Paul Wesley Joins Uhura & Spock in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 2

Paul Wesley: The season 1 finale, “A Quality of Mercy” was obviously based on “Balance of Terror.” I watched “Balance of Terror” a few times, and I made a very conscious decision. I said, “Okay, literally the moment we meet Kirk in “A Quality of Mercy” is right after all these people have perished. And so, I made a pretty conscious decision to play him a little seriously and a little different, alt-timeline, more of like a kind of higher stakes. And if you watch “Balance of Terror,” William Shatner is actually very serious in that episode. And I wanted to pay homage to that as well.

Then episode 3 of season 2 was this rom-com, in a way, and I wanted that version of Kirk to be this boyish, nerdish, charming hero, for lack of a better word. I just wanted him to be still the charming Kirk we know, but a little more of a young kid with curiosity in this big world. He has never been on Earth, [so he’s] like a kid in a candy store. And then in episode 6 of season 2, we get to meet Prime Timeline Kirk. I didn’t stray too far from episode 3, I still wanted him to be that kind of boyish cowboy [but] with a deep sense of curiosity, and a deep sense of adventure. But also someone who’s selfless and wants to help people. And that’s very much what he does with Uhura.

Paul Wesley: She’s a wonderful, wonderful actor. She’s someone who has such a deep presence. She’s a stage actress actually, and you can tell she has a very magnetic, big presence. Even though she’s new to television, she can carry it like she’s a 20-year veteran. You wouldn’t know [she isn’t] because she has so much stage experience. And what I loved about their relationship is that the first time we meet them, he’s this guy at a bar who she thinks is hitting on her, and then she punches him in the face! It literally could not start any worse. And then, by the end of the episode, they have this really interesting dynamic, and trust, and friendship.

It’s one of the great, important relationships in Star Trek and The Original Series. Their communication and their dynamic is obviously iconic. And I love that there was an arc. I just love that the show keeps creating these really interesting arcs. And that’s how I’m approaching Kirk in general. I want to build to the Kirk that we know. I want to create arcs. I want to I want to create this interesting backstory for Kirk. The genesis of Kirk that is a little unexpected, so that we are surprised every episode and [Kirk is] growing into something that we are then familiar with.

Paul Wesley: Isn’t that awesome?

Paul Wesley: That’s a great question. Who knows? I love Ethan, and he’s always cracking these jokes that are like… how can I say? I mean, they’re very Spock-like. I have a very Spock and Kirk relationship with Ethan. He’s so, sort of, off-kilter. He walks the beat of his own drum, and he always surprises me, and he makes me laugh. And so, he was probably doing an Ethan Peck joke. That is very Ethan Peck. That’s all I’ll say. And we were probably trying to make each other laugh. Honestly, that’s probably what we were doing. When then it became MOS and the camera’s pulling back, and we knew the music was gonna go up, and you wouldn’t hear us… who knows? I was probably saying something really crass.

Paul Wesley: Haha, absolutely not. I would not. I would do that in a heartbeat. Tell me where to sign up. And I’ll do it. Strange New Worlds is so successful. People are loving it. And so obviously, that needs to run its course. And then who knows? Maybe we’ll do it in the future. But right now I’m loving exploring young Kirk and the genesis of Kirk, the arc of creating [him] and being a part of canon. Right now. I think that we’re in a perfect place.

Paul Wesley: Exactly.

Paul Wesley: It’s Sam, definitely. He’s not trying to kill me. Actually it’s funny because I actually think my relationship with Sam is very much like the opposite [of Stefan and Damon]. I’m the Damon. Even though I’m the younger brother, [I’m] sort of the one who’s the rebel in many ways and somehow ends up getting the girl, so to speak. And I think Sam’s the good guy who finishes last, and it drives him crazy. I’m glad I got to at least play like the opposite of Stefan in The Vampire Diaries.

Paul Wesley: He’s funny. Dan Jeannotte is very funny. And they have this goofy sibling rivalry. But I think at the end of the day, they’re still brothers that love one another.

Paul Wesley: By the way, I tried to do that in literally my first episode. If you remember in the “Balance of Terror” episode, Pike and Kirk are having a whiskey. And I was like, “Can it be Brother’s Bond? Can we put a bottle of Brother’s Bond right there?” And I couldn’t pull it off. Then in the bar, I was like, “What if there’s a Brother’s Bond bottle?” But it was all these obscure glass bottles, and there were no labels, and so it didn’t fit. But I’m still trying. I have been trying. I’ve been unsuccessful so far, but I’m gonna keep my mission alive.

Paul Wesley: Gotta get it in, yeah.