What's going on with Paul Wesley's James T. Kirk in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds? When Star Trek: Discovery season 2 introduced Anson Mount's Christopher Pike and his early Enterprise crew, it wasn't long before audiences become attached to these new (old) faces. Never ones to ignore a spinoff opportunity, Paramount green-lit Star Trek: Strange New Worlds as a series set between the Discovery's "destruction" in 2258 and the beginning of the Star Trek: The Original Series' timeline in 2265.
In a strong show of faith, Strange New Worlds has already been confirmed for a second season, and joining the cast in season 2 will be Paul Wesley as James T. Kirk. The Vampire Diaries actor inherits Star Trek's iconic yellow shirt from William Shatner and Chris Pine, boldly going into Kirk's third incarnation. Announcing Wesley's new Kirk so far in advance has taken the Star Trek faithful by surprise, and confusion is rife over his role in proceedings.
Is Kirk a captain in Strange New Worlds? What does his arrival mean for the Enterprise and Pike? Is another prequel retcon (the likes of which we saw plenty in Star Trek: Discovery season 1) on the cards? Here's what we know of Kirk's Strange New Worlds rank, and how that fits within Star Trek canon.
Is Kirk A Captain In Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 2?
It does appear that James T. Kirk has achieved the rank of captain in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. Paul Wesley is occupying the captain's chair of a Starfleet bridge in his official promo picture, and the gold bands upon his shirt sleeve are the same donned by Shatner's incarnation, denoting captaincy within Starfleet's hierarchy. Curiously, the badge Wesley's Kirk wears is the same Delta insignia as Pike's in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, which hints they both serve aboard the Enterprise (though the notion different badges means different ships is a debatable one). Kirk doesn't take command of the Enterprise until 2265, and it seems unlikely that Star Trek: Strange New Worlds will begin infringing on TOS territory as early as season 2. Does this mean Paul Wesley's Kirk takes after his Kelvin timeline counterpart and gets the Enterprise's top chair early, retconning established continuity? Possibly, but that doesn't seem the most likely explanation.
Kirk's badge in Paramount's official promo shot could be intentionally misleading. Set photos show Paul Wesley wearing the same shirt (and the same captain's sleeve insignia), but a completely different badge, which takes the form of a gold and black diamond. That means Kirk is a captain in Strange New Worlds, but not aboard the Enterprise... which begins to make more sense, especially since the promo shot's surrounding ship (albeit blurry) doesn't look much like Pike's bright and bold vessel.
James T. Kirk's fictional Star Trek backstory isn't as complete as you might expect from such an iconic character. Kirk joined Starfleet in 2252, and served as an ensign aboard the USS Republic upon graduating. Kirk then spent time as an instructor at Starfleet Academy before joining the USS Farragut as a lieutenant. Star Trek season 2's "Obsession" episode puts Kirk aboard the Farragut in 2257, but his movements between then and the Enterprise in 2265 are largely unknown, and Star Trek doesn't explicitly state onscreen whether the Enterprise was Kirk's first command. During the period Strange New Worlds takes place, it's feasible "Captain" Kirk was carving out his unique brand of leadership somewhere other than the Enterprise - either succeeding Garrovick on the Farrugut, or commanding a separate ship entirely.
Kirk commanding a smaller, less glamorous ship in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds wouldn't break established canon - but that doesn't mean his captaincy is safe from a retcon. To use a Star Trek: Discovery example, The Original Series never said Starfleet didn't build a ship capable of instantaneous teleportation across a network of mushrooms, but introducing spore drive technology still felt weirdly placed in the Star Trek timeline. By the same token, anything Captain Kirk does pre-Enterprise that rubs awkwardly against his TOS tenure will be picked up on - which is perhaps why Star Trek previously left any potential early commands vague. If Paul Wesley's Kirk can slot neatly into canon, he'll be a shrewd addition to Star Trek: Strange New Worlds; otherwise, it might be a case of "shut up, Wesley!"