Can the guy who has been everything Trek — Jeffrey Combs — become Pike’s doctor?

Unless you’ve been stranded in the Delta Quadrant recently, then you are aware that CBS All Access is bowing to fan pressure, and will produce Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. As soon as the Coronavirus-caused lockdowns fade, CBS will begin shooting the Discovery spin-off in Canada, which will star Anson Mount as Captain Christopher Pike, Rebecca Romijn as Number One, and Ethan Peck as Spock.

While this version of the Enterprise “trinity” has been cast, what about the supporting roles? If you watch the The Cage, which was Pike’s first appearance in Trek, and The Original Series’ pilot, then you know there were more than just three people on the bridge of the Enterprise.

One character that stood out — besides Jeffrey Hunter’s Pike ad Leonard Nimoy’s Spock — was Dr. Phillip Boyce, played by John Hoyt. The doctor spent a few moments with Pike, playing more of an easy to talk to bartender rather than a physician.

Thanks to Twitter’s Andorian Soup, fans are now chatting up the possibility that Jeffrey Combs returning to the franchise to portray Dr. Boyce.

A tweet, which makes an interesting connection.
A tweet, which makes an interesting connection.

For those who don’t know, Combs is almost like the Forrest Gump of Star Trek. He’s appeared on multiple series in a variety of roles. Nine roles, that is, including the villainous Weyoun from DS9 and the Andorian Shran from Star Trek: Enterprise.

While fans are all a-flutter to see Combs become part of the Enterprise’s crew as Dr. Boyce, Combs himself does not seem so sure.

Even though Combs tried to tamp down expectations, and what the fans can really do, as far as casting goes, the movement seems to be on. Some think that Combs does not want the part, but he’s quick to end that also.

Is that true? Is Combs just playing his cards close to the chest now? As we’ve all seen, the fans are responsible for Strange New Worlds, so say CBS Trek Czar Alex Kurtzman. Could the fans effect the outcome of casting decisions on a new series that they helped to create?

We certainly hope so!

The other point is that Kurtzman and company may recast Pike’s crew completely, which might mean there would not be many of the characters on The Cage. We may see a different doctor, one who served with Pike before Boyce.