WARNING: This article contains SPOILERS for Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, season 2, episode 3, "Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow".A drastic change to the timeline in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds creates the latest of 10 versions of the legendary Captain James T. Kirk (WIlliam Shatner). Sent back to stunt humanity's progress, Romulan time agent Sera (Adelaide Kane) creates an alternate timeline where Earth never founded the Federation. In this timeline, James T Kirk (Paul Wesley) is already Captain of the United Earth Fleet ship Enterprise, and is fighting a war against the Romulan Star Empire. Without the Federation, its member species are forced to deal with the Romulan threat individually, establishing the Empire as a dominant force in the galaxy.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 2, episode 3, "Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow" is far from the only time that Star Trek has introduced an alternate-universe version of Captain James T. Kirk. The most notable alt-Kirk is Chris Pine's Kelvin Timeline version, who has led the J.J Abrams produced Star Trek movies since 2009. It's not only alternative timelines that for the multiple Kirk variants in Star Trek canon, transporter malfunctions, body swap technology, and shape-shifting supermodels have all assumed the form of Kirk over the decades since he first appeared on screens in 1966.
10 Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner)
The original and for many, the best, Captain Kirk was William Shatner who played the role from 1966 to 1994 across TV and movies. It's easy to see why the network was more drawn to Shatner's more charismatic and roguish starship Captain than Jeffrey Hunter's slightly stiff Captain Christopher Pike. It's thanks to Shatner and his chemistry with his co-stars Leonard Nimoy and DeForest Kelley that Star Trek endured. Subsequent Trek shows have tried to replicate the dynamic of Star Trek: The Original Series' core trio with various degrees of success.
What was so great about Shatner's Kirk was that he was often out there on the frontier, forced to make difficult decisions. It's likely this that earned him Captain Jean-Luc Picard's "cowboy diplomacy" jibe in Star Trek: Generations. Shatner's performance of the older Kirk is imbued with doubt, regret, and anger, and it's fascinating to watch his arc in the Star Trek movies. It's a testament to the enduring popularity of Kirk that when Paramount sought to relaunch Star Trek as a multi-million dollar movie franchise they went back to Star Trek: The Original Series for inspiration.
9 Captain Kirk Double In Star Trek: The Original Series "The Enemy Within"
In the Star Trek: The Original Series episode "The Enemy Within", a transporter accident created a more primal and violent Kirk who caused chaos aboard the Enterprise. He attempted to sexually assault Yeoman Janice Rand (Grace Lee Whitney) and tried to kill the "good" Kirk to assume control of the Enterprise. Spock subdued the primal Kirk, and the two sides of the Enterprise Captain: his id and superego, were reed in the transporters, effectively killing this animalistic version.
8 Captain Kirk In The Mirror Universe
Kirk swapped places with his counterpart from Star Trek's Mirror Universe in the episode "Mirror, Mirror". While Kirk attempted to survive the brutality of the Terran Empire, Mirror Kirk tried to assume command of the USS Enterprise. Spock was immune to bribes offered by the Mirror Universe version of Kirk and imprisoned him until the Enterprise crew worked out a way to get their people back from the ISS Enterprise. Eventually, Kirk was sent back to the Mirror Universe to take back control of his ship after an attempted assassination by the Mirror Universe's Lt. Hikaru Sulu (George Takei).
7 Captain Kirk (Janice Lester) In Star Trek: The Original Series "Turnabout Intruder"
In the final episode of Star Trek: The Original Series, Dr. Janice Lester (Sandra Smith), a former lover of Kirk switched bodies with him. It was part of Lester's elaborate scheme to finally achieve her ambition of being a Starship Captain. The episode was an attempt to confront the lack of opportunities for women in 1960s America, but it really just reduced Janice to being an unhinged villain. However, Sandra Smith is very good at playing Kirk inside Lester's body as he tries to reveal the truth to his crew mates.
6 Captain Kirk (Changeling) In Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country
Although she's not confirmed to be one of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine's Changelings, Martia (Iman) the Chameloid has the same power to change her shape. In Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country she helps Kirk and McCoy escape the Rura Penthe penal colony. However, it was revealed that she was actually working as part of the Klingon-Federation conspiracy to frame and kill Kirk and McCoy. During their fight, Martia assumed Kirk's form, taunting him for his vanity before attempting to have him killed by the Klingon guard. Kirk was able to convince the guard to kill Martia instead, and he and Bones escaped back to the Enterprise.
5 Captain James T. Kirk (Chris Pine) In J.J. Abrams' Star Trek
Due to the temporal interference of the vengeful Romulan time traveler Nero (Eric Bana), the Kelvin Timeline's Kirk grew up without his father Lt. George Kirk (Chris Hemsworth). This made Chris Pine's Kirk more of a risk-taker, who had a healthy disdain for authority. It was an interesting update on the swagger and confidence of Shatner's Kirk that provided a sharp contrast with the strict professionalism of the Rick Berman era of Star Trek.
Pine played Kirk in three Star Trek movies between 2009 and 2016, and it's hoped that he will one day return to the role. Chris Pine has a Star Trek movie plan, which is based on the idea of making smaller-budget Trek movies to be released to a receptive audience of fans. With Star Trek 4 languishing in development hell, it's not certain if Pine's Kirk will ever return. It's disappointing because Pine, and his fellow cast were always the strongest elements of the Abrams' Star Trek movies.
4 Young James T. Kirk In J.J. Abrams' Star Trek
An early scene in Star Trek (2009) reveals that the young James T. Kirk (Jimmy Bennett) was something of a tearaway. Stealing and crashing his step-father's car, it sets up Kelvin Kirk's rebellious streak and also establishes the father issues that would define his first two Star Trek movies.The fact that Kirk is almost killed by driving a car off a cliff is a neat callback to his mountaineering disaster in Star Trek V: The Final Frontier.
3 Captain James T. Kirk In Star Trek: Strange New Worlds "A Quality of Mercy"
When Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount) attempted to change his fate in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' season 1 finale, "A Quality of Mercy", he was presented with an alternate future. In the timeline where Chris Pike didn't receive his life-threatening injuries, Captain James T. Kirk was in command of the USS Farragut instead. Pike and Kirk met during an incident with a Romulan Warbird, which replayed the events of the classic TOS episode "Balance of Terror". Without Kirk as Captain of the Enterprise, Pike's attempts to show mercy to the Romulans ultimately led to all-out war. Kirk avoided war in "Balance of Terror", providing a reminder of how important he is to Starfleet's future.
2 Captain James T. Kirk In Star Trek: Strange New Worlds "Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow"
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine's time cops, the Department for Temporal Investigations once stated that Kirk had the longest record of temporal violations. With so many alternate versions of him scattered across the multiverse, it's easy to see why. The latest variant was the United Earth Fleet version of Captain Kirk in Strange New Worlds' time travel episode "Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow". This version of Kirk never grew up on Earth, lived in space, and was nostalgic for 21st century fare like hotdogs. He was also an absolute demon at the more 2D chess, which was infinitely inferior to the 3D chess that he played in the 23rd century.
1 Lieutenant James T. Kirk In Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 2
After meeting two alternate reality versions of Paul Wesley's Kirk, the Prime Universe Lt. Kirk made his debut in the final moments of "Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow". Captain Pike's interest had already been piqued by his meeting with the alternate reality version in the Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 1 finale. Now that Lt. La'an Noonien-Singh (Christina Chong) has met and fallen in love with another alternate version of Kirk, his eventual arrival on the USS Enterprise in SNW season 2 should be very interesting indeed.
Having both Pike and La'an met alternate and impressive versions of Kirk is a smart way to tackle the enduring legacy of William Shatner. As Sera says to Kirk in "Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow", "I would say that your reputation precedes you, but it's more like the other way around." Pike and La'an knowing who Kirk will be or could be will allow Star Trek: Strange New Worlds to show a completely different side of Kirk as he strives to live up to a reputation that he isn't even aware he is. It could provide a brilliant meta-commentary on the anxieties faced by any actor who takes on William Shatner's most iconic role.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 2 streams Thursdays on Paramount+.