Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Tried To Get William Shatner In The Series Every Season

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William Shatner never appears in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, but it isn’t for a lack of trying.

The show features a young Captain James T. Kirk, famously portrayed by William Shatner, now played by Paul Wesley. Even though Strange New Worlds is one of Paramount+’s most popular Star Trek series – earning a 94% approval rating from critics and 70% from viewers on Rotten Tomatoes – it will conclude after its fifth season. Seasons four and five have already been filmed, and season four will premiere on July 23rd.

Before the fourth season of Strange New Worlds, co-creators Akiva Goldsman and Alex Kurtzman told Polygon they repeatedly tried to feature William Shatner as a version of Captain Kirk who had settled in New York during the Great Depression with Edith Keeler (played by Joan Collins). This idea stemmed from the classic Star Trek: The Original Series episode, “The City on the Edge of Forever,” where Kirk and Edith had a romantic encounter. Though several scripts were written exploring this concept, the episode ultimately wasn’t made.

Goldsman’s biggest regret is not being able to get William Shatner involved with the Star Trek show. While he and Kurtzman still have many ideas they’d like to pursue, he believes the worst outcome isn’t failing, but running out of creative energy. He’s proud of all the episodes they’ve made, but feels the most satisfying experiences – like a great meal – leave you wanting more, not feeling overly full.

Although William Shatner hasn’t been on Strange New Worlds, he publicly congratulated actor Paul Wesley in 2022 after Wesley was cast as Captain Kirk. In 2024, Wesley shared that Shatner was consistently encouraging throughout the process of taking on the iconic role, and that he understood the challenges of playing such a well-loved character.

The recent comments from Goldsman and Kurtzman regarding Shatner arrive at a delicate moment for Star Trek. Currently, only two series are actively being produced: Strange New Worlds and Starfleet Academy (which is ending with its second season). No other shows have been approved for production, and while Paramount has announced a new movie is in the works, details remain scarce.

Currently, production is centered on season 4 of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. This season includes the return of Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount), Spock (Ethan Peck), Una (Rebecca Romijn), Uhura (Celia Rose Gooding), La’an Noonien-Singh (Christina Chong), Erica Ortegas (Melissa Navia), Scotty (Martin Quinn), Sam Kirk (Dan Jeannotte), Dr. M’Benga (Babs Olusanmokun), and Christine Chapel (Jess Bush), as well as the introduction of Wesley as James Kirk.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 4 debuts on Paramount+ on July 23.

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2026-05-24 19:28