Summary
3 historic James T. Kirk (Paul Wesley) moments happened inStar Trek: Strange New Worldsseason 2, and all of them occurred very differently than how they played out in J.J. Abrams’Star Trek(2009).Strange New Worldsis set inStar Trek’sPrime Timeline, whereas Abrams' reboot takes place in an alternate reality dubbed the Kelvin Timeline.It’s worth noting thatStar Trek: Strange New Worlds' events occur in 2259 and 2260, just afterStar Trek(2009)’s main story takes place in 2258 in the alternate Kelvin Timeline.
BecauseStar Trek: Strange New Worldstakes place inStar Trek’s Prime Timeline, the events of the prequel series about Captain Christopher Pike’s (Anson Mount) USS Enterprise are canon. Paul Wesley’s Lieutenant James T. Kirk and Ethan Peck’s Lieutenant Spock are the younger versions of the Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock played by William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy, respectively, inStar Trek: The Original Series. Chris Pine’sStar Trekmovie Captain Kirk, Zachary Quinto’s Spock, and their Starship Enterprise crew live different lives in a separate universe. As J.J. Abrams’Star Trekis a big-budget Hollywood blockbuster,the events of Chris Pine’s Captain Kirk’s life are decidedly more dramatic than similar Kirk moments inStar Trek: Strange New Worlds' Prime Timeline canon.
Strange New Worlds Season 2 Cast Guide — Every New & Returning Star Trek Character
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' cast of USS Enterprise legends grows in season 2, including the additions of Scotty and Lt. James T. Kirk.
How Kirk Met Uhura In Strange New Worlds Compared To J.J. Abrams' Star Trek
Lt. James T. Kirk canonically steps aboard the USS Enterprise for the first time inStar Trek: Strange New Worldsseason 2, episode 6, “Lost in Translation.” James' first action after meeting his brother,Lt. Sam Kirk (Dan Jeannotte), is to visit the Enterprise’s Port Galley bar. There, Jim notices a distressed Ensign Nyota Uhura (Celia Rose Gooding), who assumes Kirk is there to hit on her. Moments later, experiencing a nightmarish vision, it’sUhura who hits Kirkby accident.Despite getting slugged by the Ensign, James helps Nyota uncover the secret of her waking fears, and a decades-long friendship is forged.
Paul Wesley played two alternate reality versions of Captain Kirk before debuting as Lt. James T. Kirk at the end ofStar Trek: Strange New Worldsseason 2, episode 3, “Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow”.
J.J. Abrams’Star Trekplayed Kirk’s first meeting withNyota Uhura (Zoe Saldana)very differently. Kirk and Uhura met in a bar in Iowa in 2285, when Nyota was a Starfleet Academy cadet.Kirk hit on Uhura but was shot down.There was also violence involved, as Uhura’s fellow cadets decided to get physical with the Iowa farm boy. Kirk was outnumbered in his bar fight and lost, but he took them all on valiantly (or Jim was foolhardy). A few years later, when he was also enrolled at Starfleet Academy, Kirk dated Uhura’s Orion roommate, Gaila (Rachel Nichols).
Star Trek Strange New Worlds Season 2 Episode 6 Ending Explained
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 2, episode 6 places Uhura at the center of the TOS crew’s origins, as Lt. James T Kirk helps her solve a mystery.
How Kirk Met Captain Pike In Strange New Worlds Compared To J.J. Abrams' Star Trek
Anson Mount’s Pike didn’t dare Paul Wesley’s Kirk to do anything
Lt. James T. Kirk met Captain Christopher Pike in the simplest way possibleinStar Trek: Strange New Worldsseason 2, episode 6, “Lost in Translation.” Kirk simply entered Pike’s ready room and introduced himself to theCaptain of the Enterprise. James had just been promoted to First Officer of the USS Farragut, and he beamed aboard the Enterprise to learn the finer points of being a Number One from Lt. Commander Una Chin-Riley (Rebecca Romijn), Pike’s First Officer. Kirk and Pike’s first meeting was just a friendly handshake.
Captain Pike knew of Lt. Kirk after meeting an alternate future Captain Kirk inStar Trek: Strange New Worlds' season 1 finale, “A Quality of Mercy”.
J.J. Abrams' conjured a very different relationship between Kirk andCaptain Pike (Bruce Greenwood). After Lt. George Kirk’s (Chris Hemsworth) tragic death at the start ofStar Trek(2009), James grew up without a father.Captain Pike became Kirk’s ersatz father figure, and Chris counseled Jim after his bloody bar fight sparked by Kirk meeting Uhura. Pike, who admired Kirk’s father, dared James to enter Starfleet Academy. At the end ofStar Trek(2009), Pike passed the Captaincy of the Enterprise to Kirk. InStar Trek Into Darkness, Pike was murdered by Khan Noonien Singh (Benedict Cumberbatch), spurring Kirk to seek revenge for the death of his mentor and father figure.
Star Trek 2009 Cast & Character Guide
J.J. Abrams' Star Trek relaunched the movie franchise and reintroduced audiences to Captain Kirk and the crew of the USS Enterprise.
How Kirk Met Spock In Strange New Worlds Compared To J.J. Abrams' Star Trek
Kirk and Spock didn’t start by fighting each other in Star Trek’s Prime Universe
Kirk and Spock’s first meeting inStar Trek’s Prime Timeline canon occurred inStar Trek: Strange New Worldsseason 2, episode 6, “Lost in Translation.“Ensign Uhura simply introduced Lt. Kirk to Lt. Spock,and the trio sat together at the Starship Enterprise' Port Galley to share a drink and chat. However, the moment that led Spock toward Kirk was because the Vulcan was intrigued by the frustration James had with his brother Sam, whom Spock is no fan of.Star Trek: Strange New Worldsplays Kirk and Spock’s iconic meeting as a low-key moment, as neither they nor Uhura have any idea how intertwined their lives will become or how deeply their friendship will grow.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds could not have depicted Kirk and Spock’s meeting more differently than J.J. Abrams' Star Trek.
In J.J. Abrams’Star Trek,Kirk and Spock’s first meeting was sparked by the Vulcan (correctly) accusing Cadet Kirk of cheatingon theKobayashi Maru training scenarioSpock programmed. Kirk next illegally boarded the USS Enterprise, where Commander Spock was First Officer, and challenged the Vulcan’s authority repeatedly. Spock had Kirk exiled from the Enterprise for mutiny, but James returned to the starship away. After forcing Spock to violently admit he was too morally compromised to be Acting Captain, Kirk and Spock worked together to defeat the Romulan Nero (Eric Bana) and save Earth.Star Trek: Strange New Worldscould not have depicted Kirk and Spock’s meeting more differently than J.J. Abrams’Star Trek.
