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- Primary Subject: Star Trek: Strange New Worlds scrapped Captain Kirk comeback concept
- Key Update: Showrunner Akiva Goldsman revealed that an early scrapped finale plan involved bringing a classic or alternate version of Captain Kirk back to the show before settling on ending the series with the prime timeline Kirk's first day of command.
- Status: Confirmed
- Last Verified: May 26, 2026
- Quick Answer: Co-showrunner Akiva Goldsman originally considered alternative, scrapped ways to involve Captain Kirk's future legacy before finalizing the show's conclusion with James T. Kirk taking over the Enterprise.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds co-showrunner Akiva Goldsman has just revealed a wild, scrapped storyline that would have brought an iconic version of Captain James T. Kirk back to the franchise, but it isn't the Paul Weasley variant you're thinking of. Here's why Strange New Worlds couldn't make the comeback happen.
Strange New Worlds Showrunner Reveals Scrapped Captain Kirk Comeback Idea
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As much as Captain Pike has been the heart of the show, Captain Kirk stole the fans over time, as he gained more screentime and complexity in The Original Series. The last time William Shatner played Kirk in the canon universe was in the 1994 film, Star Trek Generations, where his character died in a team-up with Picard on a mission to stop Dr. Soran.
While Shatner has repeatedly said he'd consider returning to the franchise if the story was worth pursuing, so far, it hasn't happened. So, why is that?
Speaking to Polygon, Goldsman revealed that their biggest regret was not being able to bring Shatner back.
They had plans to have Shatner play a version of Kirk who chose to stay in Depression-era New York with Edith Keeler (Joan Collins), the soup kitchen operator he fell in love with in The City on the Edge of Forever. But as luck would have it in their scripts, it never came together.
Now, with Strange New Worlds about to end after its fifth season, the showrunners reflected on the series as a whole and what they could've done.
"I think if you get to the end and there's nothing left for you to want to do, then that's more of a disappointment," Alex Kurtzman told the outlet. "I'm proud of every episode we've done, but I feel like the best dinners you come to don't leave you feeling stuffed. They leave you wanting more."
What Would Have Happened If They Brought Captain Kirk Back to the Show
If the creative team had pulled off this massive William Shatner comeback, it would have turned one of the most famous Star Trek episodes of all time completely on its head.
In The Original Series classic, The City on the Edge of Forever, Kirk was forced to let Edith Keeler die to prevent Nazi Germany from winning World War II and altering the future. Had Goldsman's scrapped idea made it to the screen, fans would have witnessed an alternate timeline where Kirk chose love over duty, which would've broken the prime universe as we know it.
While seeing a veteran Shatner play an aged, time-travel-stranded James T. Kirk would have been a huge ratings win and an emotional powerhouse for longtime Trekkies, it would have strayed from the show's core mission. Strange New Worlds has always been about Christopher Pike's tragic destiny and the journey of his crew.
By keeping the focus on Paul Wesley's prime-timeline Kirk preparing to take over the Enterprise command chair, the show prevents iteslf from getting bogged down in multiverse-style nostalgia. It allows the series to end exactly where it needs to: right on the doorstep of The Original Series.
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