Why Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Paul Wesley Was ‘Relieved’ To Finally Play The Real James T. Kirk
The actor offered some surprising perspective.
Warning! The following contains SPOILERS for the Star Trek: Strange New Worlds episode "Lost In Translation." Read at your own risk!
Paul Wesley has had a few appearances as James T. Kirk in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, but there was something entirely different about this latest adventure, "Lost In Translation." For the first time since the series started, Wesley had a full adventure on the Enterprise, and it all happened within the canon. One would imagine such stakes would create more pressure on the actor, knowing he was working within the Prime Timeline, but Wesley confessed to CinemaBlend it was actually a relief.
I had a chance to speak to Paul Wesley ahead of the start of the SAG-AFTRA strike and talked about his latest appearances in Season 2 of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. After talking about how this adventure felt like his biggest moment yet in the series, I asked if there were any nerves or pressure he felt filming the episode, only to learn it wasn't like that at all:
Paul Wesley felt comfortable being able to play the real James T. Kirk, and not some variant from another universe who was born on a spaceship named the USS Iowa. The actor got to play the actual Kirk who will one day take command of the Enterprise under Starfleet, though not while Pike is still the captain. That was a freeing feeling for the actor, and probably why he's so gung-ho about wanting to play Kirk long-term for the franchise.
While he was the actual James T. Kirk, Paul Wesley added that it was important that the character still feel connected to the one we saw in "Tomorrow And Tomorrow And Tomorrow." Doing so helped carry over the story from that episode and, as he mentioned, added more emotion to La'an's ongoing storyline:
La'an still remembers all she went through with the alternate timeline Kirk, who was killed in the past. The introverted and lonely La'an clearly wants to try and rekindle that relationship with the Prime Kirk, but seeing as she's a complete stranger to him, she struggled to interact with him.
James T. Kirk had another big meeting that Star Trek fans undoubtedly appreciated. "Lost In Translation" marked the first time that Kirk crossed paths with Uhura, who later introduced him to Spock. Paul Wesley talked about creating that moment and how episode director Dan Liu gave some helpful advice to make the moment as organic as possible:
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As casual as it was, I couldn't help but wonder if it wasn't the beginning of an eventual TOS reboot for Paramount+ subscrbers at some point in the future. For now, we can just continue to praise Star Trek: Strange New Worlds for its sophomore run, which is only getting more exciting. We still have the Lower Decks crossover to get through next week, and based on what CinemaBlend learned from Ethan Peck, we're not ready for "Spoimler."
Catch new episodes of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds on Thursdays on Paramount+. We're officially past the mid-point of Season 2, so be sure to catch up to see the exciting final weeks alongside other fans!
Mick Joest is a Content Producer for CinemaBlend with his hand in an eclectic mix of television goodness. Star Trek is his main jam, but he also regularly reports on happenings in the world of Star Trek, WWE, Doctor Who, 90 Day Fiancé, Quantum Leap, and Big Brother. He graduated from the University of Southern Indiana with a degree in Journalism and a minor in Radio and Television. He's great at hosting panels and appearing on podcasts if given the chance as well.