Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 2: Paul Wesley and Ethan Peck Talk Kirk and Spock’s ‘Platonic Love at First Sight’
Kirk and Spock’s love for each other is legendary, and now we’ll finally see how their ride-or-die friendship began.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 2 — premiering Thursday, June 15 on Paramount+ — will see a young Kirk (recurring guest star Paul Wesley) drop in, bringing the future Enterprise captain face-to-face with his eventual half-Vulcan bestie.
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Laying the groundwork for one of Star Trek’s most iconic relationships is no easy task, and Wesley took that to heart.
“Ethan [Peck] was much more casual about it than I was,” the actor tells TVLine. “I was like, ‘Oh my god, this is a big deal’ when we’re filming. But of course, you can’t be aware of that.”
Their introduction in the series is “somewhat casual, but I think Kirk was drawn to this man for whatever reason and wanted to meet him and talk to him and found him intriguing,” Wesley explains.
According to Ethan Peck, who plays Spock, the feelings were mutual. “I recall Spock being intrigued and also very skeptical,” Peck shares. “Kirk gives off this confidence and charm and an intelligence.”
Referencing a “really interesting op-ed about platonic love at first sight,” Peck notes that there’s “some of that at play” with the dynamic pairing.
“There’s an immediate respect and admiration they feel for one another,” Peck adds. “On Spock’s end, because he’s still learning to trust his emotions, I think he has this impulse about Kirk and is very cautious about it. And for good reason, because Kirk can be so devilish.”
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