“Guiding Light” alum Paul Wesley (ex-Max Nickerson) will take on the role of Captain James T. Kirk in the second season of the Paramount+ original series, “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds,” which is set to debut sometime next year. Season one of the series debuts in May on the streaming service.
“I am deeply humbled and still a little startled to have been given the honor of playing the inimitable James T Kirk,” said Wesley of his casting on Instagram.
“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 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.
“I’m not one who usually believes in fate but this was more than a coincidence. And of course I had to get a picture,” added Wesley. “So thanks Mr. Shatner for the good company. And for seating us together, my thanks to the great bird in the sky. Can’t wait for all of you to see our Captain Kirk on your screens.”
Debuting Thursday, May 5 on Paramount+, “Strange New Worlds” is the sixth original “Star Trek” series on the platform. It tells the story of Captain Christopher Pike’s time manning the helm of the U.S.S. Enterprise. Reprising their roles from “Star Trek: Discovery” are Anson Mount as Captain Christopher Pike, Rebecca Romijn as Number One and Ethan Peck as Science Officer Spock. The series will follow Captain Pike, Science Officer Spock and Number One in the years before Captain Kirk boarded the U.S.S. Enterprise, as they explore new worlds around the galaxy.
A teaser clip of the new series was released earlier this month and has amassed more than four million views thus far. It can be watched below.