star trek strange new worlds samuel kirk

George Samuel Kirk

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George Samuel "Sam" Kirk, Jr. was a male Human scientist and Starfleet sciences division officer who lived during the mid- 23rd century .

• 1 Early history
• 2 Starfleet career
• 3 Civilian career
• 4.1.1 George Kirk Sr.
• 4.1.2 James T. Kirk
• 4.2.1 Christopher Pike
• 4.2.2 Spock
• 4.2.3 Una Chin-Riley
• 5.1 Neutral Zone incursion
• 5.2 Alternate 2259
• 6 Key dates
• 7.1 Appearances
• 7.2 Background information
• 7.3 Apocrypha
• 7.4 External links

Early history [ ]

George Samuel Kirk, Jr. was born the son of George and Winona Kirk in Riverside , Iowa on Earth . ( SNW : " Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow ") He was the brother of famed Starfleet Captain James T. Kirk ; who believed he alone called his brother by the nickname "Sam". ( TOS : " What Are Little Girls Made Of? ") Unknown to James, however, George was frequently referred to as "Sam" while serving aboard the Enterprise in the late 2250s . ( SNW : " Children of the Comet ", " Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow ")

Kirk, along with Winona and James, spent the majority of James' childhood chasing George Kirk, Sr. from one posting to another, to the point that James and Sam barely saw the man. When James asked Winona why they never saw George Sr., she told James that "he's helping people who really need it." ( SNW : " Lost in Translation ")

By 2259 , Kirk was married to Aurelan and they had three sons , including Peter . ( TOS : " What Are Little Girls Made Of? ", " Operation -- Annihilate! "; SNW : " Strange New Worlds ")

Starfleet career [ ]

Kirk served as a Starfleet officer , like his father and brother; he had attained the rank of lieutenant junior grade by 2259.

On stardate 2259.42, Kirk reported to the USS Enterprise as a member of the life sciences department under the command of Lieutenant Spock . ( SNW : " Strange New Worlds ") He worked primarily in one of the ship's science labs as a xenoanthropologist . ( SNW : " Lost in Translation ")

On stardate 2912.4, Kirk was assigned to the landing party to the comet C/2260-Quentin to determine how to stop it from hitting the planet Persephone III . Kirk himself was injured but was transported back to the Enterprise with the landing party where he received proper medical attention. ( SNW : " Children of the Comet ")

By stardate 1943.7, Kirk had recovered from his injuries. ( SNW : " Lift Us Where Suffering Cannot Reach ")

On stardate 2510.6, Kirk was involved in the landing party to investigate why the USS Peregrine had crash-landed on Valeo Beta V . He was notably stressed by the threat posed by the Gorn that had infiltrated the downed vessel. Following their rescue from the incident, Kirk attended the funeral of Chief Engineer Hemmer and the other crewmen lost. ( SNW : " All Those Who Wander ")

During a mission to Bavali Station to get the new deuterium refinery up and running, Kirk welcomed his younger brother James aboard the Enterprise . Kirk would assist James and Nyota Uhura in identifying the existence of extradimensional lifeforms that existed within the deuterium found in Bannon's Nebula , and the threat that processing that deuterium would pose to them. Following the mission, Kirk considered writing a paper on the subject, a prospect James called "thrilling." ( SNW : " Lost in Translation ")

Kirk would volunteer to take part in a mission to rescue survivors of a Gorn attack on Parnassus Beta . Kirk recognised his shortcomings during his previous encounter with the Gorn and wanted to make amends, as well as gather useful information on the Gorn species and their weaknesses. Based on Montgomery Scott's description of coronal mass ejections in the nearby Shangdi system, Kirk theorised that the Gorn may have been responding to the solar flares in a similar way to locusts . ( SNW : " Hegemony ")

Civilian career [ ]

In 2265 , Sam saw James off when the captain began a five-year mission of exploration in command of the Enterprise . Also saying farewell were Aurelan and their three sons. On this occasion, Sam mentioned that he wished to be transferred to the Earth Colony II research station . ( TOS : " What Are Little Girls Made Of? ")

The following year , Sam was working as a civilian research biologist living with his family on Deneva ; his private transmitter was designated GSK 783 .

A short time later, vessels from Ingraham B arrived carrying flying parasites , and many of the colonists, including Sam, were attacked and infiltrated by the parasites . Resisting the parasites' control was excruciatingly painful, but in early 2267 , eight months after the Ingraham B vessels arrived, Aurelan managed to break the long communication blackout and get a brief distress call out to the Enterprise .

By the time the ship arrived, Sam was dead ; his wife died soon after. Their son, Peter, lived and was ultimately freed of the parasites. ( TOS : " Operation -- Annihilate! ")

Relationships [ ]

George kirk sr. [ ].

While he was the elder son and had been named after George (though he did not use the name), Sam felt his father held "old-fashioned" views on what made a fulfilled life and successful career, which were reflected more by James than Sam. This instilled a sibling rivalry in Sam, perhaps moreso than his younger brother. ( SNW : " Lost in Translation ")

James T. Kirk [ ]

Sam and James Kirk hugging in an alternate 2266

Sam was the older brother of James T. Kirk , who was the one who gave Sam his nickname. When James was given command of the USS Enterprise , he, along with his family, were present when James left on his five-year mission. ( TOS : " What Are Little Girls Made Of? ")

Their relationship did experience signs of strain at times; Sam expressed feelings of jealousy towards James' quick rise through the ranks. In 2259 , James had become the first officer on the USS Farragut , the youngest in Starfleet history, a record previously held by their father. Sam felt James' ambition and brash attitude reflected badly on him. ( SNW : " Lost in Translation ")

An alternate timeline version of George Samuel Kirk described his brother as a "huge pain in the ass, but he's as fine a captain as Starfleet has." ( SNW : " A Quality of Mercy ")

Friendships [ ]

Christopher pike [ ].

Samuel Kirk and Christopher Pike

Kirk and Christopher Pike met sometime prior to 2259 and became friends. In fact, prior to the mission to Kiley 279 , Pike personally wanted Kirk aboard the Enterprise as a crewmember. ( SNW : " Strange New Worlds ")

During the briefing prior to his first away mission, Pike commented on liking Kirk's new mustache , prompting Kirk to suggest that Pike might want to try one on himself. ( SNW : " Children of the Comet ")

When Kirk reacted emotionally to the Gorn hunting the landing party on the USS Peregrine , Doctor M'Benga suggested to Captain Pike that he be given a sedative. Pike refused him, stating his belief that Kirk was "stronger than he looks". ( SNW : " All Those Who Wander ")

Kirk served under Spock in the life sciences department aboard Enterprise ; upon being introduced by Captain Pike, Spock's initial reaction was less than enthusiastic. ( SNW : " Strange New Worlds ")

Kirk's tendency to eat (and therefore leave dirty plates and crumbs) during departmental meetings was a source of frustration for Spock; when his Vulcan DNA was temporarily removed following an encounter with the Kerkhovians , he angrily lunged at Kirk, who was bewildered by the scale of his overreaction. ( SNW : " Charades ")

Una Chin-Riley [ ]

Kirk held a great deal of respect for Una Chin-Riley , as he described her to his brother as "the first officer that he thought James should be like," someone who kept a necessary distance from her crew because she knows she has to make hard decisions. ( SNW : " Subspace Rhapsody ")

Alternate timelines [ ]

Neutral zone incursion [ ].

Lt. George Samuel Kirk in an alternate 2266

In an alternate timeline , Sam was still serving aboard the USS Enterprise in 2266 during the Neutral Zone Incursion .

A time traveling Christopher Pike from 2259 consulted with Sam after learning that his brother was the captain of the USS Farragut . After James beamed aboard, he and Sam immediately shared a hug, warmly greeting each other. ( SNW : " A Quality of Mercy ")

Alternate 2259 [ ]

In an alternate 2259 , Sam had died due to unknown circumstances. ( SNW : " Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow ")

Key dates [ ]

• 2259 : Appointed to the life sciences department aboard the USS Enterprise
• 2265 : Sees brother James T. Kirk off on his five-year mission
• 2266 : Moves to Deneva
• 2267 : Dies after being infected by a flying parasite

Appendices [ ]

Appearances [ ].

• TOS : " Operation -- Annihilate! " ( Season 1 )
• " Strange New Worlds " ( Season 1 )
• " Children of the Comet "
• " Lift Us Where Suffering Cannot Reach "
• " All Those Who Wander "
• " A Quality of Mercy " ( alternate timeline )
• " Charades " ( Season 2 )
• " Lost in Translation "
• " Subspace Rhapsody "
• " Hegemony "

Background information [ ]

George Samuel Kirk was portrayed by Dan Jeannotte in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds .

Originally, the corpse of George Samuel Kirk was portrayed by William Shatner in his only non-James T. Kirk role (possessed or otherwise). According to the script for "Operation -- Annihilate!", " Sam is revealed, very definitely a Kirk… older by ten years than the captain, perhaps a little different in nose or jawline… but he looks too much like Jim Kirk to be anyone but his brother. "

Johnny , formerly George Samuel Kirk

George Samuel Kirk was to appear in 2009 's Star Trek (referred to in the film's script as "George Kirk, Jr." [1] ), where he would have been played by Spencer Daniels . Scenes featuring Daniels as Sam Kirk were filmed, but the character was entirely cut from the final release. The one remaining scene of Daniels playing Sam Kirk, in which Jim Kirk called out to him as he was driving past him in their uncle's (in the final cut, their stepfather's) Corvette , was altered to change the name of Daniels' character to " Johnny ", apparently a friend of Jim's.

George Samuel Kirk's deleted scene from 2009's Star Trek was available on Star Trek  the two-disc DVD release for the film , Star Trek  the three-disc Blu-ray release as well as the Blu-ray set Star Trek: The Compendium . In the scene, George ran away from home and his brother to escape the cruelty of their uncle Frank , finding it impossible to "be a Kirk" in Frank's household. He was also angered that Frank had claimed their late father's Corvette as his own. After George left, Jim found the keys to the Corvette and drove off in the car. As originally conceived, Jim drove by and called out to a shocked George, who had been trying to hitchhike.

Apocrypha [ ]

George Samuel Kirk appeared in the last chapter of Star Trek: Enterprise novel Last Full Measure , set in 2238 , in which an elderly Trip 's first visit to the Starfleet War Memorial coincided with that of young Sam and Jimmy Kirk, rendering the quiet reflection he had hoped for an impossibility. The scene established George's birthdate August 12, which was also when Federation Day was celebrated. However, according to "Echoes of Yesterday" in TOS Special 3 , George's birthdate was September 7, 2229 , and his death took place on April 13, 2267 . ("Operation – Annihilate!" originally aired on April 13, 1967)

George's two unnamed sons have been given many different names in various novels, comics and video games. The TOS novels The Last Roundup and Provenance of Shadows gives these boys the names Alexander and Julius. The novel The Autobiography of James T. Kirk calls them Joshua and Steven. The comic book Star-Crossed Part 2: Loved Not Wisely... calls them Brett and Robbie. The comic book story " Bloodline " calls them Marcus and Virgil. The comic story " The Unforgiven " calls them Adam and Jason. The photocomic " Sam " calls them George and Gregory. The video game Star Trek: Starship Creator calls them Stephen and Thomas. One of the sons was named Craig in the game Star Trek: Away Team .

A slightly altered version of George's deleted scene from 2009's Star Trek was found in the film's novelization . Among the scene's changes made for the book was George's revelation that Frank (who in a merger of the script and film characters the boys' stepfather, not uncle) wanted Jim to wash the Corvette, which had belonged to their late father, because he intended to sell it behind their mother's back - it was after hearing this that the decision to steal the car was made.

George Samuel Kirk of the alternate reality

The alternate reality George appeared in IDW Publishing 's Star Trek: Ongoing comic series, exploring events of the original series in the alternate reality, which clarified that the boys lived with their uncle until George ran away to live with his grandfather. This later led to a rift between the brothers, James feeling that George had abandoned their mother.

During their investigation of the neural parasites, Kirk and the crew discovered George living underground with his family to escape the influence of the parasites after their attack on the colony, with the Enterprise subsequently devising a means to banish the parasites and cure George's family, which here consisted only of his wife Aurelan and one son, Peter ( β ). At the story's conclusion, George and his family return to the colony, with George complimenting his brother's success, a degree of reconciliation having been reached between the two of them.

His mirror universe counterpart ( β ) was mentioned as being a Terran Empire scientist in the short story "The Greater Good" contained in the anthology Shards and Shadows . In 2263 , he was awarded the Zee-Magnees Prize for his work in precision frontal lobotomy. As he had no interest in a military career and his brother James T. Kirk had no interest in science unless he could manipulate it to make his life easier, neither brother had to worry about the other getting in the way of his career and having to be eliminated.

External links [ ]

• George Samuel Kirk at StarTrek.com
• George Samuel Kirk, Jr. at Memory Beta , the wiki for licensed Star Trek works

• More to Explore
• Series & Movies

Published Sep 25, 2023

Why Sam Kirk is the Best Kirk

Don't @- me; these are the facts.

StarTrek.com

While many parts of the web debate which iteration of James T. Kirk is the best Kirk, they all fail to recognize the George Kirks of the universe.

First, there's George Kirk, first officer of the U.S.S. Kelvin , under command of Captain Robau. As noted in " Lost in Translation ," he holds the distinction of the youngest Starfleet officer to hold the first officer position. And in the Kelvin Timeline, he's no short of a hero. As Captain Pike reminds a young James, "Your father was captain of a starship for 12 minutes. He saved 800 lives, including your mother's and yours," before challenging him with, "I dare you to do better."

However, we're here to make the case for George Kirk's first son — George Samuel Kirk .

A Memorable Mustache

Operation -- Annihilate!

Sam Kirk's first and only appearance on the Original Series was in "Operation -- Annihilate!" In that appearance, Kirk discovers his brother and Sam's family perished on a Deneva colony. Portrayed by William Shatner, the only distinction between James and Sam was a magnificent mustache.

Over five decades later, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds gives us a far better glimpse of James' older brother (portrayed by Dan Jeannotte), the first Kirk to serve on the U.S.S. Enterprise , under command of Captain Christopher Pike.

Speaking to StarTrek.com earlier this summer , Henry Alonso Myers, series' co-showrunner and executive producer, revealed, "James’ brother was initially just a one-shot of him being dead with a mustache on [in The Original Series]. We never knew anything more about them except some brief things, in some of the books. We wanted to take a moment, ‘Okay, he’s got a brother. What’s their relationship? Why is their relationship like this? What’s it like to be connected to the two of them?’”

His mustache is distinguished and captivating enough that Captain Pike praises him on it.

Close Friends with Christopher Pike

"A Quality of Mercy"

In the series' premiere, Captain Pike is pulled out of his self-imposed exile to command the U.S.S. Enterprise . His crew is complete with the arrival of Lt. George Samuel Kirk, a friend he elected as part of his crew.

Pike's a man who's a good judge of character. And if Sam's the Kirk he wants aboard the Enterprise , then that's reason enough that he's the Alpha Kirk.

Makes Spock More Human

"Charades"

If there's one surefire way to get Spock in touch with his more human side, it's to place him in the room with Sam Kirk.

One source of annoyance for the Vulcan science officer is bearing witness to Sam's crumbs during a sciences briefing. But can we blame the xenoanthropologist for being more preoccupied with the mission at hand rather than his empty plate?

Sam riles him up so much that his outburst prompts the other officers to hold him back as he attempts to lunge at him while firmly threatening, "Don't test me, Kirk! I will break you."

If you're questioning if Spock could really break Sam, just remember Pike's words to Dr. M'Benga in "All Those Who Wander," Sam is "stronger than he looks."

More than His Family Name

"Lost in Translation"

Not everyone is interested in the role of command, or following down a set path.

In addition to not using his father's name and going by "Sam," a fact that his younger brother refuses to believe, Sam dived full force into the sciences. "Old-fashioned ideas" about a successful career and fulfilling life, be damned.

When Jim visits him on the Enterprise , he can't help but mention how everything in the world of xenoanthropology is "new and exciting" while they catch up over drinks.

In fact, Sam thrives the most when he's in his research lab. When Uhura and Jim investigate what could be the source of her and a Farragut 's officer's mysterious visions, the first person they needed to speak to was the elder Kirk. Deeming it a fringe theory, Sam is completely in his element while explaining the possible behaviors of other species as they attempt to communicate. So much so, he plans to write a paper on their "deuterium friends."

No Thoughts, Just K-Pop Vibes

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds - Make Your Blood Scream (Garkog's Version)

After the Enterprise 's experiences a subspace anomaly that compels everyone to break out in song, Uhura believes she's found an end to the quantum improbability field. In that moment, they've discovered three K’t’inga -class battlecruisers in the area. Hailing the Klingons, they learn that the anomaly's musical effects have reached others outside of just their starship when the Klingons issue a pop-infused threat.

While others on the bridge are perplexed by the scenario, Sam Kirk is vibing, taking in and enjoying the Klingon pop performance. He's clearly a man of exquisite musical tastes.

Studying the Gorn with a Phaser

"Hegemony"

After one tragic run-in with the Gorn , it'd be understood if you never want to face the aggressive species again. However, that's not the case for the xenoanthropologist.

In " Hegemony ," Sam volunteers for a covert mission on Parnassus Beta following a Gorn attack. As the science officer states, he's ready to tackle his fears by “studying” the Gorn — with a phaser.

Unfortunately, Pike's landing party as well as hundreds of survivors on Parnassus Beta were taken and beamed aboard a Gorn destroyer.

Responsible for One of Star Trek 's Most Poignant Friendships

Fans eager to discover James T. Kirk and Spock's first meeting got their wish this summer in "Lost in Translation." What was the common ground that sparked one of the greatest friendships in the galaxy? Their mutual frustration with Sam, of course!

In the Enterprise 's mess, as James tries to explain Sam's outburst to an amused Uhura, Spock finishes the future captain's thought by simply stating that he's "frustrating." It's this mutual understanding that prompts James to invite Spock to join them at their table.

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Christine Dinh (she/her) is the managing editor for StarTrek.com. She’s traded the Multiverse for helming this Federation Starship.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds streams exclusively on Paramount+ in the U.S., U.K., Australia, Latin America, Brazil, South Korea, France, Italy, Germany, Switzerland and Austria. In addition, the series airs on Bell Media’s CTV Sci-Fi Channel and streams on Crave in Canada and on SkyShowtime in the Nordics, the Netherlands, Spain, Portugal and Central and Eastern Europe. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is distributed by Paramount Global Content Distribution.

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‘star trek: strange new worlds’ actor paul wesley on taking up captain kirk mantle in surprise finale appearance and what’s next.

William Shatner previously sent his well wishes when it was announced that Wesley was joining the Paramount+ series in the iconic role for season two.

By Ryan Parker

Ryan Parker

Former Senior Reporter

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[This story contains spoilers for Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season one finale, “A Quality of Mercy.”] 

Paul Wesley knew instantly that everything was going to work out. The universe was clearly telling him it was his time to play Capt. James T. Kirk — after all, who better than William Shatner to give his blessing?

It was announced earlier in the year that the Vampire Diaries star had been tapped to play Captain Kirk for season two of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds . But fans were in for a shock when Wesley made his debut as the iconic sci-fi character in the season one finale of the Paramount+ series this week in “A Quality of Mercy,” which is a brilliant mirror of the classic Star Trek: The Original Series episode “Balance of Terror.”

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And he did not disappoint, bringing a unique, enjoyable take on the iconic captain who was made a pop culture staple by Shatner and then introduced to a new generation in the J.J. Abrams film series, played by Chris Pine. And as fate would have it, Wesley randomly shared a plane ride with Shatner around the time his casting was announced. Obviously, some filming had taken place by that time for the secret season finale. Shatner then publicly gave his blessing to the new Kirk: “Keep my ship and crew safe, Captain! Congratulations!”

In a chat with The Hollywood Reporter prior to the season finale, Wesley explains how much he appreciated that kind gesture from Shatner and explores how he approached Captain Kirk, including the lesson he took from riding motorcycles.

Below, the actor also talks about how he landed the top-secret role and teases how season two will better flesh out the relationship between Kirk and his brother, Samuel.

The casting process was so secretive for others I’ve interviewed, so I can’t even imagine how locked down it was for you. Tell me about how this happened? 

It was so secretive! It happened so quickly that I thought it was a prank, because it was literally a call from my agent over the weekend saying, “Hey, do you want to do a quick Zoom with [showrunners] Akiva [Goldsman] and Henry [Alonso Myers] and casting directors?” I said, “Yeah, of course. Do you know what is this for?” And they were like, “It’s a character who is very iconic in Star Trek , just talk to them and see what happens.” So, we did this Zoom, and we all just had a great time. The episode had not been written yet, but they knew they wanted Kirk to come in. So, there was no material, it was just kind of a general conversation about everything you can imagine. And that was it. Then it was literally like, “You’re leaving next week.” ( Laughs .)

That’s wild. After you booked it, how did you go about developing your own iteration of such a classic sci-fi character? Did you want any vestiges from Mr. Shatner in this Kirk?

The most important aspect is to not do an imitation of something that is sacred. And obviously William Shatner’s interpretation of Captain Kirk has really touched people; it’s been important to people for a variety of reasons. I think the most important thing is to not do an imitation because it’s an insult to the character who is so iconic — and it’s a reminder that I’m not William Shatner. ( Laughs .) So, this is a version of Kirk we’ve never seen, and every episode is different.

Obviously, the season one finale is an alternate timeline that doesn’t exist, because it takes place in the future. He’s not captain of the Enterprise. He’s never met Spock, and he’s never had all those experiences. It’s a Kirk who has been shaped differently. So in the season finale, it really was open to interpretation. In season two, we meet a Kirk who we know better. I think the most important thing was to pay respect to the important pillars of his personality: His morality, his incredible instinct, his courage, his empathy towards others and how protective he is of his crew.

How was putting on that costume for the first time — overwhelming? Empowering? Mind-blowing?

( Laughs .) All of those words are pretty accurate. Television moves rapidly, and so even just sitting in the chair — I rewatched every TOS episode, trying to understand the posture or where to put my hands — really just feeling at home in this chair. I ride motorcycles and when you first get on a motorcycle, you don’t really understand how it moves, and you don’t really understand how to do nice, tight turns. You don’t feel comfortable. And it’s like that with the chair, how you’re just sitting there. That was one of the things that I needed to understand, so it felt like I had been sitting there thousands of times. And it’s like that in this outfit. I know this outfit; I feel at home in it.

We never saw much of Kirk’s brother, Samuel, in TOS other than Shatner briefly in a mustache, so it has been a lot of fun seeing more of him on SNW . Have you and Dan Jeannotte developed a nice bond? Will that relationship be explored more?

Dan is wonderful, and it was very easy for me to immediately have this kind of brotherly connection with him. I don’t know how to describe it. But with that said, we will explore this in future episodes, particularly in season two. I don’t want to tease too much, but there is a rivalry between the two of them because they’re quite different. There is competitiveness. They both want to impress their father and it’s hard when Kirk has achieved so much, so quickly. It’s hard for Samuel to be able to deal with that.

And finally, I knew fans flipped when Shatner gave you his blessing via Twitter after you two happened to fly together. I assume that does wonders for the nerves and any anxiety with stepping into Kirk’s shoes. How did you feel?

How classy of him. He didn’t have to do that. We did have a lovely conversation on the plane, but you know, he didn’t have to do that. He went out of his way to tweet “best of luck and congrats,” which really just meant so much. You can’t even imagine how much that meant to me. He hadn’t seen what we were doing, but gave me his blessing to enjoy this character. And for me, that meant everything.

Interview edited for length and clarity.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season one is streaming now on Paramount+ .

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Paul Wesley on His 'Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' Debut as Captain Kirk

He also spoke about about 'The Vampire Diaries' and the impact the franchise had on audiences.

Editor's note: The below article contains spoilers for the Season 1 finale of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. The Season 1 finale of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds delivered a lot of unexpected twists and turns as Captain Pike ( Anson Mount ) was given a glimpse into a future that could be, were he to alter the course of his destiny. With Pike avoiding his date with death, Captain Kirk ( Paul Wesley ) never became the captain of the USS Enterprise and instead moved up the ranks aboard the USS Farragut to become captain to an entirely different crew. Pike ultimately learns that by saving himself, he puts everyone he cares about at risk, forever altering the courses of their fates and inadvertently causing a deadly war with the Romulans.

After fans spotted Wesley on the set of Strange New Worlds Season 2 back in March, Paramount announced that the actor had been cast as Captain Kirk in the series, though most Trekkies assumed that he'd be beaming up to the series starting in the second season. Ahead of his debut as Captain Kirk, Collider had the opportunity to talk with Wesley in one of his first interviews since the announcement. In our 1-on-1 interview with Paul Wesley, he spoke about growing up with Star Trek , sitting beside William Shatner on a flight after being cast as Kirk, whether his Captain Kirk is more like Shatner or Chris Pine , his first day in the Captain's chair, what he can tease about Kirk in Season 2, and he discusses the end of The Vampire Diaries franchise and the impact it had on fans.

COLLIDER: First of all, I just want to say congratulations on being cast as Captain Kirk.

PAUL WESLEY: Thank you.

Star Trek was very much something that was part of my childhood. Was it something that you grew up with and were a fan of before the audition?

WESLEY: Yeah. It's funny, I was born in the '80s, so obviously I didn't watch it live, but I've always [been] someone who watches films and series from the '60s, the '70s. I enjoy it. I think there's something about it. There's something about the nostalgia of not having 18,000 streamers and a bazillion special effects artists. There's something about the purity of the shows that were created in the '60s and '70s.

I think that, for me, I watched Star Trek and I always envision myself watching it live and having a limited amount of television channels. We didn't have the same technology that we have now, and so it was really the most incredible form of escapism for people. It was a way for people to see. I love the title of this new series, Strange New Worlds , because it really is. It truly encapsulates what the show is about, which is about exploration. It's [a] space adventure. It's about this crazy little community of people that are exploring worlds, and that is really what this show is. I love that there's an optimism. Again, it's fun, but at the same time, there's a lot of meaning [and] there's a lot of metaphor. We get to analyze our own behaviors on planet earth through the actions of this crew.

RELATED: 'Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' Season 2 Casts Paul Wesley as James T. Kirk — See the First Image

I remember when you were cast back in March, you mentioned that you ran into William Shatner on a flight. Did you get any advice from him?

WESLEY: No, because I was still playing a little bit coy about it. I was under this sworn secrecy, NDA madness, so I wasn't able to be like, "Hey, so, as you know, I'm playing Kirk, give me the tips." I had to kind of tiptoe, and I had to really play it dumb in a way. I wanted so badly to just talk to him about it so openly and I [also] didn't want to bother him. He [had] literally just got back from space, and he was on this plane, and we happened to be sitting next to each other. I also didn't want to sit there and talk his ear off for four hours.

We talked a little bit, but it was really less about Kirk. I'm sure he's been talking about Kirk for the last however many years and I think it was really more about just sort of chatting. We've actually spoken before very briefly. He's a classy guy. When the announcement came out that I was playing Kirk, he tweeted, "Congratulations." I just thought that was such a classy move. He didn't have to do that at all.

Kirk is such an iconic character. You're now one of three people who have gotten the chance to play him. When you took on the role, were you aiming to emulate Shatner or Chris Pine, or did you approach this as a completely fresh character?

WESLEY: No. What William Shatner did is not touchable. You cannot mess with William Shatner. He created Captain Kirk. Period, end of story. For me to try to imitate William Shatner in any way would be, I think, an insult to Captain Kirk. Right? I think it's important to just understand who Kirk is, what his childhood was like, what he wants, what he doesn't want, what the pillars of his personality and his character traits that are important to the development of that character. With that in mind, you can then play and create your own interpretation, because it is. There's a different Spock, there's a different Uhura, there's a different everything. You have to just create your own things. You can't just do an imitation, because that would be too shallow.

I would say he's somewhere in between, because this is a younger Kirk. In the Season 1 finale, it's like an alternate timeline that really has never been done before, and so there's a little bit more room for interpretation. But as we get to know Kirk in Season 2, it's a younger Kirk, it's pre-Enterprise Captain Kirk. It's a little bit of that... He's a little bit more of that, I guess, in that Chris Pine world. But Chris Pine was the Kelvin. He's sort of in between all of it, but at the end of the day, it's a different Kirk. It's a different Kirk than we've seen. I think that was really the only way to do it, frankly. There's no other way.

You mentioned the finale. You get to be in the captain's chair. What was it like the first day you got to be on the bridge of the USS Farragut and got to sit in the captain's chair?

WESLEY: TV schedules are crazy, right? You don't get to prep for two months. It's daunting showing up on set [the] first day [like], "Oh my God, I got to sit in this chair that presumably I've been sitting in for, comfortably, hundreds and hundreds, if not thousands of times, and I'm sitting in it for the first time." It's like all of those things are just so pivotal, and so I was just trying to be as comfortable as possible, trying to get out of my head that I was playing Kirk. You just have to try your best to just get that out of your head, have fun, explore, because ultimately, the reason people fell in love with Captain Kirk is because William Shatner was having fun. He was using his instinct, he was charming, he got to do so many different things, and if he wasn't using his instinct, then using some of his own personality in that role, maybe people wouldn't have appreciated it as much. I think I really just wanted to be myself in some ways while paying respect to the character.

Season 2, we get to explore a little bit more of Kirk. The Season 1 finale is plot-driven, it's Pike's episode. I mean, it's Pike's show, let's be honest. But really, I am sort of part of this plot. It's a little less getting to know Kirk, and it's a little bit more about the dynamics between the two captains. It's about the action that's taking place. There's a lot at stake. Season 2, we get to have a little bit more of exploration, I think.

I'm sure you can't say much about Season 2, but we do get a tease in the finale of Scotty, which I was really excited about.

WESLEY: Isn't that great?

Are there any Original Series characters that you would love to see in Strange New Worlds ?

WESLEY: Well, the Gorn.

That's a good answer.

WESLEY: Right? Yeah. That's the most iconic. We'll see whether that comes to fruition.

Before we wrap up, I feel like I would be remiss not to at least cross the IP streams a little bit. Legacies just got canceled, bringing the end of The Vampire Diaries era on television. What is it like for you to be part of something that has had such a long-lasting, overarching reach for audiences? It's a lot in the same way that Star Trek has been around for so long. It's such an integral part of people's lives.

WESLEY: When I was first cast in The Vampire Diaries , we all knew that there were some special things there. We didn't know that we were going to create this universe. I had no clue there would be spinoffs, and I didn't know that these characters would become so iconic and that the series would become so iconic. I had done God knows how many pilots at that point, and you're just doing your best, hoping something sticks.

We put a lot of time and effort into The Vampire Diaries . I'm just glad it resonated with people. I think that show, particularly Seasons 1, 2, and 3, it's pretty high-level stuff. I know it was on the CW, so it's a little bit more like, "Well, it's Vampire Diaries, and it's these 'attractive young people biting each other in the neck.'" A lot of people think it's not for them, but at the end of the day, when people watch Vampire Diaries Season 1, 2, and 3, it's really pretty good stuff. I'm really proud of what we created. Who knows? Maybe there'll be another spinoff in the future. I certainly won't be a part of it, because at Vampire Diaries you don't age, and I do age, unfortunately. I can't play Stefan's dad. Nor do I want to.

But yeah, I'm grateful. It's a needle in a haystack. It's extremely rare as an actor to be a part of something that becomes a cultural phenomenon. To do that twice now, to play this character that has been such a huge part of people's lives, I feel very blessed to not only have been a part of creating The Vampire Diaries universe, but now to be jumping into this even bigger, more important universe in many ways with this iconic role. I don't know. Karmically. I feel quite blessed.

You can stream the entirety of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds on Paramount+. Check out Paramount's special bonus content about the finale below:

‘Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’ Star Paul Wesley Discusses Playing Captain Kirk for the First Time: ‘It’s Not an Imitation’

By Adam B. Vary

Adam B. Vary

Senior Entertainment Writer

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SPOILER ALERT: This story discusses major plot developments in the Season 1 finale of “ Star Trek : Strange New Worlds,” currently streaming on Paramount+.

One day in 2021, Paul Wesley got a call from his agents asking whether he would be interested in playing James T. Kirk, the iconic “Star Trek” character originated by William Shatner in the original “Trek” series from the 1960s.

“It was a lovely call,” Wesley says. “I told them that I had actually been neighbors with William Shatner, believe it or not, many, many years ago — pure coincidence. We just talked a little bit about ‘Star Trek,’ a little bit about Kirk. We hung up the phone and then the agents called and said, ‘Do you want to do this?’ And I was like, ‘What?!’ It happened that quickly. I really don’t know what to say.”

According to Myers, Wesley was cast after the production had already held “a bunch of auditions” to find the right actor to play Kirk. “We were looking for someone who had a combination of gravitas and fun and was sort of familiar and yet different,” Myers says. “Honestly, we tried a lot of people and he was the guy that we all agreed on who we felt could do it. And then when we talked to him, he really seemed to understand what the role entailed and what he could bring to it.”

After news broke in March that he’d been cast in the role, Wesley tweeted about meeting Shatner on a flight to Los Angeles following Shatner’s voyage into low Earth orbit on Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin space shuttle. “I’m not one who usually believes in fate but this was more than a coincidence,” Wesley tweeted . “So thanks Mr. Shatner for the good company.”

The episode leaps into an alternate timeline after Pike, who’s known that in the future he is horrifically injured and disfigured, attempts to avoid his fate. Suddenly, Pike jumps seven years into the future, and lives through what would happen if he survived and remained captain of the Enterprise. For one, he encounters Wesley’s Capt. Kirk, who now is leading another Federation starship, having never joined the Enterprise — or met Spock (Ethan Peck).

In what Wesley said was his first ever interview about the role, the actor discussed what it felt like to take on a character who has loomed so large in pop-culture for over half a century, why he felt it would be “blasphemous” to try to recreate Shatner’s performance, and why the Kirk of the “Strange New Worlds” Season 1 finale is different than the Kirk from the original series.

From your tweets about meeting William Shatner on that flight, I gather you’re a “Star Trek” fan. What pulled you into “Trek”?

You know, it’s funny. I was born in the ’80s, so it’s not like I grew up watching the original series live. With that said, I’ve always had an appreciation for films from the ’60s, ’70s. I always like to think of if I were watching that live in that era, and I think, “Holy crap, that was the first show that really gave people this sense of a bigger world out there.” And so when I watched the original series, even when I was younger, I still got that sense of awe, that sense of, Wow, how cool would it have been to see this live on television? It really was is this incredible form of escapism for many, many people. It offers this incredible sense of hope that I think people really need.

In your first meeting with the “Strange New Worlds” producers about playing Kirk, was there a sense yet of what kind of performance they were looking for, how they were going to recreate this character who had been played by the original actor in a very specific way?

I think one of the most important things that I said — well, they may have said it first and I entirely agreed — was that I think the biggest insult would be to do an imitation of what William Shatner originated and what people fell in love with. If I did that, it would just be a reminder that I’m not William Shatner. And that in a way it’s almost like an insult of character, right? I think William Shatner, when you watch the original series, he’s so incredibly charming. He has this incredible sense of leadership, but it’s done with this little twinkle in his eye that no one can quite describe. It’s what made him so famous. It’s what made that character so iconic, and it’s just not something you can easily replicate. That’s something that comes organic to the actor himself.

So what essence of Kirk as a character, separate from what Shatner was doing in his performance, did you want to capture?

A director I was working with on “Star Trek,” said, “Kirk’s the kind of guy that will jump off out of a plane without a parachute and he knows he’ll figure out a way to land midair.” Obviously, that’s an extreme example. But his instinct, his gut, is his North Star. It’s something that I really wanted to make sure that I captured. And then on top of that, he has incredibly good sense of morality. He is someone who I think is selfless for his crew. He’s someone that, even though he has his bravado, I think at the end of the day, he has a deep sensitivity, and he cares about doing the right thing. I think those are the pillars of Kirk, if I had to really pick apart the archetype.

In the Season 1 finale, we jump ahead in time and meet a Kirk who never becomes captain of the Enterprise and hasn’t ever met Spock. Did that affect your approach at all?   

Yeah. It was liberating. We can talk about it openly because the Season 1 finale is an alternate timeline. Kirk hasn’t been influenced by Spock, by Uhura. In many ways, he’s the same Kirk. But he’s not really the Kirk that we know, because he’s had a completely different life. So there’s room in Season 1 for exploration of Kirk in a different way. It allowed me to put less pressure on myself, at least for that particular episode.

You knew this would be the first time audiences would get to see you as Kirk, so what were you hoping to communicate within this alternate version of him?

It’s sort of an iconic moment for Kirk: He’s talking to Pike in the first scene, and then Spock interjects, and Kirk is intrigued by this man who said something that Kirk immediately flags as, that’s pretty sharp, that’s pretty wise. I want to capture that he recognizes, “Oh, that’s an interesting guy,” and they form a connection, even if it’s for a split second. Little Easter eggs like that. I wanted to capture a little bit of that bravado, but at the same time, that particular episode, there was a lot at stake there. There was less room to play with Kirk’s humor. There was some charm, but he was very mission driven in that episode, so we didn’t explore Kirk as much as we will in Season 2.

When Anson Mount, Rebecca Romijn (as Number One) and Ethan Peck (as Spock) were cast for Season 2 of “Star Trek: Discovery,” there was no sense yet that they would ever been in their own “Trek” spin-off. So has anyone talked with you about playing Kirk beyond “Strange New Worlds”? Do you expect to be playing Kirk for a long time?

Ultimately, I don’t know what their plans are. All I can say is that I’m really enjoying being a part of this storyline, because it’s a Kirk that we’ve never seen. This is a younger Kirk. It’s before he was fully developed as a man. I know we saw a little bit of that with Chris Pine in the J.J. Abrams films, but it wasn’t part of the original canon. That’s the Kirk we’re dealing with [on “Strange New Worlds”]. So anyway, I really don’t know.

Even if there’s not necessarily a long professional commitment, there is a certain cultural commitment that you’ve now made in playing Kirk. How does that feel, to be stepping into that tradition?

It feels amazing. First of all, I was part of a cult-y family, in a sense — I don’t mean cult in a bad way. I mean, a cult classic. You know, “Vampire Diaries” was obviously a different audience. It was much more younger skewing. It was a very successful show. We created our own fanhood — there was a real community that was built around it. There were multiple spinoffs.

It’s much smaller than the “Star Trek” world. But I know what it’s like to be involved in those worlds, in the spotlight, so to speak. And frankly, my goal after “Vampire Diaries” was to do something that took me out of that world in a way, because you don’t really want to be stuck in that world forever. As an actor, as an artist, as a person, you want to evolve. You want to try different things. So when this opportunity came along, I said, “Of course, I want to jump into it.” This to me feels like the next evolution for me as a man now. I’m in my late 30s. I want to go to that next phase. I don’t mean to demean “Vampire Diaries”; it’s awesome. But I mean, “Star Trek” feels like a more adult level of that. So I was very excited to move on to that next phase of my life.

So now that you’ve nearly wrapped Season 2 of “Strange New Worlds,” what can you say about what to expect?

I can’t talk about it too much, but man, I had such a blast on Season 2. The writing is so good. It’s so fun. Season 2 is where we get to really let loose and explore Kirk. I can’t wait for everyone to see it.

This interview has been edited and condensed.

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Screen Rant

Star trek’s 3 samuel kirks explained.

Three different characters related to Captain James T. Kirk have held the name Samuel Kirk in various iterations of the Star Trek franchise.

• Captain James T. Kirk's father, George Samuel Kirk, was a dedicated and accomplished Starfleet officer who prioritized his career over his family's needs.
• In the Kelvin Timeline, Lieutenant George Kirk heroically sacrificed his life to save others during a confrontation with Captain Nero's Romulan ship.
• Lt. Sam Kirk, James' older brother, appeared in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds as a xenoanthropologist who faced personal insecurities and fear but still stepped up to help in dangerous situations.

Throughout the Star Trek franchise, there have been three different George Samuel Kirks, the name held by both the father and brother of Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner/Chris Pine/Paul Wesley). Since his introduction in Star Trek: The Original Series , Captain Kirk has become one of the most iconic characters in all of science fiction. Due to the nature of television in the 1960s, most episodes of TOS told standalone stories. Because of this, not much information was shared about Kirk's past or his family unless it directly related to the story of the week.

The first George Samuel Kirk was the father of James T. Kirk and Samuel Kirk , and was not officially introduced until J.J. Abrams' Star Trek (2009), as portrayed by Chris Hemsworth. Named after his father, Samuel Kirk (Dan Jeannotte) did not become a fully realized character until Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, where he serves on the USS Enterprise commanded by Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount). The current television tradition of more serialized storytelling and more focus on franchise canon has allowed modern Star Trek films and television shows to dive deeper into the backstories and family histories of the characters.

10 Versions of Captain Kirk In Star Trek Explained

Lt. commander george samuel kirk in star trek’s prime timeline explained.

Kirk's father was a high standard to live up to.

In Star Trek's Prime Timeline, not much has been revealed about James and Samuel Kirk's father, George Samuel Kirk. George joined Starfleet because he truly believed in its mission , and he spent much of his time traveling around the galaxy away from his family. When James T. Kirk (Paul Wesley) was born, George and his wife, Winona, were living in Riverside, Iowa, but the family would often travel as George moved from posting to posting. George was incredibly dedicated to his Starfleet career, and he became the youngest Starfleet officer to achieve the rank of First Officer - a record that would later be broken by his son, James Kirk.

George Kirk's father (James and Samuel's grandfather) was named Tiberius, which is where James Kirk got his middle name.

As a child, James wondered why his father would choose to help strangers rather than spend time with his family, but James later came to see the importance of his father's career. James Kirk joined Starfleet because of his father, and followed in his footsteps , quickly climbing through the ranks. Sam, on the other hand, had different views about what made a successful career, and he preferred spending time in a science lab. Very little was learned about George or Winona Kirk over the course of TOS, and they did not get more fleshed out until J.J. Abrams' Star Trek in 2009 .

Lt. Commander George Samuel Kirk In J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek Explained

The kelvin timeline's george kirk commanded a starship for 12 minutes..

In Star Trek (2009), Lieutenant George Kirk was serving as the First Officer of the USS Kelvin under the command of Captain Richard Robau (Faran Tahir). When the Kelvin was called to investigate a singularity, they encountered the Romulan ship Narada commanded by Captain Nero (Eric Bana), which had traveled back in time from 2387. Despite Captain Robau's attempt to negotiate a ceasefire, the Narada continued to fire, eventually crippling the Kelvin. Left in command of the ship, George Kirk ensured everyone was evacuated, including his pregnant wife, Winona (Jennifer Morrison).

After the Kelvin's autopilot failed, George had to remain on board to prevent the Narada from firing on the escaping shuttles. George protected the shuttles and set the Kelvin on a collision course with the Narada. Although George was killed in the crash, he saved the lives of 800 people and disabled Nero's ship . Just before the two ships crashed, George spoke with his wife as she gave birth to their son, James. Because of Nero's disruption to the Prime Timeline, the James Kirk (Chris Pine) of the Kelvin timeline grew up without a father, never feeling the same pull to join Starfleet. In this timeline, it was Captain Christopher Pike (Bruce Greenwood) who encouraged James to enlist in Starfleet.

Lieutenant George Samuel Kirk In Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Explained

Everyone calls him sam..

Although the character of James' brother, George Samuel Kirk, was technically introduced in Star Trek: The Original Series , Lt. Sam Kirk did not appear alive on screen until Strange New Worlds . Played by Dan Jeannotte, Jim Kirk's older brother Sam served on the Enterprise of Captain Pike as a xenoanthropologist. Sam sometimes felt that he couldn't live up to the achievements of his younger brother, especially in the eyes of their father. Sam had an understandable fear of the Gorn but still volunteered to help rescue the survivors of a Gorn attack on Parnassus Beta in the Strange New Worlds season 2 finale .

William Shatner portrayed the already dead Samuel Kirk on TOS after flying parasites attacked his colony.

At some point relating to James T. Kirk becoming Captain of the Enterprise, Sam leaves Starfleet and accepts a civilian posting on a research station. By this point in his life, Sam was married to his wife Aurelan (Joan Swift), and had three sons, including one named Peter (Craig Hundley) who survived the parasite attack that killed his parents. In 2266, a visiting ship brought dangerous parasites to the station where Sam and his family lived. The parasites began attacking the colonists indiscriminately, killing Sam and mortally wounding Aurelan before she could get a distress signal out to the Enterprise. By the time Captain Kirk and the Enterprise arrived, Sam had already died, bringing a tragic end to his Star Trek story.

Star Trek: The Original Series

Star trek (2009), star trek: strange new worlds.

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Star Trek: Strange New Worlds EP Teases a ‘Totally Different Kirk’

Keisha hatchett, staff editor.

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Star Trek: Strange New Worlds , premiering this Thursday on Paramount+, will take viewers on a bold new adventure as Starfleet’s finest encounter new life while traversing the galaxy.

The episodic series enlists a number of characters from the original Trek series, including Captain Pike (played by Anson Mount), Spock (Ethan Peck), Number One (Rebecca Romijn) and Uhura (Celia Rose Gooding) — and future Enterprise captain James Tiberius Kirk ( Vampire Diaries ’ Paul Wesley ) will also appear, but fans will have to wait until Season 2 for a glimpse at the beloved character in action. So how will Kirk fit in with the Strange New Worlds crew?

“This is a science fiction show, so there are many ways in which a character can enter a story and exit a story,” Henry Alonso Myers, who serves as co-showrunner alongside Akiva Goldsman, tells TVLine. “We are absolutely in an era where [Kirk] is alive and present, and as much as we’re trying to tell the stories of how [Spock, Pike and Uhura] came to be the person that they become, there are other people who we also want to tell that story for.”

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The Kirk we’ll come to meet in the show might not be what fans expect. Myers is aware that people will have strong opinions about Wesley’s version of the captain-to-be, given Kirk’s lengthy history and reverential legacy within Star Trek canon.

“When people come to it, I’m sure they’ll have feelings about their own interpretations of the previous ones. We don’t want to deny those. We love all the Kirks that have existed,” he explains. “Our goal was to tell a story of this Kirk, in this time period, which is a totally different Kirk that has only been touched on in the Kelvin Universe,” played by Chris Pine in the J.J. Abrams-produced film trilogy. “We hope the fun of the show is telling the inner stories that they maybe wouldn’t have been told back then about younger versions of the characters who have yet to become who we know.”

Are you looking forward to Paul Wesley’s Kirk in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds ? Drop a comment below. 

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I’m confused. All the Trek TV Shows are supposed to be set in the same universe right? So if Wesley’s Kirk just a younger version of Shatner’s Kirk? Like Peck’s Spock is the younger version of Nimoy’s Spock.

With that theory, it’s safe to assume SNW takes place after Enterprise but before TOS, and as someone stated in the comments of a previous post about this show, after season 2 of Discovery.

Yes, the new series takes place after season 2 of Discovery and before season 1 of TOS…what’s confusing about that?

Everything you stated seems correct. If the part that seems confusing is the talk about “this version of Kirk,” I’m pretty sure they mean it on a more meta, storytelling level. Obviously, it’s the youngest we’ve seen Kirk in the TV timeline, and it’s not Shatner playing him. And it sounds like they’re not going to be obsessing over making the performance and personality match exactly (much like Peck’s Spock is more brash and emotional than Nimoy’s.) Though it’s entirely possible that this will be a Kirk from another alternate universe or some sort of alien doppelganger or something. It is Star Trek, after all.

Yes exactly. Thank you. And you are totally right about this possibly being a Kirk from an alternate universe or alien doppelganger.

Strange New Worlds depicts the Constitution-class Enterprise, NCC-1701, during the command of Captain Pike, which occurred from approximately 2251 to 2262 (at which point Capt. Kirk took command). . I’m not certain if the show will take place before or after the “Discovery” second season episodes that featured Pike and company, which occurred approximately in 2257. . “Star Trek: Enterprise” took place from 2151-2155, or about 100 years before “Strange New Worlds.”

I read in another article that it takes place a year after their adventure with Discovery.

They’re set in the same universe, but Strange New Worlds is being produced in a very different earth from the one that produced the original series. A Kirk who thought women were not suited to the captain’s chair, as he said in an episode of the original series, is a Kirk who would have never been admitted to Starlet Academy in today’s version of the Trek universe.

And you don’t cast Ethan Peck on a show and only give him a romance once every seven years.

No one working on the original series thought they were laying down a blueprint for the next 70 years of television and movies

Wearing my geek hat proudly here … the Vulcan pon farr does NOT mean that Vulcans can’t have “romance” off-cycle. It only means that every seven years they MUST!

This is Kirk before he was in command of the Enterprise. My prediction is that Strange New Worlds will run for several years. It will conclude with Pike turning over command to Kirk. Then the show will continue with Kirk and his crew. TOS ran 79 epiosdes and since it was a five year mission there are many stories left to explore.

The producers said that it exists in the classic Trek timeline, in an attempt to hold onto older fans. However, no. Discovery, Picard and SNW all take place within a new canon, created by the new producers. Do not approach any of these shows (even Picard) as a continuation of classic Trek canon, or you will be stuck in a constant loop of trying to explain how it can possibly make sense. Just go in fresh and pretend that nothing came before it, and you might have a chance of enjoying it.

Yes, they can claim it, but there are too many changes that require it to be hand waved away to work. Different looking Klingons, the fact that the Mirror Universe keeps playing a big part but no one records it so future crews are aware of it, etc, etc. They already made a new universe with the JJ verse, so I’m not sure why they’re so freaked out by another timeline. Other, than as you said, pandering to old fans. Heck, when they started Discovery I thought it was in the JJverse…but then they wanted to boost it by using all the old characters, so that went out the window.

The funny part is, old school fans would have been more open to the new shows and updated styles if they’d somehow integrated the alternate timeline idea, the way they did with the Kelvin timeline. I’m not a huge fan of those movies, but I can watch them without constantly pointing out how wrong they are. Meanwhile, I can’t watch Picard because it clearly doesn’t work with established canon and it ends up offending more than entertaining. Imagine if instead of an android, Soji was from the classic universe, trapped in this new timeline and pursued by someone who wanted her dead, and Dahj was her counterpart. It riffs on the Spock/Kelvin idea, but spins it in a new direction. It also allows known characters to be completely different people without violating what came before.

I agree. I’ve only seen clips and it turned me off. Also the writers seem to be putting more of their own issues into the writing and the show then the actual Star Trek universe; just a terrible tone and missing the mark of something timeless.

I guess this Kirk will be Captain of a different ship? He wont be Lt. Kirk on the U.S.S. Farragut?

The Enterprise was said to be Kirk’s first command. As a result, depending on when SNW is set, we’ll either see Kirk during the Farragut era, or just after that. . We don’t know much about the years after he left the Farragut… all we know is that at some point during that time, he was teaching at the Academy, and at one time, instructed Gary Mitchell. They could easily plug in some “Strange New Worlds” stories that occur during those years.

Didn’t some people see that Kirk had Captain’s stripes in SNW?

He could be a Captain but not assigned to a ship yet. We know he taught at the Academy at some point before taking command of the Enterprise. . It would be better if they made him a Commander . . . and anyway, he isn’t really supposed to know Pike. Uhura, M’Benga, and Chapel could all presumably know Pike, and those are characters they chose to use on the show. It’s a little harder to reconcile Scotty, Sulu, and especially Kirk knowing Pike before TOS season one.

I’m guessing they mean a Kirk that is acceptable to 2022 culture, which isn’t what fans want or have issue with.

There’s an IMDB listing for a Farragut Crewman in the finale of season one so I expect we’ll be seeing Kirk on the Farragut.

Kirk is actually more of an interesting character than the general Shatner-flavored-stereotype of him gives credit for. If you pay attention to the scripts during TOS he’s not just a man-whore who gets into fights too often, he’s also supposed to be a science genius and ex-academy teacher with a tragic past (as a kid he was one of a tiny number of survivors after the population of colony he was in were nearly all massacred by an evil eugenicist). And then there’s another terrible tragedy on the Farragut which either has or is about to happen in this show. So there’s plenty of stuff there to make him an interesting character that is already canon as well as the 1960s macho stereotype.

My only feeling about this new version of Kirk is that I’m tired of new versions of Kirk. There’s a reason why Next Generation introduced all new characters. It’s because it’s a universe big enough to support endless numbers of new people without continually rehashing the old as nostalgia bait. And with diminishing returns to go along with their watered down iterations. It’s The Orville is, at present, the best Star Trek show available.

Curious … when did you get tired of new versions of James Bond? Of Batman? Of Sherlock Holmes? Of Ebenezer Scrooge? I’ll admit that I was skeptical of new actors playing these roles, but I was won over by the Abrams cast (if not the scripts) and the Strange New Worlds ones as well.

The difference with all those characters you mentioned is that they were literary inventions first. Kirk is Shatner and anything else is a lesser iteration. Also, the worlds of Bond, Sherlock and so on, center around those characters. The Trek universe is much larger and not defined by Kirk as it’s centerpiece. None of these rehashes are necessary. (Hell, the second J.J. Abrams film was such a blatant rip-off of Wrath of Kahn that it was laughable.)

I don’t think there’s a whole lot of difference. There are many fans of James Bond and Sherlock Holmes who have never read the books.

As to the rehashes, as I noted, the writing was horrible, but the casting was mostly solid, and I had no problem accepting new actors in the established roles. I like these characters, and continue to be enthused by seeing their new stories.

I think I would have loved an 80’s Star Trek spinoff called, “Kirk”, or better yet “Shatner”. I wouldn’t mind a new show with another Captain Kirk or any Star Trek if it actually was like a Star Trek show and was good but all these Paramount+ Star Treks don’t feel like Star Trek and the writing seems bad, like fluff with writers who can’t seperate their own lives from the Star Trek universe and don’t know how to create classics like the old shows were.

I’m tired of all of those. Do something new.

Agreed. TNG jumped 70+ years ahead and used all new characters, without any relatives of known characters. When TOS characters appeared, it was an event, and TOS was respected as canon (even though fans and producers all knew that we’d come a long way since then). Fans were worried that TNG would disrespect TOS, but they were eventually shown otherwise. Modern producers seem to demand that we go along with them, rather than work to earn our trust in them. Oddly enough, The Orville overcame many of the same hurdles as TNG, but worked to prove itself.

I think Wesley will give an interesting interpretation of the character. There are those that didn’t get Chris Pine’s version and there were those that embraced it… it will likely be the same here. I liked Pine’s portrayal and I am a fan of Wesley, so I think I’ll enjoy it. Looking very forward to this show. Now, if they’ll move forward on the Michelle Yeoh spinoff, I’d be thrilled.

Any time line of Star trek is welcome!! If you want TOS, or TNG then re-watch those series. I am so excited for a bold new modern story to take us to the stars!

why does paramount feel it is mandatory to have at least 1 or more hatchet-headed/spike kyke/gender-mocking bozos in every new ST Show….

You mean… attractive, clean-cut men? That seems like a weird objection, and an entirely disproportionate amount of hate to put behind it.

Could you guys please stop strip mining our childhoods. Please. Thanks

I am excited about this. I guess we’ll see. One thing that keeps bothering me every time I see the picture above, is couldn’t they have found a uniform that actually fits Paul Wesley? It bunches up on him in all sorts of weird ways. Very strange.

Well. There is a huge opportunity to screw with Cannon once again. At the beginning of the Menagerie a season 2 part TOS episode, Commodore Mendez asks Kirk if he’s ever met Pike. He replies, “only onceat the transfer of command” when he took over the Enterprise. Any other interaction with Pike in season 2 completely screws up the history of trek. So, Kirk can meet, Chapel. Spock, uhura , m’Benga, just about anyone else but not Pike. Will the writers miss this point, most likely.

If there’s one thing Nu Trek doesn’t care about, it’s canon. They will ignore it whenever they think it best suits the story they want to tell.

Any time there is a new Star Trek, I’m excited to see what might transpire. TNG is still my all time favorite. I’ve read nothing but positive reviews for SNW. And, I’m really looking forward to seeing a different version of Spock. Ethan Peck did a great job on embodying his character on Discovery. :-)

So William Shatner’s groundsetting portrayal or Leonard Nimoy’s portrayal of Spock are no longer vaild? Those don’t count now? THESE are the definitive canon takes on the characters?

The performances can both still be valid, within the context of their own shows. The point is that something new can’t be overly shackled to what came before, especially when what came before is now over fifty years old. Sci-fi is all about guessing what the future will become, and those guesses change over time. This applies to people just as much as technology.

But if these shows are canon to The Original Series, TNG, DS9, Voyager, and Enterprise then by that very factor they have to be shackled by what came before in those 50 years! You have to be consistent with the canon Gene Roddenberry set up back in 1961 in order for the claims that this show is the gap between Enterprise and TOS they have to follow the canon and not mess with it! If they’re going to do their own thing, why not just say so?! Stay to the canon or do your own thing with the timeline like JJ Abrams movies did, don’t bait-and-switch like this… RESPECT THE CANON!

Back in the 90’s, shows like DS9 and Voyager had pretty high quality. TV had come a long way since TOS was produced. Technology had come a long way, and the way the future looked had changed a lot. However, the producers of those shows chose to honor TOS as part of its history. When they showed the Kirk era, it was Shatner’s Kirk. Some of it didn’t look as good, but the producers and the fans were in on the fictional world together. We embraced what came before, because it *was* what came before. Star Trek isn’t just about predicting what the future will look like, it is about telling stories within that specific universe, which was never *our* future. Constantly rebuilding the foundation of that universe weakens the whole structure.

Kirk sarà un personaggio nuovo, nuovo per come sarà interpretato. Non con il ruolo di cappa e spada della serie TOS o il capitano rampante di JJ Abrams, ma molto più introverso e, forse, più complessato, vista la giovane età. La serie mette curiosità e non vedo l’ora di vederla….. sarà, probabilmente e spero, meno psicologica della seconda stagione di Picard e dinamica e attiva come Discovery…. vedremo! Per il momento, lunga vita e prosperità!!!!

I loved all the older star treks. Even Enterprise, except the finale, was tied with Voyager as my favorite but these paramount+ Star Treks just look awful from the clips. Just shells of the older shows with a few remnants of the older shows. The writing just doesn’t seem good or and they seems to betray a lot of the Star Trek universe. Maybe I’m wrong but I don’t see Paramount Streaming existing for too much longer especially with the economy turning so bad. My parents gave me a bunch of their old Star Trek paperbacks a long time ago; I guess I’ll just read them if I want some new, “old” Star Trek. I was going to try the trial of paramount+ but I’m not sure that I will bother since they only have maybe two shows that I would probably watch.

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REVEALED – Strange New Worlds’ Secret Legacy Character!

The anticipation is building for Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’ premiere tomorrow. We’ve expected thrills and surprises since rave reviews began rolling in. Speculating about legacy characters turning up is nothing new. The reveal of Adrian Holmes ‘Admiral Robert April’ only intensified speculation. Who could be next? The answer to that question has now been revealed! Strange New Worlds’ Secret Legacy Character is someone we were not expecting, but let’s explore more!

MAJOR SPOILER WARNING

Please Don’t Read on if you don’t want spoilers! You have been warned!

An Old Face Beams Onboard!

We’ve had our eye on a distinctive, moustached crew member for a while. He makes a number of appearances in the trailers, indicating at least a couple of episode appearances. With little to nothing to go on, we figured the character was probably a recurring actor in a support role. A new interview with Akiva Goldsman however, casually blows his secret wide open.

Paul Wesley’s casting as James T. Kirk was revealed some weeks ago after the actor was spotted filming season 2. It turns out, he’s not the only Kirk on the show. George Samuel “Sam” Kirk will also make a surprise addition to the Star Trek: Strange New Worlds cast, as revealed today by The Wrap .

INTERVIEWER: The series is a basketful of Easter eggs. I mean, in the first episode, you bring back Kirk’s brother, Samuel — with the mustache!  AKIVA GOLDSMAN: [ Laughs ] Almost the whole show is made of Easter eggs! There are boxes and boxes of them. Via The Wrap

Who is Samuel Kirk, The Secret Character?

Originally appearing in Star Trek: The Original Series , “Sam Kirk” was the brother of the famous James T. Kirk. In fact, it was only his brother who called him Sam. Whether that might change in Strange New Worlds , does remain to be seen. However, all is not good for the future of this Kirk, as he does eventually meet his fate.

When his brother undertook a new five-year mission, commanding the USS Enterprise, George Samuel Kirk saw him off. It’s noted that his wife, Aurelan and their three sons also saw off James Kirk. Sam would mention that he wished to be transferred to the Earth Colony II Research Station.

Strange New Worlds’ Secret Legacy Character, Sam Kirk was a Starfleet Scientist, specifically a research biologist. Additionally, given we see him in a blue uniform in parts of the Strange New Worlds trailer, this would match established lore. However, what does this do to Mr Spock’s position as science officer onboard the USS Enterprise under Pike? Perhaps the two are working together?

The Original Series episode “Operation — Annihilate! ” sees the death of Sam Kirk and his wife. Flying parasites saw Kirk and his fellow colonists of Deneva attacked. While his wife, Aurelan Kirk managed to signal for help, Sam Kirk would meet his demise. When the USS Enterprise, under the command of James T. Kirk arrived, Sam Kirk was dead. Additionally, his wife died shortly thereafter. However, their son, Peter Kirk would survive.

Behind The Scenes Of Strange New Worlds’ Secret Legacy Character

You might not know, but the Kirk brothers are closer than you might expect. I mean this in the fact that William Shatner played both characters. Well, he just played the corpse of George Samuel “Sam” Kirk. Additionally, Sam Kirk was to appear in the 2009 Star Trek Film . However, this scene was cut from the final film.

StarTrek.com has an official page for Sam Kirk. While the page has hardly any information on it, part of me expects this to now be updated in the coming days. Regardless of what we learn about this Kirk, it is going to be fun. The legacy of the Kirk family seems rather well connected with Christopher Pike in some senses.

How to Watch

The premiere episode ‘Strange New Worlds’ will stream from Thursday, May 5. It is available on-demand via Paramount+ in the US, Latin America, The Nordics, and Australia. Plus CTV Sci-fi Channel / Crave in Canada, Voot Select in India, and TVNZ in New Zealand. The UK and parts of Europe will also be able to watch via Paramount+ next month when the service launches on June 22. Information is currently unavailable for the rest of the world and will be announced at ‘a later date’.

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Star Trek: Who Is Samuel Kirk?

Star Trek turned Samuel Kirk into a mystery by killing him before fans could get to know him, but all that is changing with Strange New Worlds.

While George “Samuel” Kirk isn’t the most memorable Star Trek character, his impact on the story is important even without his familial ties to a famous Starfleet captain. Samuel’s first appearance in The Original Series was also his last. He died in season 1, episode 29, “Operation – Annihilate!” due to a flying parasite that quite literally drove him mad with the urge to dive into the nearest heat source. In season 1, episode 3, “Ghosts of Illyria,” the Enterprise crew of Strange New Worlds encountered something similar . However, unlike La'an Noonien-Singh (Christina Chong), Samuel was unable to overcome the urge making him want to jump into the hottest, brightest light he could find.

Samuel’s death was a harbinger of worse things to come, but it was mostly forgotten by fans who had hardly gotten a chance to know him in the first place. Years later, and Samuel is making a comeback to the story that once left him behind. Here’s what fans know so far and what may yet be in store for the next chapter of Samuel’s life. Hint: it’s not being portrayed by William Shatner in a mustache.

RELATED: Star Trek: How is T’Pring Different In Strange New Worlds?

Civilian Work Turns Deadly on Deneva

Samuel’s presence in the story predated his physical appearance in Star Trek . All it took was Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) encountering a mad scientist trying to bring to life advanced androids in The Original Series . James brings up his brother Samuel as a test in season 1, episode 9, “What Are Little Girls Made Of?”. He’s trying to determine whether the android version of himself built by Dr. Roger Korby (Michael Strong) really knows as much about him as its creator claims. The dialogue they exchange makes a quick reference to James’ traumatic experiences on Tarsus IV. Moreover, fans learn that Samuel and his family were there to see James off on his five-year mission.

Samuel left his brother with plans of settling with his family and working as a civilian research biologist on the Earth Colony II research station. A year later, the Enterprise crew got a distress signal that cases of severe mental distress they’d been tracking through planets like Levinius V and Ingraham B had finally made their way to Deneva . An otherwise unremarkable planet, it was where Samuel had settled with his wife Aurelan and three sons. It’s also where most of them died after being exposed to flying parasites, except for Samuel’s son Peter who Dr. McCoy (DeForest Kelley) managed to save after barely doing the same for Spock (Leonard Nimoy). Samuel’s death was as random as it was unremarkable, and his name faded into fandom history.

Lt. Commander Kirk of Starfleet

New Star Trek movies and TV shows haven’t always been faithful to the original canon. For better or for worse, they’ve made changes to various characters for the sake of bringing old faces back to life in new and compelling ways. Samuel has always worked in the field of science, specifically with biology. So, Strange New Worlds brought him to life as a Starfleet officer.

Fans were a little thrown when Samuel (Dan Jeannotte) showed up in the series premiere, considering he’d been very dead the last time they’d seen him. Some were thrilled at the implications of his presence pointing toward the eventual arrival of his little brother James (Paul Wesley). Many others were in anticipation of getting to know more about Samuel and what kind of character Strange New Worlds would reveal him to be. Luckily, they didn’t have to wait very long.

Samuel turned out to be a curious person with a laid-back personality who was close to Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount). Out on the field, he could be ruled by impulse. In season 1, episode 2, “Children of the Comet,” he touches an alien object before anyone can confirm it's safe to do so. In moments of stress, he could be ruled by emotion, which often left him clashing with Spock (Ethan Peck) over his logic-first mindset in even the scariest situations. However, having his own personality didn’t stop Samuel from being defined by his relationships.

Family & Friends of Samuel Kirk

Star Trek fans never learned much about Samuel’s relationships with his wife Aurelan or his three sons. They had the unpleasant experience of watching her fight desperately for her life in The Original Series before her untimely death. Poor little Peter was devastated at learning the fate of his family before being carted off to. . .well, no one knows where he ended up after being cured. While a deleted scene suggests he’d been adopted by a couple that worked alongside Samuel and then later joined Starfleet, Star Trek canon doesn’t support either theory.

Therefore, Samuel’s most important relationships ended up being with Christopher and James. It was Christopher’s personal request that landed Samuel a position on the Enterprise crew. The two were even close enough for Samuel to suggest that Christopher grow a mustache of his own, and if that’s not a sign of true friendship, then nothing is. In turn, it was Samuel’s personal recommendation that convinced Christopher to work with his little brother. He called James a “huge pain in the ass,” but assured the other man that James is as “fine a captain as Starfleet has.” Spoken like true a big brother – with both sarcasm and sincerity.

Samuel played an integral role in season 1 of Strange New Worlds . His story isn’t exactly spin-off material , but that doesn’t mean his presence can’t continue to be important. Samuel was a science officer, with a curiosity that drove him into new parts of the galaxy just like anyone else in Starfleet. In The Original Series , his death was the catalyst for space hijinks on Deneva. In Strange New Worlds , he was a laid-back character with an impulsive streak learning about himself and those around him.

Samuel appeared in enough episodes to be considered recurring even though the series didn’t give him much to do aside from reacting to situations around him. He at least got to do more than die in a semi-dramatic fashion. Regardless, it will be fun to see if he comes back for season 2 and where the story will take him next. Only time will tell if the road of Samuel’s character development will end on Deneva once more or if Star Trek will boldly explore a more adventurous alternative.

MORE: Star Trek: Strange New Worlds – Who Is Sam Kirk?

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Paul Wesley's Captain Kirk on Star Trek is not like William Shatner: 'This is a whole new look'

The Vampire Diaries alum opens up for the first time about playing a younger Kirk on Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and what's in store for season 2.

Warning: This article contains spoilers from the Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 1 finale.

A new captain has beamed up to the command deck.

Vampire Diaries alum Paul Wesley was announced in March as a young Captain James Tiberius Kirk on the upcoming second season of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds . But — SPOILER ALERT — Wesley's Kirk ended up making his debut in the season 1 finale, which dropped on Paramount+ Thursday.

According to Wesley, who opens up about the role for the first time with press, the original plan was to never formally announce his casting. The network and producers hoped it would be a surprise for Star Trek fans when he popped up on screen at the end of SNW . But meddling paparazzi threatened to leak images of him from the set, so the powers that be decided to announce his season 2 role, while holding onto the season 1 surprise.

"I'm glad they did [announce it] because it allows people to digest it in a way," the actor tells EW.

Trek fans know Kirk by way of William Shatner on the original Star Trek series of the 1960s, while a newer generation got their introduction to the character from Chris Pine in the J.J. Abrams Trek films. This Kirk, Wesley says, is somewhere in between. "This is a whole new look," he notes.

The SNW finale sees Captain Pike ( Anson Mount ) getting a visit from his future self. He's not just shown, but lives out a potential tragic future that could happen if Pike's prophesied death doesn't play out as its meant to. This future takes place several years down the line when Pike meets Kirk, who's captain of the U.S.S. Farragut and arrives on the scene amid a conflict with the Romulans.

Wesley discusses taking on the role, what people can expect from his performance, and what's coming in season 2.

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: I feel like you're probably getting this a lot these days, but how does it feel to be Captain Kirk?

PAUL WESLEY : Gosh, how many adjectives? I could give you about a hundred and it would still not really describe it. Obviously, it is incredibly daunting. Ever since I got the role of Kirk, I'll literally be speaking to someone and there's a massive language barrier and I can't quite communicate certain words. Then I'll say "Captain Kirk." There's nobody on the face of planet earth... or I should say, most 99 percent of people know who Captain Kirk is. That is crazy. It's arguably the most iconic fictional character. There's Hans Solo and there's Captain Kirk.

There's the generation of Trek fans who know Kirk through Chris Pine and there's the other generation who know Kirk through William Shatner. What is your personal Captain Kirk?

He's somewhere in between. At the end of the day, the most important thing for me and the most important thing for the showrunners was to not insult the original series' Kirk by doing an imitation of [Shatner]. It's an interpretation that is different. I think doing an imitation of either [Kirks] would be an insult. We just remind people that it's not William Shatner. This is a whole new look. It's a whole new Spock. It's a whole new Uhura. It's a whole new Kirk. It's a new Pike. They're old characters interpreted in a new way. What is most important is to pay respect to the integrity of who Kirk is — his wants, his needs, his deep desires, his morality, his spontaneity, his instinct.

What was really important for you to bring out in him with your debut in the season 1 finale?

In the season 1 finale, it's actually a Kirk that we've never seen because he doesn't really exist. It's an alternate projected timeline of something. If Pike hadn't died and he was still commanding the Enterprise, what would this world look like? Of course, it doesn't exist. It's just in his mind. So he meets Kirk, and Kirk is not captain of the Enterprise. Kirk is captain of the Farragut. Kirk has never met Spock, he's never met Uhura, he hasn't gone through all the things that the original Kirk had gone through. So, in a way, it allowed me to... I'm not gonna say whatever I wanted, but it's a looser interpretation, right? We're not sticking to a regiment. So it was a little liberating because I didn't have as much pressure. I can't talk about season 2 too much, but it's a little bit more in line with a Kirk that we know, but it's pre-Enterprise. The most important thing is, to answer your question, is to maintain that sense of Kirk having this incredible gut instinct that he relies on, that is preternaturally accurate in a way, a morality, courage, charm, humor. We don't get to see as much of that humor in the season 1 finale because there's something very intense happening. Season 2, we get to explore a little bit more of Kirk.

In the finale, we see Kirk and Pike hitting up against each other. Do you see this episode as setting up that particular character dynamic in season 2?

Yeah, I do. The two men have a great deal of respect for one another. Pike sees this future, so he kind of knows Kirk in a way, but Kirk doesn't know him. So it's fascinating to see this. It's like, I've met you before, but I can't tell you that I've met you before and I can't explain to you how I've met you before. I do think that the two have different command styles and different approaches, but I think there's a lot of respect between the two men. There's never really a sense of animosity or real competitiveness. There's a deep sense of respect, 'cause ultimately they want the same thing. Kirk just knows that he'll figure it out quickly and he's relied on that his entire life.

We found out about you playing Kirk with the anticipation you would come in season 2. Obviously, you have this surprise appearance in season 1. It sounds like you've been hanging onto this secret for longer than I think a lot of us realized. Did you have to shoot this appearance under the cover of darkness, as it were?

Yeah, totally. I didn't tell anyone other than very, very close family and friends. And it was like an "if you say anything, I'm never talking to you again" kind of thing. Ultimately, we weren't even really gonna announce that I was playing Kirk at all until suddenly I just appeared on screen in the finale. But then we were shooting season 2 and a couple of photos came out because we did an episode where they go to earth. That's when they said, "Okay, let's just announce it because there's a lot of speculation," etc. I'm glad they did because it allows people to digest it in a way, you know? It was really hard to not tell. I ran into some people who are diehard Star Trek fans. This was before the announcement. Friends of mine that I hadn't seen in ages, and I'm like, "Well, I'm doing this show called Star Trek ." They're like, "Oh! What character?" I'm like, "Maybe you've heard of him. Captain Kirk." They're like, "Shut up! No, you're not." Nobody believed me. They literally thought I was a crazy person. Then the announcement came out and they were like, "You weren't kidding!" It's such an iconic role that everyone thinks you're pulling their leg. So I was glad that the announcement came out.

This interview has been edited and condensed for length and clarity.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 1 is currently streaming on Paramount+.

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Strange New Worlds Just Borrowed A Key Plot Point From J.J. Abrams' Star Trek And Made It Official Canon

In the latest episode of "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds," called "Lost in Translation," a young James T. Kirk (Paul Wesley) has just been promoted to the position of First Officer on board the U.S.S. Farragut. His brother Samuel (Dan Jeannotte) serves on the U.S.S. Enterprise as an anthropologist. In the canon of "Star Trek," James Kirk did indeed serve as First Officer on the Farragut, although Samuel's fate — as detailed in the episode "Operation — Annihilate!" (April 13, 1967) is far less rosy; he and his family will die at the hands (?) of flying pancake-looking critters that invade his planet-bound colony. 

The Kirks' father is rarely mentioned in "Star Trek." The most explicit reference to the Kirk patriarch — prior to 2009 — came in a production memo regarding the episode "The Conscience of the King" (December 8, 1966) wherein Kirk (William Shatner) didn't merely witness an infamous massacre at the hands of Kodos the Executioner, but that his dad was murdered as well. This idea was abandoned, and the identity of Kirk's father wasn't made known. 

The first time any on-screen mention of Kirk's father came about was in 2009 with the release of J.J. Abrams' "Star Trek." At the start of that film, George Kirk ( Chris Hemsworth ) was serving onboard a ship called the U.S.S. Kelvin when it was damaged by a Romulan vessel flying in through a portal from the future. George Kirk's son James was born in the middle of the conflagration, and George had just enough time to hear his infant son cry over a communication channel before he crashed the Kelvin into the enemy vessel and died. George Kirk's ship gave the alternate Abrams "Star Trek" timeline its commonly accepted name. 

With "Lost in Translation," an element from the Kelvinverse has now become central "Trek" canon. 

Reclaiming canon

"Lost in Translation" sees James Kirk's first visit to the Enterprise. The episode features the Kirk brothers bickering — Sam resents that Jim is so darned ambitious — and Jim meets Uhura (Celia Rose Gooding) and Spock (Ethan Peck) for the first time. Sam and Jim talk a little bit about how Jim's ambitions are a direct result of their Starfleet father, George Samuel Kirk, who once served on board a ship called the Kelvin. 

And with that passing, almost thrown-off line of dialogue, George Kirk has been placed firmly into "Star Trek" canon as having served on board the U.S.S. Kelvin. One might see the reference as a cheeky need for the central "Trek" timeline to reclaim the Kelvinverse for itself. Note, though, that the Abrams "Star Trek" timeline didn't diverge from the traditional "Trek" canon until the Kelvin was destroyed, so George Kirk's career on board would be canonical either way. It's just that in one timeline he survived, and in another, he died. In the original timeline, Kirk's mother Wynona made it back to Earth and gave birth to James in Iowa. Here, Kirk was born in space. 

Of course, Kirk's father has multiple histories, depending on which "Star Trek" novel you decide to pay attention to. Plenty of non-canonical sources have traced careers and personalities around George Kirk. According to the 2015 sourcebook "The Autobiography of James T. Kirk" (the Kelvinverse version of the character), Kirk's father served on board a ship called the U.S.S. Los Angeles before serving on the U.S.S. Kelvin. An early California-class vessel perhaps? Like the ones seen in "Star Trek: Lower Decks" ?

Other George Kirk histories

It has generally been accepted that Kirk's father was named George Samuel, although the details of his life have been changed multiple times over the franchise's long and varied expanded-universe history. In Diane Carey's 1999 novel "Best Destiny,"  a teenage James Kirk has an adventure on the Enterprise with his dad and the ship's captain, Robert April. In that continuity, George Kirk was a Starfleet officer who was frequently away from home. In Joe Haldeman's 1979 novel "World Without End," however, George Kirk was not a Starfleet officer at all, but the mayor of a small Iowa city. In that timeline, George Kirk was an advocate for a return to agrarian life wherein people were to work their own land (and presumably be given the resources to care for farmland).

In the 1989 novel "Final Frontier," also by Carey, it was further posited that George Kirk and Robert April were close friends, and that April asked George to serve on board a brand new experimental starship. In that continuity, George Kirk was the one who suggested it be called the U.S.S. Enterprise. Fatalism! Whee!

William Shatner wrote several "Star Trek" novels himself, detailing a miniature sub-continuity in itself, called the Shatnerverse. In 1997's "The Return,"  George Kirk was described like a company man, always on business trips, but eager to take his sons to museums and theme parks when he was home. The small Kirk recalls looking at the stars with his father, and credited him for wanting to join Starfleet. In Shatner's version of things, there was no familial tragedy or resentment about Kirk's father. 

With "Lost in Translation," though, all other continuities may be cleanly wiped from the map. The U.S.S. Kelvin is real , and George was an officer. Other "official" details will now have to be filled in by the current crop of writers. 

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Actor Talks “Authentic” Scotty On ‘Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’; Season 3 Production Passes Milestone

| April 15, 2024 | By: TrekMovie.com Staff 54 comments so far

Last week brought big news for Star Trek: Strange New Worlds , which has been renewed for a fourth season. But before that, they still need to finish work on season 3, which is currently in production. We have an update on how production is going as well as some new comments from the actor who is playing Scotty in season 3.

Martin Quinn rebranding Scotty

First introduced in the season 2 finale, Scottish actor Martin Quinn has taken over the role of Montgomery “Scotty” Scott, the legendary Starfleet engineer first played by Canadian James Doohan in the original Star Trek, then later by Englishman Simon Pegg for the J.J. Abrams-produced Star Trek feature films. Speaking to BBC Scotland about being the first Scot to play Scotty, Quinn says, “It’s the power of representation, isn’t it?” Quinn (who is from Paisley in Scotland) also “jokingly” told the BBC “We are rebranding him, he’s from Paisley now.”

Martin Quinn as Scotty in the Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 2 finale (Michael Gibson/Paramount+)

The actor playing the young Scotty revealed how being from Scotland has helped shape the role as they are shooting the third season. From the article:

Since taking the role, he says he has been working with writers to suggest authentic Scottish changes to his character. “They let me put in the word ‘baw-heid’ instead of ‘turnip-heid,” he says. “Maybe they think all Scottish people are farmers? But they were very gracious about it. And [the writers] are wanting to be authentic to Scotland as well, and that’s really nice—not everyone’s like that.”

According to Quinn, his authentic accent has sometimes proven difficult on set. “I’m constantly having to enunciate because I don’t think they know what I’m saying,” he said.

Behind the scenes on episode 7

Production on season 3 began in December, and TrekMovie has confirmed that as of last week, they completed work on episode 7, directed by Sharon Lewis. This was her first time directing for the franchise and in a video posted on Instagram a couple of weeks ago, she took advantage of the quiet during lunch hour to sit in Captain Pike’s chair…

  View this post on Instagram   A post shared by Sharon Lewis (@thesharonlewis)

On April 10, Lewis posted a video on Twitter/X announcing she had wrapped production on her episode.

Last day of the incredible journey that is Star Trek Strange New Worlds. Every set is great -cast & crew amazing but there is a special vibe going on here. It’s an iconic show has its roots in me from back in the day rushing home to watch Uhura on the OG Star Trek -ever grateful! pic.twitter.com/RLi91VqxP3 — sharon lewis (she/her) (@thesharonlewis) April 10, 2024

The video features behind-the-scenes shots that indicate her episode included scenes on the bridge, a shuttle, transporter room, and the ship’s bar/lounge.

There are 3 more episodes to complete, so production on the show should be done by the end of May. Paramount+ recently confirmed season 3 will debut in 2025.

Keep up with news about the  Star Trek Universe at TrekMovie.com .

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While watching the finale I thought, wait did they get an actual Scottish actor? He is a great Scotty.

Although Jimmy Doohan is beloved as Scotty, and rightly so, the one thing I disliked about his performance was that he was playing an old-fashioned kind of engineer, whereas Scotty as written was clearly a genius. But Doohan didn’t show us that spark of extreme intelligence in his performance, the way, say, Leonard Nimoy did in his. I’m hoping that Martin Quinn can give us that spark and make it more believable that Scotty can come up with brilliant new inventions in just a short time.

Apples and oranges. One would argue that Scotty used his expertise, intelligence and adaptability more than any other to save the day.

You’re talking about the script, and I’m talking about the actor. As you say, that’s apples and oranges. :-)

Perhaps, but in The Original Series (as opposed to in the movies), Scotty was portrayed as a bad ass whenever he was put in charge of the bridge.

Plus he had a drinking problem.

I was going to comment on that earlier. James Doohan breathed personality into the character (almost universally beloved) but the character itself was badly written. Brilliant engineer, bad ass when in command, but also a raging alcoholic, and shockingly bad judgement when personal feelings for a female crew member was involved. He was thinking with his d**k before that was a thing.

….I’m pretty sure “raging alcoholic” is a bit strong of a term, at least from my perspective. To each their own. I’d even stop short at saying the character had a ‘drinking problem.’ Kudos to all teetotallers out there, but in my view Scotty liked to simply take a drink now and again. Yes, it could be concluded he drank more than the rest of the TOS leading characters, but to me that doesn’t constitute a ‘problem.’ Even in Relics he reminded Geordi: “Never get drunk unless you’re willing to pay for it the next day.” That’s called responsible drinking where I come from. If he was a raging alcoholic he never would have become the legend he was, (or shown up to join Geordi that morning). Anyway, I digress.

Not to worry, I’m pretty sure the character will be written as tamer in every aspect for SNW, so as not to offend society. Cheers (or not, apparently).

But then again, I am a person who did use ‘shockingly bad judgment’ and fell in love with a coworker. What do I know. (We’ve been together for 22 years, btw). :)

To be honest he was portrayed as a bit of a stereotype as were the Irish characters. Perhaps a personal prejudice of Roddenberry or simply a reflection of the time. As for his judgement where female crew members were concerned, that could apply to most of the senior staff, especially Kirk.

Oh man, the Irish stereotyping never stopped. “Fair Haven” and “Spirit Folk” somehow managed to be more embarrassing than Voyager’s Club Med holoprogram. We only didn’t get a leprechaun in “If Wishes Were Horses” because Colm Meaney had some clout by then.

If you prefer functioning alcoholic, I’ll concede that point. They had him imbibing on duty, off duty, by himself, and throwing a few back with however was handy.

Personally, it wouldn’t bother me to see Scotty actively working on sobriety. Trek seems wholly unsuited to that level of storytelling, though. They tried with Raffi in Picard, and fandom lost their collective s**t over it. I guess there’s a hypospray for that, too.

There’s nothing wrong with having a boo on the ship. As long as it doesn’t interfere with your responsibilities….which it always seemed to do with Mr. Scott.

To paraphrase Jessica Rabbit – I’m not bad, I’m just written that way.

Can’t say I agree at all with your interpretation. The character was always 1000% reliable when on the job, always ready with a solution to whatever crisis was threatening to cause the engines to blow up that week. I think the scotch drinking was intended to simplistically add backstory to the character in a way that played on stereotypes, as pointed out by others. Chekov and his vodka, Scotty and his scotch, ha ha, funny, in 1960’s TV. Now instead of those tropes, they have the character tragically lose their entire family in childhood to establish a backstory, a la SNW Uhura.

Yeah, except for that time when the fate of galactic civilization hung on his actions and he passed out cold in his quarters next to that Kelvan dude.

The Kelvan knew nothing about drinking alcohol. Scott couldn’t have paced himself a little? Fail.

He succeeded at his mission, the Kelvan was taken out of action. Getting plastered was a logical decision…

Could you please name the episodes were Mister Scott’s drinking interfered with his responsibilities?

“But, Mr. President, Grant is an alcoholic!” “Find out what he’s drinking and give it to all my generals.”

Is he a raging alcoholic? Or just Scottish?

He did not have a drinking problem. He drank, he got drunk, what is the problem??? 😁

Yes, Doohan was good at showing us the badass side of Scotty, and I liked that a lot. I just wish he’d noticed that the scripts also made him a freaking genius. :-)

Corylea I hear what you’re saying however on TVH, I thought he brought the engineering mastery you alluded to demonstrating practical skills and well as theoretical knowledge on materials science, power generation and complex problem solving.

Yes, those things were in the SCRIPT. I’m talking about how the actor portrayed what was in the script, and it seemed to me that Doohan was caught up in the “crusty old engineer” stereotype from a zillion World War II movies and didn’t notice that the Star Trek scripts made THIS engineer a genius.

Well yes, if you read about Doohan’s original audition, where he read using a variety of accents, his suggestion of a Scottish engineer and Roddenberry’s decision to go with that, were explicitly informed by all those World War II films. It was not a coincidence. That was the producers choice.

Wow I disagree with this. His portrayal as Scotty as a The Doomsday Machine is actually my favorite (not counting the time his accent disappears). He beamed over to the Enterprise and got right to work fixing the transporter.

Think Doohan played Scotty as a gifted, nuts and bolts guy without any pretensions of “intelligence”. He proved how smart he was by his actions.

I disagree. I think he was indeed played as an intelligent old school engineer able to see things in his head and improvise along the way.

I’d say it’s more important for Star Trek to humanize certain characters, to give them that Every Man or every person quality so that we’re not overwhelmed with supergeniuses. See also Dr. McCoy, Miles O’Brien, Tom Paris, etc. They’re all highly skilled in their respective fields, but there’s also a casualness with which they execute their duties that connects them to our time.

Personally, I enjoy the contrast where you have this ultra advanced society that still has the occasional Scotsman or Irishman with his sleeves rolled up, nursing a hangover, grumbling about trying to meet a deadline. Hooray, my people are represented on screen!

Respectfully, I don’t see it this way. Doohan portrayed Scotty as an absolute genius. He figured out creative ways out of impossible situations and beat the odds. And when Scotty took command, he was brilliant at that too. None of that happens without Doohan.

It was PEGG that was a joke.

The SCRIPTS did that, but the script is not the actor. People keep telling me what Scotty did in the script , but that is not the same as what the actor imbues to the character.

Yeah, Pegg played Pegg being goofy. There was very little of the Scotty character in his performances in the Kelvin films, imo. Amusing enough though, I suppose.

“Unlike some other Robin Hoods, I can speak with an English accent…”

That reminds me, I must re-watch Sir Sean in ‘Robin and Marion’ one day. It had a great cast! – https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0075147/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0_tt_7_nm_0_q_robin%2520and%2520marion

Which reminds me, I must re-watch Sean Connery in the 1976 ‘Robin and Marion’ movie again someday. Check it out on the imdb(.)com site, as it had a terrific cast!

Nice to see a Scots actor given the role of ‘Scotty’ now. I caught Martin Quinn being interviewed on tv the other day, and he came across well. It’s now piqued my curiosity to give SNW another go, as I never actually bothered with the show after not particularly liking the way the opening episode’s set-up unfolded – due to the fact that my own ‘Star Trek’ canon begins with the excellent ‘The Cage’ pilot episode’s storyline, and skips the events shown in the 2-part ‘The Menagerie’ episodes altogether!

But I’m at a point where I’m ready to ignore that initial SNW introduction now concerning Pike’s supposed ‘fate’, and despite being aware of one or two dubious aspects to come, will check out the rest of the show to see if there’s any storylines I happen to like with the crew already in place, ‘mid-adventure’ on board the Enterprise so speak.

And hopefully, this nu-‘Scotty’ will turn out to be a genius, ‘bad ass’ who happens to like a drink now and then too – no problem!

Did Scotty really have a drinking problem, or was he a hard drinker when appropriate? I hope they don’t pathologize this!

I like that he’s from Paisley. The Patter Bar is a fun little pub. Scotty is brining the Patter by calling people baw-heids.

I hope this Scotty prefers the pub over the club. I suffered major psychic damage when Scotty was shown to be drinking in a nightclub in Star Trek Into Darkness.

Why? Scottish people are people not romantic caricatures. Why wouldn’t Scotty want to go into a club with his friends? I agree it’s cool he’s adding some Scots to the dialog, but I don’t understand this anti-nightclub thing… Very sad that you were damaged by a fictional man walking into a building.

SNW has very highs and lows when it comes to casting. Martin Quinn is great casting of a legacy character, right up there with Ethan Peck as Spock and Celia Gooding as Uhura. Now that Kirk casting though…..

I guess it’s always a matter of perspective. Paul Wesley has single-handedly made me hope that SNW continues through Kirk’s five-year mission.

Please don’t remake TOS

Definitely not a remake, no, but a general larger structure that TOS can fit into would work for me. My past self would consider this blasphemy, so I understand your reply, but that’s just how much Paul Wesley and SNW in general has won me over.

I like Paul Wesley more than I thought I would, but William Shatner will always be Kirk.

SNW is a good show and one of the better outings from the Kurtzman era. However, for me it’s doing stuff I feel was done better previously and I think musicals and Muppets, if done, are too gimmicky and not what I like to see in Trek. The dialogue is also too cringey at times.

Agree with you about SNW. And as far as Paul Wesley goes, I still don’t get the casting on that one. I’d really just rather they’d not recast the original crew at all, honestly. Shatner’s Kirk is the authentic version of the character, Pine was ok, and Wesley has quite a way to go, imo. All three are in separate timelines though, which makes this Nu-Trek medicine since 2009 go down a little smoother.

I found that Paul Wesley did a fine job in his portrayal of Kirk. Don’t forget, he played a Kirk that was before the influence of Spock and McCoy.

Agreed. I like everyone but NuKirk in SNW. Horrible. I even like Pines Kirk next to his and I hated his too.

I would like to see Kevin O’Reilly in SNW hanging out with young Scotty. I think O’Reilly was a lieutenant in TOS. Could be an interesting dynamic similar to Bashir and O’Brien in DS9 😊

Wth is with that psycho screen cap of scotty

Scotty is Scottish because of James Doohan. He chose the Scottish accent because he believed Scots made the best engineers.

James Doohan is and always will be Scotty. He inspired many people to become engineers. He was someone not to be messed with, remember when he was in command and faced off against Klingons.

I think Simon Pegg started of as a comic relief and certainly not someone I saw as Scotty but in Beyond he had more of that Scotty charm.

Martin Quinn I think is too young but has the enthusiasm for the role. But he wouldn’t have the role if James Doohan didn’t choose make Scotty Scottish.

But fans seem to forget the legacy of TOS and it’s cast, now many suddenly are critical of cast and are happy for TOS to be rebooted.

This is not the future of Trek I envisioned.

Me neither, sadly.

No one is trying to take Scotty away from James Doohan. Martin Quinn has only one episode on the books … maybe give him a chance.

Regrettably, “ya borgas frat, ya” are not real words in the Scots language. I love to hear what Quinn comes up with.

I hate that they are following JJ verse and rewriting him as being from the Glasgow area. That’s a huge change. They have a very specific Doric accent in Aberdeen and speak Scots much more (which is why people accuse Doohan of doing a bad accent and sounding Irish – Scots in also spoken in Northern Ireland).

The areas are different too. Glasgow is larger and more rough while Aberdeen (specifically Old Aberdeen which Scotty says he is from) is more university focused which fits Scotty’s miracle-doing engineer character much better.

It’s not being authentic to the original character which is disappointing since they managed to undo a lot of the hot headed womaniser changes that had been done to Kirk.

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Paul Wesley is joining the cast of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds .

Wesley is starring in the iconic role of James T. Kirk in the second season of the Paramount+ drama series. The role is best known for starring William Shatner.

The casting comes ahead of the launch of season one, which premieres in May. A second season of the show was renewed in January.

Strange New Worlds  follows Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount), Science Officer Spock (Ethan Peck), and Number One (Rebecca Romijn/Una Chin-Riley) as they explore new worlds around the galaxy. Their adventures predate Captain Kirk’s ever stepping foot aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise.

The cast also includes Jess Bush as Nurse Christine Chapel, Christina Chong as La’an Noonien-Singh, Celia Rose Gooding as Cadet Nyota Uhura, Melissa Navia as Lt. Erica Ortegas, and Babs Olusanmokun as Dr. M’Benga.

Wesley was previously one of the leads of The Vampire Diaries and also starred in Tell Me A Story for Paramount+ predecessor CBS All Access. He can also be seen in Shudder feature History of Evil alongside Stephanie Beatriz.

He has also directed episodes of Roswell, New Mexico, Shadowhunters and Legacies.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is showrun by Akiva Goldsman and Henry Alonso Myers with the pair exec producing alongside Alex Kurtzman, Jenny Lumet, Heather Kadin, Frank Siracusa, John Weber, Rod Roddenberry, Trevor Roth, and Aaron Baiers.

The series is produced by CBS Studios, Secret Hideout, and Roddenberry Entertainment.

“Paul is an accomplished actor, an astonishing presence and a welcome key addition to the show. Like all of us, he is a life-long Star Trek fan and we are excited by his interpretation of this iconic role,” said Alex Kurtzman, Akiva Goldsman and Henry Alonso Myers.

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Star Trek Producers Try To Follow One Rule With Strange New Worlds

Akiva Goldsman and Henry Alonso Myers have used "Strange New Worlds" to explore the fun side of space travel and push the envelope. From the spooky horror elements of "All Those Who Wander" to the romantic comedy of "Charades," the series has experimented with various genres to tell different stories. Despite the variety on display, however, the creators still have guidelines to adhere to.

While speaking to Variety , Goldsman and Myers revealed that their only rule is to make each season feel episodic. "You shouldn't have to watch a 'previously on' to watch our show," Myers said. This means viewers can pop in whenever they feel like it, knowing that the series isn't 100% beholden to pre-existing "Star Trek" media.

Goldsman and Myers intend to stick to the formula that's worked so well until now, so viewers can expect more genre-hopping adventures and episodic storytelling moving forward. Of course, the "Strange New Worlds" producers aren't the only "Star Trek" alums who've had to follow a rulebook throughout the years, as the franchise used to be much stricter.

Star Trek rules were made to be broken

"Star Trek" creator Gene Roddenberry was protective of his baby. As such, he devised a franchise rulebook that other producers, showrunners, and writers are supposed to abide by. Roddenberry's bible covers everything from character relationships to instructions on how "Star Trek" should approach the sci-fi genre, but some people have disobeyed the mastermind's edicts. One rule regarding "Spock" even caused a behind-the-scenes fight on "Star Trek: The Next Generation,"  and a change was implemented as a result.

While shows like "Star Trek: Discovery" have continued to break Roddenberry's rules , their existence shows this franchise is treated with care. The creators must consider the bigger picture when developing new projects, even if they occasionally stray from the path. "Strange New Worlds" might have its own rules to follow, but the series actually breaks one of Roddenberry's, as he didn't want characters from "Star Trek: The Original Series" to be used in other shows. Times have changed since then, though, and "Strange New Worlds" is exploring new frontiers for the long-running sci-fi franchise.

If you enjoyed this article, check out the untold truth of "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds."

‘Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’ Renewed For Season 4 At Paramount+

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds has been renewed for Season 4 at Paramount+, despite currently being in production on its third season.

On the other hand, it has been revealed that the animated comedy series Star Trek: Lower Decks , will end with Season 5 on the streaming platform. The final season will premiere this fall.

Strange New Worlds centers around Capt. Christopher Pike (Anson Mount) is the USS Enterprise commander at this point in the Star Trek universe. He is joined by younger versions of several legacy characters, including Spock (Ethan Peck), Uhura (Celia Rose Gooding), and Kirk (Paul Wesley).

It debuted in 2022 and had an epic second season that included a musical episode and a crossover episode with Lower Decks , helping it climb aboard Nielsen’s chart of the 10 most-watched streaming original series over multiple weeks.

“On behalf of the cast and crew of ‘Strange New Worlds,’ we are thrilled and grateful to continue our voyages together,” said executive producers and showrunners Akiva Goldsman and Henry Alonso Myers, along with executive producer Alex Kurtzman in a statement according to Variety . “We can’t wait for you to join us and the crew of the Enterprise on another season of exploration and adventure.”

Lower Decks is set in the years following the feature film Star Trek: Nemesis and centers around the junior officers of the USS Cerritos: Beckett Mariner ( Tawny Newsome ), Brad Boimler ( Jack Quaid ), D’Vana Tendi ( Noël Wells ) and Sam Rutherford ( Eugene Cordero ).

The series also featured voice cameos from several Star Trek alumni including George Takei , Jonathan Frakes, Marina Sirtis, John de Lancie, Will Wheaton, Armin Shimerman, Nana Visitor, and Robert Duncan McNeill.

Although some aspects of the storyline make it appropriate to conclude the show, Kurtzman and executive producer and showrunner Mike McMahan are leaving the hull open for future iterations.

“We remain hopeful that even beyond Season 5, Mariner, Boimler, Tendi, Rutherford, and the whole Cerritos crew will live on with new adventures,” they said in a message to fans. “While five seasons of any series these days seems like a miracle, it’s no exaggeration to say that every second we’ve spent making this show has been a dream come true.”

Season 3 of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is slated to premiere in 2025.