Why Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 4 Episode 8’s Guest Star Admiral Looks So Familiar
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.
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Warning: SPOILERS for Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 4, Episode 8 - "Orders of Magnitude"A familiar film and TV legend guest stars as a Starfleet Admiral in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 4, episode 8. Directed by Sharon Lewis and written by Alan B. McElroy, "Orders of Magnitude" is another baptism of fire for Lt. Commander James T. Kirk (Paul Wesley), who learns the truth about his father, Lt. George Kirk, and has his morality tested by a domineering and disturbed flag officer.
In Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 4, episode 8, the USS Enterprise is commandeered by Admiral Simon Reeger (Joe Morton) while Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount) is off-ship. Reeger is a Klingon War hero whose exploits aboard the USS Constitution are so legendary, even Lt. La'an Noonien-Singh (Christina Chong) is excited to serve with him. The truth about Reeger is darker, however.
It doesn't take long for Admiral Reeger to reveal that he's hellbent on revenge against a cloaked enemy vessel that massacred five million United Federation of Planets citizens, including his wife and daughters. Reeger is willing to kill five thousand innocent lives on Argus II if it means destroying his prey. Lt. Commander Kirk, Reeger's First Officer, puts his Starfleet career on the line to stop Star Trek's newest 'badmiral.'
Joe Morton Plays Admiral Simon Reeger In Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 4 Episode 8
Joe Morton plays Admiral Simon Reeger in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' "Orders of Magnitude." For sci-fi fans, Morton is an icon for his role as Miles Bennett Dyson in Terminator 2: Judgment Day. Dyson was the 'father' of Skynet, but fought alongside Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton), John Connor (Edward Furlong), and the T-800 to stop Skynet from being 'born' in James Cameron's classic sequel.
In the DC Extended Universe, Morton is best known for playing Dr. Silas Stone, the father of Cyborg (Ray Fisher) in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Justice League, and Zack Snyder's Justice League. Joe's other sci-fi credits include his starring role as Henry Deacon in Eureka, Brother From Another Planet, guest spots in The X-Files and Smallville, and playing Houston Brooks in Godzilla: King of the Monsters.
One of Joe Morton's greatest TV roles is in Scandal, where he played Eli Pope, the sinister father of Olivia Pope (Kerry Washington). Although Strange New Worlds is Morton's first time appearing in Star Trek, Joe guest-starred in A Man Called Hawk, the Spenser for Hire spinoff headlined by Avery Brooks, who went on to play Captain Benjamin Sisko on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.
Admiral Reeger taking command of the USS Enterprise evoked when Captain Edward Jellico (Ronny Cox) led the USS Enterprise-D in Star Trek: The Next Generation's "Chain of Command." Reeger clashing with Kirk, his First Officer, echoes how Captain Jellico found resistance from his First Officer, Commander Will Riker (Jonathan Frakes).
Will Admiral Reeger Return In Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 5?
The story between Admiral Reeger, Lt. Commander Kirk, and Dr. Joseph M'Benga (Babs Olusanmokun) was left open-ended, hinting that Joe Morton could reprise Reeger in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' fifth and final season. After all, Kirk drugged the Admiral's coffee with cordrazine, but M'Benga took the fall to protect James. Reeger also admitted to sidelining the career of James' father, Lt. George Kirk.
Stardate 47988.1 · Crew Assessment
The Final Frontier
Trivia Challenge
🚀ShipsEnterprise!
⭐CrewMake it so
☠EnemiesResistance is…
⚡TechWarp speed!
📖LoreLive long…
01
The USS Enterprise is the most iconic starship in science fiction. What is the registry number of Captain Kirk’s original Enterprise from The Original Series?
✓ Correct! NCC-1701 is the registry of Kirk’s original Constitution-class Enterprise. The “-D” suffix belongs to Picard’s Galaxy-class ship, NX-01 is Archer’s Enterprise, and NCC-74656 is Voyager.
✗ Red alert! The answer is NCC-1701. Kirk’s original Constitution-class Enterprise carried this now-legendary registry. NCC-1701-D is Picard’s Enterprise from TNG, NX-01 is Captain Archer’s, and NCC-74656 belongs to Voyager.
02
Kirk’s most trusted officer is a half-human, half-Vulcan science officer famous for his logic and iconic salute. Who is this legendary character?
✓ Correct! Mr. Spock, played by Leonard Nimoy, is the half-Vulcan science officer whose “Live long and prosper” salute became a cultural icon. His struggle between logic and emotion defines the heart of the Original Series.
✗ Red alert! The answer is Spock. Data is an android from TNG, Tuvok is Voyager’s Vulcan tactical officer, and Sarek is Spock’s Vulcan father. Only Spock is the half-human, half-Vulcan first officer of Kirk’s Enterprise.
03
Starfleet’s most important regulation forbids interference with the natural development of alien civilizations. What is this guiding principle called?
✓ Correct! The Prime Directive (also known as General Order 1) is Starfleet’s most sacred law. It prohibits interfering with less-developed civilizations — though Kirk, Picard, and Janeway have all famously bent or broken it when lives were at stake.
✗ Red alert! The answer is the Prime Directive. While “General Order One” is technically another name for it, the Prime Directive is the universally known term. The Omega Directive and Temporal Accord are separate, more specialized Starfleet protocols.
04
“Resistance is futile.” This chilling declaration belongs to a cybernetic collective that assimilates entire civilizations into its hive mind. What is this fearsome species called?
✓ Correct! The Borg are Star Trek’s most terrifying villains — a hive-mind collective that forcibly assimilates species and technology. Captain Picard was famously assimilated and transformed into Locutus in the landmark TNG episode “The Best of Both Worlds.”
✗ Red alert! The answer is the Borg. The Dominion is the Gamma Quadrant empire from DS9, the Romulans are a rival empire, and Species 8472 is actually one of the few species that the Borg themselves fear. Only the Borg declare “Resistance is futile.”
05
Captain Jean-Luc Picard commands the Enterprise-D in The Next Generation and later received his own series, Star Trek: Picard. Which acclaimed actor portrays him?
✓ Correct! Sir Patrick Stewart brought gravitas, Shakespeare, and Earl Grey tea to the captain’s chair for seven seasons of TNG, four films, and three seasons of Star Trek: Picard. His “Make it so” is one of TV’s most iconic catchphrases.
✗ Red alert! The answer is Patrick Stewart. William Shatner plays Captain Kirk, Avery Brooks is Captain Sisko on Deep Space Nine, and Scott Bakula captains the NX-01 Enterprise. Only Sir Patrick Stewart portrays the legendary Jean-Luc Picard.
06
Starfleet vessels travel faster than light by bending space around them using a matter-antimatter reaction. What is this propulsion system called?
✓ Correct! Warp Drive is the standard faster-than-light propulsion in Star Trek, powered by dilithium-regulated matter-antimatter reactions. Zefram Cochrane invented it in 2063, which led to humanity’s first contact with the Vulcans.
✗ Red alert! The answer is Warp Drive. Transwarp is an advanced Borg technology, Slipstream is an experimental quantum drive, and the Spore Drive uses mycelial network navigation (from Discovery). Standard Starfleet vessels use Warp Drive.
07
At Starfleet Academy, cadets face a notorious no-win scenario designed to test their character under impossible circumstances. James Kirk is the only cadet who ever beat it — by cheating. What is this test called?
✓ Correct! The Kobayashi Maru is an unwinnable rescue simulation that tests how cadets handle certain death. Kirk reprogrammed it so he could win — earning a commendation for original thinking. It was memorably featured in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.
✗ Red alert! The answer is the Kobayashi Maru. The Corbomite Maneuver is a TOS episode, not an Academy test. The Kobayashi Maru is the famous no-win scenario that Kirk defeated by reprogramming the simulation — because he doesn’t believe in the no-win scenario.
08
In the widely regarded greatest Star Trek film, a genetically enhanced superhuman from Earth’s past seeks revenge against Captain Kirk. “KHAAAAN!” Who is this iconic villain?
✓ Correct! Khan Noonien Singh, played by Ricardo Montalbán, is Star Trek’s greatest villain. First appearing in the TOS episode “Space Seed,” he returned in The Wrath of Khan (1982) for a devastating revenge plot that cost Spock his life.
✗ Red alert! The answer is Khan Noonien Singh. General Chang is a Klingon from Star Trek VI, Q is TNG’s omnipotent trickster, and Gul Dukat is DS9’s Cardassian antagonist. Only Khan inspired Kirk’s legendary scream across the cosmos.
Mission Complete Your Starfleet Record
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Are you an Admiral — or still a cadet on deck-scrubbing duty?
"Orders of Magnitude" never clarified who or what the cloaked enemy ship was that Admiral Reeger was chasing. The mystery adversary escaped the USS Enterprise, which forebodes its likely return in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 5. This phantom menace could be the Big Bad of Strange New Worlds' final season.
Admiral Reeger will likely have Dr. M'Benga court-martialled for conspiring to declare Reeger medically unfit for command, so this story can't be over, and odds are Joe Morton will reprise Reeger. While the worst of Reeger reared its ugly head, the Admiral was under the influence of cordrazine, and there was a grey area as to whether Simon would've gone through with his plan to massacre Argus II.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 4 is filled with great guest stars, including Dave Foley, Rachael Harris, Joe Lo Truglio, Rhys Darby, and even Diedre Hall. Joe Morton is one of the best and most memorable, adding Simon Reeger to Star Trek's list of Starfleet Admirals who turned bad for reasons that only they feel are justified.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 4's new episodes stream Thursdays on Paramount+
- Release Date
- 2022 - 2027-00-00
- Network
- Paramount+
- Showrunner
- Henry Alonso Myers, Akiva Goldsman
- Directors
- Dan Liu, Amanda Row, Maja Vrvilo, Akiva Goldsman, Dermott Downs, Eduardo Sánchez, Jeffrey W. Byrd, Jonathan Frakes, Jordan Canning, Leslie Hope, Valerie Weiss, Sydney Freeland, Christopher J. Byrne, Rachel Leiterman
- Writers
- Onitra Johnson
-
Captain Christopher Pike
-
Spock
- Franchise(s)
- Star Trek
- Creator(s)
- Akiva Goldsman, Alex Kurtzman, Jenny Lumet
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