Star Trek Strange New Worlds won over fans and critics with almost every single episode that they aired. Some even called it the “best Star Trek series” in quite some time (which is saying something due to the Star Trek renaissance that we’re going through right now). Season 1 ended on a big note as a classic Star Trek trope of “alternate timelines” came into effect and Captain Pike met a familiar face in a different form via James T. Kirk.
However, while the season finale was grand, many noted that this version of Kirk didn’t have the “qualities” or style of those that have played him before like William Shatner and Chris Pine. So, showrunner Henry Alonso Myers revealed why this was:
“[That version] is a little more of a shrewd, serious Kirk,” Myers said. “What I really love about his performance is there’s a kind of public persona that people imagine Kirk being that really isn’t totally present except in big, big, broad moments from the Original Series. And he really tried to build it around who the character was in that moment.”
The actor behind this version of Kirk, Paul Wesley, noted in an interview himself that in this “alternate timeline”, Kirk didn’t get to meet Spock, or Uhura, or take over for Pike, and as a result, his personality got to be a bit looser than the fans likely wanted. Plus, as pop culture will tell you, people remember Kirk’s Shatner in a…specific…way! Even though if you actually watch the show and the accompanying movies, he didn’t really talk like that too much save for key moments.
So what this comes down to is fan perceptions versus the reality of the series and how people do things. Still, Star Trek Strange New Worlds is definitely worth the look if you haven’t watched already.
Source: IGN