Has the galactic bromance we’ve all been waiting for finally arrived? Fingers crossed. Young Spock and Kirk (Ethan Peck and Paul Wesley) will inevitably cross paths in season two of the highly anticipated second season of Paramount+’s Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, the hit prequel series to the original Star Trek.

Season two takes off at warp speed on June 15 on Paramount+, and the daring crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise will head into uncharted territory — with storylines and character arcs alike. Expect the Enterprise crew to delve more deeply into personal journeys this season, confronting friends and enemies near and far. All of it struck a chord with Peck and Wesley, as Spock and Kirk begin fitting more deeply into Trek canon.
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Speaking in a roundtable interview with journalists prior to season two’s premiere, Peck and Wesley opened up about what they appreciated most about playing their iconic characters. “I watch the earnestness that Spock brings to his journey,” admitted Peck. “There’s such a childlike vulnerability in the way he explores himself and certain situations because he is so young and [half] human. I think that makes for a lot of really great comedic opportunities as well because he’s always the odd man out, and that’s really fun to play.”

“In many ways, Kirk is still a boy, at least in the version I’ve been playing,” shared Wesley. “I’m not sure he understands how to be a captain yet. He’s still a lieutenant. He’s not ready to be a captain yet. I would like to slowly begin to train him as someone with a deep confidence and an unwavering sort of sense of who he is. But I don’t think he’s quite there yet. That’s what makes [the show] special to watch.”

Indeed. Peck and Wesley shared more in these exclusive MovieWeb clips and the interview below.

Ethan Peck on the Upcoming Season

Paramount+

To the delight of Star Trek fans, season one of Strange New Worlds was a pitch-perfect thrill ride. Along with a return to a more episodic Trek format, fans and critic appreciated the creative spin offered. With Anson Mount as Captain Christopher Pike, Rebecca Romijn as Una Chin-Riley/Number One, Jess Bush as Nurse Christine Chapel, Christina Chong as La’An Noonien-Singh, Celia Rose Gooding as Nyota Uhura, Melissa Navia as Erica Ortegas and Babs Olusanmokun as Dr. Joseph M’Benga, the show was immediately picked up for another season before season one even ended.

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“We were mid-production on season two when the first episode of season one premiered,” shared Peck. “We were well on our way into the second season and not knowing how you’re doing was kind of insane. Personally, when I saw the first two episodes premiere in New York, I was really taken aback by the high level of quality I was suddenly part of. I didn’t know what to expect because we do our job, we carry the baton for the time we’re there on set, and you just kind of never know how it’s going turn out.”

For Peck, playing Spock in season two stretched him as an actor. Fans are bound to appreciate an episode dubbed “Charades,” where Spock is reunited with his fiancé T’Pring (Gia Sandhu) and exhibits incredible range as a performer. There’s some humor to appreciate in that season two episode, in fact, giving audiences a look at pre-Spock, the one that would later evolve into the iconic Spock played by Leonard Nimoy.

Paramount+

When asked how mindful he is of Star Trek canon when stepping into the role, Peck said: “It’s so difficult to keep all that in mind, because we are so far from the beginning of the original series. And I would really task the writers with that job. I think that we will see Spock go through many different types of exploration of himself. And they may appear more human at times or more Vulcan at times.”

As for his eventual introduction to Kirk in Strange New Worlds and the trajectory of those characters’ relationship, Peck added, “I was most excited to explore the adversarial component of the relationship, which maybe we will, or maybe we won’t see.”

Paul Wesley Opened Up About Playing Kirk

Paramount+

“It’s obviously the genesis and the beginning of this friendship that we all know so well,” noted Wesley of Spock and Kirk’s first encounter in the upcoming season. “What’s great is that they don’t know what their friendship is going to be yet. They really don’t know what it is about. I wanted to portray a hint of intrigue, but subconsciously, you don’t really understand why Kirk is drawn to this guy or why he finds him so compelling.”

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Kirk’s story arc in season two will surprise fans for the mere fact that at several junctures, he plays different versions of Kirk. You’ll have to tune in to experience the full details, but Wesley noted:

The season one finale is based on “Balance of Terror.” I watched that episode multiple times and Kirk is fairly serious. Then as you watch, there are moments where he’s incredibly playful. I think every episode speaks to a different characteristic and quality that Kirk has. In season two, episode three was very playful, but also, the one through line is that he’s very heroic, and has a good moral compass. He always trusts his instincts. So, that is the pillar; something not very not movable. In addition to Wesley playing James T. Kirk this season, look for Carol Kane in a recurring role as Pelia. The offbeat character will undoubtedly become a fan favorite. In the meantime, Wesley revealed how important it was for him, as an actor, to keep Star Trek canon in mind when stepping into Kirk’s shoes.

“It would be a mistake to sort of automatically be that version of the Kirk that is part of the canon we know,” said Wesley. “I think he’s still sort of trying to figure himself out. Part of the fun of playing this character, pre the Kirk that we all know, is to slowly evolve, and to slowly develop the mannerisms or characteristics, you know, the cadence. I think we can slowly get there. If we get there from day one, it’s a little bit less interesting to watch. I wanted to keep it a little bit unique and different. But of course, I do think about the Star Trek canon.”

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds premieres June 15 on Paramount+ in the U.S., the U.K., Australia, Latin America, Brazil, France, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, and Austria. New episodes of the 10-episode season drop weekly on Thursdays.