Editor’s note: The below contains spoilers for Season 2 of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.Star Trek: Strange New Worlds introduced a plot device from the series finale of Star Trek: Voyager in its Season 1 finale: a Time Crystal. Modern sci-fi narratives have a lot to thank Trek creator Gene Roddenberry for bringing the time-travel trope, which made it possible for successive genre shows to tackle the alternate-reality and time-travel staple, something the latest incarnation of Trek incorporated in last season’s conclusion. The Season 1 finale also introduced the most famous captain in Trek history: James T. Kirk (Paul Wesley) — or a future what-if version of him, at least. But why are we meeting multiple Kirks in this series, and is there a temporal or alien reason behind it? One thing is clear: these two versions of James T. Kirk we’ve met thus far will not become future captains of the Enterprise.
Why Does Jim Kirk Keep Appearing in Alternate Timelines?
In Strange New Worlds‘ Season 1 finale, “A Quality Of Mercy,” Captain Pike (Anson Mount) encounters a future cadet he will save, which will result in a life-defining accident putting him out of commission. He’s visited by a future version of himself, warning him of the consequences should he choose to take preventative measures to avoid his fate. This version of Pike gifts the present one a Time Crystal, catapulting him several years into the future. At a neutral base, hostile war-hungry Romulans have destroyed several outposts and plan on destroying the Enterprise. Kirk aids their escape with a fleet of his own, but not without serious repercussions for Spock (Ethan Peck). Ultimately, Pike does the right thing and accepts his fate. By doing this, he restores the timeline and the potential alternate future ceases to exist, along with Kirk.
This is a clever way of getting around the thorny issue of established canon and avoiding similar backlash that Star Trek: Discovery received during its inaugural year. In Strange New Worlds Season 2’s third episode, “Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow” La’an Noonien-Singh (Christina Chong) crosses paths with another future version of Kirk after someone alters the timeline in the past. But why, of all Trek characters, is it specifically Kirk who appears? According to Trek lore, Kirk has amassed a number of temporal violations throughout his career (who is keeping score?), but these are unrelated to this Kirk because only a handful of people are aware of these iterations, and they only existed in aborted timelines.
Episode 3 also deviates from canon with the re-introduction of an old foe and bringing the Eugenics Wars into the 21st century. We know it has nothing to do with the Mirror Universe or the Kelvin Timeline; these incarnations are Prime timeline versions in possible future histories. Another element not explained in particularly vivid detail was why the Romulans traveled back in time, other than to attempt an assassination. Romulans are a deceptive, devious species who always have a strategy, but did they act alone? It wouldn’t be the first alliance between two aggressive species in Trek’s history.
From its inception, one rule of time travel in Trek has been to keep the Prime timeline running smoothly. One small change in the past could have massive repercussions in the future — as we’ve just seen in Season 2’s La’an-centric episode. “Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow” was a basic reset and restoration of the narrative in Trek, but Kirk’s excursions into time travel in TOS are a little bit more complex. “Tomorrow is Yesterday” and “The City on the Edge of Forever” are the most well-known of these episodes, with a mysterious and ancient being known as a Guardian of Forever included, so the possibility of another Guardian observing these timelines happening is plausible — and with a Kirk as legendary as this one is, maybe they have something up their sleeves.
Could Another Foe Have Something To Do With Kirk’s Appearances?
The reptilian species known as the Gorn have been teased as a pretty formidable and terrifying enemy in Strange New Worlds, but we still don’t know a great deal about them. Depicted in The Original Series as clumsy, awkward-moving creatures, they’ve been reinvented now as cold-blooded, fast, and ruthless, and we still haven’t even seen one. It might only turn out to be coincidental that the first character in Star Trek to come face-to-face with the Gorn and survive was James T. Kirk (William Shatner).
With an impending attack on the Federation from the Gorn a likely possibility, however, Kirk may be the go-to guy to take up arms against this new enemy. An invasion by the Gorn is almost as frightening as early episodes featuring the Borg. The relentless, arrogant species have access to powerful weapons and tech, and genetic manipulation has become a significant theme in Strange New Worlds. Kirk, the Gorn, Khan, Sybok, and altered timelines might all be tied together over the course of the season. Could the episodic storytelling that the series has become known for actually all be building up to something bigger?
Could These Multiple Kirks Be Part of a Bigger Storyline?
In terms of potential repercussions, La’an choosing to intervene in order to save her murderous ancestor may come back to haunt her in future episodes. Utilizing the time travel device was still an interesting way of developing her character, and seeing La’an let her guard down and enjoy Kirk’s company was great writing, even if their romance was doomed. Thanks to her, the future remains intact, but this could still spell trouble going forward. A war with the Gorn may be unavoidable and La’an will be drawn into it.
All that is to say that Strange New Worlds is still Pike’s show, so Kirk hanging around more than he already is won’t work — it’s better that some version, Prime timeline or otherwise, continues to pop into the story every once in a while. However, the season’s multiple references to Illyrians and the Eugenics Wars also might be foreshadowing an appearance by a legacy villain. Right now, Strange New Worlds Season 2 has a lot to navigate, including La’an’s heartbreak, a highly-anticipated crossover episode with some familiar faces from Star Trek: Lower Decks, and, possibly, yet another version of James T. Kirk.
New episodes of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 2 premiere every Thursday on Paramount+.
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