Hold onto your phasers! A Classic Star Trek Trope Might Be Skipped for Young Kirk in Strange New Worlds!
Will Young Kirk Avoid a Time-Traveling Fate? A Look at Star Trek: Strange New Worlds
Fans of Star Trek know that Captain Kirk (William Shatner) has this thing for time travel. He zips back and forth through time multiple times in Star Trek: The Original Series and later adventures. This is iconic Star Trek stuff. So, how about his younger self, Lieutenant James T. Kirk (Paul Wesley) in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds? Well, things are getting interesting.
Strange New Worlds is set about five to six years before The Original Series, under the command of Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount). The prequel introduces Lieutenant Kirk while he is stationed aboard the USS Farragut, showing how his later prominence developed! So, that infamous time travel trope—does that still work in Strange New Worlds? Perhaps not as initially anticipated, which makes these plot details rather unexpected.
Captain Kirk’s Time-Traveling Adventures: A Blast From the Past (and Future!)
Captain Kirk's time travel adventures? Epic! He's been to the 1960s (in "Tomorrow is Yesterday" and "The City on the Edge of Forever"), 1986 San Francisco (Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home), and even to the 24th century (Star Trek Generations) before his unfortunate demise, showcasing his long life span which makes these experiences memorable; he even ends up in the Nexus before dying; making the ending slightly sad. But there is more to that ending. The unexpected and shocking reveal and its lasting effects which impact characters further highlights what an engaging character Kirk really was.
Lieutenant Kirk: Will Strange New Worlds Skip the Time Travel Trope?
Considering Strange New Worlds' timeframe; those time travel shenanigans might just not happen before "Tomorrow is Yesterday"—Captain Kirk's very first time travel encounter. And even better–Kirk's surprised reaction, that famous "What?" moment—this becomes the quintessential representation of this type of plot; his initial lack of prior experience becoming instantly iconic! This moment in The Original Series shows it is also possibly Captain Kirk's first time travel.
So what this means for Strange New Worlds is that Lieutenant Kirk might completely avoid that classic time travel trope through seasons 3 and 4. It's very, very possible that those upcoming time travel episodes in those seasons involve Pike's Enterprise— but without Kirk. So far, there was one such case of time travel–a totally unrelated universe's Captain Kirk.
Strange New Worlds’ Alternate Reality: Kirk’s Doomed Time Travel
Let’s backtrack, folks. "Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow" (Strange New Worlds season 2, episode 3) included Captain Kirk time traveling! But it’s important to specify that was another Captain Kirk! Romulan agents altered the timeline creating an alternate universe’s Kirk, and he ultimately perished while time-traveling with Lieutenant La'an Noonien Singh (Christina Chong) in 2022 Toronto; to fix those problematic alternate timelines.
Paul Wesley has also portrayed alternate universe versions, but this makes these characters quite different! It doesn't really impact his version within this main universe. Thus this classic Star Trek time travel story is technically Captain Kirk’s first, even if that story only features a variant Kirk. But whether that Lieutenant Kirk will follow the same path is entirely uncertain.
Conclusion: Time Will Tell (But We’re Ready!)
It’s a wild mystery: Strange New Worlds is revisiting Star Trek’s story with surprising twists and altered canon elements which often contradict or build upon earlier versions, while creating something completely distinct. It's seriously hard to tell if Lieutenant Kirk's time travel journey in the Prime universe will exactly mirror his later experiences in The Original Series.
And we all have another reason to stay curious about those forthcoming seasons! Whether this remains the same remains a serious mystery; adding another layer of curiosity to those moments to come.
