Star Trek: Picard actor Ed Speleers thought he auditioned for James Kirk.
Star Trek: Picard fans got to meet Jack Crusher, the poorly named son of Jean-Luc Picard and Beverly Crusher, played wonderfully by Ed Speleers. Speleers endeared himself to the Trek community with his portrayal of Picard’s first and only child.
But Speleers recently revealed that had things gone differently, someone else would’ve been Picard’s son.
Speleers told SFX Magazine (via CBR.com) that he didn’t audition for Star Trek: Picard first, but for a role on Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. A role that would ultimately go to Paul Wesley, the role of James Kirk.
"Initially I was actually asked to go up for a different part in a different Trek series. I think it was Strange New Worlds. I did a tape and nothing came of it. I was a bit disgruntled, if I remember correctly!This would be completely hazarding a guess. I’m assuming based on what I’ve seen of Strange New Worlds that it’s the Kirk character that Paul Wesley played. Maybe I’m backing myself far too much there. But I feel that that’s right, judging by the sides that I had at the time. That sounds very conceited of me, doesn’t it? ‘I thought I must have been going up for Kirk, it has to be!’"
Ed Speleers would’ve been a great James Kirk on Strange New Worlds
Speleers was great as Jack Crusher, and while Wesley has done a fine job as James Kirk on Strange New Worlds, it would’ve been interesting to see Speleers pull the role off. Especially with the fact that Speleers is British, unlike Wesley.
Speleers has the Kirk “look” that you need and would fit the role fine. Yet, he and Wesley both share the same issue, both may be too old for this version of Kirk. Wesley got the role when he was in his late 30s and Speleers isn’t too far from that point in his life either. Currently, Speleers is 35, and Kirk would be a few years younger than that still.
But, both men would and have done a great job of playing Kirk and that’s really all that matters.