Star Trek: Strange New Worlds has already made a name for itself by showing iconic Captain James T. Kirk before his days on the Enterprise, but Season 2 will delve deeper into one of his more mysterious relationships.
Per StarTrek.com, the latest installment of the hit Paramount+ series will better flesh out Kirk's brother Sam, who only fleetingly appeared in The Original Series. "We do see them," said co-showrunner and executive producer Henry Alonso Myers. "We see them together. That sort of touches on the fundamental thing of what we are trying to do when we’re using elements from the past." While Sam Kirk debuted all the way back in the 1967 episode "Operation: Annihilate!" he only appears as a dead body with subsequent books providing more tidbits about his character. Strange New Worlds aims to provide more James' brother and better establish their bond.
"We never knew anything more about them except some brief things, in some of the books. We wanted to take a moment, 'Okay, he’s got a brother. What’s their relationship? Why is their relationship like this? What’s it like to be connected to the two of them?'" continued Myers. The producer concludes by saying that while The Original Series may not have focused on James' family, the inclusion of more information in Strange New Worlds retroactively enhances the first show. "That’s what it was; to find moments for them, deepen it, understand what this relationship means," Myers said. "It wasn’t a concern for The Original Series, but how cool is The Original Series now that you know there is actually depth to their relationship?"
Kirk and Spock Back in Action
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds predominantly follows the adventures of Christopher Pike, the first captain of the iconic U.S.S. Enterprise, as he and his crew embark on dangerous missions across the galaxy for Star Fleet. While James T. Kirk wasn't a prominent character in the first chapter, Season 2 will seemingly flesh him out further, even going so far as to establish one of the franchise's most beloved dynamics.
[Kirk and Spock's initial encounter is] somewhat casual," Paul Wesley, who plays Kirk, said. "But I think Kirk was drawn to this man for whatever reason and wanted to meet him and talk to him and found him intriguing." Ethan Peck, who portrays the young Vulcan, insists that while Spock may have been intrigued by James, he also doesn't entirely trust him. "Kirk gives off this confidence and charm and an intelligence... There’s an immediate respect and admiration they feel for one another," Peck said.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds premieres new episodes every Thursday on Paramount+.
Source: StarTrek.com