Why Kirk's main character energy is bad news for 'Star Trek: Strange New Worlds'

Like James Bond and Han Solo, James Tiberius Kirk has always had main character energy. Nobody would have called it that back in the 1960s, of course, but the man who shares a name with a Roman emperor (those guys weren't shrinking violets either) tends to be the biggest presence on any starship bridge.

While later "Treks" have prioritized the ensemble over the individual, the original Enterprise was fueled by star power, with Kirk more often than not the hero. Six decades since they first boldly went, he and Mr Spock remain the most famous names in Starfleet.

So whenever Kirk shows up on Christopher Pike's Enterprise — a surprisingly regular occurrence, seeing as he's still the first officer of the USS Farragut — he's no ordinary "special guest star" (the credit given to Paul Wesley every time he reprises a role famously originated by William Shatner). And even in a spin-off series that's rarely shy about indulging in franchise nostalgia, Kirk is a gravity well that unbalances "Strange New Worlds" every time he beams aboard. In fact, in the latest episode, "The Sehlat Who Ate Its Tail" it feels like he's hijacked someone else's show.

Although he's the most famous, Kirk wasn't the original captain of the Enterprise. That honor fell to Robert April (an admiral in the "Strange New Worlds" era), who'd ceded command to Christopher Pike (Jeffrey Hunter) in time for original "Star Trek" pilot "The Cage". This first-ever "Trek" episode didn't make it out into the wider universe until the late '80s, by which time Kirk had become a bona fide sci-fi icon.

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The only other evidence of Pike's existence was the two-part episode "The Menagerie", in which a gravely injured Pike (now played by Sean Kenney) was an unexpected guest on the Enterprise. Footage from "The Cage" appeared in flashbacks.

Although an alternate incarnation of Pike turned up in the Kelvin universe Trek movies (played by Bruce Greenwood), he was effectively a footnote in Starfleet history until he took command of the USS Discovery. But, he (now played by Anson Mount), the new-look Spock (Ethan Peck), and first officer Una "Number One" Chin-Riley (Rebecca Romijn) proved such a hit that they were granted their very own TV show. This prequel series' prime directive was detailing the voyages of the starship Enterprise before Kirk sat in the big chair — or so we thought.

There have been familiar names on the ship's roster from day one, from Original Series regulars (Uhura, Chapel and, later, Scotty) to characters who only appeared in a few episodes (Dr M'Benga, Chief Kyle). Some (such as Roger Korby) were one-off guest stars, while others (RIP, Sam Kirk) were literal corpses. They were rarely more than supporting players, however, so the opportunity to learn more about them is both belated and (mostly) welcome.

Spock, meanwhile, is a unique case. While he's even more ubiquitous than Kirk in "Trek" lore (the Leonard Nimoy incarnation straddled "The Cage", the Original Series/movies, "The Next Generation" era, the JJ Abrams films, and death-by-Khan), he gets a free pass in "Strange New Worlds". This younger version is essentially a different man, whose exploration of his human heritage (mostly via relationships with colleagues) frequently reveals new facets of his personality. The existing timeline also dictates that he has to serve on the Pike-era Enterprise.

This is not the case with Kirk, who has no canonical reason to cross paths with his future colleagues. The "Strange New Worlds" writers' room has made a deliberate choice to crowbar him into the show, turning a series about exploring, well, strange new worlds into an origin story for a very familiar Starfleet superstar. (Co-showrunner Akiva Goldsman has confirmed to TrekMovie that he intends to take the show to "Kirk's first day of command".)

The parallel universe Kirks of "Balance of Terror" reimagining "A Quality of Mercy", and "Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow" were fun reminders that Kirk is out there somewhere, doing his thing on the final frontier — they're alternative takes on an iconic character, much like Chris Pine's in the JJ Abrams movies. But whenever Kirk Prime shows up, he brings too much baggage for the rest of the show to handle, whether he's singing his way through "Subspace Rhapsody", or being thrust into command in this week's "The Sehlat Who Ate Its Tail".

In other circumstances, this could have been the story of an ambitious young number one who finds himself in the big chair when his captain is incapacitated, forced to confront his inner demons when an unknown — but extremely powerful — enemy threatens to destroy the Farragut.

Call that first officer James T Kirk, however, and the episode morphs into something else entirely. We all know that he's destined for greatness, that 99 times out of 100 he'll save the day, that one day he'll be sitting where Pike is now as Starfleet's youngest ever captain, having cheated on the Kobayashi Maru test to get there. Armed with hindsight, every interaction with future co-workers Uhura, Chapel, and Scott is imbued with unearned significance, open to unnecessary analysis. "Special guest star" Kirk's character evolution is now happening in snapshots, as if his character can only move forward when Wesley is called back for a few days' work.

This isn't like Luke Skywalker cameoing in "The Mandalorian and "The Book of Boba Fett", fulfilling a narrow but necessary step in Baby Yoda's development. When Kirk turns up in "Strange New Worlds", he overshadows everybody else on the ship, like the charismatic guy who shows up at a party and instantly becomes the center of attention. The extremely likable (and current) Enterprise crew deserve to be the stars of their own story, without some flashy up-and-comer swanning in to cramp their style. Kirk's time will come soon enough.

Besides, the best characters tend to arrive fully formed. Just as nobody was aching to learn how Han Solo got his name in his eponymous "Star Wars Story", Kirk's main character energy is potent enough that we don't need to know every step of his journey from Iowa to the captain's chair. Sometimes, a bit of mystery is what makes bona fide pop culture legends who they are.

New episodes of "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds" debut on Paramount+ on Thursdays.