kirk in the lead role.

Strange New Worlds season 5 will premiere in 2027 on Paramount+, probably in the summer like the previous four seasons. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' fifth and final season will only be six episodes, but audiences will have to wait until the series finale to finally see Thomas Jane's Dr. McCoy and Kai Murakami's Mr. Sulu take their places aboard Captain Kirk's Starship Enterprise.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 4 is streaming on Paramount+

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  Captain Christopher Pike

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  Spock