Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’ Paul Wesley Talks Kirk Meeting Spock and Possible 25th Century Adventure (Exclusive)

Paul Wesley debuted as a Captain James T. Kirk in the Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 1 finale, and played another Captain James T. Kirk in the tragic time travel romance that was “Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow.” He finally gets to play the James T. Kirk, though not yet a captain, in the Star Trek: Strange New Worlds episode “Lost in Translation,” where he meets and teams up with Nyota Uhura (Celia Rose Gooding) for the first time years before he becomes her commanding officer on the Enterprise‘s bridge. And that’s only the first of a handful of historic Star Trek meetings in the episode.

“Lost in Translation” also let Star Trek fans see Jim Kirk interacting with his brother, Sam Kirk (Dan Jeannotte), for the first time, and ended with the very first meeting of Kirk and Spock. ComicBook.com had the chance to speak to Welsey about playing multiple Kirks, that understated historic meeting, and the potential for 25th-century Kirk adventures.

Jamie Lovett, ComicBook.com: When you signed up to play Captain Kirk, were you aware that you’d actually be playing three different versions of Captain Kirk? Does it feel like you’ve done three times the prep? Or, do you like they’ve been, more or less, the same character?

Paul Wesley: No. Look, the first appearance I did was based on “Balance of Terror,” which I watched a few times, and I remember, when I watched it, I thought, “Okay. Kirk doesn’t smile very much. He’s very serious. A lot of people have died. This is a very serious mission.” There’s very little Kirk-isms in there. There’s little charm. He’s a man on a mission. And he’s taking everything very, very seriously.” And I thought, “Okay, for this episode, I’m going to make a concerted effort to make it a little more of the serious Kirk, because this is an alternate timeline and I have that flexibility to do that.” And so, I made a very conscious effort to hold back on some of that charm and, for lack of a better word, the Kirk-isms that we all know, knowing that there would be future episodes in Season 2 where I would be able to explore those facets.

So then, in Season 2, Episode 3, when I read that script, I thought, “Oh my gosh, thank God,” because it is the exact opposite of the Season 1 finale, and I get to have so much fun. So then, I decided, “Okay, I’m going to make him a bit of a goofball.” Because in many ways, Kirk was a goofball in TOS. Every episode is different. There are episodes where Kirk is incredibly lighthearted. There are episodes where he’s actually taking himself very seriously. And so, there are so many facets of Kirk that we can explore. And I thought, “Let me do that for this one.” And so, it’s not that I changed, radically shifted the character. It’s just more that I chose to bring out different personality traits in different episodes.

When was the first time that you fully felt like you were Captain Kirk? I know for some of the people I’ve talked to, it was when they put on the uniform. For some other people, it was when they sat in the chair, or wherever their station was, that it hit them they were in Star Trek. When did that moment come to you? Or was it more gradual?

I think, more gradual. And also, I don’t feel like Captain Kirk yet, because he is not Captain Kirk. He’s Lieutenant Kirk. And I think, for me, I don’t really want him to feel like Captain Kirk yet. I want him to feel like Captain Kirk eventually. In terms of his unwavering ability to lead a ship. I think he’s still growing into that. But, I do feel like James T. Kirk. I feel like, in many ways, with the interactions that I’ve had with, be it, Uhora, or La’an, or Ethan Peck, they’ve been limited now, but nonetheless, as I interact with these characters, and I form these relationships, and these character dynamics, I begin to feel more and more like James T. Kirk. Because really, James Kirk, in my opinion, he’s all about the relationships that he has with people, and that’s what makes him who he is. So, I think, I’m beginning to feel more Kirk as the episodes progress and as the relationship dynamics grow, if that makes sense.

I want to ask about Spock because we get what is the first meeting between Kirk and Spock and it is so understated. We get this whole episode with Kirk and Uhura, and then a brief shot of Spock sitting down with Kirk afterward. Can you talk about what filming that scene was like? I spoke to Akiva Goldsman beforehand, and he made the point that “Kirk and Spock don’t know that this is the first meeting of Kirk and Spock.” Did you have this discussion on set?

Actually, yeah. It’s funny, and Ethan will say — we had discussed this moment, because I remember we were on set, and Dan, the director was like, “Okay, great. Let’s shoot this.” And I remember we shot the first take, and I was like, “Okay, wait.” And I was like, “Okay, can we just pause forT a moment here?” And I was like, “Dan, this is a really big deal. It’s the first time Kirk and Spock meet. And, we’re creating canon here. And, we want to really emphasize this moment. And maybe we should do this. Maybe we should…”

And he’s like, “Dude, no. It’s the exact opposite. They’re just two dudes that are meeting. And, there’s a curiosity, and there’s something that draws them to one another, and there’s the beginning of that friendship, but they don’t know that yet. And so, let’s just not try to milk this for something that it’s not yet. Let’s let it grow.” And I thought it was a smart, understated choice because just think about how forced it could have been. Sometimes, the imagination is more powerful than anything else. And so, let’s imagine what this relationship will be, as opposed to handing it on a platter to the audience.

It felt like the opposite of what the first JJ Abrams movies did where it kind of insists that Spock and Kirk have to be friends, otherwise the galaxy is doomed. This is more like, “Eh, it happens.”

And it wasn’t there in the beginning. I don’t remember now, but initially, Spock didn’t like Kirk in the JJ Abrams movies, right?

Right, because he cheated on the Kobayashi Maru test, which Spock created.

Right, right, which was interesting because, there was an animosity that then grew into a trust and a friendship, which I thought was also a pretty wise choice.

Another interesting moment in the episode is getting to see Kirk with his brother because that’s not really a thing that we get to see elsewhere as Sam dies immediately in Star Trek: The Original Series. Can you talk about what discussions went into how Kirk behaves as a sibling, and what that family dynamic is like?

I think, honestly, a lot of it was on the page. It became very, very clear from day one, the minute I read their first interaction, that they had an obvious sibling rivalry. But, I made a very concerted effort, and frankly, the writing was so good that I didn’t need to work that hard, to make sure that it was lighthearted and that there was still a sibling love. I think, honestly, it’s meant to be funny. Sam is silly, but he’s silly because he should be the better brother in many ways. He should be ahead, and dad’s favorite, and perhaps even higher rank, and he should be the adventurer, but he’s not. He’s the scientist. He’s the logic-oriented one. He chooses the safe route,, and, I think, in spite of himself, it drives him crazy, which I think is part of the humor. And Kirk is just someone who’s naturally, I don’t know, ahead of everyone else, and, he doesn’t even quite know why. It’s just being himself, and it drives Sam crazy. It’s funny.

Kirk has been played by two different actors before you. Here we’re seeing him in a prequel. Obviously, you might look to those other performances for inspiration, but where do you see space to add something original, to explore a side of Kirk that hasn’t at all been seen in those performances?

I’m very much doing that. Look, I made a very conscious decision to do something a little different. I think some people love it, some people don’t, and that’s okay with me. What I really wanted was to make sure that I played a guy who was still growing into the Kirk that is very much part of pop culture history.

I didn’t want the personality traits that he’s known for to be fully formed yet. I wanted those to be blossoming like a flower in many ways. I wanted to explore the brainier side of Kirk. I hate to use the word nerd, but in some ways, he’s a cool nerd. I drew from certain resources that allowed me to delve into that aspect. I didn’t want him to be this jock guy. I wanted him to be this charming, intellectual goofball in many ways. Not to say, that he can’t have acts of courageousness and pure heroism. I wanted that to still exist. But, I just wanted to layer it a little bit.

Last question I’ll ask you, I don’t know if you’re aware of this, but Star Trek: Picard included this Easter egg where Kirk’s body is in stasis at Starfleet, as a nod to a series of books where Kirk gets revived and goes, and has adventures in the future. Does the idea of playing a revitalized Kirk in the 25th century on whole new adventures appeal to you as a possibility? Hypothetically, of course?

Hypothetically, of course. Yeah, absolutely. I love this character. I honestly have been having the best time, and that’s obviously a testament to the cast that I’m working with and the writers. I love it. It’s fantastic. I love how much room there is to grow, and I love all the different facets of his personality. So playing Kirk in the future, I would approach that in a completely different way, and it’s such a gift for an actor to be able to do that.

How to watch Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 2 

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 2 debuts new episodes on Thursdays on Paramount+ in the United States, the U.K., Australia, Latin America, Brazil, France, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, and Austria. The second season will stream on Paramount+ in South Korea, with a premiere date still to be announced. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds airs on Bell Media’s CTV Sci-Fi Channel and streams on Crave in Canada and SkyShowtime in the Nordics, the Netherlands, Spain, Portugal, and Central and Eastern Europe.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 1 is also streaming on Paramount+. It is also available as home media on Blu-ray, DVD, and 4k UHD.

Editor’s note: This interview was conducted prior to the SAG actors’ strike.