Actor Paul Wesley reacts to being cast as Captain James T. Kirk in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 2. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is one of many Star Trek shows from Paramount+, this being a spinoff of Star Trek: Discovery, which follows the journey of Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount), who commands the U.S.S. Enterprise in the early years before it changed hands to Captain Kirk. The show is said to be a prequel series to the original show, Star Trek: The Original Series, which starred William Shatner as Captain Kirk (and continued into the feature films). Strange New Worlds will also star Rebecca Romijn as Number One and Ethan Peck as Spock, both of whom were introduced in Discovery.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 1 is set to debut this May, but Paramount+ put in the order for season 2 just ahead of the premiere and have already begun production. It was announced today that actor Paul Wesley would be joining Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 2 as Captain James T. Kirk, officially taking over the role on the TV side and supplementing Shatner's portrayal in prequel form. Actor Chris Pine currently plays Captain Kirk in the Kelvin timeline for the feature films and is expected to reprise the role for Star Trek 4, which is set to release in 2023.
Now, Wesley has taken to Twitter to share his reaction to the casting announcement, saying that he was "deeply humbled and still a little startled" to have the opportunity to play Captain Kirk on Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. The actor said that he has been a fan of Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry's world since he was a kid. Wesley also revealed that he recently met the original Captain Kirk, William Shatner, on a flight to L.A., which he believes was not just a coincidence. The two "Captains" chatted, and Wesley was able to get a picture with Shatner, which he shared in the post. Take a look at his full reaction below:
For those unfamiliar with Wesley, the actor has been working steadily in Hollywood since 1999, appearing in a slew of TV roles. He started off on the soap opera Guiding Light and graduated to a multitude of well-known shows, including Everwood, Army Wives, 24, The Vampire Diaries and, most recently, in the CBS All Access original, Tell Me A Story. It's unclear how involved his role will be in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 2, but seeing as Paramount+ appears to be committed to expanding the Star Trek property in features and streaming, there's plenty of room for the role to grow.
Wesley is only the third actor to play James T. Kirk in live-action, making it a significant achievement, both for the actor and the franchise. While Pine will likely continue on as the feature film version of Kirk, there's no reason Wesley's version couldn't co-exist, especially since they're both from different timelines altogether. It will be interesting to see how Wesley plays Kirk, who is traditionally strong, heroic, brash, and often playfully mischievous. How much (or how little) Wesley retains or replicates from Shatner and Pine will be of great interest, as well as how the actor puts his own stamp on the character as he enters Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 2.
Source: Paul Wesley