Paul Wesley is boldly going where no modern Star Trek star has gone before. Paramount has announced that the Vampire Diaries star is set to play James T. Kirk in Season 2 of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, which is currently in production in Toronto.

While the show’s first season has yet to premiere — dropping on Paramount+ on May 5 — Wesley’s casting as the famous U.S.S. Enterprise captain is a massive one, as it marks the character’s first appearance on television since the character’s initial rise to popularity. Wesley is the third actor to play the role of James Kirk, after William Shatner originated the role in the original Star Trek series in the 60s, and Chris Pine took up the mantle for J.J. Abrams’ rebooted film in 2009.

Welcome to the #StarTrekFamily, @paulwesley 🖖 #StarTrek #StrangeNewWorlds https://t.co/TMXYp6eVnT

— Star Trek (@StarTrek) March 15, 2022

“Paul is an accomplished actor, an astonishing presence and a welcome key addition to the show,” said executive producers Alex Kurtzman, Akiva Goldsman, and Henry Alonso Myers in a statement. “Like all of us, he is a life-long Star Trek fan and we are excited by his interpretation of this iconic role.”

Strange New Worlds is one of a number of Star Trek series currently being produced by Paramount+, which also hosts Star Trek: Picard, Star Trek: Discovery, and Star Trek: Prodigy, among others. The series takes the Star Trek (how many times can we say that name in one article?) franchise back to its roots, following Anson Mount as Captain Christopher Pike and the initial crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise before the helm is given to James Kirk, who would become its most famous captain.

Following an episodic format closer to that of the Original Series, the upcoming ParamTrekount+ show will see Pike, Science Officer Spock (Ethan Peck), and Number One (Rebecca Romijn) as they explore “strange new worlds,” a play on the original monologue made famous by Star Trek’s success in the 1960s. It is unknown what role Kirk will serve in the new show, but considering it is set to serve as both a spin-off of Discovery and a prequel to the franchise’s original series, fans can anticipate something similar to Kirk’s introduction in the 2009 Star Trek film, as he works his way up the ranks of Starfleet and eventually takes control of the Enterprise as captain.

Season 1 of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds premieres on Paramount+ on May 5. Season 2 has yet to announce a release date.

via Collider