In addition to the showrunners, actor Paul Wesley has done a series of post-season finale interviews about introducing his James T. Kirk into Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. He’s talking about how he approached the role, and how he’ll be a different Kirk in season 2.
Emulating Shatner (or Pine) would be “blasphemous”
Vampire Diaries star Paul Wesley took on the daunting task of playing the iconic character of James T. Kirk, originated by William Shatner and later played by Chris Pine in the J.J. Abrams Kelvin Timeline movies. In all of his interviews, Wesley made it clear he and the showrunners agreed to not try to emulate either performance. For example, Wesley told Variety:
We’re really respecting who he is and his character traits. But it’s not an imitation. I really aim to be honest and truthful and in the moment. Pay respect to the character of James T. Kirk, but do not try in any way shape or form to imitate something that you cannot touch. It would be almost blasphemous, in a way.
With EW, Wesley drew a contrast to Shatner and Pine, saying he is approaching the role in line with how other actors on Strange New Worlds have taken on classic roles:
He’s somewhere in between. At the end of the day, the most important thing for me and the most important thing for the showrunners was to not insult the original series’ Kirk by doing an imitation of [Shatner]. It’s an interpretation that is different. I think doing an imitation of either [Kirks] would be an insult. We just remind people that it’s not William Shatner. This is a whole new look. It’s a whole new Spock. It’s a whole new Uhura. It’s a whole new Kirk. It’s a new Pike. They’re old characters interpreted in a new way. What is most important is to pay respect to the integrity of who Kirk is — his wants, his needs, his deep desires, his morality, his spontaneity, his instinct.
He made it very clear to Collider he does not want to do an imitation of Shatner:
What William Shatner did is not touchable. You cannot mess with William Shatner. He created Captain Kirk. Period, end of story. For me to try to imitate William Shatner in any way would be, I think, an insult to Captain Kirk. Right? I think it’s important to just understand who Kirk is, what his childhood was like, what he wants, what he doesn’t want, what the pillars of his personality and his character traits that are important to the development of that character. With that in mind, you can then play and create your own interpretation, because it is. There’s a different Spock, there’s a different Uhura, there’s a different everything. You have to just create your own things. You can’t just do an imitation, because that would be too shallow.
And back with Variety, Wesley said even though he was not emulating past performances, there was still an essence of Kirk he was striving for:
A director I was working with on “Star Trek,” said, “Kirk’s the kind of guy that will jump off out of a plane without a parachute and he knows he’ll figure out a way to land midair.” Obviously, that’s an extreme example. But his instinct, his gut, is his North Star. It’s something that I really wanted to make sure that I captured. And then on top of that, he has incredibly good sense of morality. He is someone who I think is selfless for his crew. He’s someone that, even though he has his bravado, I think at the end of the day, he has a deep sensitivity, and he cares about doing the right thing. I think those are the pillars of Kirk, if I had to really pick apart the archetype.
Paul Wesley as James T. Kirk
A “looser” Kirk in season 2
In the season 1 finale, Wesley appeared as Kirk in an alternate timeline when he was captain of the USS Farragut instead of the USS Enterprise during the events of “Balance of Terror.” However, the showrunners have already revealed that in season 2 he will be playing a younger lieutenant Kirk on the Farragut, back in the main timeline of Strange New Worlds. Wesley explained to EW how this younger Kirk is different:
In the season 1 finale, it’s actually a Kirk that we’ve never seen because he doesn’t really exist. It’s an alternate projected timeline of something. If Pike hadn’t died and he was still commanding the Enterprise, what would this world look like? Of course, it doesn’t exist. It’s just in his mind. So he meets Kirk, and Kirk is not captain of the Enterprise. Kirk is captain of the Farragut. Kirk has never met Spock, he’s never met Uhura, he hasn’t gone through all the things that the original Kirk had gone through. So, in a way, it allowed me to… I’m not gonna say whatever I wanted, but it’s a looser interpretation, right? We’re not sticking to a regiment. So it was a little liberating because I didn’t have as much pressure. I can’t talk about season 2 too much, but it’s a little bit more in line with a Kirk that we know, but it’s pre-Enterprise. The most important thing is, to answer your question, is to maintain that sense of Kirk having this incredible gut instinct that he relies on, that is preternaturally accurate in a way, a morality, courage, charm, humor. We don’t get to see as much of that humor in the season 1 finale because there’s something very intense happening. Season 2, we get to explore a little bit more of Kirk.
Wesley talked to Variety about how Kirk will have more of his trademark charm in season 2:
It’s sort of an iconic moment for Kirk: He’s talking to Pike in the first scene, and then Spock interjects, and Kirk is intrigued by this man who said something that Kirk immediately flags as, that’s pretty sharp, that’s pretty wise. I want to capture that he recognizes, “Oh, that’s an interesting guy,” and they form a connection, even if it’s for a split second. Little Easter eggs like that. I wanted to capture a little bit of that bravado, but at the same time, that particular episode, there was a lot at stake there. There was less room to play with Kirk’s humor. There was some charm, but he was very mission driven in that episode, so we didn’t explore Kirk as much as we will in Season 2.
I can’t talk about it too much, but man, I had such a blast on Season 2. The writing is so good. It’s so fun. Season 2 is where we get to really let loose and explore Kirk. I can’t wait for everyone to see it.
And to Cinemablend, he talked about how Kirk and Spock will interact in the upcoming season:
In Season 2, we get to explore more of [the Kirk and Spock] dynamic. I can’t get too much into it. What I will say is that Ethan and I are actually genuinely friends now. It’s so funny, and I’m not sure if it’s subconscious, but we actually have this Kirk/Spock dynamic in real life. It’s so funny. We chat, we hang out, we’ll grab dinner, we’ll go get a drink. We text all the time. We have this sort of natural thing that he and I have developed. It makes it so much easier on screen because we can kind of just be ourselves.
Paul Wesley as James T. Kirk
Still Pike’s show… for now
Bringing Kirk onto a show that already includes other legacy characters introduces the idea that Strange New Worlds could become a new version of Star Trek: The Original Series. Wesley made it clear to Cinemablend that this show is still about Pike:
[U]ltimately, in Season 2, this is still Pike’s show. It’s Pike and Spock and Uhura. It’s pre-Kirk Enterprise. Everything that happens, Kirk is part of that timeline. It’s just not Kirk’s show, that’s just [not] what this is, yet [laughs].
And when asked by Variety if he expects to be playing Kirk for a long time, the actor demurred:
Um, I can’t answer that. I know that when I was doing my [first] Zoom [call], because I had done [“The Vampire Diaries”] for a while, They said, “How would you feel about jumping on the show for a while?” It was that kind of stuff. But ultimately, “Strange New Worlds” is pre-the Enterprise that we know, and I really think that that’s what this show is. Kirk is coming in, and he’s a part of that universe, but this really is Pike’s show in terms of him being the captain.
Ultimately, I don’t know what their plans are. All I can say is that I’m really enjoying being a part of this storyline, because it’s a Kirk that we’ve never seen. This is a younger Kirk. It’s before he was fully developed as a man. I know we saw a little bit of that with Chris Pine in the J.J. Abrams films, but it wasn’t part of the original canon. That’s the Kirk we’re dealing with [on “Strange New Worlds”]. So anyway, I really don’t know.
Paul Wesley as James T. Kirk and Anson Mount as Christopher Pike
Great interview. Still wish they had let this breathe until a few seasons in (only 30 episodes, just a handful over 1 season of older Trek).
My sentiment precisely
Miscast of the decade. I highly doubt I’ll manage to warm up to him as Kirk. There’s absolutely nothing Kirkish about his appearance or acting.
Thanks for the laugh. You sound insane.
No, he/she sounds dead-on target. It isn’t all his fault, though; plenty of blame for those who cast him and those who ‘interpret’ Kirk in such a comic book fashion.
You sound like a Cardassian.
That’s a bit agressive don’t you think? It’s your opinion and we will allow you to have it. Geez.
Got Pavlov?
I will continue to watch, and support the show. But it’s a shame that they nailed the casting of Pike, Uhura, Spock, yet missed this one big time. No disrespect, but I hope we don’t see him again until the series finale when Pike rides into the sunset and hands over the keys to the Enterprise to Kirk.
The whole point is he’ll be prominent in S2…
Did you even read the article?
I did, but I still wish the story centered around Pike. It is clear they are going to use Pike to set up a reboot of TOS, just like they used Pike to try to save Discovery. I was hoping that would be towards the end of a long series, instead of on Season 2. It’s a shame. I was hoping for a long run of SNW with Pike at the helm
Indeed
You are entitled to your opinion but my understanding is that Kirk is a character played by Shatner and other actors not the other way around. Just because Wesley has his own take on the character it doesn’t mean it’s less valid.
You need to be a little less premature in your judgement and give him a chance. Look how many actors have played Pike. None of them are the same but they each bring something fresh and interesting to the character.
Did…did you NOT read the article/interview. If he didn’t seem like the Kirk you know, it’s because he wasn’t playing him that way. It’s stated multiple times. The only real moment to judge will come when we see him in season 2 and he’s playing him as a younger, but more Kirk-like guy. Pine doesn’t look like young William Shatner and his womanizing is an over-the-top depiction of the idea of Kirk but we all still enjoyed him. Chill out.
Do you mean nothing “Shatner”esque about his appearance or acting? Because no one will look like or act like Shatner. I thought he did a great job portraying what Kirk would be like in an alternative future without the influences of Spock and McCoy. There were similar nuances to his speech pattern and his confidence that definitely reminded me of TOS Kirk.
I am actually looking forward to seeing what a younger LT. Kirk will be like before commanding the Enterprise.
I did not like Pine’s portrayal of Kirk in the first 2 JJ Trek movies. He was more Kirk in BEYOND for me.
Just like Quinto and Peck can never fully emulate Nimoy’s Spock, I do like how Peck is portraying him as pre-TOS Spock.
All I can say is, give it time buddy and stop being so pessimistic.
I don’t think he was miscast at all.
What we saw in S1 Finale was a different Kirk altogether. Whom never met Spock, Uhara, Scotty, etc.
He was captain of the Faragut, with a different crew and a history of different missions. He’s going to be a different person.
But we’re going to see a more nascent Kirk in S2. One who is still developing as an officer. Captain Kirk of the Enterprise will come in time. We haven’t seen that captain yet.
Kudos to him for being willing to step into such iconic shoes. There can never be another William Shatner. I think even more so than Leonard Nimoy’s Spock, Shatner created a singular character. But I want to give this guy a chance. I think what was missing from the SNW finale was a little of the swagger and charisma of Kirk. If he is a good actor he can find his own version of that without impersonating Shatner.
Untouchable because it was awful
Untouchable because Shatner WAS Kirk. Chris Pine and others will try, but Shatner’s Kirk was the original and thereby is the one that all others are compared to. Since Shatner has a unique way of looking at things, it is difficult if not impossible for anyone to imitate his Kirk without looking ridiculous. It is what it is.
Six decades on and Shatner’s performance still endures and the character still looms large over the Star Trek universe and pop culture in general. Pretty good for an “awful” performance. Now be a good troll and go back to your cave.
You’re confusing Character and Performance. The two are not the same. Chris Pine is a better Kirk hands down. Shatner was laughable on TOS. I doubt he took the show seriously when he filmed it. He got better of course when the money started flowing from the movies.
You have it backwards. You could have the best written character in history; it would be nothing without a good performance to do it justice. It’s Shatner’s performances in episodes like City on the Edge of Forever, The Enemy Within and Balance of Terror that cemented the character’s enduring legacy.
Pine is a very good actor who has been saddled with lousy scripts where the character is all too often presented as what someone who only understands Star Trek on the most superficial of levels might perceive Kirk to be.
That’s why when someone mentions Kirk 99 of 100 people instinctively think of Shatner instead of anyone else.
Chris Pine looked like an out-of-depth high school actor in ID’s brig scene with CumberKhan. He’s fine with light comedy, but in no way can do the range necessary to deliver Kirk. As to your claims about Shatner … it is hard for me to take YOU seriously.
The thing about playing Kirk, or any iconic commanding character, is that it requires something beyond imitation or even acting ability. It’s charisma. It’s that “it” quality that certain actors bring to a role. Shatner had it. And even though he was written as ‘dude, where’s my starship?’ most of the time, Pine had it too.
Maybe it was how this Kirk was written in the finale or how Wesley was directed, but I didn’t quite get that charismatic Kirk I was expecting. A solid performance but it didn’t wow me. But I’m willing to watch more.
I actually think the lines, the words were 100% Kirk. I just didn’t get the Kirk delivery. And by that I don’t mean Shatner’s performance. For example, Jack Nicholson and Heath Ledger’s interpretation of the Joker are very very different, they both felt like the Joker. Then Jared Leto comes around and it felt nothing like the Joker.
I was trying to be nice. Yes, it’s mostly the performance, I’m afraid.
Yep
Don’t forget Joaquin Phoenix’ version! Just simply breathtaking
Charisma aside, didn’t anyone get that this was a “different” Kirk? Not the same timeline, not the same life, not the same experiences. I say give Wesley a break and see where it goes.
It seems most people got that it’s a different timeline. Regardless of plot mechanics, my point is that what draws an audience to a performance often goes beyond anything in the script.
Yes, I think we all “get” that. But even when people change over time, they are still recognizable as that person. I’m not the same person I was 20 years ago, but you’d if you met me 20 years apart I’d still be essentially “me”.
This interpretation of Kirk was not recognizable as Kirk, and I think that’s the main takeaway. He was just miscast or misdirected.
I disagree with everything you said Jeff, most especially your assertions regarding Kirk in the SNW season finale. I also find anyone who claims to know what “most” or “99 out of 100” will do/say/or feel on any given subject to be laughable.
Years ago even before ST09 I imagined a Captain Pike movie (or series of movies) with the final scene being Pike (Ray Liotta) ‘handing over the keys’ to the new captain of the Enterprise – turbolift doors open, out steps CGI ’66 Shatner in the WNMHGB uniform
I actually like the new Kirk. I don’t think the brash 60s Kirk or the smart ass Chris Pine Kirk really works these days.
The performance I saw this dude give as the older Kirk was sort of something between Picard and TOS Kirk and actually reminded me of Sisko.
I am looking forward to his version of the younger Kirk in S2. This Kirk comes across as a brilliant, tactical genius and thoughtful Kirk, which contrasts to the more seat-of-your-pants passionate Kirk in TOS. Don’t get me wrong, I will always love that Kirk, but I don’t find that as convincing today.
I can see another reason why picked him for for this role — he has the face that can, with proper make-up and acting, be convincing as a younger Kirk even though he’s nearly 40…and then they can easily drop him into TOS 2.0 or Ta OS Years 4-5 new series that we know is coming in a couple of years.
And I will predict this — he is going to grow on fans in a positive way the more and more we see of him. Shat-Kirk is certainly beloved, but I just don’t think that works very well for a TV series or convincing Star Trek eps today.
“ I don’t think the brash 60s Kirk or the smart ass Chris Pine Kirk really works these days.” Well, “very skinny guy with no charisma or gravitas” is also not working for a lot of people. But hey. I’m honestly hoping he’ll get better down the road, I just doubt it.
Exactly
The words 100% felt like Kirk. The story was 100% Kirk. The writing was spot on.
But he just didn’t do it for me. Emulating Shatner (or Pine) would be “blasphemous”, but apparently channeling his inner Jim Carey was fair game :-(. Pike’s casting was perfection. Uhura’s casting was perfection. Even Spock was great. But he just isn’t Kirk. Sorry, I mean no disrespect, I love the show.
On the bright side, this made me appreciate way waaayyy more what Chris Pine did with Kirk.
I got a little Rod Serling from his performance too. Maybe it’s the eyebrows.
Me too!
I got more of Dick York’s “Darrin” from Bewitched.
Nothing wrong with his performance at all, but he didn’t pull off Kirk, IMO.
Jack Lord
yes!
Jim Carrey? Huh? Seriously?
Haven’t seen his SNL take on Kirk then…
I have, and I was just thinking Carrey in general when I saw this guy, not Carrey doing Kirk. Major MAJOR miscue in this casting, and in their approach (so far) in characterizing Kirk.
It wasn’t on SNL, it was on In Living Color (the Wayans brothers sketch show) that ran on Fox in the early 90s.
It’s a joke (a bad joke). His physique, the hair and some mannerisms at some points reminded me of the SNL skit. Paul Wesley is a terrific actor. I know nothing about show business so don’t pay too much attention to what I’m saying. I do wish he takes the performance in a different direction in Season 2.
I’ve seen that skit, and sorry, but I just don’t see those mannerisms or manic character actions that were in that skit.
Does he have a face that looks slightly like Carey? OK, I will buy that at least. But so what…I mean Alec Baldwin can do Trump, but do I then worry that he’s playing a young Trump when I watch The Hunt for Red October? LOL, of course I don’t!
I 100% agree. I absolutely love the actors for Spock, Pike, and Uhura. They are all approaching their roles differently than before, but are bringing a nuance that enhances the character in a new and intriguing way. I love these new versions.
The new Kirk is just bad. Like, really, really bad. This is the worst casting I have seen in a long time, but compared to the casting of Spock, Uhura, Pike, even Chapel, it is glaringly bad. Why him? It really makes no sense.
Still not as off-the-mark as Genevieve Bujold as Captain Janeway. Granted, Janeway was a new character, but that casting choice really is perplexing when you watch the few scenes she did. She seemed more like a librarian than a captain.
Glad she and the producers figured out early it wasn’t a good fit.
I disagree. I would have so much loved to see what Bujold could have brought to Janeway. She can act circles around Mulgrew. We are talking an Oscar-level great movie actress versus a TV series recycled actress, no offense meant to Mulgrew.
Nah, I’ve seen this same argument used to defend Brie Larson’s wooden Captain Marvel. Winning an Oscar isn’t a guarantee that person is going to be great in every role. It’s an award for a specific performance. That’s it.
Most importantly, and to her credit, it was Genevieve Bujold who saw she wasn’t right for the part. Mulgrew was made to play Janeway. Still is.
Huh? Brie Larson was great in Captain Marvel!
Although, Bujold would probably fair better in Trek today, in Picard or Discovery, that are serious and artistic with that Oscar bait level of emotionality and want you to know it.
Apples and oranges. Bujold wasn’t playing an already established and iconic character, so her choice to play up the scientist aspect rather than the commander aspect wouldn’t be traipsing over decades of established lore. TPTB fouled up here by not making more aspects clear about the character up front so Bujold would realize she couldn’t stay in that niche she preferred. That they also didn’t get she couldn’t work at the velocity of TV is also on them, because you don’t commit what they did w/o knowing the parameters of professionalism.
But then again, this is the same company that looked the other way for over a year as the Robert Abel company spent millions and millions while not getting any acceptable shots done for the first TREK movie, all the while hoping to have bought into a fire-and-forget situation with VFX for the coming years by having acquired what they thought would be their own private version of ILM.
Before anybody says that the company name is the same but all the players have changed, I should point out for the umpteenth time that Paramount is still insanely restrictive about allowing or assisting journalistic endeavors regarding past TREK; more than 30 years after TMP, they were still withholding all image approvals on Jones’ RETURN TO TOMORROW book because they felt it painted them in a bad light — even though it was a detailed and rather honest accounting. Shoot, I just finished watching P+’s THE OFFER and as terrific as the show is (especially Matthew Goode, who should have gotten a best actor nom along with a couple or three other folk for supporting — they were all shut up, which is inexplicable unless nobody is watching p+), I was frankly amazed that in 10 hours, they didn’t get into various aspects of the production that even I previously knew about, though I am far from being a GODFATHER expert. Walter Murch cut the film, and yet the editor as presented in this series seems merely a functionary — wholly unrepresentative of Murch’s impact on this and other Coppola associations and his career as a whole. It’d be like. They go pretty light on the trying-to-fire-Coppola aspect as well as the battles over the score, too, but those at least are included.
Great points! I don’t always agree with you, but man you know your Trek and cinema history, dude!
They must have weighed up the pluses and negatives of not only introducing a new actor to play Kirk Prime properly for the first time since Shatner, which is obviously going to be a big deal for fandom, but also that they’d actually be introducing an alternative timeline version of the character first, before the proper version. I think the script they wrote without Kirk could have still been a stellar episode and all this confusion with the direction of the character easily avoided.
The actor actually reminds me a bit of Captain Bob Wesley from “The Ultimate Computer”; I wonder whether subbing him for Kirk might have worked better.
It’s a false choice to say that your only two options are this performance or a Shatner impression. There’s all sorts of ways one can recognizably suggest the essence of the Kirk character without… imitating ……….. Shatner.
Both Peck and Quinto immediately suggest Spock without doing a Nimoy impression; and I have no trouble buying Mount as Pike and Gooding as Uhura. I like the new Chapel character in SNW quite alot, but in no way does she suggest the Chapel we previously knew, but Chapel was more a blank slate anyway, so I accept it. But Kirk? A miscast so far, but lets see what happens next season.
Based off of what I’ve read from Mr.Wesley, I’m looking forward to, officially, meeting his Lieutenant Kirk next year. Since this is such an early point in Captain Kirk’s legendary career and a point that’s never been touched on before, I for one look forward to seeing what he brings to one of the most legendary characters ever created. As for how I feel about Paul Wesley being cast as Captain Kirk, I would rather have James T. Kirk than not have him. I see this casting like I see the casting of Batman or James Bond now.
There will always be someone around to play him because Captain Kirk is so legendary and it all started with him. Of course there will never be another William Shatner. He played Captain Kirk as himself. He didn’t need to “act” to play Captain Kirk.
He just put himself out there on screen. He wasn’t playing James T. Kirk the character. He was just being William Shatner and I learned that directly from him when he talked to me during a virtual panel that he did back in 2020. So nobody will ever emulate him because nobody can be William Shatner except William Shatner.
So I don’t want Mr.Wesley to emulate William Shatner because he’ll fail. I want him to play James T. Kirk his own way and that’s why I’m looking forward to seeing another chapter unfold in the story of James T. Kirk. As for people saying they should leave Captain Kirk alone, why? It was okay to recast him for the JJ films but it’s not okay to recast him for SNW?
Paul Wesley only had 3 days to prepare himself to shoot the season 1 finale. 3 days!!!! Now that he’s actually had the time to find his footing, I look forward to seeing him next year. It’s a terrible thing that people judge someone’s performance before even seeing it.
I thought being a Trekkie meant being open minded but if people are quick to judge Paul Wesley’s performance based off of an episode he only had three days to prepare for, then that seems pretty close minded to me and very un-Trekkie like. Also, for people who keep saying they want a remake of TOS, why not explore the first years of the Enterprise’s five year mission or the last years before she went in for a refit? Why remake a show that’s a masterpiece? Why not add to it instead of trying to change it?
If you don’t like it, then don’t watch it. Everything on that show was a sign of it’s time. TOS is a time capsule and should be treasured as such and instead of remaking it, people should want to see them tell stories that explore the rest of the Enterprise’s first five year mission or second five year mission after TMP, instead of wanting to see them just rewrite TOS because it’s not politically correct. I love Star Trek as it is and it doesn’t need to change.
That’s what happens when you love something or someone so completely, you accept them or it, flaws and all. Plus, there’s so many unexplored areas in Star Trek around TOS that you don’t need to remake that show. But I’m just one guy on a soapbox right now so let me get off it 🙂.
Live long and prosper, Trekmovie 🖖
All due respect, don’t take at face value what Shatner told you in 2020. Rewatch Balance of Terror; Shatner displays tremendous acting technique, in the most complimentary sense. A deep, nuanced performance, the work of a skilled professional.
And all due respect to you, you’re not William Shatner, are you? So why would I listen to what you have to say over what Mr.Shatner told me and my wife?
Live long and prosper, phil 🖖
I just think he was being modest, that’s all.
“Being modest”? Do you even understand what I’m saying? William Shatner told me and my wife that he wasn’t acting when he was playing Captain Kirk on TOS. He drew on self-experience because he had no clue on how to play Captain Kirk.
So instead of making it up as he went along, he just acted like himself. That’s why when I say William Shatner is Captain Kirk, he literally IS Captain Kirk. That’s why Captain Kirk can’t be emulated because Captain Kirk is William Shatner. And William Shatner has admitted it himself in some recent interviews in the past few years that Captain Kirk is him.
There was no acting about it. The magic of Captain Kirk comes from William Shatner and who he is. Kirk’s charm is William Shatner’s charm. Kirk’s bravado is William Shatner’s bravado.
He wasn’t playing a character. William Shatner was just being himself. That’s why Captain Kirk has all the same mannerisms as William Shatner does. So I don’t know what you mean by “being modest”.
He admitted something to me and my wife that I had long suspected since I first watched TOS back in the ’90s when I was a teenager. That’s not “being modest”. It’s called being honest because he could’ve just said that Captain Kirk was just a character he portrayed on Star Trek. Instead he told my wife and I that Captain Kirk is really him.
There was no acting about it. If you weren’t there, then you shouldn’t be offering insight into something that didn’t concern you. You don’t know what Mr.Shatner said. Him, me, and my wife know what was said.
That’s all that matters. If you get to meet Mr.Shatner face to face, then you can ask him was he just playing a character or not when he was Captain Kirk. I know what he told me and there’s nothing “modest” about it.
Live long and prosper, phil 🖖
Phil is correct to point out that what Shatner told you isn’t the full story, Johnny; more of a digest or mass-consumption version. Even as far back as the book SHATNER: WHERE NO MAN, he admits that the barrier between acting and being himself broke down on TREK because of time pressures, so he wound up often playing the character as he would like to think he would react in a given situation, but that wasn’t the initial impulse.
And on TMP, his technique changed, as he had copious amounts of time to think about the material and he deliberately chose to immerse himself in same — and you can see the result is that he probably had too much time to think about things, because the number of times when he is ‘just right’ seems to plummet, plus the naked honesty and power you see as early Kirk is nowhere in evidence going forward through GEN (am talking about the cool professionalism in BoT and especially the ‘go to your quarters or I’ll pick you up and carry you there’ moment from CHARLIE X.)
I think there’s also a certain aspect with Shatner discussing his own work to consider; his intelligence. While high-IQ, he has demonstrated he can be conned, as Harve Bennett himself observed about their TFF collaboration. Smart-on-paper people often don’t demonstrate street-level savvy about their work and I think he is probably one of those folk. The actor who hit upon a technique while trying to remember a line on stage in the 50s and then utilized that for decades … well, that doesn’t reconcile with the ‘just playing myself’ statement at all for me. There are certainly components of Shatner in the Kirk portrayal, but I don’t know that he can be trusted to explain the work so simply (this is the guy who described the differences between Kirk and Hooker as the former being heroic and the latter being angry, but if you were to look at the TOS film sequels, I’d be hard pressed to see that distinction, and in fact often take the opposite tack regarding the nature of these characters.)
You know what’s funny is how someone can have an opinion about a conversation between 3 people that doesn’t concern them? I know what Mr.Shatner told me and my wife. Whether you believe what he said or not doesn’t matter to me. My wife and I met him and he was very nice, genuine, and sincere when he was talking to us.
So, to me, it doesn’t matter what you say because you weren’t involved in the conversation. And the funny thing is you mentioned TJ Hooker, he told me and my wife the difference between playing Captain Kirk and playing TJ Hooker was, with Captain Kirk, he was just being himself and with TJ Hooker, he was acting. Of course, his performance changed after TMP. He hadn’t been Captain Kirk, outside of TAS, for 10 years.
Obviously his style and technique is going to change because he was 47 when they filmed TMP and he was 35 on TOS. He did quite a variety of roles before he returned back to Star Trek too so that changed his technique also. According to Mr.Shatner, he was just trying to keep food on the table for his daughters. I already said that when he started TOS, he had nothing to draw upon it, except for self-experience.
He was just being himself according to him and not some book. When he played Admiral Kirk, of course, the performance is gonna be different because now Kirk is older and the writers weren’t writing him like he was still Captain Kirk. Part of that comes from Gene Roddenberry because he aged the character by making him an Admiral and the other part comes from William Shatner not just wanting to redo TOS. My wife and I asked him about how we had heard that he wasn’t even going to do TMP originally and he told us that that was true because he had already played Captain Kirk and he didn’t want to do a retread of it because he was worried about getting typecasted.
Needing the money for his daughters, though, was one of the main reasons for his TMP return. If you have a problem with TMP, or William Shatner’s performance in it, I suggest you take it up with either Mr.Shatner or with the writer and director of the movie. Oh, that’s right, both the writer and director have passed on so you can’t do that, can you? Go DM William Shatner then and tell him what you think about his performances in the movies.
But you won’t do that, will you? Robert Wise and William Shatner did not get along and William Shatner told us that Robert Wise kept changing his scenes on him and I read in a two book set called The Fifty Year Mission that Robert Wise did not like William Shatner’s acting technique and thought it was weak. So William Shatner did attempt to play Admiral Kirk like Captain Kirk at first but the director of TMP didn’t want that. So there’s another reason why William Shatner’s performance in that movie was different from the TV show.
Also, the movies weren’t written by the TOS writers and that’s another reason why Captain Kirk was portrayed differently. We talked about Captain Kirk, TJ Hooker, the Big Giant Head and getting to do improv comedy on 3rd Rock with John Lithgow, James Spader, Big Bad Mama and his nude scene with Angie Dickinson etc etc. Like I said before, I know what Mr.Shatner said, it came straight out of his mouth, not from a book. My wife and I had an actual conversation WITH him and that’s a lot different then reading something from a book.
And you weren’t involved in the conversation so you shouldn’t have an opinion about something that doesn’t concern you. That’s just asinine! How can you have an opinion on a conversation that took place that you weren’t even a part of? That just sounds ridiculous!
And you’re telling me to believe a book over a man’s own words, that’s even sillier!!!!! Why don’t you go tell your opinion to someone who will listen to it and believe you. My wife and I met William Shatner. We actually got to talk to him and not many people get to have that type of experience with a legend like Mr.Shatner and I’m very proud of my wife for setting that up for us.
Maybe someday you’ll get to talk to him and then you can ask him yourself if he was being himself on TOS or was he just playing a part? My wife and I already did that and he gave us his answer and that’s all that matters to the both of us.
Live long and prosper, kmart 🖖
Interesting discussion you are having.
I believe you that the Shat believes he was playing himself while playing Kirk. But honestly, I don’t think there is such a thing as playing oneself.
Acting is always an artificial situation and you will never be able to just play yourself. You are always acting, especially Shatner was always (over)-acting. He may believe that’s his natural mannerism, he can claim that to you, your wife or the entire world, but anyone can see that he was ACTING, in his case, in a very, very unnatural sort of way in parts.
He can tell you, me or anyone else whatever he wants. I highly doubt the man is even able to assess his own acting objectively, especially because he was involved in it. Any audience member has got a more objective view to his acting because none of us were directly involved.
So while it is great for you and your wife having been able to talk to the man privately, the information coming from him is nothing but a subjective assessment on Shatner’s part, undoubtedly interesting, but not superior to any outsider’s observation. Anyone who watches the show can see that he is acting on every scene. Man, he’s even acting in his own interviews. He’s the worst at hiding it.
But does it really matter? I love his acting. It’s cult because it is so over-the-top artificial and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
You’re entitled to your opinion, Garth Lorca, and I’m entitled to mine. My wife and I choose to take the word of my hero over outsider interpretations. Nobody else was in this conversation that my wife and I had with Mr.Shatner. And as I’ve already stated, Mr.Shatner said that he IS Captain Kirk and Captain Kirk IS him.
He had no experience on playing a character like Captain Kirk so he just pulled from personal experience and I am restating this now for the third time. If you want proof, there are interviews with Mr.Shatner on ComicBook.com where he even states that he IS Captain Kirk and talks about having little experience when he started on Star Trek. These interviews are from the past couple of years. There’s probably articles even on here about how William Shatner has stated now that he IS Captain Kirk.
There are also videos on YouTube of Joan Collins and the actress who played Isis the cat from TOS and the women are asked about William Shatner and what it was like working with him and they both said that the way he comes across on screen is the way he comes across off screen but with much bigger bluster 😃🙂. Okay, so there’s many different things out there that show that William Shatner was just being himself on TOS. Now, if you or anybody else can’t accept that, that’s fine. My wife and I choose to believe him, especially since we talked to him face to face.
I don’t understand how people can have an opinion about a conversation they weren’t included in. It’s just incredible to me.
Live long and prosper, Garth Lorca 🖖
“I don’t understand how people can have an opinion about a conversation they weren’t included in. It’s just incredible to me.”
That’s the bit I don’t understand and actually the reason why I started posting. It is NOT about YOUR conversation at all. It’s about Bill Shatner’s belief that he played himself when playing Kirk, no matter where this bit of intel comes from. It doesn’t matter whether he told it to you and your wife or whether he said it in a public interview. I simply don’t believe it’s possible because acting is an artificial situation in which you automatically create something way beyond your natural self. That’s my point, not your conversation. It’s NOT about your extra bit of insight, it’s all about Shatner’s assessment itself which I frankly cannot believe…
And you’re entitled to not believe it, Garth Lorca. My wife and I know otherwise 😉.
Live long and prosper, Garth Lorca 🖖
I’m going to stick to Mr. Pascal’s directive that Johnny and I should not directly respond to each other’s comments, but I’ll provide this comment in response here to your post, Garth — I think Johnny is 100% right on this one, and I agree with all of his posts here, And I certainly believe Shatner said that having seen him speak many times over the years using his unprepared, seat of the pants conversation with the audience technique.
And there’s nothing wrong with admitting all this is true about William Shatner and still appreciating his greatness as the original Kirk. And I certainly wouldn’t blame William Shatner for the way his character came across in TMP – that’s the directors and writer’s fault, an I thought he gave it his all in that film.
i’m really looking forward to seeing more of Paul Wesley’s Kirk. I like what I saw and want to see more, and as I mentioned in my other post here, these are different times that call for a new interpretation of Captain Kirk.
PS: I kind of disagree with you about your acting comments. I think many actors kind of play versions of themselves over and over —John Wayne is the classic example of this.
Bill Shatner, John Wayne, Donald J Trump… I don’t care who you mention, none of them did not play versions of themselves. They created a fake public avatar of themselves and activate that on stage or in front of the camera. THAT’S how it works, you never get to see the actual private person! That’s all I want to say…
I am responding back to you not to argue with you, One Lion. I read your response and I appreciate what you said and maybe I misunderstood or misinterpreted your earlier posts to me and I wanted to apologize to you if I escalated things to a level that they weren’t at. I have a medical condition called Huntington’s Disease. It’s a neurological condition that’s terminal and it comes with all types of mental health issues.
My wife actually is the one who told me to reply back to you and that I may have escalated things for no reason. So I apologize and I wanted to tell you that I agree with you 💯about Paul Wesley. I think he is going to be great next season as Lieutenant Kirk and I really can’t wait to see him with that Kirk charm 🙂. I also agree with you that they do have long term plans for Mr.Wesley as both Captain Kirk AND Admiral Kirk.
We already saw the cranberry-colored jacket from the TOS movies on SNW. Paul Wesley is almost 40 so all they have to do is wait a few years and he will be the same age that William Shatner was when he did TMP. I think that’s Alex Kurtzman’s intention with hiring a new Kirk. I think he wants to do a Picard-type show for ALL of the Captains, eventually.
But he couldn’t figure a show out for Kirk because they didn’t have a Kirk anymore so they went and got an actor to play him. I think that when they do get around to doing a Star Trek:Kirk show, it’s gonna give James T. Kirk the right sendoff that he should’ve gotten back in the ’90s but he didn’t. That’s all just speculation, of course, but it could be real someday, maybe 🙂?
Live long and prosper, One Lion 🖖🦁
Hey Johnny, thanks for the nice words and I accept your apology and I offer mine as well, so let’s have a truce and talk again. No problem bro.
Sorry about your disease, my friend. I think we are both passionate Star Trek fans who just got carried away and misunderstood each other.
You’re welcome, One Lion, and thank you for your apology and your regards about my medical condition. Yes, we can talk again. I’ve been reading your other opinions on here and I wanted to write back before but I’m a pretty stubborn dude 🙂. I agree that we’re both very passionate about Star Trek.
And yes, it is easy for me to misunderstand something and take it the wrong way. That’s why I’ve been having my wife check my responses because I can come off as argumentative sometimes. I don’t mean too but it does happen. You want to hear something funny?
You think you and I are passionate Trekkies. You should try being married to a super passionate Trekkie? When my wife and I have disagreements about Star Trek, it just about leads to Koon-ut-kal-if-fee in our backyard and this has been going on for 13 years now🤣😆!!!
You don’t even want to know what happens if I call her a Romulan, man 🤣😆😄! So you think you and I are passionate? My wife takes it to a whole ‘nother level 😆🤣😄🙂😂😃!!!! Live long and prosper, One Lion 🖖🦁.
Lol, That’s funny!
BTW: This is not having an opinion about your private conversation with the Shat. Shatner has talked about this in public, for example when he commented on his various impersonations on YouTube. He truly believes he was just playing himself. So yes, of course, I utterly believe YOU that he told you that. And I believe that Shatner believes it himself. But I do not agree with the man’s assessment.
Any acting, be it on stage or on TV or for the the big screen, even doing a panel or giving an interview, is an artificial situation in which you automatically behave not the way you’d behave in everyday life.
Whether it’s William Shatner, Patrick Stewart or Donald Trump, all of them act when moving in public. The moment you know there’s a camera or mic, you automatically behave differently. So you do not just play yourself. It doesn’t work like that, at all. And if Shatner actually believes that he lacks some serious self-reflection.
And on those questions of acting theory, anyone can have an opinion, whether you were part of that conversation or not. Because yeah, not even Shatner’s own opinion on this matters the world. If he doesn’t know he was doing some serious acting back in the day, it only proves his lack of metalevel reflectiveness…
So, let me understand this, it’s wrong of William Shatner to say that he was being himself when he played Captain Kirk? I grew up idolizing him and idolizing Captain Kirk. To know that my hero wasn’t just playing a character is an awesome thing to me because it confirmed something I had a suspicion about back in the ’90s when I was a teenager watching TOS and it proved to me that, on screen and off screen, William Shatner is James T. Kirk all the time, not just in front of the cameras. He took a chance and put himself on screen back then so how dare you try to belittle him for creating the Captain Kirk character just by being himself.
You or I don’t know what went through William Shatner’s head back in the ’60s. For you to presume that you do, that shows ignorance on your part. I talked to the man, not a character. You can’t accept that that’s your fault.
But don’t sit there and say “Well, Shatner goes into character whenever a mic is near”, you don’t know him. Granted, I don’t either but I know him a little bit better because my wife and I got to spend 20 minutes alone with him. I’m sure that’s more time than you’ll ever get, if you ever get the chance to meet him that is.
Live long and prosper, Garth Lorca 🖖
I’d rather say Shatner goes into his own public avatar as soon as a mic is near… All actors do, be it on stage, on the red carpet or in a late night show… They never are “themselves”, they play their public avatar. Hollywood, theater, showbiz… all of it is FAKE. And every player creates a totally artificial version of himself for the public eye. I do not believe in authenticity. It’s all make-belief. All of it. Entirely. Even when you talk to the Shat. But maybe it’s just me and my lack of trust in people and reality :-)
It’s sad your so cynical but if I didn’t have my wife or my love for Star Trek to ground me, I could probably be like you. I believe in William Shatner and he’s my hero and always will be. Captain Kirk and him have helped out through some dark times in my life. I lost my daughter (she was from my ex-fiancee before my wife.) to pneumonia in 2008, my Mom just died back in December of last year from a cardiac event right at Christmas, and I was diagnosed with a terminal neurological condition called Huntington’s Disease back in 2015, a disease that has no cure.
But I’m still not cynical because I know my time is limited and I need to enjoy the time that I have left rather than just being miserable. I have faith in people and I don’t think everyone’s out to get me or is just lying to me because life is too precious for that, especially when the clock’s ticking. I tell you my story because I just wanted to let you know that not everybody in the world has ulterior motives. But then again, like I said already, if I didn’t have my wife or Star Trek, I may be cynical too and not believe what people are saying myself but then again probably not because I always try to have a sunny disposition 😊.
Live long and prosper, Garth Lorca 🖖
Sure it’s an artificial situation, but some actors play easily tailored versions of themselves, like William Shatner and John Wayne. I guess if your point is they have to be 100% themselves in any acting situation, well that’s kind of a ridiculous stretch that is more of an academic point. Perhaps you would prevail with that in a debate class, but it doesn’t mean a whole hell hole of a lot to the actor or the viewer.
Totally acedemic, entirely philosophical, completely wrapped up in twisted acting theory… The Shat says he played himself when playing Kirk. I say, his public Avatar lacks range :-)
The book in question is basically a mouthpiece for Shatner (there is at least one chapter that is nothing but quotes from the guy), and the writers are the people who wrote his LIVE album, total sycophants, though well-educated. So I AM referencing the man’s words.
I’ve interviewed VFX and camera people about their work at the time the work was done, and then touched on same with some of them years later, and it is quite amazing how far the memories s-l-i-d-e on the same subject with some of these folks, even when they could refresh themselves by reading up on their previous statements beforehand. Maybe memory really gets better with age for them, but I haven’t found it to be the case for me anyone else I know.
I’ve read Mr.Shatner’s books too and I’ll take his word at face value over what’s in a book any day, especially since Mr.Shatner changes his opinion a lot. What he has written down one day, a few months later he may have a different opinion about it. Take for example returning to Star Trek. A few years ago, he said that Captain Kirk’s story was finished.
Then Picard came on and he saw it was a hit so then he said that if they could do a Picard-type show for Kirk, then he would come back and play Captain Kirk. Six months later in an interview he did for one of his albums that came out a few years back he did an about face and said no, Captain Kirk’s story has been told already. Then he gets word that Tarantino wants to make a Star Trek film so now he wants to be in it and he’ll more than gladly play Captain Kirk if Quentin Tarantino will have him. Paramount puts the brakes on that and William Shatner was right back to saying that he was all done playing Captain Kirk in Star Trek again.
I’m using this as an example so that you can see that Mr.Shatner changes his mind a lot and that’s okay because he’s William Shatner 🙂 and it’s his opinion. But that’s why I say that something he wrote down in a book years ago probably doesn’t hold up to what his opinion of that subject is today and that’s why I believe what he told me and my wife because he was talking to us face to face. We didn’t submit questions for vetting. We were just talking and my wife and I both asked questions that covered many different aspects of his career because Mr.Shatner does not just want to talk about Star Trek in a career that’s as long as his.
Live Long and prosper, kmart 🖖
I can see a scenario where the series transition into a new series featuring the TOS crew.
I can only see that is a very specific way. They should produce “Star Trek – Year One” right now, inbetween seasons of SNW. This one-shot event season should then be added to TOS as TAS, completing the original Five Year Mission, with Year One being Year One, TOS being Years Two – Four and TAS being Year Five…
Then, after SNW ends in about 4 years, they should produce Admiral Kirk’s second “Five Year Mission” (which should also be the series’ title) set inbetween TMP and TWOK.
I just don’t want them to replace all of TOS and that’s the way around it! :-)
That’s quite a limited way of looking at it Garth. I agree they could do year one but there’s nothing stopping them doing a year 5 either, an Admiral Kirk show, the second 5 year mission etc etc. I’ve not seen Wesley’s debut as Kirk yet but if/when he gets over his initial teething problems and is accepted by the fans then the worlds his oyster.
The best Kirk after Shatner was Vic Mignogna on Star Trek Continues. That was a phenomenal performance! Sadly he is already to old to play that role again for SNW.
This was such odd casting. Wesley is already too old to be playing the Kirk of TOS, much less a Lt. Kirk. Leaving aside whether he’s got the other qualifications he needs, he’s just too old to be doing the thing you just know they want, which is to serve as a new tv Kirk for the next few decades. I didn’t think he was bad in his first episode; I didn’t think he was Kirk, either.
Exactly. 40 year old wrinkly Lt?
I’m in complete agreement and I’ve said as much myself. However, he’s only too old to play young James Kirk but we don’t know what the future plans are for the character. If, for example they are tentatively considering doing something that fills the gap between TMP and TWOK then he’d be about the right age and it would make more sense then for him to play twenty something Kirk in a handful of episodes of SNW.
That’s true, but how would they account for Spock, Uhura, etc. looking a solid two decades younger than Kirk?
By the way, that’d be a great use of a TOS reboot: fill in some of those blank years. I’d be interested in seeing that.
There’s only 3 years age difference between Wesley and Peck, that’s not really a problem especially when you consider that Vulcans are supposed to age more slowly anyway. Babs Olusanmokun is already much older than the actor who originally portrayed him was when they filmed TOS so he’d technically be more age appropriate than he is now and there’s only 7 years difference between the ages of Jess Bush now and Majel Barrett when season 3 first aired. Given that any potential second 5 year mission show would likely be a few years down the line this wouldn’t be a huge problem. Admittedly Celia Rose Gooding would be considerably younger in appearance than the character is supposed to be but would this really be any harder to swallow than the significant ageing of the characters that occurs between TOS and TMP? Obviously over a decade had passed for the actors when they filmed that movie but canonically I believe it’s set only a couple of years after the 5 year mission ended.
Paul Wesley’s Kirk is somewhat like those Kirks we got on various fan series like Phase II or Continues. He doesn’t nail the part but sort of reinvents it. I get all those Jim Carrey / Rod Serling comparisons. He’s definitely different from the Shat or the Pine :-)
You know, Star Trek has this wonderful thing: Trek history doesn’t repeat itself but it rhymes. Back in the 80s, fans hated Wesley on TNG, now people start complaining about another Wesley…It seems that this name is destined for being frowned upon. Bear in mind it is also Gene’s middle name, so yeah, the names seems to have been deeply embedded in Trek controversy from day one. I love those complex layers of an ongoing hate-love relationship regarding Wesley :-)
That being said, I’m looking forward to embracing Wesley’s new Kirk no matter what the fandom says. He’s the Captain now, and I’ll be by his side, whatever it takes, come what may :-)
I think that we’ve only seen one aspect of his character. It’s true that we didn’t see charm and charisma because it wasn’t appropriate in that scenario.
I’m sure that Bill gave him plenty of good advice while they travelled together on the plane to Toronto.
I’m waiting to see how he charms a woman. Then I’ll know if he can compete with my boo or not. No one truly can obviously, but I’m willing to give dude a chance. 😊
He’s literally not the captain.
Thanks for compiling the various interviews Trekmovie. This was great stuff. I think Wesley really addressed all the major issues playing Kirk in the multiple interviews and you guys did a great job summarizing them.
Some of the legacy TOS fans are never going to be satisfied unless the actor playing Kirk did an impersonation of Shatner, and that is okay. This fan however, who watched Star Trek in the late 1960s, wants to see a different interpretation while still maintaining his key traits. Self confidence bordering on arrogance combined with off the charts smarts, quick thinking ingenuity and the ability to get the job done, even if it means breaking the rules. Throw in the charm and IMHO those are what makes Kirk.
Obviously, this is a tough role to portray and Wesley is never going to replace the original, but both Ethan and Zachery have done a good, dare I say great job (Ethan), with Spock and I hope Wesley will do the same. I am really looking forward to seeing Lt. Kirk in S2 and more importantly, what is happening with the rest of SNW in its 2nd season.
Lastly, lets see some continued good writing from the writers room. Shatner had some great stories, but he was also stuck with some ridiculous scripts like Turnabout Intruder which forced him to “overact” in certain scenes. I trust Wesley will get better writing and direction than what we occasionally saw in TOS.
This guy somehow reminds me of the James Cawley Kirk
So at 40 years old, he’s playing a younger Lt Kirk, who was in his mid-30s when Captain of the Enterprise?
That’s my only real concern with this bit of casting. Since they’re bringing him in for season two, I can only assume that he will be in seasons three, etc. if there are any. If the show lasts five years, he’ll be in his mid 40’s when (presumably) Kirk takes command of the Enterprise at the end of the series.
Of course, there’s a part of me that wonders if they know that Mount is not going to continue past season two or three and he’s being groomed to take over the lead.
I keep seeing Wesley and the show runners quasi defend his portrayal like the critical problem is he isn’t doing a “Shatner impersonation.”
I think this misses the point. I’m fine if it’s not a Shatner impersonation. I’m fine if it’s a re interpretation. But the guy you cast as Captain Kirk needs to have a little bit of screen presence and this guy doesn’t seem like he has that in him so far.
The character he is portraying is not the problem….
I felt like he had some screen presence, just not of the same type as what we think of as being Kirk. He’s a little closer to Hunter’s Pike, if anything. So for me, it was this weird disconnect where I didn’t dislike what he was doing, I just didn’t *like* what he was doing and also felt like it was inappropriate to the role.
We’ll see what season two brings, though. It’s not a hard no from me, but it’s definitely a skeptically-raised eyebrow.
I will say that my initial reaction to Paul’s performance was over-analytical, I was looking for Kirk in his performance instead of just accepting his own version of it. Watching the episode a 2nd time allowed to me to see this new version of Kirk instead of being distracted by his appearance/age/voice etc. I still think this is a very one-note performance. I actually stopped listening to what he was saying because he had the charisma of a newsreader. Part of the problem is the mechanical writing in his scenes, but part of it is the wooden performance. But he avoided parody and I think he has room to grow into this roll. I’m not sure I’m interested in seeing more of it, but I guess we have no choice.
The acting is excellent. Physical condition doesn’t have much to do with Shatner’s.
Well you can successfully reinterpret a character, but you can also fail. See Solo a Star Wars Story. The fans wanted Harrison. The movie is the only Star Wars film that lost money.
What’s funny is originally I was afraid introducing Kirk this soon might upstage Pike the same way Pike did with Burnham when he showed up in second season of Discovery. But after his first appearance I no longer have that worry. ;)
I wonder if that was done on purpose Tiger2? If so, brilliant planning and execution. If not, then a fortuitous accident. Either way, good for Pike and SNW!
I thought the chemistry between Mount and Wesley was quite good and the way their characters interacted with one another was refreshing. There wasn’t any manufactured conflict or friction like you will sometimes see and none of the annoying borderline insubordination that I would notice with Burnham. They came across as two professional officers trying to work together to solve a problem even if they didn’t agree on the best way to get the job done.
Agreed with you all about the cries of
““miscasting,” but hoping the producers have seen our reactions and taken the proper steps to adjust the actor’s performance. ( Along with the writing of the character- a crucial first step.)
I’d like to think the actor can deliver.
Hasn’t filming already wrapped up on much of season 2? Not sure that’s a hope worth entertaining.
i just keep waiting for this actor to pull out a fiddle and start whistling. He looks so much like musician Andrew Bird.
Although I really looked forward to ‘Strange New Worlds’ before it premiered, I’ve found it merely okay overall, and a once only watch.
But as far as this latest ‘Kirk’ casting goes, I have absolutely no problem with it….because as with ‘Discovery’, I’m just looking on this entire show as being an ‘alternate universe’ setting to the original ‘prime universe’ STAR TREK show altogether, and definitely NOT a ‘prequel’ to it.
And this particular ‘alternate universe’ just happened to have spawned the ‘The Day The Earth Stood Still’ movie and actors too…. ;)
When I see Paul Wesley as Kirk some how I see Jim Carrey as Kirk.