You Probably Missed Star Trek Setting Up An Original Series Villain Turnn

In its fifth episode, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3 sets up the dark future of Dr. Roger Korby (Cillian O'Sullivan). In its third season on Paramount+, Strange New Worlds continues to lean into its connections with Star Trek: The Original Series, re-introducing characters who first appeared on that show.

Cillian O'Sullivan's Dr. Korby made his debut in Strange New Worlds season 3, episode 2, "Wedding Bell Blues," as the new beau of Nurse Christine Chapel (Jess Bush). While that episode revealed how Chapel and Korby met and fell in love, his next appearance in episode 5, "Through the Lens of Time," focuses more on Korby's career in archeological medicine.

Roger Korby's first canonical appearance came in Star Trek: The Original Series season 1, episode 7, "What Are Little Girls Made Of?," which introduced him as Nurse Chapel's fiancé. In that episode, the Enterprise travels to Exo III in search of Dr. Korby, who had gone missing several years before. But the Korby they find is not quite the same one Chapel fell in love with.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Set Up Dr. Roger Korby Becoming A TOS Villain

"Through the Lens of Time" Reveals Hints Of Korby's Darker Side

In Star Trek: The Original Series' "What Are Little Girls Made Of?," the Korby (Michael Strong) on Exo III creates an android duplicate of Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) and sends him to replace the real Kirk. Nurse Chapel (Majel Barrett) notices Korby's strange behavior, eventually leading to the revelation that Korby, too, is an android.

In Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3, episode 5, Korby and the Enterprise visit Vadia IX in search of evidence of a highly advanced ancient civilization that may have discovered the secret to immortality. Throughout the episode, Korby expresses his mistrust of Starfleet, worried that they will not handle the mission properly.

After Ensign Gamble (Chris Myers) suffers a horrific injury while exploring the ancient temple found on the planet, Korby wishes to continue the mission. While Korby is certainly not malicious, he prioritizes his search for knowledge over the safety of the landing party. Korby's actions hint at his darker side, which later comes out through the android in TOS.

Korby believes that science or technology that could "prevent our consciousness from fading" exists in the universe. Lt. Spock (Ethan Peck) expresses skepticism about Korby's methods, worrying that he "neglect[s] to take the proper precautions." This conversation in Strange New Worlds foreshadows Korby's appearance in TOS, by which time he has transferred his consciousness into an android body.

The Tragedy That Happens To Dr. Roger Korby In Star Trek: TOS Explained

According To TOS, Korby Doesn't Have Much Time Left

As revealed in Star Trek: The Original Series, Roger Korby led an expedition to Exo III, the homeworld of an ancient race known as "The Old Ones," around the year 2261. Sometime after arriving on the icy planet, he got severe frostbite, but lived long enough to discover underground caverns full of ancient technology that allowed him to transfer his consciousness to an android body.

The human Dr. Korby died the same year he arrived on Exo III, but his consciousness survived in the android for around five more years. Although the android insisted it was the same as the original Korby, he had a cruel disregard for human life, prompting Chapel to reject him. In the end, the android Korby killed himself along with his android companion.

Unless Star Trek: Strange New Worlds alters Korby's timeline, his trip to Exo III takes place within the same year as "Through the Lens of Time." This suggests that the so-called Old Ones are the ancient race Korby has been searching for, and that his search for immortality will lead him on a doomed expedition sooner rather than later.