I’m Excited That Strange New Worlds Season 3 Will Finally Give This Star Trek Character Their Due

I'm excited about how one Star Trek: Strange New Worlds character looks like she's become more prominent in season 3. The highly anticipated Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3 premieres summer 2025 after its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival on June 14. Joined by special guest stars like Paul Wesley as Lt. James T. Kirk and Cillian O'Sullivan as Dr. Roger Korby, Strange New Worlds season 3 reunites the entire crew of the Starship Enterprise, including its snarky helmsman, Lt. Erica Ortegas (Melissa Navia).Lt. Erica Ortegas is a character created for Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. Though inspired, in part, by a character named José Ortegas, who morphed into José Tyler (Peter Duryaa), in Star Trek's original pilot episode, "The Cage," Erica Ortegas is an original character surrounded by Star Trek legacy names like Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount) and Lt. Spock (Ethan Peck). Ortegas competes for screen time with Strange New Worlds' expansive cast, but Melissa Navia makes every moment with Erica shine. Audiences are so taken with Erica that the hashtag #Mortegas was coined to demand more stories about Lt. Ortegas.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 3 Will Have More Lt. Erica Ortegas

#Mortegas Is Happening In Season 3

Encouragingly, Lt. Erica Ortegas is all over Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3's teaser trailer. Erica appears to be integral to Strange New Worlds season 3's genre-bending episodes, like the Hollywood murder mystery whodunit directed by Jonathan Frakes and the 1950s sci-fi parody, where Ortegas is at the helm of an old-timey spaceship commanded by Paul Wesley's Captain Kirk. Erica also has comedic moments with a telephone when the Starship Enterprise goes analog in an episode directed by Valerie Weiss.

Lt. Erica Ortegas still has so much backstory that Star Trek: Strange New Worlds can reveal. Erica is a veteran of Star Trek: Discovery's Klingon War, and she is old friends with Nurse Christine Chapel (Jess Bush). Ortegas also shares a witty repartee with Captain Pike that begs exploration, and Erica is nonplussed by the imposing Spock and Number One (Rebecca Romijn). Lieutenant Ortegas is primed for more stories about the most daring pilot in Starfleet, and it looks like Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3 is poised to deliver.

Ortegas’ Popularity Shows Why She’s A Great Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Character

Lt. Erics Ortegas Captured Fans' Imaginations

Lt. Erica Ortegas was given the stage in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 2, episode 4, "Among The Lotus Eaters," although it wasn't quite the full spotlight episode other characters have received. Yet Erica showed her true grit when she lost her memory. Even in a state of tabula rasa, Ortegas rose to the occasion, and her innate courage, skills as a pilot, and heroism came to the fore as Erica saved the Starship Enterprise. This only made Erica's fans crave #Mortegas even further.

Another reason for Lt. Erica Ortegas' popularity is Melissa Navia herself. A charismatic performer on-screen, Navia is not only kind and gracious to Star Trek fans, but she is also an inspiration. Melissa's partner, Brian Bannon, passed away in 2021, and Navia has been open about processing her grief, opening a dialogue with others who have endured similar tragedies. Melissa Navia would never spoil what's to come in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3, but more Lt. Erica Ortegas at the center of the action is something to look forward to.