The Star Trek Universe panel at SDCC was full of insights, including our first news about Strange New Worlds season 2. The cast and crew of the USS Enterprise were there to tease the show's future on Paramount Plus.
The show is a spin-off from Star Trek: Discovery, focusing on Captain Christopher Pike and his crew. The first season received rave reviews when it launched on the streaming service, with Anson Mount, Ethan Peck, and Rebecca Romijn leading the cast as Pike, Spock, and Number One.
Season 2 brings in a familiar character as Paul Wesley joins the cast as James T. Kirk. The Vampire Diaries star made a surprise debut in the season 1 finale as the future Enterprise captain.
Speaking about his character at SDCC, Wesley said: "We only saw Kirk for a handful of scenes in that episode. I’m excited for people to see this younger version of Kirk. There’s more levity, and it’s exciting to see that. He's growing into the character we know, not an alternate reality captain like we saw in season 1."
Indeed, we now know he won't be Captain Kirk in the new series yet. In Strange New Worlds season 2, he's just a Lieutenant as Wesley confirmed his character will be serving aboard the USS Farragut.
Other stars of the show also opened up about what to expect from their characters. Spock star Peck said we'll see a more human side to his character next season. "We’ll see Spock wrestle with his human side a little more," he explained. "He will keep exploring his emotions and that will lead to some impact into his relationships." While Mount teased: "We took some big swings in season one, but we’re going for the fences in season two."
