Star Trek Meets The Muppets Episode Cut R-Rated Elements From Orion Story (Exclusive)

Published Aug 21, 2026, 8:09 PM 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, Episode 5 - "Level-Five Transporter Accident"Rachael Harris and Joe Lo Truglio, the special guest stars in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' puppet episode, describe the riskier, R-rated elements of their performance that were left on the cutting room floor. Harris and Truglio play Orion pirates, who capitalize on the crew of the USS Enterprise being turned into puppets and attempt to hijack the starship. Rachael's Captain Ch'Rol is the leader of her band of marauders, with Joe's henchmen, Ejachi, her willing subordinate. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' puppet episode touches upon the Orions' hierarchy, where women are dominant, and men are subservient. Image credit: Paramount+ In an interview with ScreenRant's John Orquiola, Rachael Harris and Joe Lo Truglio discuss how their Orion pirates were written and what the duo, who are veteran comic actors, brought to Ch'Rol and Ejachi on set. Truglio reveals that they were allowed to improv and "amplify the kind of dominatrix-submissive relationship between the two," knowing that it wouldn't make it into the episode. Read Joe's quote below: Joe Lo Truglio: Well, I suggested to Rachel, and she was really receptive to it, that we really enhance and amplify the kind of dominatrix-submissive relationship between the two. And you know, the script was terrific, and some of that was there. But I'm like, let's really kind of work that. And they were kind enough to let us improv some stuff, which we understood probably wasn’t going to make it into the show, and didn't really. And it shouldn't have. It's the Muppets in Star Trek. But it did help us inform each other. Just being able to have that back and forth, it really helped the performance." Harris also described her approach to portraying an Orion pirate captain, and playing with the tropes that a male actor would bring to the role. Read Rachael's quote below: Rachael Harris: “I know what it's like to be a woman that's in charge, but to really look at the role reversal of the way it's been in our world… I should say that in this universe [Orion culture], men are subservient to the women. It was great to just embody [an Orion captain] like a man - how did a guy talk through this? - and dive in there. So that was really exciting. And it was great to be part of a story that was so indicative of how progressive and on the edge Star Trek always is with its ideas, its social issues. And to be part of the Orion Pirates, where, in that community, there is a flip-flop of gender roles, was also what made it really special for us to be part of." When Lieutenant Spock (Ethan Peck) is captured by the Orions, he and Ejachi have an illuminating conversation where the pirate offers the over-stressed Vulcan a form of therapy. Ejachi extols the virtues of the Orions' female-led society, where if Captain Ch'Rol tells him to do something, Ejachi just does it. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' puppet episode doesn't delve too deeply into the Orions' male-female dynamics, since it is a family-friendly hour featuring puppets, after all. Yet the subtext is there in the interplay between Ch'Rol and Ejachi. Joe Lo Truglio saying that they pushed the envelope further on set, knowing it wouldn't make it into the episode, is eyebrow-raising. Orions were first seen, in the form of an Orion slave girl, in Star Trek's original, rejected pilot, "The Cage." For decades, the Orion slave girl was the symbol of the green-skinned race. It wasn't until Star Trek: Enterprise that the Orions were revealed to be a female-led culture, which was further explored by Star Trek: Lower Decks and its Orion Starfleet Officer, Lt. D'Vana Tendi (Noel Wells). Of course, The Muppets have always had a subversive element to their antics, which is why Jim Henson's creations play at another level for adults than it does for children. Harris and Truglio are also coups as guest stars, as both have impressive resumes in comedy. Rachael is perhaps best known as the beleaguered Dr. Linda Martin in Lucifer, and Joe was the hapless Detective Charles Boyle in Brooklyn Nine-Nine. Rachael Harris and Joe Lo Truglio's Orion pirates prove to be the perfect villains for Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' puppet episode, and both actors' reactions to the cuddly, felt Enterprise crew are priceless. Meanwhile, there's more going on beneath the surface between Ch'Rol and Ejachi than audiences saw in the episode. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 4's puppet episode is now streaming 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 Franchise(s) Star Trek Creator(s) Akiva Goldsman, Alex Kurtzman, Jenny Lumet