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Warning: The following contains spoilers from the Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 1 finale.
Captain Pike is forced to confront his tragic fate in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’ Season 1 finale, and his unexpected journey brings about a surprise cameo: Captain James T. Kirk (played by Paul Wesley). It was previously announced that the Vampire Diaries alum was cast for Season 2, which is why his early appearance in Wednesday’s episode comes as a shock.
Catapulted into an alternate timeline where he isn’t horribly disfigured, Pike meets Kirk, who is captain of the U.S.S. Farragut and who has offered his help with the current Romulan crisis. At first, Pike and Kirk don’t see eye-to-eye on how to handle the sensitive situation. Kirk wants to strike before things get worse while Pike opts for a more measured approach.
Both captains eventually come to an understanding, especially when Kirk shows up with a fleet of mining ships as part of a clever fake-out while Pike tries to reason with the Romulans. Their plan ultimately fails — the Romulans launch their assault, and Spock is gravely wounded — but Pike sees Kirk as a good captain and potential successor.
In light of Kirk showing up in this week’s finale, TVLine hit up Paul Wesley to discuss that surprise appearance and what to expect from Kirk in Season 2. (See below for our full interview as well as new photos from the episode.)
On his interpretation of the iconic captain…
“There are innate qualities to James T. Kirk that you can’t ignore — his instinct, his courage. He cares about his crew more than anything in the world. He’s a magnet. People are really drawn to him, and they trust him. I had to be aware of those characteristics, but I couldn’t just do an imitation of William Shatner. His interpretation and what he did is quite sacred, and I think it would be an insult to just suddenly do this modern-day imitation of Shatner. It really needed to be a different character, something that wasn’t an insult to the original Kirk.”
“In the Season 1 finale, it’s a very plot-driven episode [and] we don’t really get to explore Kirk in the same way that we do in Season 2. It’s a younger Kirk. It’s a Kirk pre-Enterprise, and so we get to really have fun [next season].”
On looking the part in the show…
“Of course we had the side part. When you watch the original series, Kirk goes through sideburn phases where he has really pointy sideburns. Sometimes the sideburns don’t exist. He has these different haircuts, and so we got to play with it a little bit. We actually change his hair up a little bit for Season 2. When we meet them in Season 1, it’s a different Kirk. He’s captain of the Farragut. He’s never met Spock. He’s doesn’t know who these people are. But [in] Season 2, it’s within the canon. It’s the Kirk that we know [but] pre-Enterprise, so we got to play with it.”
On how the alternate timeline in the finale lessened the pressure of playing Kirk…
“It’s Pike’s episode. It’s Pike coming to terms with a future that he is seeing for the first time, and Kirk comes in as part of that storyline. It was a little liberating to know that this is a Kirk no one’s ever seen before because he doesn’t really exist in this timeline. It’s all in Pike’s head. It took a little bit of that pressure off the first episode that I’m doing.”
On what it feels like to sit in the captain’s chair.
“When he’s in the chair, it’s really about giving commands, and it’s so futuristic. You have this whole crew working, and he’s really just giving commands. There’s this instinct to want to steer [like the pilots in Top Gun], but obviously, you’re not steering. It takes a minute to figure out. Even after rewatching every episode of the original series, it still takes a moment to get comfortable in this chair and really understand your role as the captain. In the Season 1 finale, I’m captain of the Farragut. In Season 2, it’s pre-captain so I don’t get to sit in the chair as much.”
On the Kirk and Spock relationship…
“Ethan Peck and I have that relationship, which makes it so much easier. I adore Ethan [Peck], and we complement each other in the way that Kirk and Spock complement one another. We have this Kirk/Spock thing going, and I’m not sure if it’s because we know we’re playing [them]. I don’t want to give anything away, but when we do interact on screen, it comes naturally.”
On how he found out about the role…
“I didn’t know they were casting Kirk. Obviously, I was aware of Star Trek. I knew that Paramount+ was doing all of these shows. I had seen the J.J. Abrams films and watched some of the spinoffs of the original series. But it really was the original series that I truly understood. It was literally a call on a weekend with my agents, and they were like, ‘Can you get on a Zoom tomorrow?’ And I was like, ‘Sure, of course.’ It happened pretty quickly.”
Comparing Kirk to The Vampire Diaries’ Stefan Salvatore…
“Stefan is a guy who’s been alive for 160 years, and he’s very tormented. Kirk is a guy who’s much less tormented. There’s a magnetic energy to Kirk. He is enjoying life in many ways, and for me, the big distinction between the two characters is that I’m not sure Stefan was enjoying life as much. Kirk is a guy who takes it all in. He’s a guy that you can’t help but be drawn to. He’s a natural-born leader. He’s someone who really relies on his instinct, and he’s also someone who has a lot of humor, and we get to explore that humor in Season 2. It’s a good time.”
On honoring what came before…
“I know that with a role like this, there’s a lot of scrutiny and rightfully so. I just think it’s important for me to vocalize how much respect I have for this character and for what William Shatner created. It’s really just about paying respect to that character and having fun with that character and doing a whole new different version of it that pays a great respect to who he is.”
What did you think of Paul Wesley’s appearance as Kirk in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds‘ Season 1 finale? Are you excited for Season 2? Sound off in the comments below.
Did you have to ruin the surprise with the headline. Can’t we have some time to watch it. Love TVline but geez
Hey thanks a lot for that spoiler in the headline on the day the show came out. Your are now blocked from all my feeds. Shame on you
The finale has been out FOR LESS THAN HALF A DAY and you spoiled it in the headline. All this is doing is convincing me to come to this site less and less. What would have been wrong with “SPOILER Talks About His Big Surprise Cameo in the Brave New Worlds Finale”?
Ugh.
you literally had to open this article to see who it was…… if you didn’t want to be spoiled don’t open the article. or wild concept, don’t come on tvline before you’ve watched. common sense.
The Headline (unless they have since edited it) is: “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Actor Paul Wesley Breaks Down That Surprise Kirk Cameo in the Season 1 Finale” That spoils everything.
The email I received was titled “Breaking News: Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Actor Breaks Down That Surprise Cameo in the Season 1 Finale”, with no additional information other than the pic of Uhura, Sam Kirk and Pike all looking at Spock after the alien transmission was decrypted. No spoilers for me – this time!
That’s what I did . I waited until I watched the episode.🤦♂️🤷♂️
Nothing is more silly than complaining about spoilers in the message boards… everyone should know if you come to this site you will see spoilers for tv shows… I came here exactly to read about these interviews .. if you don’t watch the show right away and want to stay spoiled then don’t go online till after you watch.. simple as that.
The spoiler isn’t in the “message boards.” It’s literally the headline and supporting image. You can certainly hold people responsible for clicking on the article itself (do the click, take your chances), but presenting the information this way – where visitors to the site have no choice in receiving the information – is indeed a spoiler. Simple as that.
People complaining was in the message boards. People have a choice NOT to go to a website where things are going to be spoiled.. You don’t need to sign on and see the headlines… the internet is vast.. you know this site is full of spoilers, stay off it if you don’t want to know.
You don’t have a choice if it appears in your news feed. Plus, even if you’re already on the site, you shouldn’t have to worry about seeing something like this less than half a day after the episode airs. Other sites are more careful. This is just bad taste.
Personally, I did not care for it. This is the first season and I thought this was Pike’s star trek. If this lasts seven seasons then bringing Kirk in the last couple of seasons, to me, would be best. Oh well what’s done is done. I hope we do not start making the show about Kirk yet.
Agreed. I thought Kirk really detracted from the episode, and changed the whole tone. I also felt the absence of Chapel and the energy she brings.
The episode was a ‘remake’ of the ToS episode ‘Balance of Terror’. Kirk was in the episode because he was always supposed to be the Enterprise captain at that point in history.
For those who are interested watch Season 1 Episode 14 of the Original series. You’ll see how this encounter was supposed to go down with Kirk as Captain of the Enterprise. You’ll even recognise much of the dialogue.
Here’s a tip for these commenters. Assume everything is a spoiler. Take responsibility for your own experience and stop whining. Jeez. It’s the comment section not the complaint section. A real fan would’ve watched the episode the second it dropped and avoided stories until they did. It’s not the writers job to protect your experience. It’s yours. You’re only a victim of your own actions.
That’s pretty insulting logic. Not every “real fan” has the chance to see something the second it comes out. It’s poor taste, and not consistent with current internet etiquette.
I wasn’t surprised being there was a promo picture of the actor as Kirk being shown for months, it wouldn’t make sense if he didn’t pop up in season one.
Other than the fact that he was billed as joining the series in Season 2. An early appearance was unexpected based on that. And they’ve wrapped filming Season 2 already, so clips of JTK in and or themselves would not be a surprise.
It would be absolutely lovely if you guys didn’t put the spoiler *and* a spoiler-photo in the dang headline. And then to say “the following contains spoiler for the season finale” in your intro… Unbelievable. There are ways to get clicks without doing this. Tease us and we will follow.
Has the episode even been up for 24 hours? I’ll watch it tonight, but thanks for stepping on the moment!
It’s nice to see Paul Wesley get a job, since his little vampire TV show was cancelled.
Great episode… losing a character last week and putting another in jeopardy this week… so glad we knew we were getting a season 2.
I say eeew. All I saw was a Jim Carey look alike as if the Cable Guy was a Star Trek Captain (like he did IN Cable Guy)🤮 🤢
They had to know his mannerisms and his appearance was SO NOT KIRK that it was unsettling.
Exactly! I said the same thing on another article. That’s all that went through my mind. Jim Carrey doing his ‘Shatner-as-Kirk’ impression. Welllll…alrighty then!
100%!! 💯
Wrong face shape, wrong body type, wrong mannerisms, wrong voice pattern, wrong energy. The most unsettling (to reiterate your perfect word choice) part is that Anson Mount is more reminiscent of William Shatner‘s Kirk then this actor cast to portray an established character he decided to “make new.”
I had to get used to the “new“ Spock and Uhura, true,, but at least they have *some* characteristics that connect to the original portrayal. This guy could’ve been ANYBODY but Kirk! 🥸😖
“… THAN the actor cast…,“ and I see that double comma. But, there’s no way to edit or delete comments on this thing that I know of. 🤷🏼♀️
#ProofreadTwice PostOnce
Agreed. Paul Wesley is ALL WRONG. Watched TOS every week as a kid in the ’60s. Anson is perfect as Pike Wesley does not work as Kirk. Voice: wrong; hair: wrong; way Kirk was played: wrong. GAH! See for example: Ethan Peck. No. Just no. What happened to the great casting? PLEASE no more Paul Wesley!
You’ve got a funny definition of “cameo”…
Shatner and Pine brought warmth, humor, charm and charisma to the role, hopefully we’ll see that from Wesley in Season Two
I loved it. The finale, the whole season. There were lots of fun TOS “easter eggs”, in not just the finale, but the whole season. (And before anyone comes at me for liking it, go back and watch TOS before you start screaming/crying about inconsistencies and retcons). The OG show was full of them, including the constant revolving name of their agency, before settling on Starfleet 20 episodes into the first season.
He’s not Kirk!
i’m 62 years old i’ve seen all of the Star trek franchises go through my years Star trek strange new worlds was the first one that i’ve watched in some years there is something about this one Star trek I don’t know if it’s the actors or the timeline or the writers or the directors this one these actors the directors and the writers are going places they’re literally going where no one has gone before in a great many years stay the course don’t go do something stupid keep with what you’re thinking I promise you I will stay with you and watch every episode Star trek strange new worlds is just unbelievable and the actors that they have chosen nail it week after week please pardon an old man but when you can please a 62-year-old with science fiction you’re doing something right thank you for listening by the way that was very interesting bringing scotty or should I say montgomery Scott at the bottom of the jeffrey’s tube saying Mr spock i’m in engineer not a miracle worker
Well said and agree!! 👌
Nope didn’t have the spark of Kirk at all not Shatner or Pine. I love the show but could Pike have his show without Kirk for 7 seasons please.
Hey he does kinda look like Chris Pine, so I guess it’s doable!
No, he looks and performs it like he’s Jim Carrey. Terrible casting choice.
I come to TvLine every day for news, but the blatant disregard for spoilers in this headline/picture has me rethinking that.
Boooo…. Talk about spoilers way too soon! Don’t put that kind of thing in the article’s title!!! :(
Paul Wesley did a great job as Kirk. Looking forward to what season 2 has in store.
How can you say you are paying homage to James T and then say it is a totally new character? Kirk is superman you can’t change him! He is a gun slinger,a ladies man the movies did a better job with young kirk.
A starring role is not cameo.
The new Star Trek series is truly Awesome, and it is so fun to watch relationships develop between the characters. It is a joy to see new versions of our beloved TOS characters in the series like Uhura, Nurse Chapel, and Spock. In that vein, I truly enjoyed seeing a young Captain Kirk interacting with the other members of the crew!!! Excellent job- Awaiting Season 2!!!