Star Trek: Strange New Worlds has cast its Captain Kirk – Paul Wesley will be playing the iconic role in season 2 of the Paramount Plus series. Season 1 of the show has yet to air, so it's a slightly unusual move to announce season 2 cast members already.
"I am deeply humbled and still a little startled to have been given the honor of playing the inimitable James T Kirk," Wesley tweeted. "Ever since I was a kid, I have been awed by the imaginative world Gene Roddenberry created."
I am deeply humbled and still a little startled to have been given the honor of playing the inimitable James T Kirk. Ever since I was a kid, I have been awed by the imaginative world Gene Roddenberry created. Recently, I boarded a flight to LA to discover that the man in the pic.twitter.com/U8GVD4ZemPMarch 15, 2022
He also recounted a chance meeting with former Kirk actor William Shatner, adding: "Recently, I boarded a flight to LA to discover that the man in the empty seat beside me was the one and only William Shatner, having himself just returned from space. I could barely put two words together but ultimately I managed to say hello and we chatted."
Strange New Worlds is set to be a direct prequel to The Original Series, which aired between 1966 and 1969 and starred William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy as Kirk and Spock. It will follow the crew of the USS Enterprise in the years before it came under Captain Kirk's leadership – Anson Mount, Rebecca Romijn, and Ethan Peck reprise their roles from Star Trek: Discovery, playing Captain Christopher Pike, Number One, and Spock respectively.
Wesley is best known for playing Stefan Salvatore in The CW series The Vampire Diaries between 2009 and 2017. He's also had roles in shows like Smallville, 24, and Tell Me a Story.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 1 arrives on Paramount Plus on May 5. In the meantime, you can catch Star Trek: Picard season 2 airing weekly on Paramount Plus in the US and Prime Video in the UK.
