Lieutenant James T. Kirk (Paul Wesley) may not experience a classic Star Trek trope in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. Lt. Kirk is the younger version of Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) in Star Trek: The Original Series. Strange New Worlds is set about 5-6 years before Star Trek: The Original Series, when Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount) commands the USS Enterprise. Although Strange New Worlds finds a way to beam Kirk aboard the Starship Enterprise, James is currently First Officer of the USS Farragut, and Lt. Kirk has yet to time travel in Strange New Worlds.
Time travel is old hat to Captain Kirk in Star Trek.Kirk goes back in time to the 20th century a handful of times, including in Star Trek: The Original Series season 1's "Tomorrow is Yesterday" and "The City on the Edge of Forever," arguably Star Trek's greatest episode. Perhaps Admiral Kirk's most famous time travel was to 1986 San Francisco in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home. Kirk has also jumped forward in time; the Captain of the Enterprise ended his days in the 24th century in Star Trek Generations after he was pulled into the extradimensional space ribbon called the Nexus.
Lt. James T. Kirk May Not Time Travel In Star Trek: Strange New Worlds
Kirk's reaction in "Tomorrow is Yesterday" indicates it's his first time travel
In Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' time frame, Lieutenant James T. Kirk has yet to experience time travel, and it may not happen at all for him until Star Trek: The Original Series' "Tomorrow is Yesterday." When the Starship Enterprise goes back in time to the 1960s, Captain Kirk famously reacts with genuine surprise, spinning around and saying "What?" in a moment that became a Star Trek meme. This is Kirk's first time travel event in Star Trek: The Original Series and, indeed, it may be Captain Kirk's first time travel experience, period.
This means that whatever happens in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds seasons 3 and 4, it won't involve Lt. James T. Kirk time traveling. It's possible that Strange New Worlds seasons 3 and 4 could have a time travel adventure involving Captain Pike's Enterprise, but Kirk wouldn't be in that episode. Thus far, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds has only had one time travel episode, and it did involve Kirk, but not the Lieutenant James T. Kirk of Star Trek's Prime timeline.
Strange New Worlds’ Alternate Reality Captain Kirk Did Time Travel
Kirk died in "Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow"
Confusingly, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 2, episode 3, "Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow" was a Captain Kirk time travel saga, but it involved a different Captain Kirk from an alternate reality. When Romulan time agents altered Star Trek's Prime timeline, Lt. La'an Noonien Singh (Christina Chong) teamed up with Captain Kirk from the changed reality. Kirk and La'an time-traveled to 2022 Toronto, Canada, to restore the Prime timeline, even though it meant erasing the history Kirk knew. Tragically, Captain Kirk was shot and killed by Sera (Adelaide Kane), the Romulan time agent out to assassinate the young Khan Noonien Singh (Desmond Sivan), La'an's ancestor.
Paul Wesley has played two alternate reality versions of Captain Kirk and Lt. James T. Kirk in the first two seasons of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.
In Star Trek's timeline, it seems Strange New Worlds' "Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow" slots in as the first Captain Kirk time travel story, although it's a doomed alternate reality Captain Kirk. Strange New Worlds season 2, episode 3's ending then introduced Lt. James T. Kirk, who quickly became a recurring part of the Starship Enterprise's adventures, and a potential new love interest for La'an. While Star Trek: Strange New Worlds has a penchant for rewriting Star Trek canon, it remains to be seen if the prequel will change when Lt. James T. Kirk first time travels in the Prime timeline.
