'Star Trek: Discovery' Producer Shoots Down Captain Kirk Rumors

Star Trek: Discovery is providing viewers with a new take on the lore they know and love, but one familiar character won't be part of that anytime soon.

In a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Discovery EP Alex Kurtzman was asked about the plans for the series' sophomore season. While the new installment is set to introduce established Trek characters like Christopher Pike (Anson Mount) and Spock (Ethan Peck), Kurtzman debunked the rumors that James Kirk would make some sort of appearance.

"There's a 10-year gap between where we are in Discovery and Kirk's arrival on the Enterprise." Kurtzman explained. "There would [have to] be a major time jump if we were going to do something like that. What Kirk was doing at this particular time is another question but we don't have any immediate plans [for the character]. "I have not spoken to Shatner about it."

To an extent, this makes some sense, especially considering all of the ground that Season 2 is set to cover. And with Spock apparently "struggling", and the team still reeling from the events from Season 1, it can be argued that Kirk would play a drastically different role in the proceedings than he does in the original series.

"Well, I think that Burnham is ready to have a more Starfleet-like experience with a captain," star Sonequa Martin-Green explained in a recent interview. "We all have a little PTSD from Lorca and what he did, and all his illicit behavior, so it's good to return to normalcy. It's good to return to principle, and it's good to return to what Starfleet really is, where your captain is someone you really do look to, that leads you and guides you. And he has such a kindness, such a genuine … such a genuine quality to him. And as [Mount] said in the panel, he's willing to admit when he's wrong, and he understands the true strength of a mastermind. And so it's moving us, and healing us at the same time."

The first season of Star Trek: Discovery is available to stream in its entirety on CBS All Access in the U.S., through CraveTV in Canada and through Netflix in other international markets. The first season is also now available on Blu-ray and DVD and via digital storefronts.

Star Trek: Discovery Season Two premieres January 17th on CBS All Access.