Ken Foree plays an unforgettable role in one of the great movies ever made, the George A. Romero classic Dawn of the Dead (get it HERE) – so it’s nice to hear (as reported by our friends at Bloody Disgusting) that the makers of the Paramount+ series Star Trek: Strange New Worlds decided to pay tribute to Foree in their recent, unexpected zombie episode! In the third episode of Strange New Worlds‘ third season, the crew of the starship Enterprise ventured to a planet that was overrun by zombie-like creatures – and this planet was called Kenfori! The Ken Foree reference even made it into the title of the episode: Shuttle to Kenfori.
Word of the tribute quickly made its way to Ken Foree himself, who posted on social media, “I know this is out there, but I wanted to share this with you as well. It’s an honor and a privilege to have a planet named after me in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.“
In the third season of Strange New Worlds, “we reconnect with the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise, still under the command of Captain Pike, they face the conclusion of season two’s harrowing encounter with the Gorn. But new life and civilizations await, including a villain that will test our characters’ grit and resolve. An exciting twist on classic Star Trek, season three takes characters both new and beloved to new heights, and dives into thrilling adventures of faith, duty, romance, comedy, and mystery, with varying genres never before seen on any other Star Trek.” The series stars Anson Mount, Rebecca Romijn, Ethan Peck, Jess Bush, Christina Chong, Celia Rose Gooding, Melissa Navia, Babs Olusanmokun and Martin Quinn, along with guest stars Rhys Darby, Patton Oswalt, Cillian O’Sullivan, Melanie Scrofano and Carol Kane, plus special guest star Paul Wesley.
The series is produced by CBS Studios, Secret Hideout and Roddenberry Entertainment. Alex Kurtzman, Akiva Goldsman, Henry Alonso Myers, Aaron Baiers, Dana Horgan, Davy Perez, Frank Siracusa, John Weber, Chris Fisher, Rod Roddenberry and Trevor Roth serve as executive producers. Akiva Goldsman (Weed Road Pictures) and Henry Alonso Myers (HMRX) serve as co-showrunners.
I never thought I’d see a zombie episode of Star Trek, and now that there is one, I’m very glad they paid tribute to Ken Foree in the episode. Director Dan Liu and writers Onitra Johnson and Bill Wolkoff also worked in nods to Day of the Dead, The Last of Us, and Train to Busan.
What do you think of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds dropping a zombie episode into the mix and paying tribute to Ken Foree in the process? Let us know by leaving a comment below.