Who Are Star Trek's Lanthanites & Are They Really Immortal?
The risk with making a prequel series to a long-established series is treading in old territory. In Season 2 of "Stark Trek: Strange New Worlds," the show avoids this by introducing a new race with interesting applications.
"We just got into a discussion as a writer's room about what would be an interesting, very different energy to throw into our cast... So we had this idea about a race of people who lived among humans for thousands of years unknown to us," co-showrunner Henry Alonso Myers reflected in an interview for Paramount+. They decided to introduce a Lanthanite, Pelia, played by critically acclaimed actor, Carol Kane. While not truly immortal, the Lanthanites can live indefinitely and were exactly the type of character the show was looking for. After the departure of the original chief engineer, Hemmer (Bruce Horak) the team wanted a different energy added to the crew of the Enterprise.
"Here's someone who never really has to face their mortality. How would you see life differently if you were that person?" This question gets answered almost as soon as Pelia is brought on board. After teaching engineering at the Academy for so many years, she needs a change of pace. She confesses to Spock (Ethan Peck) that living almost forever has one drawback: boredom. What she doesn't get into is how long almost forever really is.
Lathanites may be as fragile as the rest of us
Morality is a relevant theme in "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds." From the onset, one of the Enterprise's best captains is painfully aware of his future. After seeing a vision of his death 10 years in the future, Captain Pike (Anson Mount) struggles with his ability to lead his ship. These themes continue with the death of Hemmer and the appearance of Pelia. Contrary to the shortened lifespan of Earth-based humans, Pelia is thousands of years old. But that doesn't make her — or the rest of the Lanthanites — immortal. Immortality implies not being able to be killed, and Pelia doesn't appear to fit that definition.
By telling Spock that she can live basically forever it seems that Lanthanites only have an extended lifespan. As any red shirt can tell you, dying on Star Trek is likely. Any time someone in a red uniform lands on a planet's surface, they are the most likely to perish. And perhaps that is what Pelia finds so attractive about her newfound position as chief engineer. Now, out of the safety of the classroom, she can be free to live an exciting life. Being aboard the Enterprise means that every day is an adventure, and every mission offers certain dangers. This reality could be refreshing for a character who has lived thousands of years with no reprieve.