The stars discuss the new season of the Paramount+ series and Wesley talks keeping his Kirk role a secret from William Shatner.
Rebecca Romijn and Paul Wesley are blasting off to Strange New Worlds. With the second season of Paramount+'s Star Trek series in full swing, the two stars previewed the latest intergalactic adventures that await the crew of the USS Enterprise.
In the new season, Captain Pike (Anson Mount) and the Enterprise team confront dangerous stakes, explore uncharted territories and encounter new life and civilizations. The crew will also embark on personal journeys that will continue to test their resolve and redefine their destinies. Facing friends and enemies both new and familiar, their adventures will unfold in surprising ways. After appearing in the season 1 finale of Strange New Worlds as James T. Kirk, Wesley formally steps into the role, while Romijn's Number One is under arrest at the start of season 2.
"The Trekkies, the fandom is so much a part of what we do and it's interesting because we really listened to what the fans want and a lot of it gets implemented," Romijn told ET's Will Marfuggi. "For example, we have an episode in season 2 that's a crossover between Lower Decks, the animated Star Trek show with our show and that was a request from the Trekkies. There are things they see come into fruition because of their requests and their suggestions."
That episode will see Lower Decks stars Tawny Newsome and Jack Quaid playing live-action versions of their characters, Beckett Mariner and Brad Boimler, respectively. Romijn remained mum, however, when asked if her husband, Jerry O'Connell, who voices Number One on that show, could potentially appear on Strange New Worlds in the future: "Who knows!"
For Wesley, stepping into an iconic character such as James T. Kirk was daunting, but creatively fulfilling.
"A lot of people connected to this character specifically. Maybe growing up he was like this hero to them, this father figure in a sense, so I understand the task," the actor said. "I'm lucky in the sense that I'm playing James Kirk pre-Captain Kirk so he's still developing his footing so to speak and so I kind of am taking some liberties and am allowing him to grow into that confident Captain Kirk that we all know."
The 40-year-old actor admitted he didn't reach out to William Shatner or Chris Pine ahead of taking the role because he was "sworn to secrecy." But, Wesley revealed, he ended up finding himself sitting next to Shatner on the plane soon after he finished filming his cameo in the season 1 finale of Strange New Worlds.
"I see William Shatner sitting there and he had just gotten back from space so he's all over the news. I had just watched 500 episodes of the original series back to back. I look at my ticket and my seat is next to his, of course, in the most serendipitous way," Wesley shared. "I couldn't reveal I was Kirk, not even to him. I kind of alluded to it. I was like, 'I'm playing a character you night be familiar with,' and he was like, 'Who is this maniac?' Long story short, after the episode aired finally, he tweeted me and was like, 'Congratulations, take care of my ship,' and he was very, very sweet. I subsequently ran into him multiple times. He's been nothing but a gem."
Though Wesley's Kirk is in his pre-captain days, he noted there are certain pillars to his personality that are immoveable -- his sense of loyalty, his moral compass. "Even though he's not a captain yet in this series, there's this sense of unwavering loyalty to this ship, to the crew. There's a moral compass and this roundedness about him even though he can be flirty and fun and charming and not take himself too seriously," he explained. "At the end of the day, he's someone that you can really rely on and that's something that I wanted to exude as much as possible."
And there's the forthcoming meeting between Kirk and Spock, played by Ethan Peck, as they embark on what would become one of the most beloved TV partnerships. "We get hints of it," Wesley said. "We haven't shot season 3 yet, but in season 2 they will meet."
Romijn teased the season's penultimate episode, titled "Subspace Rhapsody," as a particular treat to film. "Episode nine came along and it is so out of the box," she hinted. "We got so excited about it, and Paul and I got to do something together that was pretty fun and pretty crazy."
Added Wesley: "We can't say what it is and I think it deals with part of the development of young James Kirk."
As for Number One's journey this season, Romijn said her character goes through the wringer, especially at the start.
"We know that Number One does make it back to the Enterprise because she was in the original pilot 60 years ago, played by Majel Roddenberry. She gets taken into custody for deciding to reveal her true self. She's genetically modified, which is not allowed within Starfleet and she's been harboring this terrible secret," the actress said. "Captain Pike has been protecting her and giving her asylum on the Enterprise and she gets carted off to prison. You'll see in season 2 how she gets out of it. There will be a trial."
"It's incredible to flesh out a character that was created 60 years ago and get to take some artistic liberties as an actor," Romijn credited. "She's been very ashamed to have lied to Starfleet all these years, but I think she's ashamed of this secret that she's been harboring. So if she makes it out, you'll see a freer Una and more unburdened."
Strange New Worlds has already been picked up for a third season by Paramount+, and both Romijn and Wesley expressed their wishes for future storylines.
"I'd like to know a little bit more about Una's backstory, in terms of her love life. Has there ever been one?" Romijn asked.
"Every time I get a script, I'm surprised and I almost want the writers to surprise me because they're so good. Every episode is a standalone movie and it's always so exciting to watch it," Wesley said.
"And Akiva Goldsman, our executive producer, always says Star Trek can be a lot of things and so we can't even grasp what that means because the things that they come up with are so far out there," Romijn added, "because we take some really big swings in season 2."
The season 2 premiere of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is streaming now on Paramount+.
RELATED CONTENT:
