Wesley credits another Strange New Worlds actor with his approach to “the real version” of Kirk.
WARNING! The following contains SPOILERS from “Tomorrow’s Enterprise.”
A massive White Hole connecting with its Black Hole counterpart in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’ season 4 finale, “Tomorrow’s Enterprise,” finally reveals “the real version” of Captain James T. Kirk [Paul Wesley] in the franchise's latest time-traveling Trek. However, this iteration of Wesley’s Kirk is uber confident, unlike his portrayal of Lt. Kirk, and much more akin to William Shatner’s iconic commander of the USS Enterprise.
Wesley fully embraces Captain Kirk's renowned confidence in the Strange New Worlds’ season 4 finale, and he also credits co-star Anson Mount for helping him understand the intricacies of a character being in command. Wesley said [per ScreenRant]: “It’s just one of these situations where... and this is something that I learned from Anson [Mount], actually..."
"When you're in charge, and everyone is looking to you to make decisions, you have to commit to those decisions and make decisions, even if you don't know yourself if they're the right ones." The actor, who has now portrayed four very different and equally intriguing versions of James T. Kirk on Strange New Worlds over the last four seasons, added during the same sit-down:
“That is something that, when I played the real version of Kirk in the finale, it was just a matter of, ‘Okay, now, there's no hesitation.’ I can hesitate in my subconscious. I can hesitate perhaps in a scene where I'm confiding something and I want to show vulnerability. But in front of my crew, I will always be confident, and that is something that I think Lieutenant Kirk didn't understand.”
I love how confident, yet compassionate, Wesley’s Captain Kirk is in "Tomorrow's Enterprise," especially when compared to the other versions of the character he has portrayed over the years on Strange New Worlds, particularly with Lt. Nyota Uhura (Celia Rose Gooding).
In fact, I think one of my favorite parts of the SNW season 4 finale is the glimpse fans get of how far his friendship with Uhura has come since Kirk took command of the Enterprise. As it turns out, Jim taught Nyota how to bluff, which was an intriguing reveal during "Tomorrow's Enterprise."
And the absence of that character trait in younger Uhura is what leads the Enterprise captain to surmise something's not quite right with his communications officer, who is actually from the past.
Personally, I’d like to have seen more interactions between Future Kirk and Future Mr. Spock (Ethan Peck), but I’ve already watched enough of Strange New Worlds to appreciate the cast’s chemistry and to know that a SNW spin-off series featuring Wesley, Peck, Gooding and company would make for a terrific, must-see streaming series.
What did you think about Wesley finally portraying “the real version” of Captain James T. Kirk? Share your thoughts and comments with us on the Redshirts Always Die Facebook and X pages. And Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’ season 4 finale, “Tomorrow’s Enterprise,” is now streaming on Paramount+.
Live long and prosper, Trekkies!
Add us as a preferred source on Google