Cast members of *Star Trek: Strange New Worlds* have confirmed that Bruce Horak's departure as chief engineer Hemmer was not his own choice but a deliberate creative decision designed to have maximum emotional impact on viewers. Speaking at Tampa Bay Comic Con, co-stars Christina Chong and Ethan Peck explained that Hemmer was written to be lovable specifically so that his death in the first season would resonate more strongly with the audience, confirming long-held fan suspicions about the character's shock sacrifice.

In the episode "All Those Who Wander," Hemmer is infected with Gorn embryos during an encounter with the hostile alien species and chooses to eject himself into space to protect the rest of the Enterprise crew from the creatures. Chong revealed the character was "designed to get everyone to love him and then kill him off for drama," while Peck noted Horak has since reappeared twice, as a hallucination in season two and as a singing Klingon in a musical episode, and hinted further appearances could follow. Hemmer, an Aenar from the Andorian homeworld, was eventually succeeded as chief engineer by Pelia, played by Carol Kane.