Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 1 has officially reached its midpoint and, while there are still episodes to air before the wait for Season 2 begins, right now, fans are surely fishing for details on what's to come. Many especially want to know what they can expect from Paul Wesley when he makes his debut as James T. Kirk. La’an Noonien-Singh actress Christina Chong was able to share some things about working with Wesley and, at the same time, she dropped an exciting tease for what fans can expect from the second season.
I caught up with Christina Chong just before Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’ heart-pounding Gorn episode, “Memento Mori,” premiered and asked about Season 2 and Paul Wesley. Chong, who mentioned that the cast was in the midst of working on the second season's penultimate episode, couldn't get into specifics (as you'd imagine) though it sounds like she enjoys working with Wesley:
I can’t speak on story, but I can say that Paul Wesley is very funny, and I love working with him. We just have this thing where I don’t know what it is, but almost every interaction we’ve had at work has ended up in fits of giggles. That means we’re holding up the entire crew and the entire day’s work for much longer than we should be. That’s all I can say about that. I really enjoy working with him, and it’s great to have him on board for Season 2.
The quote, if nothing else, indicates that the two stars have forged a firm friendship while working on the set of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. That’s honestly a bit poetic, considering the connection between their two character. La’an is, of course a descendant of the infamous Khan, someone who Kirk will eventually get to know quite well as the timeline moves forward.
Christina Chong couldn’t say much about Paul Wesley’s James T. Kirk but, via previous conversations with CinemaBlend, co-showrunner Henry Alonso Myers and Ethan Peck filled in some blanks about the series newcomer. Myers stated that Paramount+ subscribers would see Kirk in the role of an officer on the USS Farragut, which means these adventures will be from his pre-Captain days. Peck also commended Wesley on how seriously he’s taken the responsibility of playing Kirk and added that he thinks fans will be excited to see him in the role.
Of course, Kirk is just one reason for fans to be excited about Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 2. When discussing the upcoming episodes, Christina Chong continued to be coy on the specific details, but what she did reveal is sure to be enough to get fans hyped:
The most obvious thing for me to say is that if you enjoy Season 1 and you think Season 1 went all the way, Season 2 takes it to a whole other level in a way that you won’t believe. It’s gonna shock a lot of people, I think.
Considering Season 1 of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds still has a horror-themed installment and an adventure romp on the way, I have to say I’m shocked. Personally, I think the first handful of episodes have already set the bar so high that if Season 2 merely maintains that quality, it would be more than enough. If it can surpass what we've seen thus far, though, then we may indeed be looking at some peak-Trek content, with the presence of Paul Wesley's Kirk simply being the icing on the cake.
But let's not get too ahead of ourselves, as new episodes of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 1 are still premiering on Thursdays on Paramount+. And once it's finished, there will still be a good number of incoming Trek shows to tide fans over until the next season arrives.
